Skyr calories and protein: per 100g, per pot, and how much to eat a day
Skyr calories and protein per 100g and per pot, how it compares to Greek yogurt and quark, and an honest answer on how much skyr you can eat in a day.
Skyr is the densest thing in the yogurt aisle and the most commonly mislabelled. It is not technically yogurt, it is not quite quark, and the protein number on the pot is high enough that people assume there must be a catch.
There is no catch. Here are the actual numbers, and an honest answer to the question that gets asked most: how much of it can you eat.
The quick answer
Plain nonfat skyr is about 63 kcal per 100g with 11g of protein, per USDA FoodData Central reference data for plain nonfat Icelandic-style yogurt. Some brands print 60 kcal and 11g, which is the same product inside normal labelling tolerance.
| Type (per 100g) | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plain skyr, nonfat | 63 | 11g | 4.0g | 0.2g |
| Plain skyr, whole milk | 95 | 10g | 4.0g | 4.5g |
| Vanilla skyr | 78 | 10g | 9.0g | 0.3g |
| Fruit skyr (average) | 85 | 9.5g | 11g | 0.3g |
| Plain Greek yogurt, nonfat | 59 | 10g | 3.6g | 0.4g |
| Plain quark, nonfat | 68 | 12g | 4.1g | 0.2g |
| Plain regular yogurt, nonfat | 56 | 5.7g | 7.7g | 0.2g |
By pot size
Skyr pots vary more than most dairy, and the difference between a 150g and a 200g pot is a full snack's worth of protein.
| Serving | Plain skyr | Protein | Flavored skyr |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 tablespoon (15g) | 9 kcal | 1.7g | 13 kcal |
| Small pot (100g) | 63 kcal | 11g | 85 kcal |
| Standard pot (150g) | 95 kcal | 16.5g | 128 kcal |
| Large pot (170g) | 107 kcal | 19g | 145 kcal |
| Big pot (200g) | 126 kcal | 22g | 170 kcal |
| Tub (450g) | 284 kcal | 50g | 383 kcal |
| Tub (500g) | 315 kcal | 55g | 425 kcal |
The 200g pot is the one worth remembering. 126 kcal for 22g of protein is a better ratio than most protein bars, at roughly a third of the price.
How much skyr should you eat a day?
This is the most searched skyr question, and most answers dodge it. Here is a direct one.
There is no medical limit on skyr. It is strained dairy. One to two pots a day, roughly 150 to 350g, is an ordinary amount that fits comfortably into almost any diet. Plenty of people in Iceland eat it daily and have for a very long time.
The real ceilings are practical, not physiological:
Calories. 350g of plain skyr is about 220 kcal. That is a manageable share of most daily targets. 350g of flavored skyr is closer to 300 kcal with 35g of sugar, which is a different conversation.
Protein distribution. Two 200g pots give you 44g of protein. For most people that is a large share of the daily target in a single food. That is not harmful, but protein spread across the day is more useful than protein stacked into one meal. How much protein you actually need per day covers the targets.
Variety. If skyr is displacing vegetables, fruit, or fibre rather than displacing biscuits, the swap is working against you. Skyr is very low in fibre.
Lactose. Straining removes much of the lactose, so skyr is gentler than regular yogurt for many people who react to dairy. It is not lactose-free.
There is a persistent claim that high dairy protein intake stresses the kidneys. In people with healthy kidney function, that has not held up. The caution applies to people with existing kidney disease, who should be following individual medical advice about protein rather than general guidance.
Skyr vs Greek yogurt vs quark
These three get compared constantly and the honest answer is that the differences are small.
| Per 170g pot | Calories | Protein | Protein per 100 kcal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skyr, plain nonfat | 107 | 19g | 17.5g |
| Greek yogurt, plain nonfat | 100 | 17g | 17.0g |
| Quark, plain nonfat | 116 | 20g | 17.5g |
All three land at essentially the same protein-per-calorie ratio. Anyone selling you one as dramatically superior to the others is selling, not informing.
What actually differs:
Texture. Skyr is the densest and the least tangy. Greek yogurt is looser and sharper. Quark is smoothest and mildest, closest to a soft cheese.
Cooking behaviour. Quark handles heat best and is the usual choice for baking. Skyr and Greek yogurt both split if boiled, so add them off the heat.
Price and availability. This is usually the deciding factor, and reasonably so.
The full fat-percent breakdown for the Greek side lives in Greek yogurt calories, and the wider aisle, plain, flavored, drinkable, and plant-based, is covered in how many calories in yogurt.
The flavored skyr problem
Plain skyr is one of the best protein-per-calorie foods available. Flavored skyr is a decent protein source wrapped around 8 to 14g of added sugar.
| 150g pot | Calories | Sugar |
|---|---|---|
| Plain | 95 | 6g (all lactose) |
| Vanilla | 117 | 13g |
| Fruit | 128 | 16g |
| Dessert style (salted caramel, chocolate) | 155-185 | 20-26g |
The protein stays roughly constant across all of these, which is what makes the marketing effective. The pot still says 15g of protein. It just now also contains a tablespoon and a half of sugar.
The swap that costs nothing: plain skyr with 80g of fresh berries is about 130 kcal with 5g of natural sugar, against 128 kcal and 16g of sugar for the fruit pot. Same calories, more food, a third of the sugar. For how those added sugars get named on the label, see hidden sugar names on food labels.
What skyr actually is
Skyr is made by warming skimmed milk, adding cultures and a small amount of rennet, letting it set, then straining off the whey. Roughly three to four litres of milk make one litre of finished skyr, which is a heavier strain than Greek yogurt.
That straining is the whole story. Removing whey and water leaves the casein behind, concentrating protein and stripping out lactose. High protein, low sugar, almost no fat, and a texture thick enough to hold a spoon upright.
The rennet is why skyr is technically a fresh cheese rather than a yogurt. Nobody in practice treats it as cheese, and it is labelled and sold as yogurt nearly everywhere.
What to check on the pot: protein should be 10g or higher per 100g. Some products sold as "skyr style" are thickened regular yogurt sitting around 5 to 6g. As with Greek yogurt, the protein figure is the honest test, not the word on the front.
The verdict
Plain skyr: about 63 kcal and 11g of protein per 100g. A 200g pot is 126 kcal and 22g of protein, which is among the best ratios in any supermarket.
How much per day: one to two pots is normal and unremarkable. There is no threshold you are approaching.
The only decision that meaningfully changes the numbers is plain versus flavored. Everything else, brand, skyr versus Greek versus quark, is preference.