Tacos Get A Major Protein Boost When You Swap Sour Cream For This

Sour cream is the natural topping for your favorite tacos for a good reason: its creamy texture and rich, tangy flavor contrasts perfectly with the taco spices, balancing heat. But what if you could keep that cool, tangy topping while giving your tacos a major protein boost? The good news is that you can, with one tiny swap from another cultured dairy product: plain Greek yogurt. Use a 1:1 ratio, spooning it on top of your tacos exactly as you would with sour cream; it's as simple as that.

Greek yogurt's flavor isn't an exact match to sour cream; it tends to be sharper, more acidic, and less rich than sour cream. But it is comparable, and its creamy, thick texture makes it the closest substitute if a protein boost is what you're looking for. While exact protein amounts vary by brand and the different types of yogurt for sale, you can generally expect Greek yogurt to have significantly more. According to the USDA, plain whole-milk Greek yogurt contains about 9 grams of protein per 100 grams, and plain nonfat Greek yogurt contains around 10 grams. Meanwhile, regular sour cream contains around 3 grams per 100 grams. That means plain Greek yogurt is about three times higher in protein than sour cream. And that protein boost isn't the only nutritional perk you'll get when swapping in Greek yogurt.

Sour cream and Greek yogurt's respective ingredients and production processes impact their nutrition in other ways, too. Greek yogurt is made from fermented milk using bacterial cultures. It is then strained, which removes the liquid whey. That process concentrates its protein and creates its smooth, thick texture and tangy taste. A dollop of Greek yogurt on your tacos will also provide gut-friendly probiotics, which are absent in most commercial sour creams due to re-pasteurization. Rather than being made from milk, sour cream is made by fermenting pasteurized cream (which is very low in protein) with lactic acid bacteria. This thickens the cream and gives it that distinctive mild, sour tang. The process results in a more buttery and spreadable product with a higher fat and calorie content than Greek yogurt.

For the closest texture-flavor match on your tacos, make sure to choose plain, whole-milk Greek yogurt. Nonfat yogurt works too, but it may feel less creamy and more chalky. Whichever Greek yogurt you choose, you can always kick it up a notch by adding a few more ingredients to it give it a closer flavor to sour cream. To 1 cup of Greek yogurt, add 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, and a sprinkle of salt. If you love the flavor and protein-boost of Greek yogurt on your tacos, you can then branch out and go Greek with a gyro-style version – and you can always sweeten plain Greek yogurt for dessert, just in case you have some left over in the tub.