Greek Breakfast Recipes
Greek Yogurt with Honey and Walnuts Recipe
Γιαούρτι με μέλι και καρύδια yah-OOR-tee meh meh-LEE keh kah-REE-thyah · Giaourti me meli kai karydia
Photo: Chobani SoHo by missmeng, CC BY 2.0. Placeholder until original photography is shot.
In short
Greek yogurt with honey and walnuts is thick, strained yogurt served in a bowl with a generous drizzle of honey and a scatter of crushed walnuts. It is one of the most common breakfasts and light desserts in Greece, and it needs nothing beyond genuinely good versions of its three ingredients.
There is barely a recipe here, and that is entirely the point. Thick, strained Greek yogurt, a properly generous drizzle of good honey, and a scatter of crushed walnuts is one of the most eaten breakfasts in the country, and its whole appeal rests on the quality of exactly three ingredients rather than any technique at all.
Strained yogurt is what makes this work. Ordinary unstrained yogurt is too loose and watery to hold the honey and nuts properly, sitting thin in the bowl rather than the thick, almost custard-like base this dish wants.
It appears at breakfast, as a mid-afternoon snack, and as a genuinely respectable dessert after a heavy meal, which says something about how well three good ingredients can cover a lot of ground.
Key preparation steps
- Use thick, strained Greek yogurt, not a thin, unstrained one.
- Spoon into a bowl and drizzle generously with good honey.
- Scatter over roughly crushed walnuts.
- Serve immediately at room temperature or lightly chilled.
Why strained yogurt matters
Real Greek yogurt is strained through cloth to remove much of its whey, leaving something thick enough to hold a spoon standing upright, closer to a soft cheese than to a drinkable yogurt. This thickness is essential here, since a thinner yogurt simply cannot hold the honey where you put it, and the whole dish turns into a runny, unsatisfying mess.
Check the label for full-fat, strained, or Greek-style yogurt specifically, and avoid low-fat versions for this dish, since the fat content contributes real body and flavour that a stripped-down version lacks.
The honey
A characterful Greek or Cypriot thyme honey, with some genuine depth and a faintly resinous edge, does far more for this dish than a bland, mass-produced clear honey. With only three ingredients on show, the honey's quality carries real weight, so it is worth spending a little more here than you might for baking.
Warm the honey briefly if it has crystallised, just enough to loosen it, so it drizzles properly rather than sitting in a stubborn clump on top of the yogurt.
The walnuts
Crush the walnuts roughly by hand or with the flat of a knife rather than chopping them fine, since larger pieces give a better contrast of texture against the smooth yogurt. A brief, light toast in a dry pan for a couple of minutes, if you have the time, deepens their flavour noticeably, though it is not essential.
Tips from my kitchen
Buy properly strained yogurt
Look for full-fat, Greek-style or strained yogurt specifically. A thin, unstrained yogurt cannot hold the honey and nuts the way this dish wants.
Spend a little more on the honey
With only three ingredients on show, a characterful honey does more work here than in almost any other recipe.
Crush the walnuts roughly
Larger pieces give better textural contrast against the smooth yogurt than a fine chop.
Greek Yogurt with Honey and Walnuts Recipe
Γιαούρτι με μέλι και καρύδια · by Kalliopi Andreou · updated 2026-07-31
- Prep
- 5m
- Cook
- None
- Total
- 5m
- Serves
- 1
Ingredients
Ingredients
Method
- Spoon the yogurt into a bowl.
- Warm the honey briefly if it has crystallised, then drizzle generously over the yogurt.
- Scatter the crushed walnuts over the top.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition, per 1 bowl
- Calories
- 268
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Sat fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
These figures are calculated estimates based on the ingredients listed, not laboratory analysis. Actual values vary with brands, cuts and portion size.
Frequently asked questions about Giaourti me meli kai karydia
Can you use regular yogurt instead of Greek yogurt?
Not with the same result. Regular unstrained yogurt is too thin and watery to hold the honey and nuts properly. Full-fat, strained Greek yogurt is genuinely essential here.
What honey works best?
A characterful Greek or Cypriot thyme honey, with real depth and a faintly resinous edge. A bland, mass-produced clear honey does far less for a dish with only three ingredients.
Is this dish healthy?
It is a genuinely balanced combination of protein, natural sugars and healthy fats, and it is often cited as a classic example of the traditional Mediterranean diet in its simplest form.
