You don’t have to choose between healthy and tasty. This Greek yogurt dessert is made with calorie conscious, nutrient-rich ingredients that come together easily, so you can enjoy both, and still meet your nutrition goals.
My nutrition coaching methods allow for all foods to be part of a healthy and balanced diet, including desserts. However, sometimes the people I work with want additional sweet treat options that can work within a calorie deficit or just add a little more protein to their day.
This peanut butter dessert recipe with Greek yogurt has almost 19 grams of protein and only 230 calories. It’s also satiating and low in saturated fat, but packed with flavor. Peanut butter powder is the secret here, which allows for a good dose of PB flavor at just a fraction of the calories.
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Why you’ll love this yogurt dessert
- Minimal ingredients and easy prep. With just 5 total ingredients (and just 3 if you skip the garnishes), and ready in minutes, this Greek yogurt dessert recipe is perfect for when a sweet tooth craving hits.
- Decadent without being overly-indulgent. Thanks to the flavorful peanut butter powder and delicious “magic shell” chocolate coating, this tastes and feels like a dessert, but with zero sugar crash.
- Supportive of nutrition goals. Like I said before, dessert shouldn’t be off limits with a realistic and sustainable eating plan. But decadent, over-the-top desserts on a regular basis can easily upend a healthy diet. This yogurt dessert satisfies a sweet tooth craving while still helping you reach your nutrition goals. You can even lower the calorie content by using a sugar-free Greek yogurt.
dessert recipe with greek yogurt ingredients
The recipe quantities below are for 4 yogurt cups. Feel free to make a single-serve dessert cup by just dividing by 4.
- 3 cups nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt (¾ cup serving per yogurt cup). We didn’t use anything fancy with our yogurt cups, but if you wanted to further cut down on added sugar and calories, there are several “sugar free” yogurt options on the market. Chobani, Oikos and TooGood are all widely available and will cut about 50 calories from the recipe.
- 4 tablespoons peanut butter powder such as PB Fit (1 tablespoon per yogurt cup). We played around with quantities and we felt 1 tablespoon was the perfect amount to add the peanut butter flavor but didn’t change the texture too much. Powdered peanut butter adds about 4 grams of protein per 1 tablespoon and is ⅓ the calories as regular peanut butter.
- 40 grams dark chocolate, melted. Go for a high quality Belgium chocolate if you can, to get the best “snap” after melting and cooling. Check out our post on chocolate covered frozen strawberries for the dark chocolate we love and recommend.
- Chopped peanuts and flaky sea salt to garnish, optional.
Greek yogurt vs. Plain Yogurt
Greek yogurt is a type of yogurt that is made by straining regular yogurt to remove whey, a liquid protein. This process results in a thicker, denser, and creamier yogurt with a higher protein content than plain yogurt.
Plain yogurt, on the other hand, is simply fermented milk without any added ingredients. It has a thinner consistency and lower protein content than Greek yogurt.
Even between brands though, the thickness and texture of Greek yogurts can differ. So choose the brand you typically enjoy most when making this Greek yogurt dessert.
Step-by-Step Directions to make this easy greek Yogurt Dessert
Combine Yogurt with Peanut butter
In a medium bowl, add the peanut butter powder and stir till well combined. It cam be useful to use a whisk to ensure no lumps remain.
Melt Dark Chocolate
In a microwave safe glass bowl, melt the dark chocolate in 30-45 second increments, stirring in between, till melted. For 40 grams of chocolate it should take about 2 minutes in total.
Spred on chocolate
Gently spread or drizzle on equal amounts of dark chocolate onto each yogurt cup.
Garnish and refrigerate
Sprinkle on a bit of chopped peanuts and flaky sea salt. If you wish to enjoy your Greek yogurt cup ASAP, place in the freezer for about 20-30 minutes to quickly harden chocolate. If you are in no rush, place in the fridge and the chocolate should harden in about 45-60 minutes. Make sure not to store the yogurt dessert cups in the freezer, or else the yogurt will freeze!
Recipe Faq’s
No, they are not the same. Greek yogurt is a type of yogurt that is made by straining regular yogurt to remove whey, a liquid protein. This process results in a thicker, denser, and creamier yogurt with a higher protein content than plain yogurt.
You can use plain yogurt in this recipe, but it will be runnier and have less protein.
Yes, you can, however the fat grams and calorie count will increase by about 70%, or about 60 calories per serving.
Only freeze the yogurt cups to quickly harden the dark chocolate, and make sure to remove after 30-45 minutes or else the yogurt will start to freeze. To store for an extended period of time, keep in the refrigerator.
Feel free to add ½-1 serving of protein powder if you’d like to add even more protein. However at almost 19 grams per serving, know that this is already a good little dose of protein for a simple dessert or afternoon snack!
Serving and storage tips
Store Greek yogurt dessert cups in the fridge for up to a week. Make sure to store in a jar with a covered lid or place a piece of plastic wrap on top to seal in freshness.
If you want a milder flavor, sub plain Greek yogurt for the vanilla flavor. This may result in a less sweet taste, so adjust accordingly by adding a bit of maple syrup or liquid stevia.
Ingredients
- 3 cups Greek yogurt vanilla, nonfat
- 4 tablespoon Peanut Butter Powder like PB fit
- 6 grams Peanuts roughly chopped
- 40 grams Dark Chocolate melted
- Flaky sea salt
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix yogurt with peanut butter powder until fully incorporated. Divide equally into 4 small cups (about ¾ cup each).4 tablespoon Peanut Butter Powder
- In a microwave proof dish, warm dark chocolate until completely melted. Divide in equal parts (about 1 tbsp) and gently drizzle and spread on melted chocolate onto each yogurt cup.40 grams Dark Chocolate
- Sprinkle dark chocolate with a some flaky finishing salt and chopped peanuts, and refrigerate for about 60 minutes or freeze for about 30 minutes, until dark chocolate is hardened. Enjoy immediately.6 grams Peanuts, Flaky sea salt
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