Best Probiotic Yogurt: 9 Best Probiotic Yogurts

The best probiotic yogurt shouldn’t be a chore to eat. It shouldn’t taste like medicine. It should taste like really good yogurt. Over the course of two separate taste tests we tried more than 20 yogurts with probiotics in search of the best probiotic yogurts. And we found nine that we totally love—including more than one probiotic yogurt drink. Read on and get your gut right.

Here’s an unpleasant truth: Your stomach is filled with living creatures. It’s a metropolis of bacteria. Or, at least, it should be. If you’re lacking in microbiota or, more specifically, the good, gut-healthy bacteria, then you might benefit from some probiotic yogurt. “But I thought all yogurt was probiotic,” you say to yourself. (Don’t be self-conscious, it’s perfectly normal to talk to yourself about yogurt.) Well, while most yogurts do include live and active cultures, probiotic yogurts are laced with specific strains meant to help with digestion. And, these days, there are a lot of different probiotic yogurt brands out there—way more than Activia. There’s non-dairy probiotic yogurt, there’s drinkable probiotic yogurt, there’s plain probiotic yogurt, there’s fruit-on-the-bottom probiotic yogurt. It’s overwhelming. 

But, after tasting through many spoonfuls in our initial taste test and a recent update, we are here to tell you all about the nine best probiotic yogurts to buy. Here’s the best probiotic yogurt out there. (Oh, wait, one quick honorable mention. For our most recent update, we tried cult-favorite Yakult Live & Active Probiotic Drink Original. And while we did like it—it’s sweet and tangy and tasty—it doesn’t satisfy like a true yogurt or even a probiotic yogurt drink. It’s too thin and juice-like. But it’s still worth buying if that’s what you’re looking for.) Okay, now that aside is out of the way, let’s get going with the best yogurts for probiotics.  

Best Oatmilk

I won’t lie, this one divided the room a bit, but we were all drawn to its panna cotta-like texture. It’s very jiggy and gelatinous and much firmer than many of the other yogurts we tried. (Don’t worry, though, unlike another gelatinous brand on this list, this pick from Nancy’s is totally vegan.) When you take a spoonful it leaves a spoon-shaped indentation in the yogurt. It’s sweet with a mild vanilla flavor, and is some of the best probiotic yogurt if you don’t want dairy—but also don’t want coconut (lots of non-dairy yogurts are coconut-based). Make sure to eat it very cold, perhaps garnished with some fresh raspberries. Doesn’t that sound nice?

Credit: Merc / Instacart

Rating:

6.5/10

Sporks

You know it, you love it—well, you know the commercials featuring Jamie Lee Curtis, at least. Activia is the brand that comes to mind when “probiotic yogurt” comes up in conversation, as it so often does. But you don’t often think of the Activia probiotic yogurt drinks. But you should! The strawberry probiotic drink, in particular, is really good. It tastes like Yoplait strawberry yogurt, which is to say it tastes like melted strawberry ice cream with a slight yogurty tang. The blueberry flavor I tried is not quite as good—it lacks the bright zing of strawberry and comes across a little one note. If you’re looking for a single serving of drinkable yogurt, these lil’ guys are some of the best yogurts for probiotics around.

Credit: Merc / Target

Rating:

7/10

Sporks

Best Plant-Based

Too many plant-based dairy alternatives try to be something they are not. This one, like many others, is coconut-based—and it actually tastes like coconut. It doesn’t try to deny its coconut flavor.. It’s creamy but light, with some lovely floral notes from the elderflower. The lemon is present but gentle, and the finish is undeniably coconutty. It’s a refreshing vacation in a beautifully designed cup—it would be a great inspiration piece for a baby’s nursery. It’s the best probiotic yogurt for non-dairy folks who love coconut.

Credit: Merc / Instacart

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Best Drinkable

This probiotic yogurt drink pours like a finely blended smoothie and it tastes like one, too. It’s drinkable but still retains its signature yogurt creaminess. It’s not too sugary, the right amount of tangy, and not too artificial—a risk companies run when they pair strawberry and banana together. My only quibble is with the packaging. It reads a little mid-’90s to me. It’s superficial, but I like my probiotic yogurt drink to come in a pleasingly designed bottle with a label that whispers Nordic chic rather than screaming “X-treme!” circa 1997. But that’s just me.

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Best for Cooking

Making a tzatziki? Looking for a sour cream replacement? Marinating some chicken? And want to add some friendly bacteria to the mix? This is the best probiotic yogurt for you. It’s rich and creamy and wonderfully tangy. It almost leans savory without falling over that salty cliff. Bulgarian-style yogurt is made with lactobacillus bulgaricus (named for the country) and is unstrained, which, according to the Chicago Tribune, means it retains more nutrients. Personally, I just love it for the flavor. It’s absolutely unique and I kept coming back for more. As someone who adds soy sauce and avocado to their yogurt, this is also the best yogurt with probiotics for me.

Credit: Merc / Amazon

Rating:

8.5/10

Sporks

I really liked most of the Noosa probiotic yogurt we tasted. It all has a panna cotta thing going on and, sadly, that’s because Noosa yogurt is made with gelatin. (Kosher gelatin but gelatin all the same.) That’s fine for a meat-eater like me, but if you’re vegetarian or vegan, you’re going to want to steer clear. And that’s too bad, because, again, Noosa probiotic yogurt is so good. The texture is smooth and creamy and indulgent. And this coconut flavor tastes like if a Pina Colada was yogurt. It would be incredible with granola and some fresh pineapple chunks.

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Best Sweet Vanilla

The classic Activia probiotic yogurt has a strong and powerfully sweet vanilla flavor, which, to me, means it’s perfect for mixing with granola or bananas to temper the sweetness. For those who prefer sweeter yogurts overall, it’s one of the best probiotic yogurts you’ll come across. The yogurt also comes in perfectly portioned little containers for a dainty breakfast wherever. “Why would Jamie Lee steer me wrong?” Sporked’s Jordan Myrick asked after her first taste. She would never.

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Out of all the Noosa probiotic yogurt we tasted, this was my favorite. It is so luxe. It has a real vanilla bean flavor and not too much sugar. And it ends tart and tangy. This isn’t yogurt, it’s yoghurt, if you know what I mean. If this was veg-friendly, it would one hundred percent be the best probiotic yogurt to buy. But since our vegetarian and vegan friends can’t partake because of the gelatin, it has to settle for the second best yogurt with probiotics.

Credit: Merc / Target

Rating:

9.5/10

Sporks

Best of the Best

I came into this test as a Greek yogurt loyalist and a flavored yogurt skeptic. But this creamy, vanilla yogurt really hit the spot. It’s light but still has a decadent texture. The vanilla is prominent but not overpowering—and not artificial. It finishes with just the right level of tang for both me, a Greek yogurt eater, and Jordan, who mostly wants their yogurt to act as a sweet treat in the morning. This is the best probiotic yogurt, a yogurt you can look forward to eating to start your day, whether you like to scoop it up straight or mix it with things like fruit and granola.

Credit: Merc / Amazon

Rating:

10/10

Sporks

Other probiotic yogurts we tried: Chobani Probiotic Greek Yogurt, Forager Project Organic Probiotic Cashewmilk Yogurt, Culina Strawberry Rose Botanical Yogurt Alternative, Siggi’s Probiotic Drinkable Yogurt, Green Mountain Creamery Plain Fat Free Greek Yogurt, Noosa Lemon, Noosa Mango, Noosa Blueberry, Norr Organic Probiotic Skyr Vanilla & Chamomile, Norr Organic Probiotic Skyr Strawberry & Rhubarb, Norr Organic Probiotic Skyr Raspberry & Rosewater, Norr Organic Probiotic Skyr Plain Nonfat, Norr Organic Probiotic Skyr Plain Whole Milk, Yakult Live & Active Probiotic Drink Original

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