Greek yogurt is one of the better high-protein snacks you can keep on hand, but buying it prepackaged adds up quickly. Making your own and portioning it into snack cups brings the cost down to about 50 cents each. That works out to close to $300 a year in savings for me, which is a meaningful number for something I eat almost every day.
The cups themselves take about 15 minutes to prep if you are making a batch of 8 at once, which is what I usually do. They sit in the fridge all week and are ready to grab whenever you need something quick and filling. If you are not making your own yogurt yet, I walk through my process at the end of this post. It is simpler than it sounds.
For containers I use Glad 4 oz plastic containers, though 4 oz mason jars work great too and look noticeably nicer if you care about that sort of thing. Either way, having a set of uniform containers makes the batch prep process much smoother.
A high-protein snack cup with Greek yogurt, walnuts, almonds, and honey. Batch-make 8 at a time in under 15 minutes for about 50 cents each.
Nutrition Per Serving
Ingredients (per cup)
- 1/2 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon chopped walnuts
- 1 teaspoon sliced almonds
- 1/2 tablespoon honey (about 11g if you are weighing it)
Directions
- Spoon 1/2 cup of yogurt into your container.
- Top with 1 teaspoon each of chopped walnuts and sliced almonds.
- Squeeze 1/2 tablespoon of honey over the nuts.
- Cover and refrigerate. Make as many at a time as you want. I usually do 8.
How to Make Your Own Greek Yogurt
There are more detailed guides out there, but here is the process I actually use. You likley already have most of what you need and the active time is minimal.
Start with about 1/4 cup of store-bought yogurt that lists "live and active cultures" on the label. It does not have to be Greek yogurt, just plain with active cultures.
Bring a gallon of non-fat skim milk up to 170 to 180 degrees F. This is just below a full boil. You will see small bubbles forming on the sides, a little froth, and steam rising. Hold it at this temperatre for 30 minutes. This step breaks down the proteins and gives you a noticeably thicker final product.
Take the pot off the heat, cover it, and let it cool down to around 110 degrees F. It needs to be below 120 before you add the starter or you will kill the cultures. If you do not have a kitchen thermometer, stick your pinky in and if you can hold it there for 10 seconds before it gets uncomfortable, you are in the right range. That is my mom's method, passed down from her mom, from a time when kitchen thermometers were not a household item. It works.
Stir some of the warm milk into your starter yogurt to temper it, then stir that mixture back into the pot. Cover the pot, wrap it in towels, and leave it in your oven overnight for 8 to 24 hours. The longer it cultures, the tangier it gets. I like around 12 hours. If your oven has a proofing setting, use that at 100 degrees and skip the towels.
The next day, line a colander with cheesecloth or coffee filters, set it over a bowl, and pour in the yogurt. Cover with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge to drain until you reach the consistency you want. Stir the finished yogurt to even it out and store in clean, dry containers.
Ways to Vary the Recipe
The honey, walnut, and almond combination is what I keep coming back to, but it is easy to swap around. Granola works well in place of the nuts if you want more carbs around a workout. A few blueberries or sliced strawberries on top add some flavor without much impact on the macros. If you want something a little more substantial for breakfast, these pair well alongside something like a high-protein breakfast skillet when you need more calories to start the day.
Making These Cups Dairy-Free or Lactose-Free
I was not lactose intolerant when I originally developed this recipe, but I am now, so this is something I have had to think through. There are a few directions you can go depending on how strict you need to be.
If you are lactose intolerant but not fully dairy-free, lactose-free Greek yogurt is the simplest swap. Brands like Green Valley Creamery make a lactose-free plain Greek yogurt that behaves identically to regular Greek yogurt in this recipe. The protein content stays the same and the taste is nearly identical.
If you need to go fully dairy-free, coconut yogurt is the best texture match. It gets thick and creamy in a way that most other plant-based yogurts do not. The trade-off is that coconut yogurt is high in fat and much lower in protein, so the nutrition profile changes considerably. Almond milk yogurt like Kite Hill unsweetened plain is a middle ground with better protein numbers than coconut but a thinner texture.
For the homemade yogurt section below, you can apply the same process using lactose-free whole milk and a lactose-free yogurt starter. The culturing process works the same way. Fully dairy-free homemade yogurt using oat or cashew milk is possible but the straining step behaves differently and the result is less predictable without a dedicated non-dairy yogurt starter culture.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do the yogurt cups keep in the fridge?
About 5 days in a sealed container. The nuts will soften a little by day 4 or 5, which some people actually prefer. If you want them to stay crunchy all week, store the nuts separately and add them right before eating.
Can I use flavored Greek yogurt instead of plain?
You can, but most flavored yogurts already have a significant amount of added sugar, so adding honey on top pushes it pretty high. Plain yogurt gives you more control over the sweetness and keeps the macros cleaner. Non-fat plain Greek yogurt is the right base for this.
What nuts work best in these cups?
Walnuts and almonds are my standard combination. Pecans are a good swap for walnuts if you want something a little sweeter. Pistachios work too and add a nice color contrast. Avoid anything heavily salted since the yogurt is already a fairly neutral base and you do not want the salt to compete with the honey.
Can I make these with full-fat Greek yogurt?
Yes. The nutrition values listed here are based on non-fat yogurt, so full-fat will add calories and fat. The texture is noticeably creamier and richer, which some people strongly prefer. It is a good option if you are not watching fat intake closely.
Do I have to make my own yogurt?
Not at all. Store-bought plain non-fat Greek yogurt works fine. The main reason to make your own is cost. At roughly 50 cents a cup using homemade yogurt versus closer to a dollar with store-bought, it adds up meaningfully over time if you eat these regularly.
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