Is Yogurt Halal?

The short version

Plain cultured yogurt is halal — it uses bacterial cultures, not rennet. What makes some yogurts "depends" is added gelatin and carmine.

Gelatin — the main one

Many non-Greek and "light" yogurts add gelatin as a thickener. If it is pork-derived it is haram; if beef, it is halal only when zabiha, and some brands use kosher (non-zabiha) gelatin, whose acceptance is debated. True Greek yogurt is thickened by straining and adds no gelatin.

Carmine in fruit flavours

Some strawberry and red-fruit yogurts use carmine (E120), an insect-derived colour that most scholars avoid. It is listed in the ingredients when present.

The reliable picks

Strained Greek yogurts — Chobani, Fage, Siggi's, Oikos — are gelatin-free by ingredient. Chobani, for example, uses pectin rather than gelatin. Flavoured and light yogurts are where to check the label.

Common questions

Is yogurt halal?

Plain and Greek yogurt is halal by ingredient; it depends on added gelatin and carmine in some flavoured and light yogurts.

Which yogurts are gelatin-free?

Strained Greek yogurts such as Chobani, Fage and Siggi's are gelatin-free.

Do any yogurts contain carmine?

Some strawberry and red-fruit yogurts use carmine (E120) for colour — check the label.