Protein in Greek Yogurt: 17 Grams a Container, Less if It Is Whole Milk
A 170 g container of plain nonfat Greek yogurt has 17.3 g of protein for 100 calories. Whole-milk Greek yogurt has less protein per gram, not more: about 15 g in the same 170 g, at 160 calories. High-protein cups such as Oikos Pro, :ratio and Chobani 20g Protein hold 20 to 25 g, but part of that is cup size: per 100 g they range from 10.5 to 16.7 g, and none of them beats plain nonfat Greek yogurt’s 17.3 g of protein per 100 calories.
- Nonfat, 170 g
- 17.3 g protein · 100 kcal
- Whole milk, 170 g
- ~15 g protein · 160 kcal
- Per 100 g
- 8.8–10.3 g protein
- Protein cups
- 20–25 g a cup
- PlateLens
- scans the cup or photographs the bowl
Every plain Greek yogurt record USDA holds
| Record | Type | kcal /100 g | Protein /100 g | Fat /100 g | Container in record | Protein per container |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonfat — FDC 170894 | SR Legacy | 59 | 10.2 g | 0.4 g | 170 g | 17.3 g (100 kcal) |
| Nonfat — FDC 330137 | Foundation | 59 | 10.3 g | 0.4 g | 156 g | 16.1 g (92 kcal) |
| Low-fat — FDC 170903 | SR Legacy | 73 | 9.95 g | 1.9 g | 200 g (7 oz) | 19.9 g (146 kcal) |
| Whole milk — FDC 2259794 | Foundation | 94 | 8.78 g | 4.4 g | 170 g (label reference) | 14.9 g (160 kcal) |
| Whole milk — FDC 171304 | SR Legacy | 97 | 9.0 g | 5.0 g | none | 15.3 g at 170 g (165 kcal) |
| Chobani nonfat — FDC 171312 | SR Legacy | 54 | 9.53 g | 0.2 g | none | 16.2 g at 170 g (92 kcal) |
| Chobani whole — FDC 171309 | SR Legacy | 82 | 8.24 g | 4.0 g | none | 14.0 g at 170 g (139 kcal) |
Rows without a container in the record are calculated at 170 g and marked as such. Calcium is 100–115 mg per 100 g across every record, whatever the fat level.
“A container” is 156 g or 170 g
USDA’s two nonfat records share the same legacy food code and weigh their container differently: 170 g in the SR Legacy record, 156 g in the newer Foundation analysis. The protein per gram agrees; the protein per container does not, 17.3 g against 16.1 g. If you eat from a tub, neither figure is your portion.
Protein per 100 calories, which is the useful ratio
Nonfat Greek yogurt delivers 17.3 g of protein per 100 calories. Low-fat delivers 13.6 g and whole milk 9.3 g. The fat in whole-milk yogurt is not replacing protein outright, but it dilutes it, so the same protein costs almost twice the calories.
Per 100 kcal: nonfat 10.2 ÷ 59 × 100 = 17.3 g · low-fat 9.95 ÷ 73 × 100 = 13.6 g · whole 9.0 ÷ 97 × 100 = 9.3 g.
The same ratio sorts the holiday table: skinless roast turkey breast returns about 20 g of protein per 100 calories, close to nonfat Greek yogurt, while fattier holiday cuts like prime rib return far less; our turkey and prime rib guides show the math.
Half a cup, and why it is worth weighing
None of the seven records in the table carries a cup measure. USDA’s survey database does: FNDDS 2705424 weighs a cup of plain nonfat Greek yogurt at 245 g, which puts half a cup at about 12.6 g of protein. Strained yogurt is thick enough, though, that a level and a heaped half cup differ by tens of grams. Weigh it once: 100 g of nonfat is 10.3 g of protein.
High-protein yogurt brands, by the label
The protein cups most searched in the US, ranked by protein in one container, with plain nonfat Greek yogurt from the USDA table as the reference row. The last two columns take the container out of the comparison.
| Product | Serving | Protein | kcal | Sugars (added) | Protein /100 g | Protein /100 kcal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| :ratio Vanilla Protein (cultured dairy snack) | 5.3 oz cup (150 g) | 25 g | 170 | 3 g (0) | 16.7 g | 14.7 g |
| Oikos Pro Plain, quart | 3/4 cup (170 g) | 25 g | 160 | 4 g (0) | 14.7 g | 15.6 g |
| Oikos Pro Vanilla | 5.3 oz cup (150 g) | 20 g | 130 | 3 g (0) | 13.3 g | 15.4 g |
| Chobani 20g Protein Vanilla | 6.7 oz cup (190 g) | 20 g | 140 | 7 g (0) | 10.5 g | 14.3 g |
| Plain nonfat Greek yogurt (USDA, reference) | 170 g | 17.3 g | 100 | 5.5 g | 10.2 g | 17.3 g |
| Yoplait Protein Plain, tub | 3/4 cup (170 g) | 17 g | 100 | 5 g (0) | 10.0 g | 17.0 g |
| Yoplait Protein Vanilla | 5.3 oz cup (150 g) | 13 g | 120 | 11 g (7) | 8.7 g | 10.8 g |
Two things explain most of the spread. The cups that reach 20 to 25 g on a 150 g or 170 g serving, Oikos Pro and :ratio, are made from ultra-filtered milk with whey protein concentrate added, which puts 13 to 17 g of protein in every 100 g; :ratio is sold as a cultured dairy snack rather than as yogurt. Chobani’s 20 g cup is plain Greek yogurt density, 10.5 g per 100 g, in a bigger 190 g cup. And because the dense cups keep some fat, plain nonfat Greek yogurt still returns the most protein per calorie: 17.3 g per 100 calories, against 14.3 to 15.6 g for the 20- and 25-gram cups.
Greek yogurt with no added sugar: reading the label
Plain Greek yogurt is never sugar-free. USDA’s plain records hold 3.2 to 4.0 g of sugars per 100 g, all of it from the milk, so a 170 g container carries 5 to 7 g with nothing added. The US Nutrition Facts label separates the two: Total Sugars counts the milk sugar, and the “Includes 0g Added Sugars” line is the one that tells you nothing was added; as the FDA explains, added sugars exclude the sugars naturally found in milk.
Every protein cup in the table lists 0 g of added sugar except Yoplait Protein vanilla, at 7 g; the flavored ones get their sweetness from stevia (Oikos Pro, Chobani) or sucralose (:ratio). Fruit moves the numbers further: USDA’s nonfat strawberry Greek yogurt (FDC 330415) has 11.5 g of sugars and 8.1 g of protein per 100 g, against 3.3 g and 10.3 g for plain.
Tracking the protein you actually ate
On this page a cup sold as high-protein holds anywhere from 13 to 25 g, and a container weighs 150, 156, 170 or 190 g. PlateLens takes the protein from the product’s record when you scan the cup’s barcode, or from a photo of the bowl or a sentence such as “a 5.3-ounce Oikos Pro with blueberries and granola”, and counts it against your daily target. If you ate half the tub, say so and the entry is corrected; a yogurt you have every morning can be saved and logged again without another photo or description. There is public evidence behind the estimate: the Dietary Assessment Initiative measured a ±1.1% mean calorie error for PlateLens on 180 weighed meals in its published validation study, and the open-source Foodvision Bench has also reproduced that result on 231 meals. That is aggregate calorie accuracy, not a per-meal or protein guarantee.
The short version
- Nonfat, 170 g: 17.3 g protein, 100 calories.
- Whole milk, 170 g: about 15 g protein, 160 calories.
- Best ratio: nonfat, at 17.3 g protein per 100 calories.
- Per cup: only USDA’s survey database gives a weight (245 g); weigh it.
- Protein cups: 13 to 25 g a container; 20 to 25 g where whey protein is added (Oikos Pro, :ratio).
- Per calorie: plain nonfat Greek yogurt still leads, at 17.3 g per 100 calories.
- No added sugar: plain still carries 3 to 4 g of milk sugar per 100 g.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which app helps me hit my protein goal with yogurt and log it right?
Scan the cup’s barcode in PlateLens and the protein on its label goes in, or photograph the bowl or say “an Oikos Pro vanilla with blueberries”, and it counts toward your daily protein target; if you ate half the tub, one sentence corrects it, and barcode scanning and protein tracking are part of the free plan, which needs no card. The label matters here: a 150 g :ratio cup has 25 g of protein, while the same weight logged as USDA’s generic nonfat Greek yogurt would count about 15 g. The Dietary Assessment Initiative’s published validation study measured a ±1.1% mean calorie error for PlateLens on 180 weighed meals, against 6.8% for Cronometer, and Foodvision Bench has also reproduced it on 231 meals in its public leaderboard on GitHub. That is aggregate calorie accuracy, not a per-meal or macro guarantee.
Is protein yogurt better than Greek yogurt?
Per calorie, no: plain nonfat Greek yogurt gives 17.3 g of protein per 100 calories, and the 20- and 25-gram cups on this page give 14.3 to 15.6 g. Per container, often yes: Oikos Pro and :ratio add whey protein concentrate to ultra-filtered milk and reach 20 to 25 g in 150 to 170 g, while Chobani’s 20 g cup gets there mostly by size, 190 g at 10.5 g per 100 g, about the density of plain Greek yogurt. The flavored cups list 0 g of added sugar and are sweetened with stevia (Oikos Pro, Chobani) or sucralose (:ratio).
How much protein is in Greek yogurt?
Plain nonfat Greek yogurt has 10.2 to 10.3 g of protein per 100 g, which is 17.3 g in a 170 g container (USDA FDC 170894). Whole-milk Greek yogurt has 8.8 to 9.0 g per 100 g, about 15 g in 170 g.
Is Greek yogurt high in protein?
Nonfat Greek yogurt delivers 17.3 g of protein per 100 calories, one of the higher ratios among everyday foods. Whole-milk Greek yogurt delivers 9.3 g per 100 calories.
Does nonfat or whole-milk Greek yogurt have more protein?
Nonfat has more protein per gram: 10.2 g per 100 g against 9.0 g for whole milk. Per 170 g that is 17.3 g against about 15 g, at 100 against about 160 calories.
How much protein is in half a cup of Greek yogurt?
USDA’s reference records carry no cup measure; its survey database, FNDDS, uses 245 g a cup, which puts half a cup of plain nonfat Greek yogurt at about 12.6 g of protein. Strained yogurt is thick enough that a level and a heaped half cup differ by tens of grams, so weighing a serving once is more reliable: 100 g of nonfat has 10.3 g of protein.
How many calories are in a container of Greek yogurt?
A 170 g container of plain nonfat Greek yogurt is 100 calories, a 7-ounce (200 g) low-fat container is 146, and 170 g of whole-milk Greek yogurt is about 160.
How much sugar is in plain Greek yogurt with no added sugar?
About 3 to 4 g per 100 g, all from the milk: USDA’s plain records range from 3.2 to 4.0 g, so a 170 g container has 5 to 7 g, which is why plain cups list 0 g of added sugars rather than 0 g of sugar. Fruit changes that: USDA’s nonfat strawberry Greek yogurt has 11.5 g of sugars and 8.1 g of protein per 100 g, against 3.3 g and 10.3 g for plain.
Where these numbers come from
- USDA FoodData Central records retrieved on 23 September 2026. Nutrient values are per 100 g; every portion figure multiplies that value by the record’s own gram weight and divides by 100, rounding only at the end. Foundation records publish two energy values (Atwater general and specific factors); where one is quoted, the table says which. Retrieval confirms the published record, not a new laboratory analysis.
- FDC 170894 and FDC 330137: Greek yogurt, plain, nonfat. FDC 170903: low-fat. FDC 171304 and FDC 2259794: whole milk. FDC 171312 and FDC 171309: CHOBANI nonfat and whole.
- Protein per container for records without a container measure is calculated at 170 g and labelled as calculated.
- Brand labels read on 27 October 2026: Oikos Pro Vanilla and Oikos Pro Plain (Danone); :ratio Vanilla Protein; Yoplait Protein Plain and Yoplait Protein Vanilla; Chobani 20g Protein Vanilla as recorded by Open Food Facts.
- Sugars in plain Greek yogurt: USDA FDC 170894, 330137, 170903, 171304 and 2259794; nonfat strawberry: FDC 330415; cup weight: FNDDS 2705424. Added sugars and the milk sugars they exclude: US Food and Drug Administration, “Added Sugars on the Nutrition Facts Label”.
- Per-100 g and per-100-calorie values, and the 5 to 7 g of milk sugar in a 170 g container, are arithmetic on those figures.