Greek Frozen yogurt or froyo is the ultimate summer dessert. Light, cool, and so refreshing. It's that slight sourness of the yogurt that makes it so appetizing! It's also simple and quick to make using only 3 ingredients with no ice cream maker needed!
Frozen Yogurt is a delicious, healthier alternative to ice cream. Especially the refined sugar-free version you'll find in the recipe below. To make ice cream from yogurt, or froyo, you need a sweetener and Greek yogurt.
Table Of Contents
What Is Frozen Yogurt Made Of
For the basic frozen yogurt recipe that yields soft-serve frozen yogurt, you need full-fat Greek yogurt, sugar, and whipping cream (which helps make it creamy with no ice crystals forming).
For the healthy sugar-free version of this yogurt ice cream, the ingredients you need are just Greek yogurt and honey.
In both versions, you can flavor froyo with either vanilla, almond extract, or orange extract.
How Is Frozen Yogurt Different From Ice Cream
- Flavor: Frozen yogurt differs in flavor from ice cream due to the fact it has a slightly tart flavor. Of course, this always depends on the recipe and the amount of sugar used in it.
- Texture: Frozen Yogurt can be creamier or denser than ice cream. This depends on two things mainly. The method you use to make it and the fat percentage of the yogurt you are using.
How To Make Froyo
You can make frozen yogurt using a food processor, an electric mixer, or using an ice cream maker. Each method produces different results when it comes to texture.
A food processor: produces a frozen yogurt with a sorbet texture. Especially, if you add fruit to it.
The electric mixer: will result in frozen yogurt with a creamier texture (that will eventually get denser if not consumed a couple of hours after it is made). You will need to let it thaw for 20 minutes at room temperature before serving.
An ice cream machine: will give you frozen yogurt that is as creamy as the electric mixer but this creamy texture will last longer inside the freezer.
TYPE OF YOGURT AND FAT RATIO
It's very important to use strained Greek yogurt in order to get a creamy texture. Strained Greek yogurt is yogurt with less water content than plain yogurt. And less water = fewer crystals. You can buy it strained or use regular Greek yogurt and strain it at home. It is a very simple process as you can see here.
Another thing you need to pay attention to if you want frozen yogurt with a very creamy texture is the fat percentage ratio of the yogurt you are using. The higher the fat content the creamier the frozen yogurt.
If you are looking for a way to skip some calories though one option is to use low-fat Greek yogurt, strain it, and then use the ice cream machine to make it. This will partly make up for the missing fat.
THE BEST FROYO RECIPE!
To make this simple frozen yogurt recipe, I'm using the electric mixer method which is my favorite. Because I never seem to have the canister frozen in time for whenever I have an ice cream craving.
So to make the best froyo that's soft serve and very creamy, I beat separately the whipping cream with half the sugar and then the yogurt with the remaining sugar. And then combine both and freeze.
It's that small little step of beating the cream into whipped cream that makes all the difference. The air bubbles locked in the mixture make this frozen yogurt so creamy!
For the ultimate soft-serve froyo freeze it for no more than 2-3 hours.
Extra Add-Ins
Once the mixture is ready, right before popping it into the freezer you can stir in any of the following ingredients:
- Nuts. Chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds, pistachios, whatever you prefer
- Fruit preserves. Like sour cherry preserves or peach preserves.
- Dried fruit. Such as melon, papaya, and cranberries.
- Cookies or Biscuits. Digestive and oat biscuits coarsely crumbled.
GREEK DESSERTS TO SERVE WITH
A scoop of frozen yogurt goes great with any of the following Greek desserts: Portokalopita (syrupy orange pie with a cakey-like texture), Upside Down Blood Orange Pie (pretty similar to the previous one but with delicious spices), Semolina Cake With Yogurt And Almonds, Greek Walnut Cake With Syrup.
Toppings
For Greeks, the best way to eat Greek yogurt is topped with honey and walnuts. So yes! Honey and chopped walnuts are one of the best toppings. Also, fruit preserves like Homemade Quince Preserves or Chunky Lemon Jam (this is the best!) or any other fruit you prefer.
My next favorite topping especially for the healthy sugar-free version of this yogurt ice cream is my Speedy Fresh Strawberry Sauce (which is also sugar-free). I know it's such a cliche to pair yogurt and strawberries but what can you do? Some things are meant to be! So why not try my No-bake Strawberry Cheesecake With Yogurt? Always a winner!
Recipe
No-Churn Greek Frozen Yogurt Recipe
Ingredients
Classic Frozen Yogurt
- 500 grams / 17.6 ounce Greek yogurt full-fat, strained if you can't find strained see this tutorial on how to strain it at home
- 170 grams / 6 ounce sugar
- 400 ml heavy cream 35 % fat
- Optional: ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Refined Sugar-Free Frozen Yogurt
- 500 grams / 17.6 oz Greek yogurt full-fat, strained if you can't find strained see this tutorial on how to strain it at home
- 100 grams / 3.5 oz honey
- Optional: ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Classic Frozen Yogurt
- Add the heavy cream (and vanilla extract if you are using it) to a mixing bowl and using your electric mixer beat over medium speed.
- Add half the amount of sugar gradually. Keep beating until you can see the traces of the whisk attachment on the cream. The cream should be firm and creamy but not too dense.
- Add the yogurt to a bowl together with the remaining sugar and beat with your electric mixer until the sugar dissolves and the mixture turns creamy.
- Combine both mixtures using the electric mixer. Then transfer the mixture to an airtight food container and into the freezer.
- Freeze for 2-4 hours or for up to a month.
Refined Sugar-Free Frozen Yogurt
- Add all of the ingredients for the sugar-free frozen yogurt to your electric mixer's bowl. With the whisk attachment on, beat over medium speed for 10 minutes.
- Freeze for 3-4 hours before serving.
Serving Frozen Yogurt
- If you freeze it overnight (or for a longer period of time) then you should remove the frozen yogurt from the freezer 15-20 minutes prior to serving.
- Enjoy with this fresh strawberry sauce, honey and walnuts, fresh fruit, fruit preserves etc.
I’m so excited to try this recipe! If I have whole milk Greek yogurt, how long do I have to strain it? I’m also going to freeze it in my ice cream maker.
Hi Rachel, you should strain it for at least 10-12 hours but up to 24 is even better.
Great tasting recipe made with the kitchen aide ice cream maker attachment. I used honey instead of sugar and Fage 2% Greek yogurt- it's hard to find full fat Greek Yogurt in California, so the heavy cream is a must.
Thank you Claire. Yes, the heavy cream makes up for the missing fat in low fat yogurt.