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Why buy flavored yogurt when you can make it? It tastes better and it’s healthier, too! This orange yogurt is so refreshing, you’ll want it for every meal.
Ever since starting to eat more non-processed and whole foods, Alex and I have found it’s now harder to eat the artificially flavored foods we once enjoyed. Case in point – yogurt. The prepackaged flavors we used to love now seem overly sugary and a little artificial. So we were glad to find that plain yogurt can be used as a base to flavor to your own liking. This orange yogurt tastes many times better than the pre-flavored yogurt in the store. Here’s how to make it!
How to make orange yogurt
So, here’s the thing: this is not a homemade yogurt recipe! While we’ve made everything from homemade sourdough starter to teriyaki sauce to ranch dressing, we’ve yet to tackle how to make yogurt at home. What this recipe is about, however, is how to put your own flavoring into yogurt. And this orange yogurt recipe is so tasty, you’ll never go back to the pre-flavored stuff.
Fresh squeezed orange juice and orange zest adds a refreshing zing to this orange yogurt, along with a slight sweetness from the maple syrup. And there’s a good amount of vanilla for some complexity. All you’ve got to do is stir them together: it’s that simple! Then you can store your orange yogurt refrigerated for up to 1 week.
Serve this orange yogurt as shown with raisins and walnuts: or use it as a basis for customizing your own flavors! You could add other spices or citrus to the yogurt body: for example, try something like lime yogurt with a little ginger stirred in! You also can add any toppings of your choice – dried or fresh fruit, nuts, seeds, or granola. Our healthy granola recipe would be perfect here.
This recipe could work for breakfast or snack…we’d even serve it for dessert, maybe topped with sugared nuts, a fruit compote, or even some shaved chocolate!
Looking for more healthy breakfast recipes?
Along with this orange yogurt, here are a few more healthy breakfast recipes on A Couple Cooks:
- Acai Bowl Recipe
- Cinnamon Pecan Muesli
- 5-Minute Pesto Breakfast Sandwich
- The BEST Coffee: Chemex, Aeropress, & Cold Brew
- Tofu Scramble Recipe with Black Beans
- Healthy Banana Bread Muffins
- Lemon Poppy Seed Oatmeal Pancakes
- Chocolate Brownie Spelt Vegan Pancakes
- Turmeric Vegan Blueberry Muffins
- Vegan Banana French Toast
- Toast with almond butter and Chai Tart Cherry Jam or Cranberry Jam (vegan)
- Sweet Potato Hash Browns
- Eggs with Chive Blossoms
- Tart Cherry Post Workout Protein Bowl
- Vegetarian Spinach Quiche
This orange yogurt recipe is…
Vegetarian and gluten-free.
Print
Orange Yogurt
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 cups 1x
Description
Why buy flavored yogurt when you can make it? It tastes better and it’s healthier, too! This orange yogurt is so refreshing, you’ll want it for every meal.
Ingredients
- 32 ounces (4 cups) organic Greek yogurt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- Zest and juice from 1 orange
- Toppings: raisins, cranberries, walnuts, pecans, granola, fresh fruit, etc.
Instructions
- Flavor the yogurt: Zest the orange, then juice it and place them both in a medium bowl. Add the orange zest, vanilla, and maple syrup to the yogurt. Then add the orange juice, enough to your taste and until the yogurt comes to a creamy consistency.
- Top the yogurt: Garnish with toppings of your choice – we used raisins and pecans, but the sky is the limit! Store leftover yogurt in a sealed container for up to 1 week.
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stirred
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Orange yogurt, homemade flavored yogurt, breakfast recipes
I totally agree about not being able to handle “regular” yogurt (sugar-goo) after getting used to more natural stuff. But I am now addicted to Greek strained yogurt (Fage, Chobani), which I probably have for breakfast 3 times a week or more. Based on your recipe above, I wonder whether, if you started with strained yogurt in the first place, could you skip straight to #2? I know some people don’t like the tang of Greek style yogurt, but I think it’s addictive! Also, I am all about learning how to process and incorporate pomegranates into my fall cooking this year, including mixing it in yogurt. Yum!
Required reading from Slate, by the way: http://www.slate.com/id/2231191/ They must like writing stories about yogurt at Slate. I also recommend this article about (absurdly expensive) Siggi’s: http://www.slate.com/id/2263801/
Yes, I definitely think you could skip Step 1 by using Greek yogurt! Great idea of pomegranates in yogurt — they are one of our favorite seasonal treats :)
I like the idea of adding your own flavoring- healthier and tastier!
yeah what’s with all the sugar laden food nowadays? i just don’t get it. instead, i’d like a serving of those delicious orange yogurt you’ve got there, please! (:
Very cute picture – I like it. I will try your recipe but will use kefir instead of yogurt. I make my own kefir – so easy and inexpensive. I can leave a recipe for you if you are intested http://cuceesprouts.com/2010/10/fermenting-experimenting/
Sounds wonderful! We’ll have to give it a try – sounds like a fun experiment!
that is a delicious-looking bowl of yogurt. great brunch indeed.
have you tried Karoun meditteranean cheeses and yogurts…yumm
We’ll have to check it out – thanks for the recommendation!
Yes. I am such a huge fan of citrus zest in plain yogurt, such a burst of flavour!
Being this is my first time on your site (love it!) I just have to say that picture of you two is so cute! But it almost looks like he is crazily staring at you whilst holding a knife! Ahhh! But you two are adorable none the less…:)
Haha! Thank you so much for your nice comments! Yes, we’ve had a few questions about that knife, particularly from friends and family — it does look a little scary! So much for cooking props :) Next time we’ll have to try something a little less dangerous…maybe a whisk?
I’m so glad you reminded me of this recipe. It is in one of my cookbooks, I think, and I forgot about it. I have been buying organic as much as possible, including yogurt, and now regular yogurts taste way too sweet to me (though I do like the vanilla organic yogurt).
Agreed! Actually, I think the first flavored yogurt I tried was from your blog – a dip flavored with honey, vanilla, and cinnamon…it was delicious! :)