Skyr has been eaten in Iceland for over a thousand years. It predates the country’s modern dairy industry by centuries and has been a staple food since Norse settlers arrived. The version that now appears on supermarket shelves around the world is a commercial product that uses skyr as a brand name more than anything else. When you eat real skyr in Iceland, you’re eating something quite different, and if you’re going to visit, it’s worth understanding why.
What Skyr Actually Is
Skyr is technically a cultured dairy product made from skimmed milk that has been fermented with specific bacterial strains and then strained until very thick. It sits somewhere between yoghurt and fresh cheese in texture, and it’s higher in protein and lower in fat than most commercial yoghurts. The flavour is mild and only slightly tart, which makes it very versatile.
Interestingly, while skyr is classified as a cheese by food scientists, Icelanders have always thought of it as a dairy product similar to yoghurt and eaten it accordingly. The distinction matters mostly to food technologists. What matters to you as a visitor is that it’s delicious, filling, widely available, and a genuine part of Icelandic food culture rather than a marketing invention.
How Icelanders Eat Skyr
Traditionally, skyr was mixed with milk to thin it out, then eaten with sugar or cream as a simple dessert or everyday meal. This version is still available and worth trying as a baseline. Modern Icelandic eating involves skyr in much the same way as yoghurt is used elsewhere: with fruit for breakfast, as a high-protein snack, mixed into smoothies, and used in baking.
A bowl of plain skyr with milk and a little sugar is one of the best simple breakfasts you can have in Iceland, and it’s available at almost every hotel, guesthouse, and café. The skyr used in Icelandic food service is generally the MS brand (Mjólkursamsalan), which is decent quality and representative of the everyday product Icelanders eat. For something more interesting, look for smaller producers at farmers markets.
Skyr in Icelandic Restaurants
Restaurants in Reykjavik have embraced skyr as a local ingredient in ways that go well beyond breakfast. You’ll find it used in desserts (skyr cheesecake, skyr mousse, skyr ice cream), as a sauce component in savoury dishes, and as a base for dressings. The Reykjavik food scene has grown significantly in quality over the last decade, and skyr features prominently on menus that are trying to emphasise local ingredients.
The restaurant Grillmarkaðurinn in Reykjavik has long had a skyr-based dessert on its menu, and several other restaurants in the city use it creatively. If you’re eating at a restaurant that emphasises Icelandic ingredients, ask the server what they do with skyr. You’ll often get something more interesting than a plain bowl.
Where to Buy Skyr Outside Restaurants
Every supermarket in Iceland stocks skyr in a range of varieties. The plain, full-fat version is the most useful and the most representative of what skyr actually tastes like before sweeteners and flavourings are added. Bónus supermarkets are the cheapest option; Krónan and Nettó are also widely available. Buying a tub and eating it for breakfast at your accommodation is the most cost-effective way to eat well in Iceland, where restaurant prices are very high by international standards.
You can also buy skyr at Keflavik airport on your way out of the country, though it counts as a liquid/gel for customs purposes, so factor that in if you’re hoping to bring it home. Better to eat it while you’re there.
A Quick Note on Icelandic Butter
While you’re there, try the Icelandic butter (smjör). It’s made from unpasteurised cream and has a flavour that’s noticeably richer than anything you’d buy at home. Combined with fresh rye bread and smoked lamb, it’s a better representation of traditional Icelandic food than almost anything else you can eat. The dairy industry in Iceland has very high standards, and the difference in everyday products like butter and skyr is real and worth paying attention to.
