How To Use Leftover Yogurt

If you've ever stocked up on a little too much yogurt—overestimating the amount you can stomach for breakfast every morning—fear not. There are plenty of great ways to put your leftover yogurt to good use.

Chefs put yogurt in everything from pancakes to sandwiches, so do as they do and use it with abandon.

Here are nine ways to make the most of leftover yogurt.

① Put It in a Cocktail

This might not be the first use that comes to mind when you're faced with extra yogurt, but yogurt cocktails are real. From San Francisco to Orlando, bars are mixing the stuff into drinks with pisco, gin and vodka. Happy hour just got a little healthier—and breakfast a little riskier.

② Pour It Into Coffee

Don't knock it 'til you've tried it. In Hanoi, Vietnam, adding yogurt into iced or hot coffee is a common treat. It's sort of like a coffee milkshake and sort of like a smoothie, with caffeine. Either way, you can feel good about this one.

③ Make It Into a Sauce

Yogurt sauce goes well on everything from salmon to falafel, and it's almost easier to make than tossing your turned tub into the garbage. So, before your container starts to sour, whisk yogurt with some acid, spices or herbs, and use it on pretty much anything.

④ Dress a Salad

Look no further than this Grilled Radicchio Salad with Yogurt and Hazelnuts if you need any convincing that yogurt is an excellent base for salad dressings. You'll never feel unsatisfied by another bowl of greens again.

⑤ Bake with It

In certain recipes, like pound cakes or this Cast Iron Plum Cake, yogurt can serve as a great substitute for butter. It can help keep your baked goods moist, without all the extra fat.

⑥ Thicken or Compliment Soups

Don't feel like stirring cream into your soup or dolloping crème fraîche on top? You can use yogurt to thicken or garnish soups instead.

⑦ Try a Raita

If you're not familiar with raita, it's a yogurt-based South Asian dish that accompanies everything from curries to chicken. Often mixed with fresh herbs or cucumber, it's a refreshing palate cleanser and compliment to spicy food.

⑧ Spread It

Not a fan of mayonnaise? Spread yogurt, plain or dressed up a bit, on sandwiches or burgers and never look back.

⑨ Make a Dip

Thick and tangy, yogurt is a natural foundation for dips. This Yogurt Feta Dip would make a healthy addition to your Super Bowl spread. Just make sure you have plenty of chips and crudités on hand, because it'll go fast.