Yoplait and Oui by Yoplait

Update Review, 2022

I've tried Oui by Yoplait yogurts before, and found them ok, but not worth really getting again (as you saw in my original review).  I recently had the "opportunity" to try the brand again when I ordered a different yogurt on Door Dash, but, my Dasher decided to sub in Yoplait instead.  I use things like as a a impetus to try new things, and try not to be too annoyed ...

Pumpkin Caramel.

"Inspired by our traditional French recipe, Oui by Yoplait pumpkin caramel yogurt creates a moment of pure enjoyment in every spoonful."

Although this isn't what I ordered, I was actually fairly interested in what my Dasher has randomly picked for me.  Pumpkin and caramel?  I like those things!  Although I had to lol slightly as the "fruit on the bottom" labelling, as, well, caramel and pumpkin ... not fruits.

The yogurt itself was about as I remembered - nicely thick, slightly tart, not too thick.  Fairly decent full fat yogurt, for US based yogurt.

The "fruit on the bottom" however is where this got interesting.  I reached my spoon in to get a bit of it, and, WOW, that was sweet.  Yup, there was caramel in the base of my yogurt.  No denying that.  I didn't really taste any pumpkin, so no pumpkin pie vibes here, but, yes, caramel for sure.  I like caramel, I liked this caramel, but, my brain wasn't quite sure what to do with it in my breakfast yogurt.  I like sweets in the morning, but this was just ... not doing it for me.  I put it back in the fridge, and decided I'd try it later for a mid-afternoon snack perhaps.  In the "worst case", I could also just use the plain yogurt, and the caramel, separately.

I later enjoyed it with some fresh figs and granola.  I often do yogurt + figs + granola + honey, and in this case, the caramel just took the place of the honey I usually drizzle over, and made it a bit more decadent.  It was a lovely combination, and I'd do it again if I wound up with another of these randomly in my grocery order.

***+.

Original Review, 2021

If you have ever browsed the yogurt aisle at a grocery store in the US, you know that there is, um, *plenty* of selection.   The amount of real estate devoted to yogurt in many stores confuses me - do people really buy that much yogurt, and in such variety of flavors, styles, fat contents, etc?  It amazes me.  Perhaps that is just because I'm not exactly excited by yogurt, at least, not by most grocery store yogurt. Legit yogurt, real, rich, full fat, super creamy, luxe Greek yogurt?  Now that I like.  Some labne comes close too.  But in the US, grocery store yogurt is just ... ugh, not for me.  A slight exception for Noosa, although I have liked that less in recent years too.  I *loath* Chobani, I think it ruined Greek yogurt for this country, although I do sometimes like the mix-ins in their Flip products.  I think basically all Dannon yogurt tastes like fake sweetness.

When I travel outside the US though, I'm always stunned by the yogurt.  Particularly in Australia.  Much like the milk there, it is a higher fat percentage, and just dramatically tastier, creamier.

I still continue to try yogurt products, all the ones boasting to be full fat, richer, creamier.  It rarely pleases me though.  And sometimes, sometimes I try things just because they sound unique.  And almost dessert-like.  As someone who eats way too much dessert (as in, after every meal, every day), I do try to find some healthier options.

Yoplait

Which brings me to Yoplait.  Yoplait nominates the yogurt aisle, offering up just about every style of yogurt imaginable: original, light, lactose-free, greek ... unique limited edition collabs wtih other companies like Starburst or Gushers, kid-friendly small cups or squeezeable "Go-Gurt", smoothies, ones with fruit mix-ins, etc, etc.  Most do not interest me at all, although the curious part of me wonders about the ridiculous Gushers flavors.

One product line however called out ...

Whips!

"A light and fluffy yogurt mousse that melts in your mouth."

Yogurt mousse.  This sounded promising as a plausible dessert-like item?  Branded as Whips!  Yes, excitement is in the name.

Whips! are available in a slew of flavors, all dessert inspired: Key Lime Pie, Cherry Cheesecake, Sea Salt Caramel, etc, etc.  I had hope.

These are low fat yogurt, still pretty light items, all <200 calories each, 5 grams of fat or less, and not *that* much sugar.  5g protein.

I'll admit, I was impressed when I tried the first one.  The texture is incredibly fascinating.  It really, truly was light and fluffy.  Like air.  But it was yogurt.  It had tang.  Yogurt-air.  Crazy.  I quickly bought more varieties.

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Chocolate.

Does it surprise you that the first flavor I tried was the chocolate one?

This was the first chocolate yogurt I've ever had, and I wasn't quite sure what to expect.  I was hoping it would be like a slightly tangy chocolate mousse, a chocolate pudding almost.

It certainly didn't trick me into thinking it was a real dessert.  The texture, amazing, and it was slightly chocolately, but it was also still clearly yogurt.  It tasted like yogurt.  I was still fascinated by it, and stirred in some cacao nibs, and enjoyed it, but, it wasn't a dessert.  They do suggest freezing it too, which I could imagine working well, like, well, frozen yogurt?

Cherry Cheesecake.

Cherry cheesecake was the second flavor I tried, going as dessert focused as I could.

I was again blown away by how light and fluffy it was.  Magic.  I have no idea how they do it.  It really was a mousse!

I expected to taste, um, cheesecake though, a cream cheese flavor, some tang, and some cherry of course.  It did have cherry puree in it, but I didn't taste much cherry flavor.  I didn't taste much at all.

Great texture, but tasted like ... nothing.  I passed it off to my niece. 

Orange Crème.

A number of flavors of the Whips! are "crèmes", including vanilla crème and coconut crème, but I wasn't ever able to find those.  I finally settled on the orange crème.

Like the others, the texture was awesome.  Light, fluffy, airy, remarkable really.  And this one finally delivered on the flavor department.  Orange, cream, and yogurt seem to go great together.

It reminded me of a Creamsicle.  Or a Orange Julius.  But, as a fluffy yogurt mousse.  I actually pulled it out for a lazy breakfast one day, and after taking a bite, decided that I'd save it for a dessert actually.  It was sweet, and, well, it was tasty.

My favorite that I tried, I'd love to get my hands on a few more flavors to see if I can find another winner.

Oui by Yoplait

Oui by Yoplait is an entirely separate line of products.  While they do have the Yoplait name on them in very fine print, they are marketed as Oui, and are, well, entirely different.

"A thick and creamy, subtly sweet, fresh tasting yogurt made with non-GMO ingredients and poured and set in its own glass pot."

Oui tries to appeal to an upscale yogurt eater, each Oui product comes in an individual glass jar.  They are priced accordingly.

"The French approach to living and eating revolves around pleasure. That’s how our holistic approach to French style yogurt was born. It starts with simple, non-GMO ingredients, poured and set in individual glass pots for eight hours. This creates a satisfyingly thick, subtly sweet, fresh tasting yogurt. And that creates a moment of pure enjoyment in every spoonful."

Oh, and they are *French* style of yogurt.  

Unlike the Yoplait yogurt line, or most brands of yogurt, they do not offer low-fat or non-fat varieties.  All are full fat.  They make a wide range of flavors, but, all just classic, full fat, yogurt (and a few non-dairy ones).

And then ... there are the desserts.  Legit desserts.  Not yogurt-pretending-to-be-dessert.  Real dessert.  Two product lines, Crème Desserts and Layered Desserts.  The former I've never managed to find, but when my local store got a few varieties of the new Layered Desserts, I immediately grabbed one. 

Yogurt

I did start with yogurt, offered in 15 varieties, mostly fruity ones, with the fruit layer on the bottom, and plain yogurt, although the raspberry and blackberry feature flavored yogurts, and they also make a honey flavor.  All full fat, french style.  Four dairy free options also exist, which I did not try.

Yogurt Pot.

The yogurts all come in the attractive glass jars, per the brand standards, with foil lids, and, the branded cursive "oui".

Lemon: Top.

"Inspired by our traditional French recipe and made with simple ingredients like whole milk and real fruit, our Lemon flavor has a deliciously thick texture and subtly sweet, fresh taste that offers the perfect balance of flavors."

Inside the lid is a french saying.  They really play up the French branding.

The yogurt itself is not flavored in the lemon variety, so I was able to try the pure, classic, French style yogurt.  Whole milk, cultures, and maybe a touch of sugar? That is all.  

It is good yogurt.  Quite thick, the style I like.  Rich, as you'd expect from whole milk.  Not particularly tangy, certainly not very sweet, I'm not sure if the yogurt itself is sweetened.

Definitely a good yogurt, if you like the thick, rich style, and want full fat.  It still does not compare to any of my favorite yogurts found internationally, but, it is quite good.

Lemon:Side View.

The lemon, like most of the fruity flavors, comes in the bottom, a thin layer to dig for and mix-in as you please.

Nothing artificial here, just lemon pulp, lemon puree, and sugar (ok, plus turmeric, for color). The jar formation does make it a bit hard to dig for, and try on its own, but I was pleased with what I found - not a lemon curd (I dislike!) but just a light, tart, lemon puree with a touch of texture. I liked it, but was glad to be able to mix in just a little as I pleased.

Black Cherry.

"Inspired by our traditional French recipe and made with simple ingredients like whole milk and real fruit, our Black Cherry flavor has a deliciously thick texture and subtly sweet, fresh taste that offers the perfect balance of flavors."

I have no idea why I picked black cherry.  it sounded good in some strange way.  But, um, i don't really like fruity yogurt?  I think I was expecting plain yogurt, and ... cherry pie in the bottom?  I don't know.

Anyway, the yogurt was thick, and rich, but ... fruity.  Most of the fruit was concentrated on the bottom, but there was still plenty of light cherry flavor to it all.

So, sadly, not my thing.

**+.

Layered Desserts

"Inspired by our authentic French recipe, Oui Layered Desserts are made with Crème Fraîche, which is traditionally used in French desserts and cooking. 

Each Oui Layered Dessert includes a rich crème fraiche base and a crispy graham cracker crust. Cherry Cheesecake and Caramel Cheesecake also include a subtly sweet topping. All you need is a spoon.

Enjoy a decadent dessert that transports you to your favorite restaurant from the comfort of your home. "

Layered Desserts are the newest product line, not made from yogurt at all.  Instead, the base is crème fraiche.  Available in only 3 flavors right now:  Cherry Cheesecake, Caramel Cheesecake and Key Lime Pie.

Layered Desserts: Packaging.

All come as two-packs, and yes, in glass jars like all Oui products.

They looked slightly fancy, I'll give them that.  The cursive definitely adds flair as well, heh.

Caramel Cheesecake.

"Caramel Cheesecake Oui Layered Desserts are made with a French-inspired crème fraiche base, crispy graham cracker crust and subtly sweet caramel topping. "

I opted for the caramel cheesecake, because I wanted the most decadent one, and the cherry topping actually just didn't look that great.

As promised, this was a layered dessert, the layers all quite clear.  The pot is fairly small though, which made getting to the base layer rather difficult.  I wanted to try each component separately first!

The easy layer to try first, clearly, was the top one: the caramel topping.  I was excited for it, as I do like caramel.  The consistency was great, smooth, not runny but not too thick, but ... I really disliked the flavor.  I'm not quite sure how they made a caramel not taste great to be honest.  But, it just wasn't ... good.  

I dug deeper, reaching the "cheesecake" layer, which turned out to be, literally, just créme fraîche.  Wait, what?  Yes, no real cheesecake element at all.  It wasn't blended with anything.  Just créme fraîche.  Now, I like créme fraîche, but ... it somehow wasn't really tasty either.  Sigh.

It took work to get to the base, but I was determined to get a nice big spoonful of it to evaluate.  Once I did, I was pleased.  I did like that base, which is amusing, as I always find graham cracker crusts on cheesecake "throwaway" elements, usually dry, cardboard-like, and uninteresting.  I get grumpy at cheesecake with graham cracker crusts usually, but this was gritty in a nice way, crispy, and sweetened, blended with molasses and honey for sweetness, coconut oil, peanut oil, and palm oil to make it more firm, and strangely, cocoa?  I didn't taste the cocoa.  It was actually quite good, not just compared to the other elements.

I hoped that getting spoonfuls with all the layers would help round it out, and make the elements I didn't care for somehow come together in harmony.  It didn't work.  I just ... didn't like it, except that base.

The little jar was also really quite a small serving, if I had liked it, it wouldn't really be nearly enough to satisfy me, but it is a 300 cal / 20g fat item, so having both of the twin pack in one sitting might not be the best idea for most.

Definitely not a winning product for me, and when I looked into the other layered desserts and discovered that they are exactly the same, I opted not to try any more.