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    Home » Dessert Recipes » Homemade Frozen Yogurt

    Homemade Frozen Yogurt

    Last updated: Oct 28, 2022 · Recipes developed by Vered DeLeeuw and nutritionally reviewed by Rachel Benight MS, RD · This website generates income via ads and uses cookies.

    Jump to Recipe Card

    This homemade frozen yogurt recipe requires no ice cream maker. You simply mix the ingredients, place the mixture in a shallow pan, and freeze.

    Although you'll need to stir the mixture a few times while freezing it, this is a truly easy recipe, and the yogurt comes out creamy and delicious.

    Two scoops of a homemade frozen yogurt served in a glass bowl.

    In summer, there's nothing quite like a sweet frozen treat. I used to own an ice cream maker, but it took up too much countertop space. So I gave it away, and now I make frozen treats without an ice cream maker.

    This homemade frozen yogurt recipe is truly easy to make and it's so delicious. It's a better choice than store-bought varieties, and it tastes wonderfully fresh.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Frequently asked questions
    • Flavor variations
    • Serving suggestions
    • Storage tips
    • Related recipes
    • Recipe card

    Ingredients

    You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this homemade dessert. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:

    • Greek yogurt: I use plain whole-milk yogurt in this recipe. And while regular yogurt is excellent, in this particular recipe you should definitely go with Greek yogurt.
    • Sweetener: I like to use honey because it's so delicious. You can use a granulated sweetener if you prefer.
    • Vanilla extract: Use high-quality pure vanilla for the best results.
    The ingredients needed to make homemade frozen yogurt.

    Instructions

    Making frozen yogurt without an ice cream maker is very easy, actually, although it's a bit time-consuming. The detailed instructions are included in the recipe card below. Here are the basic steps:

    • Mix. You start by mixing the ingredients together. You can use a food processor, or simply do as I do in the video below and use a hand whisk.
    • Keep in mind that you'll need to whisk for about five minutes to get the mixture to be fluffy. Consider it as your workout for the day. 😆
    • Freeze. Now transfer the mixture to a 9-inch square glass baking dish, spreading it out evenly. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 45 minutes.
    • Stir. Remove the pan from the freezer. Use a rubber spatula to give the mixture a good stir. You especially want to stir the already-frozen edges into the still-soft center. Flatten back, cover, and continue freezing for 2 more hours, stirring every 30 minutes.
    • Freeze some more. The yogurt should now have a soft-serve consistency. You can go ahead and enjoy it. I usually transfer it at this point to a smaller container (this makes scooping easier), cover it, and freeze it for one more hour to achieve a scoopable consistency.
    A six-photo collage showing the steps for making homemade frozen yogurt.

    Frequently asked questions

    Why all the stirring?

    To achieve a good consistency, you either need an ice cream maker, or you should stir the yogurt often during the freezing process. This helps prevent large ice crystals from forming.

    While the frequent stirring may seem like a drag, it's not difficult to do on a day when you're home anyway. And to me, it's worth the extra space I get to have in my kitchen!

    Why bother with homemade? Why not just buy it?

    Because I don't like the ingredients in commercial yogurts. The list of ingredients for a popular brand contains nonfat milk, sugar, nonfat yogurt, nonfat yogurt powder, fructose, dextrose, natural flavors, citric acid, guar gum, maltodextrin, mono- and diglycerides, and rice starch.

    Is it as good as commercial yogurt?

    No. Unlike commercial brands, this recipe contains no thickeners and it's also lower in sugar than many brands. So don't expect the "perfect" texture and the intense sweetness you get when you add thickeners, stabilizers, emulsifiers, and lots of sugar.

    But this homemade frozen yogurt is wonderful! You can taste the tang of the yogurt and the sweetness of the honey. It's simple, delicious, and fresh.

    Flavor variations

    The basic recipe is simple: yogurt, honey, and vanilla extract. To that, you can add fruit - fresh or frozen, pureed or chunky.

    I like to completely puree the fruit in the food processor, then add the yogurt, honey, and vanilla. But you can blend the yogurt and honey first, then add the fruit and process briefly, leaving fruit chunks in your yogurt.

    The possibilities are endless, but the flavors I make most often in addition to this one are mango, raspberry, and chocolate.

    Serving suggestions

    It's excellent all on its own. It also goes really well with grilled peaches, with apple crisp, or with baked apple slices. Sometimes I serve it topped with blueberry compote or strawberry compote. That's a real treat!

    Storage tips

    You can keep this yogurt in a sealed container in the freezer for up to a month. But the longer it stays in the freezer, the less creamy and icier it will become.

    If it's spent longer than a day in your freezer, make sure to remove it from the freezer about 30 minutes before you plan on enjoying it.

    Two scoops of homemade frozen yogurt served in a glass bowl.

    Related recipes

    • Chocolate Frozen Yogurt
    • Mango Frozen Yogurt
    • Raspberry Frozen Yogurt
    • Homemade Chocolate Yogurt

    👩🏻‍🍳 I typically publish a new or an updated recipe once a week. Want these recipes in your inbox? Subscribe! You can unsubscribe at any time.

    Recipe card

    Frozen yogurt.
    4.98 from 784 votes
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    Homemade Frozen Yogurt

    This homemade frozen yogurt requires no ice cream maker. It's truly easy to make, and it's so creamy and delicious.
    Prep Time10 mins
    Rest time2 hrs 45 mins
    Total Time2 hrs 55 mins
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 4 servings
    Calories: 178kcal
    Author: Vered DeLeeuw
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    INGREDIENTS

    • 2 cups Greek yogurt plain, full fat
    • ¼ cup honey
    • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

    INSTRUCTIONS

    • Place the yogurt, honey, and vanilla in your food processor’s bowl.
    • Process to incorporate, stopping once to scrape the sides of the bowl, then process for 1 more minute, until light and fluffy. You can also whisk the ingredients by hand, but make sure to do so for several minutes, until smooth and fluffy.
    • Using a spatula, transfer the mixture to a square 9-inch glass baking dish. Cover with cling wrap, and freeze for 45 minutes.
    • Remove the pan from the freezer. Use a rubber spatula to stir the already-frozen edges into the still-soft center, then spread evenly again.
    • Cover again, and place in the freezer for 2 more hours, repeating the process of stirring the yogurt every 30 minutes.
    • When the entire mixture is frozen, serve immediately as a soft-serve yogurt (use chilled bowls), or freeze it for 1-2 more hours for a firmer consistency that you can scoop out with an ice cream scoop.
    • If you end up storing the frozen yogurt for longer than that (say, overnight or a couple of days - I doubt it will last longer), remove it from the freezer 30 minutes before serving, to allow it to soften.

    WATCH THE VIDEO:

    NOTES

    To keep this yogurt low-carb, you can use a sugar-free sweetener. ½ cup of the low-carb version has 114 calories and 4 grams of carbs.
    You can keep this yogurt in a sealed container in the freezer for up to a month. But the longer it stays in the freezer, the less creamy and icier it will become.
    If it's spent longer than a day in your freezer, make sure to remove it from the freezer about 30 minutes before you plan on enjoying it.

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    DISCLAIMERSMost of our recipes are low-carb (or keto) and gluten-free, but some are not. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate and the carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them. Please read our Terms of Use carefully before using any of our recipes.

    NUTRITION PER SERVING

    Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 178kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 41mg | Sugar: 21g
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    More Low-Carb Desserts

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    About the Author

    Vered Deleeuw Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. Click to learn more about Vered.

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    Healthy Recipes Blog was founded in 2011 by Vered Deleeuw. It features real-food recipes with a focus on low-carb and gluten-free ingredients. All recipes are nutritionally reviewed by a Registered Dietitian. Contact us at HealthyRecipesBlog@gmail.com.


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