Homemade Frozen Yogurt
Here’s how to make frozen yogurt! This homemade frozen yogurt recipe is so simple and comes out tangy and creamy with just 3 ingredients. Essentially a Greek yogurt ice cream, it hits the spot in any season—add your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Did you know you can make homemade frozen yogurt with only 3 ingredients? (We did not.) Frozen yogurt gives us major nostalgia, since both of us frequented those popular froyo chains as kids. We absolutely love the tang and icy texture of frozen yogurt, so Alex and I set about to create a next-level, simple way to make it at home.
Why we love this recipe: Our whole family goes crazy for this homemade frozen yogurt! It’s tangy, creamy, and full of bold flavor. Essentially a Greek yogurt ice cream, it works as topping for fruit desserts or with its own with all the fun froyo toppings. Count us all obsessed!
Ingredients in this homemade frozen yogurt recipe
All you need is 3 ingredients to make homemade frozen yogurt! The fourth ingredient is optional and not totally needed for flavor, though you probably have it in your pantry already. Here are the ingredients you need to make frozen yogurt at home:
- Greek yogurt: Greek yogurt is our yogurt of choice because it’s protein packed, contains probiotics, and has a thick and creamy texture. We recommend using full fat Greek yogurt here for the creamiest texture and best flavor.
- Heavy cream: The combination of cream with the yogurt is important for making a creamy texture. In our testing, simply freezing yogurt by itself is much too icy and grainy. (You can substitute half and half if desired, but the texture will be slightly more icy.)
- Granulated sugar: We use sugar in our frozen yogurt recipe, but you can substitute any natural sweetener you like! Honey, agave syrup, and maple syrup all work well. Keep in mind that maple syrup makes the color of the yogurt slightly darker.
- Vanilla extract (optional): The vanilla extract is optional here, but it adds a nice nuance to the flavor.
How to make frozen yogurt (step by step)
It’s nice if you have an ice cream maker for homemade frozen yogurt: it’s our recommended path for making this recipe. But you can also make it using a food processor! Here are the steps for how to make frozen yogurt at home (or go to the full recipe):
Step 1: Whisk together vigorously the yogurt, cream, sugar, and vanilla extract. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Step 2: Freeze the yogurt mixture in an ice cream maker. Or, you can freeze it in silicon ice cube trays for 3 hours, then pop out the cubes and blend in a food processor until smooth. This should have a soft serve consistency (or freeze 2 to 3 hours for a scoopable consistency).
Step 3: Top with toppings and serve.
Ice cream maker vs food processor
There are a few pros and cons to making frozen yogurt in an ice cream maker versus a food processor! Here’s what to know:
- Ice cream maker: An ice cream maker makes the best creamy texture for homemade frozen yogurt, and it’s faster to whip up. We like this 2 quart freezer bowl ice cream maker, which is durable and has held up well over the years. If you make ice cream often and want to splurge, try an automatic ice cream maker.
- Food processor: The food processor method takes longer because you have to freeze the Greek yogurt first. The texture is not quite as good, but it’s a great substitute if you don’t have an ice cream machine.
Tip
For a fun presentation, you can pipe the frozen yogurt into a bowl using a pastry bag! It’s totally optional and just for looks.
Frozen yogurt toppings
The sky’s the limit when it comes to homemade frozen yogurt toppings, of course! Just use anything you might find at a frozen yogurt shop. Here are some of our favorite ideas:
- Sprinkles
- Fresh strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries
- Strawberry compote, raspberry compote, or blueberry sauce
- Edible cookie dough
- Crushed cookies or graham crackers
- Chocolate chips
- M&Ms or other candies
- Toasted almonds or other chopped nuts
- Hot fudge or chocolate syrup
Leftover storage
Homemade frozen yogurt is best eaten when freshly made. Leftovers store in the freezer up to 1 week. But keep in mind, the texture becomes very icy and hard when frozen overnight, so allow it to thaw on the counter for at least 30 minutes before scooping. After thawing, consider running it through a food processor to allow it to come to a more uniform texture before serving.
More ways to serve Greek yogurt ice cream
There are so many more ways to serve this frozen yogurt recipe! We like it as a topping for desserts, more like a Greek yogurt ice cream. Try it on blueberry cobbler, blueberry crumble, olive oil brownies, rhubarb crisp, peach crisp, apple cobbler, or apple crisp.
A few more frozen desserts
Love whipping up frozen treats? They’re perfect as summer desserts or any time of the year. Here are a few more fun ideas to try:
- Go for homemade ice cream like Cookie Dough Ice Cream, Rocky Road Ice Cream, Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream or Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
- Make sherbet like Lime Sherbet, Raspberry Sherbet or Orange Sherbet.
- Mix up sorbets like Strawberry Sorbet, Lime Sorbet, Mango Sorbet or Peach Sorbet.
Dietary notes
This homemade yogurt recipe is vegetarian and gluten-free.
Frequently asked questions
While an ice cream maker yields the creamiest results, you can make delicious frozen yogurt with a food processor, too.
Greek yogurt is the most common base due to its thick texture and high protein content. You can also use regular yogurt or a combination of both.
Honey, maple syrup, agave nectar, or sugar are all suitable sweeteners. Adjust the amount based on your desired sweetness level.
Get creative! You can use fresh or frozen fruit, extracts (like vanilla or almond), chocolate chips, peanut butter, or even spices like cinnamon or cardamom.
The freezing time varies depending on the method and recipe. With an ice cream maker, it usually takes about 20-30 minutes.
Homemade Frozen Yogurt Recipe
Prep Time: 30 minutes- Cook Time: N/A
- Total Time: 0 hours
Yield: 4 to 6
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
Here’s how to make frozen yogurt! This homemade frozen yogurt recipe is so simple and comes out tangy and creamy with just 3 ingredients. Essentially a Greek yogurt ice cream, it hits the spot in any season: add your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Ingredients
- 32 ounce container (3 ¾ cups) full fat Greek yogurt
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup granulated sugar*
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Instructions
- Whisk together vigorously the yogurt, cream, sugar, and vanilla extract (if using). Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved (test by rubbing slightly with your fingers to see if it is gritty, then taste).
- Freeze the yogurt mixture in an ice cream maker, according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Or, you can freeze it in silicon ice cube trays for 3 hours, then pop out the cubes and blend in a food processor until smooth. This should have a soft serve consistency. Top with toppings and serve.**
- Optional: For a scoopable consistency, freeze 2 to 3 hours, depending on your ice cream maker, to harden to a scoopable consistency.
- Leftover storage: Homemade frozen yogurt is best eaten when freshly made. Leftovers store up to 1 week frozen. The texture becomes very icy and hard when frozen overnight, so allow it to thaw on the counter for at least 30 minutes before scooping. After thawing, consider running it through a food processor to allow it to come to a more uniform texture before serving.
Notes
*This frozen yogurt tastes pleasantly tangy. If desired for a sweeter frozen yogurt, add ¼ cup additional sugar. If you’d like, you can substitute honey, agave syrup, or pure maple syrup for the sweetener. Keep in mind the color will look slightly darker with maple syrup.
**For a fun presentation, you also can pipe it into a cup using a pastry bag (completely optional; we did it just for the photos).
***Add the toppings of your choice! Try sprinkles, fresh strawberries or raspberries, strawberry compote, edible cookie dough, and more.
Category: Dessert
Method: Frozen
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian
from A Couple Cooks
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Sonja Overhiser
May 15, 2024 at 09:30AM
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