Icelandic Provisions Vanilla Skyr: Nutrition & Labelgrade B (78/100)
B 78 / 100 — Very low saturated fat and very low sodium.
🛒 Buy on Amazon →The short answer
Icelandic Provisions Vanilla Skyr delivers 22.5g of protein for 195 calories in a 150g cup (USDA FDC 2756794) — that’s 15g of protein per 100g, at just 3g of total fat. Skyr is traditional Icelandic strained “yogurt” (technically a fresh cheese), and the high protein-to-fat ratio is exactly what straining buys you. It earns a B (78/100): low fat and low sodium are the strengths, while the added cane sugar in this vanilla flavor is what keeps it out of the A range.
Why the B
| Dimension | Grade | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein density | B- | 73 / 100 | 15g per 100g — solid, though strained dairy is diluted by the water that stays behind; the 22.5g per cup is the number that matters at breakfast |
| Ingredient quality | B | 75 / 100 | Mostly recognizable — skyr, cane sugar, real vanilla — with pectin and carob bean gum for texture; no artificial sweeteners or colors |
| Saturated fat load | A+ | 95 / 100 | 1.5g per cup — naturally low, because skyr is strained from skim milk |
| Sodium load | A+ | 100 / 100 | 75mg per cup (~14mg per oz) — about 3% of the daily limit |
| Sugar load | B | 76 / 100 | 13.5g total; cane sugar is the #2 ingredient, so this scores as a sweetened product, not naturally-occurring lactose alone |
| Fiber | F | 30 / 100 | 0g — structural for a dairy product, and the formula doesn’t pretend otherwise |
The fiber “F” is unavoidable: cultured dairy has no fiber. The honest knock here is sugar. A plain skyr is one of the leanest protein sources in the dairy case; bolt vanilla and cane sugar onto it and you trade a couple of grams of sweetness for a noticeably higher carb count (19.5g total carbs, 13.5g of it sugar).
What straining actually does
The reason this cup posts 22.5g of protein where a flavored regular yogurt might post 5-9g comes down to one step: straining. Skyr starts as cultured skim milk, and then the liquid whey is drained off until the curd is dense and spoon-standing thick. Roughly three to four volumes of milk concentrate down into one volume of skyr, which is why traditional skyr is classified as a fresh cheese in Iceland rather than a yogurt — it’s the same family of move as making Greek yogurt or quark, just taken further. The payoff for a protein shopper is the macro shape you see here: high protein, very low fat (3g), no need to drain anything yourself.
The heirloom-culture angle
Most of the skyr and Greek yogurt in a U.S. cooler is fermented with generic thermophilic cultures. Icelandic Provisions’ specific pitch is that it uses heirloom Icelandic cultures — the strain listed on the label as Streptococcus thermophilus islandicus, alongside Lactobacillus bulgaricus and a Bifidobacterium. The islandicus strain is the one that gives traditional skyr its signature: a milder, rounder, less-sour finish than the sharper bite of a typical Greek yogurt. That’s a real flavor difference you can taste, not a macro one — it won’t change the protein, but it’s why skyr and Greek yogurt don’t taste interchangeable even when their nutrition labels nearly match.
Skyr vs. Greek yogurt vs. regular yogurt
For a protein shopper, here’s the honest hierarchy. Regular (unstrained) yogurt keeps its whey, so it’s thinner and lands well below this on protein — often half or less. Greek yogurt and skyr are the two strained heavyweights and sit in the same neighborhood: a nonfat Greek cup and this skyr both come in around 20-22g of protein per serving. Between the two, skyr is usually the thicker and denser, and because it’s traditionally built on skim milk it skews naturally low-fat — which is why the fat here is just 3g. The real variable when you’re standing in the aisle isn’t skyr-vs-Greek; it’s plain vs. flavored. This is a flavored vanilla, so it carries added cane sugar that a plain tub wouldn’t.
Who it’s for
This is a strong high-protein breakfast or afternoon snack — 22.5g of protein and only 3g of fat in a cup that eats like a light dessert, no prep required. The mild heirloom-culture tang makes it an easy entry point for people who find Greek yogurt too sour. The one shopper who should pause is anyone counting sugar: at 13.5g, the vanilla sweetening is the whole story behind the B sugar score, and the plain version of this same skyr is the better pick if you’d rather add your own fruit.
Ingredients
Skyr (pasteurized lowfat milk, live and active cultures), cane sugar, vanilla extract, natural flavor, pectin, carob bean gum, vanilla bean seeds, and live and active cultures including heirloom skyr cultures (Streptococcus thermophilus islandicus), Lactobacillus bulgaricus, and Bifidobacterium. (Verbatim from the USDA Branded Foods entry, FDC 2756794.)
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Quick Facts
Per serving · 150g
Full nutrition facts
| Nutrient | Per Serving (150g) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 195 |
| Protein | 22.5g |
| Total Fat | 3g |
| Saturated Fat | 1.5g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 19.5g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0g |
| Total Sugars | 13.5g |
| Sodium | 75mg |
Scope: This page applies specifically to Icelandic Provisions Skyr Vanilla Yogurt · UPC 00854074006020. 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 Icelandic Provisions Vanilla Skyr?
22.5 grams per 150g container, for 195 calories (USDA FDC 2756794). That works out to 15g of protein per 100g and about 4.3g per ounce — and unlike a flavored cup of regular yogurt, that protein comes from skyr that's been strained down from roughly three to four times its volume in milk.
Is skyr a yogurt or a cheese?
Both, technically. Skyr is made by culturing skim milk and then straining the whey off, the same basic move as Greek yogurt — but traditional skyr is classified as a fresh, soft cheese in Iceland. That straining is why this cup hits 22.5g of protein at only 3g of total fat: you're eating concentrated milk solids with most of the water and whey removed.
How does it compare to Greek yogurt?
Very closely on protein — a typical 150g of nonfat Greek yogurt also lands in the high-teens-to-low-20s grams of protein. Skyr is usually the thicker, denser of the two and is traditionally made from skim milk, so it tends to be naturally low in fat (3g here). The bigger swing between any two tubs is added sugar, not the dairy base — and this is a sweetened vanilla, not a plain skyr.
Does this vanilla skyr have added sugar?
Yes. Cane Sugar is the second ingredient, right after the skyr itself, plus vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds. The USDA entry doesn't break out a separate added-sugar gram line, but of the 13.5g of total sugar, part is naturally-occurring milk lactose and part is the added cane sugar. Plain, unsweetened skyr would cut the sugar substantially — closer to the ~4-5g of lactose left after straining.
What are 'heirloom Icelandic cultures'?
Icelandic Provisions ferments with Streptococcus thermophilus islandicus — a skyr-specific culture strain the brand traces to Iceland — alongside Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Bifidobacterium. The islandicus strain is what gives traditional skyr its characteristically mild, less-sour tang compared to a sharper Greek yogurt.
Is it 'high in protein' under FDA rules?
Yes, comfortably. 22.5g per serving is 45% of the FDA's 50g Daily Value for protein, well past the 20% threshold a food needs to clear to carry a 'high in protein' claim.
Who is this a good fit for?
Anyone who wants a high-protein breakfast or snack that eats like dessert: 22.5g of protein keeps you full, the heirloom cultures and low fat are easy on digestion, and it needs no prep. If you're cutting sugar, buy the plain skyr and add your own fruit instead.
When was this data last verified?
2026-06-03, against USDA FoodData Central FDC 2756794. We re-verify top-traffic pages monthly and update within 7 days of a reformulation.