When I saw this at the store the other day, I just had to try it. I’ve been wishing Organic Valley would make yogurt, as it’s one of the few dairy products I eat- the fact that it says it’s drinkable yogurt says volumes about the product, and the company’s integrity to providing real, whole organic foods.
Why is that? Because the yogurts that you and I love and are familiar with at the stores all have something in common-thickeners. Whether that be from gelatin, xanthan gum, dry milk powders or other thickening agents- they are all there. They are what helps give yogurt that creamy, thick texture. Yogurt, in it’s natural state it actually on the runny side- or drinkable, as Organic Valley calls it. (Goat Yogurt is frequently sold in its more runny state- advertised as European Style.) This new yogurt from Organic Valley already has that going for it- yogurt in it’s natural state.
Something else I appreciate about the Organic Valley yogurt is that it uses Agave Nectar as it’s sweetener. Now, I’m not a huge fan of agave, but by using it, OV is keeping the sugars in yogurt at a more reasonable level. Yogurt and sugar just go hand in hand- lactose is ever present in yogurts, and when the more commercial yogurts dump in the equivalent of 6 teaspoons of sugar into one small cup of yogurt- the sugars and the carbs go through the roof. It make it difficult for people who are watching their sugar intake to enjoy the health benefits of yogurt. I should note here, that the plain yogurt sports 13 grams of your daily carbohydrate intake and just 11 grams of sugar, where the vanilla flavored one has 24 grams of sugar and 26 grams of carbs. The sugars in the plain yogurt is from the lactose alone- as there is no added sweetener added.
I purchased the vanilla yogurt. I wanted to try it in two ways and see what I thought of it. First, I wanted to just try drinking it out of a glass. And second, this yogurt has been advertised as a “milk alternative” for pouring on cereal. How would that work and taste?
First I tried drinking it from a glass. The container says 8 ounces is a serving, and I poured about 5 or 6 into my glass- and that was plenty for me. The yogurt makes a thick drink- almost like milkshake consistency, but with the flavor and tang of yogurt. I liked it- I thought it made a nice alternative to having a glass of juice in the morning. I think 8 ounces though would have been too much at one time. I could see myself drinking this on occasion- in fact, I think it would make an awesome accompaniment to homemade cookies. Oatmeal Raisin cookies and a glass of this yogurt would be awesome! I also can see it has great potential to be used as a base for smoothies- if you’re into smoothies.
Pouring this yogurt over cereal though? That was a completely different animal. Now normally, I love yogurt with granola- I could eat that everyday, and I can completely see using this drinkable yogurt in that capacity. (I’m out of granola, or I’d try that.) But over every day regular old breakfast cereal? I poured myself a bowl of Life and then started to pour the yogurt over the top. It was instantly obvious that this was not going to be the same as cereal and milk. The yogurt is so much thicker than milk, and it kind of clung to the cereal, instead of just bathing it like milk would. It was okay… I thought the yogurt kind of overwhelmed the cereal actually, and I didn’t really taste the Life at all- it was more like I was having a bowl of vanilla yogurt for breakfast with something crunchy in it. It wasn’t unpleasant at all, but I don’t know that I’d be doing that on a regular basis. Now, if I were to run out of milk and want cereal, I wouldn’t hesitate to use the yogurt. I can also see potential here for adding a little drizzle of the yogurt to a bowl of oatmeal with dried fruit in it.
Eh, the cereal was different. Not my cup of tea, I guess. But overall, I do like this yogurt, and can see myself buying it and keeping it on hand. They also make a berry flavor, made from organic berry juices, and I suspect that one would be great for drinking straight up. The plain one I’m having a hard time imagining a use for. I like plain yogurt in a bowl with a healthy drizzle of honey and some fresh fruit, so maybe something similar to that would be good. But I can’t imagine just tossing back a glass of plain yogurt- that would be too tart for my taste.
This is a good product. The Organic Valley website is offering coupons right now for it, if you don’t feel up to spending full price for it just to try it out. I did. At my store, it cost me $3.49 for 32 ounces of vanilla yogurt. I thought it was worth the price the way I’ve been using it. As an occasional drink of yogurt- loaded with beneficial probiotics-it’s a great product. I really should reiterate the fact that even though this is sweetened with agave nectar- it’s far from a sweet product. The tart tang of yogurt comes through crystal clear, so if you’re one of those who doesn’t like tart yogurt, I suspect this wouldn’t be the yogurt for you. The fact that it’s drinkable yogurt may take some getting used to, but overall, I’m very pleased with it, and find it a product worth spending a portion of my grocery budget on.