I posted a lemon yogurt recipe back in 2013, and it’s been one of my personal favorites, and yours too! It’s one of the most popular recipes on my blog. And for good reason.
It tastes like a little slice of lemon heaven…a mix between pudding and lemonade pie.
If you’re getting used to Greek yogurt, or to the taste of stevia, this recipe is the perfect place to start. The tart yogurt & tangy lemon mask any aftertastes effectively.
When I first started learning more about healthy eating with the Trim Healthy Mama plan, I learned about all of the wonderful benefits of eating high protein Greek yogurt. And then I tried it.
It was th…icky. Like eating sour cream straight. I had trouble adjusting my taste buds until my son and I came up with THIS amazing luscious lemon yogurt recipe. It’s a nice boost of protein all wrapped up in a sugar free snack that tastes just like a dessert! So you can see why it’s become a favorite.
In fact, I’ve started just saving myself some steps and turning a whole large tub of 0% Greek Yogurt into lemon yogurt, so my favorite snack or breakfast is on hand any time I want it. I say it’s the “family size” version, but really it’s just the “me size” recipe, and it lasts me the week as toppings on my muffins, mixed with berries, or just straight out of the carton.
I’ll show you how!
To Make Lemon Yogurt
You’ll need a big bowl that hold at least 6 cups… 
2 lemons, a quart of your favorite 0% plain Greek yogurt (unsweetened), your favorite sweetener, and optionally turmeric and a good quality cold pressed pure lemon essential oil.
I start by adding my yogurt and lemon juice to a bowl. Please use fresh lemons. Bottled juice can never compare. Thank you. If you don’t have fresh lemons and want to try this, please just try it in the single serving size and don’t waste a whole quart of yogurt.
I admit it…I’m a fresh lemon snob. And I have a friend who lives in Alaska who rarely can get fresh lemons. If that’s the case, this is the next best thing for when you can get your hands on them.
Next, I sweeten. My favorite sweetener is the Trim Healthy Mama Super Sweet Blend. You can get it here at the Trim Healthy Mama store (affiliate link).
It’s really economical, since you use about half the amount of Truvia or similar sweeteners. And I really like the flavor of their stevia. Another favorite is their Gentle Sweet- it’s powdered and tastes and measures more like regular sugar. I’ll give measurements for all three options in the printable below.
Don’t forget the salt! Your yogurt won’t be salty tasting, but it will not taste as dynamic without it…I think salt really helps to round out the hollow sweetness of stevia sweetened dishes. 
If you’re a lover of intense lemon flavor, you can use a drop of pure lemon essential oil to boost the flavor. I am a fan of the NOW brand of cold pressed lemon essential oil. If you’re concerned about either the brand or the practice of using essential oils in foods, then please check out my essential oil safety as food flavorings post here. 
I love to add turmeric, not just because of its superfood status, but because it adds the most lovely subtle lemon color to my yogurt. I highly recommend. 
Just so you can see the before/after, I took out a spoon of the untinted yogurt just before stirring in the turmeric. Then I swirled in the spoon of untinted yogurt right in the center- can see the difference in the swirl in the middle? Maybe it’s just me, but I really think the color adds something.
And that’s it! You’re done. It literally just takes a minute to mix this up.
I usually dish up a bowl to enjoy, and then scoop the rest back into the yogurt container…and label it!
If you live with teens or sneaky lemon loving spouses and kids, you may want to use this label instead:
And that’s it! It keeps in my fridge for up to 2 weeks, but mine never sits around that long.
Printable Lemon Yogurt Recipe & Pin
- 1 quart (4 cups) 0% plain Greek yogurt- unsweetened
- 2 lemons, juiced
- 2 Tablespoons THM Super Sweet Blend, OR 3-4 Tablespoons gentle sweet, OR equivalent sweetener of your choice to taste*
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon turmeric, optional
- 4-6 drops pure lemon essential oil, optional**
- ¼ cup heavy cream, optional for "S" recipes- see recipe notes
- Dump yogurt into a mixing bowl.
- Add lemon juice, sweetener, salt, and turmeric.
- Stir to blend, and taste.
- Add essential oils if desired to boost flavors.
- If I want to use my yogurt only in "S" mode, then I will sometimes add cream. But usually I leave the carton fat free, and stir in a Tablespoon of cream when I serve it to create an S treat.
- Keeps in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
**This is well within the safe guidelines for using cold pressed lemon oil in food and beverage products. Please see my post for additional information and references on this if you're concerned.
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DeLynn says
September 29, 2015 at 6:52 PMThanks, Gwen! What a great idea. I love your lemon yogurt–I am definitely going to make a large batch like this!! Thank you!
Gwen Brown says
September 30, 2015 at 4:29 PMYou’re SO welcome! Anything that saves me steps and dishes is a winner in my book. 🙂
Ronda says
September 30, 2015 at 10:53 AMYou say Super Sweet Blend, as if that is the name of the stuff…but all I find is Sweet Blend. Is that what you’re talking about? Because if they have something called Super Sweet, I must have missed the announcement! Just wanted to double check!
Gwen Brown says
September 30, 2015 at 4:27 PMHi Ronda! Sweet Blend = Super Sweet Blend. 🙂 They’ve started calling it that since Gentle Sweet came out, but it’s the same thing. I think they just wanted to point out that it’s a much more concentrated sweetness than Gentle Sweet.
Jennifer says
September 30, 2015 at 2:39 PMTo save myself buying the essential oil, could I substitute the lemon extract I already have on hand? If so, would the measurements be about the same? Thank you!
Gwen Brown says
September 30, 2015 at 4:26 PMI’d use 1 teaspoon of extract and adjust from there. 🙂 I know the usual conversion is 1 drop of essential oil = 1 teaspoon, and if you follow that “rule” then you end up using 1 1/2 – 2 tablespoons of extract, and I can’t imagine that tasting right. I can definitely taste the difference and taste the alcohol in the flavorings and extracts, so I’d start smaller and work up.
Jill York says
October 1, 2015 at 2:54 PMGreek yogurt is something I can eat a LOT of! Love this healthy idea, Gwen!
Gwen Brown says
October 1, 2015 at 10:04 PMThanks, Jill! Me too. 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
Rebecca Eller says
October 1, 2015 at 10:35 PMHi Gwen, have you ever tried making this recipe into freezer pops? Would be interested in trying that…it’s delicious, by the way. My ice cream hound son had to settle for this instead of ice cream tonight and he had two helpings!
Gwen Brown says
October 2, 2015 at 12:03 AMI bet it would be DELISH frozen! Great idea!
Linda Hare says
October 2, 2015 at 12:21 AMI made this tonight and it’s lick the bowl delicious. I’ve already had two servings. I made myself stop after that. Can’t wait ’til tomorrow!
Brandy says
January 1, 2016 at 3:49 PMSoooo excited to try this recipe! I am simply addicted to lemon yogurt with fresh blueberries. I can eat it everyday: breakfast, afternoon snack or dessert!!!
Wondering if you ever add some lemon zest? Thanks for sharing!
Gwen Brown says
January 2, 2016 at 3:10 PMYou absolutely can use zest! The flavor in zest is the oil (i.e. essential oil), and I’m not super fond of the texture of zest, so I just use the oil to enhance flavor. 🙂
Nicole W says
February 3, 2016 at 3:57 PMHi Gwen! I’m new to THM and just love your website!
What would this fall under? I noted with cream it would be an “S”. Looks like a “FP”? If we add berries (THM recommended amount) – this would then be an “E”?
Gwen Brown says
February 3, 2016 at 6:00 PMHi Nicole!
Yes, this is a FP…I usually say the type in the recipe intro or notes. I like to make the whole batch as a FP, and then use whipped cream or cream stirred in for an S treat. Most berries fall into FP as well for the amounts you’d eat in one serving of yogurt, but you could use half of a large banana, an orange, or any other fruit to take you into E mode. Or even serve it with toast and jam on the side. 🙂
Walt says
August 26, 2016 at 5:16 PMPlease excuse me, but I must be slow. Actually, I know I am. What does it mean when the recipe says “S” mode?
Gwen Brown says
August 28, 2016 at 12:50 PMHi Walt,
So sorry to confuse you. The S or E (or other letters) are for those following the Trim Healthy Mama plan. S mode simply means that your recipe contains healthy fats and not a lot of carbs. 🙂
Sylvia James says
August 8, 2017 at 11:29 PMHi Gwen – I’ve had a glut of lemons and was wondering what to do with them when I came upon your website. I love yogurt + lemons so will definitely be trying this recipe. Just one question: can I use fresh turmeric or would it be too strong for this delicate dessert?
Gwen Brown says
August 19, 2017 at 11:01 AMI would use powdered…it’s just added for color. But if you like the spicy, lemony taste, then it could be an interesting combo! 🙂 Maybe like a chia?