37 Recipes With Yogurt for Every Meal of the Day
Yogurt bowls are great—both the sweet and savory kinds—but there are so many more recipes with yogurt to know and love. This versatile dairy staple can bulk up a breakfast smoothie, anchor a marinade for lamb and other meats, form the base of classic dips like tzatziki, and transform ice pops into high-protein, healthy desserts—adding tang, tenderness, and creaminess along the way. From weeknight dinners to no-bake sweets, yogurt does more heavy lifting in the kitchen than almost any other dairy product.
Below, you’ll find recipes made with regular yogurt, labneh, and plain Greek yogurt (we even crowned a winner in our Greek yogurt taste test). Whether you’re cooking dinner, baking, or figuring out how to use up an extra tub, these recipes cover it all. It’s best to use the style called for, but Greek yogurt can be thinned with water in a pinch, and plain yogurt can be strained if you don't have the thicker product on hand.
Photograph by Doaa Elkady, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Gözde Eker1/37Turmeric-Lime Chicken With Pumpkin Seed Salsa
In this recipe with yogurt, the dairy teams up with lime to flavor a whole chicken and keep it juicy while roasting. When all is said and done, don’t forget to put a dollop of smoky poblano and toasted pepita salsa on your plate.
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Pearl Jones2/37Spiced Lamb and Dill Yogurt Pasta
Think of this as a kind of elegant, world-traveled mac and cheese. Lamb and yogurt are such fine bedfellows, and in this pasta recipe, they also marry with dill, pine nuts, and currants.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Marina Bevilacqua3/37Chilled Beet and Yogurt Soup
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Emilie Fosnocht, prop styling by Gerri Williams4/37Halal Cart Chicken Salad
Textural variety is the key to a great dinner salad. Here, crisp iceberg lettuce creates a sturdy bed for roasted chicken, salty pita chips deliver crunch, and a rich yogurt dressing adds creaminess.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Kat Boytsova5/37Digaag Qumbe (Yogurt-Coconut Chicken)
This nourishing yogurt-enriched Somali stew contains chicken, vegetables, and lots of warming spice. (Watch Hawa Hassan make it here.)
Elliott Jerome Brown Jr.6/37Joojeh Kebab
Saffron, onion, lemon juice, tomato paste, black pepper, and yogurt work together in a marinade that tenderizes the chicken and creates an ideal balance of acidity, sweetness, and umami.
Photograph by Peden + Munk, Food Styling by Adriana Paschen, Prop Styling by Ceci Garcia7/37Paneer Kathi Rolls
Photograph by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Sophie Strangio8/37Hot Yogurt and Spinach Soup
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Aneta Florczyk9/37Green Goddess Chicken Thighs
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Marina Bevilacqua11/37Yogurt-Marinated Chicken With Hot Honey
There’s a reason you see so many marinades with yogurt: Lactic acid breaks down collagen and muscle fibers, resulting in pull-apart meat.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Thu Buser12/37Beets and Farro With Honey-Garlic Goat Cheese
Photograph by Heami Lee, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Maggie DiMarco13/37Spiced Chickpea and Spinach Pockets
These calzone-style pockets made with store-bought pizza dough, instant chana masala, and fresh spinach are ideal with a cool yogurt sauce served on the side for dipping.
Photograph by Alex Huang, Food Styling by Tiffany Schleigh, Prop Styling by Tim Ferro14/37Italian Long Hots With Tahini Yogurt
Nutty, cooling tahini yogurt makes the ideal condiment counterpart to tender, glazed long hot peppers—as a side dish, toast topper, or sandwich stuffer.
Photograph by Heami Lee, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by JoJo Li15/37Chaat-Style Potato Salad
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Marina Bevilacqua16/37Blistered Asparagus With Labneh and Harissa
This just-charred-enough asparagus begs to be dragged through a cool, creamy labneh (you can also use Greek yogurt) mixed with bright, fiery harissa.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pierce Abernathy, prop styling by Olga Grigorenko17/37Herb-Stuffed Flatbreads With Yogurt Sauce
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Gerri K. Williams19/37Hot & Tangy Tandoori Buffalo Wings
Salted yogurt tames the heat of these chicken wings, which feature both an aromatic tandoori masala spice blend and Frank’s hot sauce. (Gotta nod to classic Buffalo wings.)
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Sean Dooley23/37Sheet-Pan Merguez Hash With Fried Eggs
Photograph by Heami Lee, food styling by Frances Boswell, prop styling by Sophie Strangio24/37Sweet and Salty Mango Lassi
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Marina Bevilacqua27/37Yogurt-Berry Paletas
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Drew Aichele, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka28/37Frozen Greek Yogurt Blackout Pie
It’s not just Greek yogurt that gives this no-bake pie its creamy texture; extra-virgin olive oil adds richness and balances the chocolate flavor.
Photograph by Scott Semler, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Stephanie Yeh29/37Raspberry-Cardamom Yogurt Semifreddo
Photograph by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Sophie Strangio30/37Sour Cherry Cheesecake
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Marina Bevilacqua31/37Labneh
The hands-off process of straining yogurt overnight yields labneh, a thicker, creamy spread you’ll use in everything from dips to dressings. In fact, we sometimes use it on its own as a dip, topping it with a seed mix we like to think of as savory granola.
Photo by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Cyd McDowell, Prop Styling by Paige Hicks33/37Crispy Air Fryer Potato Wedges With Yogurt-Tahini Sauce
These potato wedges are spiced and sizzled to crispy perfection. Don’t have an air fryer? Use the same easy yogurt sauce recipe and roast sweet potato fries instead.
Photograph by Laura Murray, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Sophie Strangio34/37Citrus-Ginger Raita With Spice Oil
Ginger and citrus juices—well, and coriander seeds, turmeric, and chile powder—give this all-purpose sauce a holiday feel. Like cranberry sauce, it goes with everything.
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by D'mytrek Brown35/37Spinach Thepla and Vaghareli Dahi
Vaghar (another name for tadka, and in this case, a mixture of vegetable oil, cumin seeds, garlic, asafetida, and red chili powder) adds an immense amount of flavor to this yogurt dip.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Amy Wilson36/37Grilled Salmon Steaks With Cilantro-and-Garlic Yogurt Sauce
Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Amy Wilson37/37Lemony Yogurt Sauce
