Fage Total 0%: The Benchmark Plain Nonfat Greek Yogurt — Labelgrade B+ (83/100)
B+ 83 / 100 — Very low saturated fat, effectively zero sugar, and very low sodium.
🛒 Buy on Amazon →The short answer
Fage Total 0% gives you 18g of protein for 90 calories in a 180g cup, from an ingredient list with exactly two entries: skim milk and live cultures. No thickeners, no gums, no added sugar. This is the plain, nonfat, traditionally-strained Greek yogurt that most other brands are implicitly measured against — and it earns a B+ (83/100), held back from an A by one thing only: protein density.
Why the B+
| Dimension | Grade | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein density | C+ | 65 / 100 | 10g per 100g — solid for a yogurt, but it’s still a wet food; the cup total (18g) is the real story |
| Ingredient quality | B+ | 83 / 100 | Just milk and cultures — no MPC, gums, or sweeteners; about as short as a dairy label gets |
| Saturated fat load | A+ | 100 / 100 | 0g — the fat drains off with the whey when it’s strained nonfat |
| Sodium load | A+ | 100 / 100 | 65mg per cup (10mg/oz) — naturally low, nothing added |
| Sugar load | A+ | 100 / 100 | 5g, all naturally-occurring lactose; zero added sugar |
| Fiber | F | 30 / 100 | 0g — structural; no dairy protein carries fiber |
The grade tells an honest story. Four A+ marks say everything that can be clean here is clean. The single drag is the C+ on protein density, and that’s a quirk of the scoring, not a flaw in the yogurt: density is measured per 100 grams, and yogurt is still mostly water. At 10g per 100g, Fage is roughly double the protein of regular yogurt — straining is doing real work — but it will never out-score a dry food like a bar or powder on a per-gram basis. Judge it by the cup, where 18g for 90 calories is genuinely excellent.
What makes it the benchmark
Plenty of “Greek” yogurts hit a similar protein number by taking shortcuts: adding milk-protein concentrate to boost the grams, or gums and starches to fake the thick texture you’re supposed to get from straining. Fage does neither. The thickness here comes from physically straining the whey out of real skim milk, and the only other thing in the cup is the culture blend that ferments it. That’s why this product functions as the reference point — when a review asks whether a competitor is “real” Greek yogurt, this is the standard. The five named live cultures (L. Bulgaricus, S. Thermophilus, L. Acidophilus, Bifidus, L. Casei) are a fuller roster than the bare two-strain minimum, which is a small plus for anyone buying yogurt partly for the probiotics.
The honest trade-offs
The 0% line is the leanest, most protein-efficient yogurt Fage makes — and that’s both its strength and its catch. Stripping the fat is what gets you 90 calories and a perfect saturated-fat score, but it also makes the texture tangier and less luxurious than the 5%. Many people find plain 0% too sour to eat straight; it shines as a base you build on — a swirl of honey or berries, a dollop on chili or curry in place of sour cream, or blended into a high-protein smoothie. The other honest note: at 5g lactose per serving, this isn’t a fit for the lactose-intolerant, despite straining removing some of the milk sugar.
How it compares
Among plain nonfat Greek yogurts, Fage sits at the top of the protein column. Per cup it edges out Chobani and Stonyfield’s plain nonfat versions (18g vs 16g at the same 90 calories), and within Fage’s own line the 0% out-proteins the richer 5% (18g vs 15g) precisely because removing the fat leaves more room for milk solids. Against a whole-food benchmark, 18g of yogurt protein is about what you’d get from 2 ounces of cooked chicken breast — but with the convenience of a grab-and-eat cup and a complete dairy amino-acid profile. The clearest decision most shoppers face is 0% vs 5%: pick 0% for the leanest protein-per-calorie, 5% if you’d rather have whole-milk creaminess and don’t mind the extra 70 calories.
Who it’s for
If you want maximum protein per calorie from real yogurt with a clean label, this is close to the ideal pick — cutters, high-protein dieters, and anyone using yogurt as a cooking base. The two shoppers who should look elsewhere: people who find plain nonfat too tart to enjoy unsweetened (try the 5% or a flavored variant), and the lactose-intolerant (5g of lactose still lands).
Ingredients
Grade A pasteurized skimmed milk, plus live active yogurt cultures: L. Bulgaricus, S. Thermophilus, L. Acidophilus, Bifidus, and L. Casei. That’s the whole list — no thickeners, stabilizers, or sweeteners. (Verbatim from the USDA Branded Foods entry, FDC 2756888.)
Where to buy
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Quick Facts
Per serving · 180g
See how this fits your day — protein calculator · macro calculator
Full nutrition facts
| Nutrient | Per Serving (180g) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 90 |
| Protein | 18g |
| Total Fat | 0g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 5g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0g |
| Total Sugars | 5g |
| Sodium | 65mg |
Scope: This page applies specifically to Fage Total 0% Nonfat Greek Strained Yogurt · UPC 00689544083016. Other sizes, flavors, or formulations may differ.
How this fits each diet
Each score is computed from the same USDA nutrition + ingredient data, against the published rules of each diet. They tell you "does this food fit this diet" — not whether the diet is right for you.
contains animal-derived ingredients
contains no listed meat or fish
no wheat, barley, rye, or malt detected in USDA ingredient list
Frequently Asked Questions
How much protein is in Fage Total 0%?
18 grams per 180g container, for 90 calories (USDA FDC 2756888). That works out to 10g of protein per 100g and 2.8g per ounce. The reason it's 'only' 10g per 100g — versus the 25g+ in a protein bar — is that yogurt is still mostly water; straining concentrates it to roughly double the protein of regular yogurt, but it isn't a dry food.
Why does straining make Greek yogurt higher in protein?
Plain yogurt is strained to remove most of the liquid whey, which is mostly water and lactose. What's left is thicker and protein-denser. Fage Total 0% is a traditionally-strained yogurt, which is why it hits 18g per cup while delivering 90 calories and 0g fat — the fat and a chunk of the milk sugar drain off with the whey.
Is the 5g of sugar added sugar?
No. The USDA entry lists no added sugar; all 5g is naturally-occurring lactose from the skim milk. Straining removes some lactose along with the whey, which is why a plain Greek yogurt like this runs lower in sugar than regular plain yogurt.
What's actually in it?
Two things: Grade A pasteurized skimmed milk and live active yogurt cultures (five named strains, including L. Bulgaricus and S. Thermophilus). No thickeners, no gums, no milk-protein concentrate, no added sugar — which is exactly why it's the plain Greek yogurt other brands get compared against.
Is Fage Total 0% 'high in protein' by FDA rules?
Yes. 18g is 36% of the FDA's 50g Daily Value for protein, comfortably above the 20% threshold needed to make a 'high in protein' claim.
Is it keto-friendly?
It's low-carb but not zero-carb: 5g total carbs (all lactose), 0g fat, 18g protein per 180g. With 0g fiber, net carbs are 5g — fine for most low-carb plans, though strict keto dieters who want fat with their protein often reach for the Total 5% instead.
Fage Total 0% vs 5% — which should I buy?
Same milk, same straining; the difference is fat. The 0% is 18g protein for 90 calories (leanest, best for a cut). The 5% adds whole-milk creaminess at 15g protein for 160 calories. If you're chasing protein-per-calorie, 0% wins; if you want a richer, more satisfying spoonful, 5% is worth the extra calories.
When was this data last verified?
2026-06-02, against USDA FoodData Central FDC 2756888. We re-verify top pages monthly and update within 7 days of a reformulation.