When I'm shopping, I always see different varieties and I'm not clear on what exactly the difference is. They both taste sour anyway, right? Do I need to do things differently when cooking?
Plain yogurt basically has no additives, just milk and cultures - that's why it tastes really sour and bitter.
Regular yogurt is usually stretched with sugar, starch, or other stuff, so it tastes creamier and sweeter.
When cooking, there's not really a big difference, but plain yogurt separates faster if it gets too hot - so better to add it at the end. Depending on what you're cooking, one works better than the other, but both work.
To be honest, "natural yogurt" is really just a marketing term - legally there's not much difference, both have to be fermented with the same bacteria.
The difference is more that natural yogurt usually has no additives, sugar, or flavorings, while "regular" yogurt is often sweetened or has flavoring agents added. When cooking it barely makes a difference, just that natural yogurt tastes more sour - if you like it milder, you can just use less of it or mix it with a pinch of sugar. Just check the ingredient list and you'll see right away what's in it and can decide for yourself which one works better for you.
The practical difference when cooking: you can use plain yogurt in heat more easily because there are fewer additives in it. regular yogurt with starch can quickly become lumpy or weird when heated because the starch reacts. so if you're making things like sauces or adding yogurt to dishes, there's a higher chance it'll stay smooth. with cold dishes you won't notice much of a difference though, in that case the creaminess from the additives actually works better for regular yogurt.
as for the composition: the previous answers are both right, but it's less marketing spin than you'd think. according to german law, plain yogurt really only has to contain milk and yogurt cultures - no additives allowed (or minimal). regular yogurt can contain sugar, starch, flavoring, gelatin and stuff like that. it's not just bs, it's an actual legal distinction. taste-wise plain yogurt doesn't necessarily taste more bitter - more intense and creamier if it's good quality. with cheap plain yogurt you can definitely pick up a sharp, sour note.
which type do you actually need? is it for a specific dish or just to eat?
When I'm cooking, I actually notice the difference the most. At home, I use plain yogurt for marinades and sauces because it's just more stable when things heat up. Regular yogurt with starch and thickeners in it - that keeps breaking on me whenever I heat it. It's really annoying when you're making a sauce and suddenly it looks like flake soup.
Taste-wise, there's definitely a difference too: plain yogurt just tastes like... well, like yogurt basically - sour, intense. Regular yogurt is often sweeter and creamier because of the sugar and starch they add. If you want to eat it completely plain, plain yogurt is probably the better stuff because you know what's in it. But I'd also recommend plain yogurt for refining dishes, just because the consistency stays more reliable when you heat it.
Legally speaking, the previous answers are right - there's no strict definition, it's more marketing nonsense. But practically in terms of processing and taste, you definitely notice the difference.
Warning: The second answer here is taking shortcuts. Legally, the difference is definitely there - in the EU, plain yogurt has to have at least 3.6% fat and can only contain milk plus cultures, otherwise it can't be called that. Regular yogurt is more flexible, you can add thickeners, starch, sugar and flavorings. This isn't marketing gimmickry, it has real consequences for what ends up in the jar.
The taste difference really comes from that: plain yogurt tastes more intense because the acidity from fermentation isn't masked by sugar and the texture isn't artificially thickened. The other stuff is just creamier and sweeter because it gets bulked up. When cooking you need to keep that in mind - with plain yogurt you can heat it higher without it getting lumpy because there's no starch in it that'll curdle. Regular yogurt with additives gets weird fast if you heat it too long. For cold sauces, marinades or finishing a dish right before serving, plain yogurt is your safe bet. But if it's going into a curry or soup that's gonna simmer anyway, you go with the cheaper option - you won't notice the difference anymore.
The others have already summed it up well that it's mainly about additives. What I'd add though: a lot of people mix up "Naturjoghurt" with "Joghurt natur" - but they're not the same thing 😅 Joghurt natur is just unsweetened, but it can still contain starch or thickening agents. According to German food law, Naturjoghurt has to have significantly fewer ingredients.
When you're cooking, this really matters, like someone already mentioned. Here's another tip: if you want to add Naturjoghurt to hot dishes (like soups for example), you should warm it up a bit first - so mix it with some of the hot liquid and then stir it in. Otherwise it can curdle pretty quickly. With regular yogurt that has starch, that's less of an issue because the starch stabilizes it. But for marinades and dressings you don't have to be as careful, both work equally well there 👍
Log into answer.
