With over half a dozen brands available in the market, choosing everyday dahi can be tough. Which has the best taste? Which has a better creaminess? How to test that?
We picked five popular and easily available brands of packaged dahi pouches to find the creamiest and freshest tasting dahi. The kind of milk they are made of, how that impacts the creaminess and taste are some factors we prioritized. After two rounds of taste tests, we chose Amul Masti and Gowardhan Dahi as the best packaged dahi pouch brands in India. They are the tastiest, creamiest homestyle dahis in a pouch meant for everyday consumption.
Table of Contents
Quick Comparison of Packaged Dahi Pouch Brands
Our Review Factors
What are we looking for? A homestyle dahi that is tasty, fresh, and creamy. We were looking for the signature slight-sour flavor of curd along with a relatively clean ingredient list.
Quoting from the book Masala Lab: The Science Of Indian Cooking, by Krish Ashok, “Good curd should be set into large solid curds and not separated into unappetizing crumbly bits. It will have both sourness and creaminess.
The book also mentions the science behind the temperature of milk. ‘The milk used to set curd should be boiled at 85 degrees. This will kill the bacteria in the milk and modify the proteins in it so that they don’t separate into whey and crumbly curd when fermented.’
To test the best packaged dahi pouch brands we set the following parameters –
1. Taste
Curd is made with milk. The taste of milk is naturally sweet and when turned into curd, the fermentation process turns the lactose sugars into lactic acid which gives it the signature sour taste.
Freshness and the characteristic mildly sour flavor of curd is what we were looking for. The curd should not be overly sour or sweet. It should have a home-style freshness.
Do note that the taste and texture of curd also depends on the strain of bacteria present in milk, air or the container where it is left for fermentation. More factors that change the taste/texture is the temperature at which the milk is heated, the temperature outside, and the amount of time it is left for the fermentation process.
2. Texture
The naturally occurring phutkis (फुटकी) or small lumps of curd are not undesirable, but the rich creaminess and consistency of the curd are two vital factors.
The benchmark for creaminess was set after considering that these are made using toned or double toned milk.
3. Ingredients and Nutritional Information
We checked for the type of milk used, addition of preservatives, and the type of starter culture used to make the curd.
How many calories, calcium content, protein and fat the curd provides? Does it have added sugar?
4. Aroma
Fresh, sour, or something else? Does the aroma indicate freshness?
5. Others
Packaging
How well is the curd packed? Is the pouch it is packed in thin or thick?
Appearance and color
Does it look appetizing? White, off-white or a yellow tinge?
Price
Is the curd priced competitively?
Shelf life
Is the shelf life or use by date mentioned?
Related review – Best Packaged Dahi To Buy
Best Packaged Dahi Pouch Brands – Detailed Review
How did we pick the brands? After several visits to local kirana stores and scanning online grocery shopping portals, we picked five popular brands of pouch dahi for our review. All our selected bands were made of toned or double toned milk. We did not pick ‘lite’ or full-fat dahis.
How did we test this? After the initial product inspection, we conducted two rounds of blind tasting where our team unanimously chose Mishry’s Top Pick.
Before we start, here is a tabular comparison of all the nutritional information provided on the pack –
| Brand | Energy | Total Fat | Total Carbs | Protein | Added Sugar | Calcium | Others |
| Amul | 61.5 Kcal | 3.1 gm | 4.4 gm | 4 gm | 0 gm | 138 mg | – |
| Gowardhan | 71 Kcal | 3 gm | 6.0 gm | 3.8 gm | 0 gm | 140 mg | – |
| Nestle | 43 Kcal | 1.5 gm | 4.6 gm | 2.9 gm | 0 gm | – | 4 mg cholesterol
3.1 gm of total sugars |
| Mother Dairy | 62 Kcal | 3 gm | 5 gm | 3.7 gm | 0 gm | 168 mg | Total sugars 5 gm
3.4 mg cholesterol |
| ID | 61 Kcal | 3.74 gm | 4.40 gm | 3.10 gm | 0 gm | 83 mg | – |
1. Amul Masti Dahi – Mishry Top Pick
Amul Masti Dahi has a fresh, mild sour aroma. This dahi has a balanced flavor, i.e, a mild natural sweetness combined with undertones of sourness. Texture wise, the dahi is very creamy. The whey and curd have not separated which enhances the creaminess and thick consistency further.
Just like homemade curd, this too has small lumps which add to the whole appeal of the curd being homestyle, texture and appearance wise.
Product information – Priced at Rs 65/- for a 1 kg pouch, this curd is made using pasteurized toned milk, milk solids and active culture. It has a clean ingredient list, provides the highest amount of protein and third highest calcium per 100 gms.
- Fresh tasting dahi.
- Balanced flavor. Has the sweetness and mild sour undertones.
- It is creamy and thick.
- We liked the homestyle flavor and texture.
- It is priced competitively.
- Highest protein content per 100 gms.
No time or skill to set curd at home? Amul Masti Dahi in a pouch comes close to homemade dahi – taste and texture wise.
2. Gowardhan Curd – Mishry Top Pick
Gowardhan also wins our review as the taste and texture is exactly the same as Amul. The natural freshness (aroma and taste), creaminess, and interplay of sweet-sour flavors makes this our winner as well. The consistency, like home curd, is thick but flowy.
There is no separation of whey from the curd and we can see some small-medium lumps.
Product information – Priced at Rs 70/- for a 1 kg pouch, this curd is made using toned milk, milk solids and active culture. This has a clean ingredient list, and second highest protein and calcium levels per 100 gms.
- Same as the above variant.
3. Nestle Dahi
There’s nothing wrong with the flavor of the dahi by Nestle. It has a fresh, pleasantly sweet aroma, and tastes mildly sour with a touch of sweetness. Nestle’s dahi did not win our review because of its consistency. It is not homestyle. In fact, we liked how it is almost as creamy as our winners despite using double toned milk.
Product information – This is priced at Rs 30/- for a 350 gm pouch. Made using double toned milk, this provides the lowest calories and protein per 100 gms. The plastic pouch is the thickest and sturdiest out of all the brands we reviewed.
4. Mother Dairy Classic Dahi
Mother Dairy’s dahi has a mixed texture – some lumps and clots of dahi along with patches of smooth, thick and creamy curd. No whey has been separated.
The reason this did not win was because the curd was very sour. To recheck this, we ordered their dahi from two different portals on different days, yet the results were the same taste wise. Can be used for making a kadhi. In comparison, the packaging was also very flimsy.
Product information – Rs 30/- for a 400 gm pack. Ingredients include toned milk, water, milk solids and active lactic culture. This has the highest calcium content per 100 gms.
5. ID Creamy Thick Curd
ID’s curd did not win because this is too flowy and is sour tasting. The consistency is not homestyle. You could probably use it to make a Punjabi kadhi. It is fresh, but the sour taste and aroma is too much for us.
Product information – Priced at Rs 38/- for 400 gms, this is made using toned milk, milk solids and active lactic culture. It has the lowest calcium content.
Our Top Picks & Recommendations
Why are Amul and Gowardhan dahi our Top Picks?
We were looking for a packaged dahi pouch that was creamy, had a fresh taste with natural sweet-sour notes and a homestyle consistency. Amul and Gowardhan are our Top Picks because they checked off all the boxes in our list of requirements.
Out of all the five brands, these two excelled.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some interesting FAQs on best Indian packaged dahi pouch brands.
1. Is it safe to buy packaged dahi online?
Yes, you can buy packaged dahi online. We did buy a few brands online. Make sure the vendor delivers it in an ice box/with iced gel packs to maintain the temperature. Check the ‘use by’ date before consumption.
2. Does dahi really help in burning fat?
Some studies suggest consuming low-fat yogurt/curd provides a combination of protein and calcium which helps in increasing the metabolic rate and thus promoting weight loss. Read details here.
Related reading – Vitamins in a curd
3. Do these dahis contain preservatives?
As per the ingredient list, none of the brands we tested contain any preservatives.
4. How to maintain these dahis after unpacking?
It is best to transfer the dahi in another container and refrigerate after opening. Consume within 1-2 days depending on the weather conditions in your city.
5. Can curd be consumed on an empty stomach?
There are mixed views on this. Some claim it may increase acidity in our body while some suggest better digestive health. The answer to this also depends on the overall health of the person consuming curd.
Final Verdict
We chose Amul Masti and Gowardhan dahi as our Top Pick after two rounds of blind tastings. They were the best, freshest tasting dahis with a homestyle consistency and praise-worthy creaminess.
Which brand of dahi do you use everyday at home?
Our reviews are unbiased and all samples used during the reviews were paid for by us. Read our entire ethics statement here.