Make Your Yogurt A High-Protein Treat With This Easy One-Ingredient Addition

Yogurt is one of America's grocery list go-tos. Its popularity has even increased by five times the previous consumption rate in the last 40 or so years, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and it's estimated that around 70% of consumers have this food three days a week, according to research via Mackenthun's. It's understandable; this ingredient makes a solid base for a variety of sauces and dips, presents a great alternative to sour cream, and its neutral flavor lets it lean either savory or sweet. When it comes to understated, protein-rich treats, yogurt is also a great choice in combination with nut butter.

Various types of yogurt are already packed with protein, such as Greek yogurt, which boasts 10 grams of protein per 100 grams of yogurt, according to the USDA. When you add 2 tablespoons of peanut butter to yogurt, you increase the total by around 7 grams and make the creamiest homemade peanut butter treat. However, plain yogurt may start to feel overdone. Thankfully, there are many ways to keep this combination interesting.

If plain yogurt is too sour and tangy, you can choose a variety of flavors that are pre-sweetened to help complement your choice of nut butter. Common on most grocery shelves, you could try honey, blueberry, or vanilla-flavored yogurts. With each including its own nuances, sugar content, and other mix-ins, there's an option for nearly every palate. For those who are allergic to nuts, don't fret — you could easily swap nut butters for seed butters, such as sunflower butter or pumpkin seed butter.

Peanut butter immediately comes to mind when people think of nut butter, but there are a variety of interesting options out there just waiting to be incorporated instead. Think cashew butter, almond butter, the lesser-known walnut butter, or delve even farther into other options with pistachio butter and hazelnut butter. You could also simply combine a variety of nuts and spices and make your own homemade nut butter to try instead. Each offers its own taste and texture so your yogurt treats can become endlessly innovative and interesting. 

You may be satisfied with the simple combination of yogurt and nut butter, but there are many ways to expand. You could include a slew of dry ingredients with your nut butter, such as granola, or warming spices, such as cinnamon or nutmeg. If you want more control over the sweetness of your creation, you could incorporate maple syrup or honey. If you want more flavor but very little added sweetness, you could try vanilla extract as an alternative.

Additionally, you may consider incorporating layered elements such as various fruits or a hard dark chocolate shell made by melting chocolate with coconut oil. You could even take this chocolate technique and use it to turn your nut butter yogurt into handheld treats. These additions not only make your version of this combination delicious and interesting, but nutritionally expansive.