Trader Joe’s Adds Icelandic Yogurt and Yogurt Cheesecake

Fro-yo girl here. I’ve mentioned Icelandic stye yogurt (known as skyr) on this blog quite a few times, because I’ve been a fan since the first time I tried Siggi’s in 2010. Since then, I’ve tried every brand of skyr that I’ve run across. Skyr is strained until it’s rich and thick.

Trader Joe’s has two flavors of skyr, Plain and Strawberry. Both are nonfat. The 8-ounce cups are $1.39 each. Trader Joe’s describes the product as follows, “Just like traditional skyr—which has been a staple of the Icelandic diet since it was brought over from Norway a millennium ago—our Icelandic Style Nonfat Yogurt is strained so that it’s exceptionally thick and creamy. It’s reminiscent of nonfat Greek yogurt, but even smoother and with slightly less bite.”

* Strawberry Icelandic yogurt: This is a blended style yogurt. One container is 190 calories with 0g fat, 26g carbs, 24g total sugars and 20g protein. TJ’s version has more sugar than Smari or Siggi’s, but it’s still got a sourness to it that I like. It’s tangy, sour and pretty sweet at the same time, with intense yogurt flavor. The texture is smooth and thick. Since it has more sugar and isn’t quite as thick as Siggi’s, it doesn’t seem different from Greek yogurt to me. I wish it had less sugar.

Ingredients: Nonfat milk, cane sugar, strawberry puree, strawberries, water, natural strawberry flavor, fruit pectin, locust bean gum, carrot extract (color), streptoccus thermophilus (culture), lemon juice concentrate.

I also noticed that Trader Joe’s now has Chocolate Swirl Icelandic Style Yogurt Cheesecake. It’s huge (650g), so I probably won’t get it but it does sound good, if it’s tangy and not too sweet. You can find this new cheesecake in the frozen foods section with the other frozen pies, cakes, puddings, etc.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.



Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Viking Icelandic Yogurt Review

Fro-yo girl here. I was shopping at Sprouts the other day when I came across a new Icelandic yogurt called Viking Grass-Fed Icelandic Yogurt. The word “skyr” is not on the packaging but it emphasizes high protein content instead. Sprouts was selling Viking for $1.79 (regular price) and $1.59 on sale. They had four flavors: Pure, Vanilla, Cucumber Mint and Strawberry. Other flavors that I didn’t see include Coconut Crème, Blueberry. Sprouts started carrying Viking in April 2017, giving the line national distribution.

Viking is distributed by Saga Dairy of Boston, MA. The yogurt is non-GMO, nonfat and has live and active cultures. The portion sizes are bigger than average, at 6 oz per serving (vs. 5.3 oz) while the price is lower.

Like the other Icelandic yogurts, Viking uses grassfed milk, is non-GMO and lower in sugar. But I am not sure how their yogurt is Icelandic rather than Greek. The flavors aren’t Nordic and there isn’t much information about how the yogurt is produced. The founders aren’t from Iceland. I did read that they take out more whey than with Greek yogurt, so that’s why their yogurt is more Icelandic. It’s clear from the packaging and messaging that the goal is to make Icelandic yogurt more palatable for the mainstream consumer and less Nordic sounding.

* Cucumber mint: This was the most interesting sounding flavor. The texture was thick and while smooth, it was a tad grainy. Flavor wise, it seemed quite a bit sweeter than other brands of skyr, which is a definite negative. I like skyr because it usually isn’t as sweet. Viking isn’t as sweet as traditional American yogurt though. It still has quite a bit of tang. There were tiny bits of cucumber in the yogurt. The mint flavor was not strong. While it sounds like a savory flavor, it isn’t. The yogurt coated my tongue and didn’t have a clean finish.

One serving is 6 oz, 140 calories, 0g of fat, 17g of protein and 13g of sugars.

Ingredients: Pasteurized skim milk with live active cultures, cane sugar, cucumber, fruit pectin, mint and lime juice concentrate.

Because skyr is so thick, 5.3 oz is just enough for me. I also like the more authentic messaging, sour flavor, and I don’t mind paying a bit more for quality and flavor. I probably am not the mainstream yogurt consumer though.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Norr Skyr Review

Fro-yo girl here. Icelandic Provisions, Smari, Siggi’s and now Norr Skyr specialize in Icelandic/Nordic style yogurt, known as skyr. I stumbled upon Norr Skyr at Bi-Rite in San Francisco. It’s a San Francisco based company founded by two Scandinavians who value foods “that are authentic, clean and simple.” Norr Skyr is made with organic, grassfed milk from small American farms with curative Nordic botanicals.

All the skyr brands offer all-natural products and they all claim to have less sugar. Icelandic Provisions skyr is not certified organic but their milk is sourced from family run farms in New York which do not use growth hormones. They are the only brand to use heirloom skyr cultures from Iceland. Norr and Smari are certified organic. Norr and Icelandic Provisions focus on providing Nordic flavors, using Nordic fruits and flavors.

Siggi’s, the original brand of skyr in the US, is not certified organic but it uses milk from grassfed cows and is free of growth hormones and is all natural and non-GMO. It has more flavors, including some Nordic and some American flavors. Smari is made with organic milk from grassfed cows in Wisconsin. Their flavors are more American (key lime, strawberry, coffee) than Nordic.

Bi-Rite had four varieties of Norr for $2.49 each: plain non-fat, plain whole milk, gooseberries and elderflower. They recently introduced a new flavor, Sea Buckthorn, but I didn’t see it at Bi-Rite.

* Organic elderflower skyr: The yogurt smelled potent. I was surprised that it wasn’t as thick as the others but more like a thick soup. The texture was creamy but it did have a few small lumps. The lid said to stir before eating. The flavor was extra tart/sour and also tangy. I liked the elderflower; it was fragrant but not too floral. The yogurt definitely has less sugar and I liked the flavor but I wish it were thicker.

One serving is 5.3 oz, 100 calories, 0g of fat, 10g sugars, and 15g of protein.

Ingredients: Organic pasteurized skim milk, organic elderflower extract (water, organic elderflowers, organic lemon juice, Vitamin C), organic cane sugar, live active probiotic cultures

* Organic gooseberries skyr: The fruit was on the bottom of this one. The yogurt was thicker than the elderflower version but not as thick as Smari or Siggi’s (less straining, perhaps?). The gooseberries didn’t have a strong flavor though I could taste them. They tasted vaguely like grapes. I didn’t like the texture of the product; it was very grainy and clumpy. I think they kept the gooseberry skins. Also, the flavor wasn’t pleasant like the elderflower. I wouldn’t get it again.

One serving is 5.3 oz, 100 calories, 0g of fat, 15g of protein, and 8g of sugars.

Ingredients: Organic pasteurized skim milk, organic gooseberries, organic cane sugar, water, apple pectin, organic vanilla extract, live active probiotic cultures

Use the store locator feature on Norr’s website if you’d like to find the nearest retailer that carries their products.

3 out of 5 stars.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* BI-RITE: 3639 18th St., San Francisco, CA 94110

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Smari Icelandic Yogurt Review

Fro-yo girl here. I keep finding new yogurt brands at Whole Foods. I am a fan of skyr so I was excited to spot Smari, “the Brave Yogurt of Iceland.” Smari is organic, thicker, higher in protein, non-fat and has live cultures. It’s made in the US with milk from grassfed cows and has 4 cups of milk per serving. A serving is 6 ozs. At Whole Foods, a cup is $2.39.

* Vanilla yogurt: Super thick, smooth and creamy, the spoon easily stands up in the yogurt. The flavor is so good, the way yogurt should taste. It’s very tangy with a bit of sourness, sweetened but not too sweet, and it has many vanilla bean specks. I love that it’s made with just three ingredients: milk, sugar and vanilla extract.

Icelandic yogurt or skyr is a yogurt from which most of the water has been strained out.

When I visited the Smari website, they had a buy one, get one free coupon that you can sign up to receive. They also have a store locator feature.

5 out of 5 stars

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.