Homemade Frozen Yogurt with Honey and Vanilla

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This homemade frozen yogurt is easy to make and delicious. You can serve it at a soft-serve consistency or freeze it until it can be scooped out.

Frozen yogurt is served in a glass dessert bowl.

This homemade frozen yogurt is made without an ice cream maker. 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 an easy recipe, and the yogurt comes out creamy and delicious, with a deep vanilla flavor.

Ingredients

Here's an overview of the ingredients needed for this recipe. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below.

Greek yogurt: I use plain whole-milk yogurt. While regular yogurt is delicious, you should definitely use Greek yogurt in this recipe.
Sweetener: I like to use honey because I love its flavor. You can use a granulated sweetener if you prefer - sugar or a sugar-free alternative.
Vanilla extract: Use high-quality pure vanilla for the best results.

Variations

The basic recipe is simple: it contains yogurt, honey, and vanilla extract. 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.

Instructions

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

Combine the ingredients. You can use a food processor or simply place the ingredients in a bowl and use a hand whisk. You'll need to whisk for about three minutes to get the mixture to be fluffy.

Mixing the frozen yogurt ingredients in a bowl.

Transfer the mixture to a 9-inch square baking dish, spreading it out evenly. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 45 minutes.

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.

The yogurt should now have a soft-serve consistency. You can go ahead and enjoy it. At this point, I usually transfer it to a smaller container (this makes scooping easier), cover it, and freeze it for one more hour to achieve a scoopable consistency.

Featured Comment

This is a great recipe that I can modify with frozen strawberries or other ingredients. Because I have to watch my glucose levels, I added ⅓ cup of monkfruit sweetener, though honey sounds very good. - Kristin Read more comments

Recipe Tip

I'm often asked if one can simply mix the ingredients and freeze them without stirring every 30 minutes. The answer is no. To achieve the creamy consistency shown in the photo below, you need to either use an ice cream maker, or 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, the extra space I have in my kitchen by not owning an ice cream maker is worth it.

Showing off the yogurt's creamy texture.

Recipe FAQs

Do I need an ice cream maker?

No. Instead of using an ice cream maker, we stir the yogurt often during the freezing process to achieve a smooth and creamy consistency.

Is this yogurt as good as commercial yogurt?

No. Unlike commercial brands, this recipe contains no thickeners and is lower in sugar than many brands. So don't expect the "perfect" texture and intense sweetness you get when you add thickeners, stabilizers, emulsifiers, and lots of sugar. But this homemade version is wonderful! You can taste the yogurt's tang and the honey's sweetness. It's simple, delicious, and fresh.

Can I use Skyr?

Yes. Plain, full-fay Skyr will work just as well as plain, full-fat Greek yogurt.

Can I use nonfat Greek yogurt?

No. This homemade yogurt is made without texture-enhancing additives, so you really want the fat from whole-milk Greek yogurt to give it a smooth, creamy texture. Nonfat yogurt will be icy, and it also won't be as flavorful.

How long can I keep this yogurt?

You can freeze the leftovers in a sealed container for up to a month. However, the longer they stay in the freezer, the less creamy and icier they will become. If the yogurt has been in your freezer for over a day, remove it to the counter about 30 minutes before enjoying it.

Serving Suggestions

This dessert is delicious on its own. It also pairs well with grilled peaches, apple crisp, baked apple slices, or fried bananas. Sometimes, I serve it topped with honey-roasted nuts, stewed prunes, blueberry compote, or strawberry compote.

You can also drizzle it with melted dark chocolate or melted peanut butter. And for a special treat, serve it with crumbled chocolate cookies or chocolate chip cookies.

Recipe Card

5 from 81 votes

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Homemade Frozen Yogurt

This homemade frozen yogurt is flavored with honey and vanilla and made without an ice cream maker. It's creamy, delicious, and easy to make.

Prep Time10

Rest time2 45

Total Time2 55

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 178kcal

Author: Vered DeLeeuw

Video

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 or in a medium mixing bowl.
Process the ingredients to incorporate, stopping once to scrape the sides of the bowl, then process for 1 more minute until light and fluffy. If mixing by hand, mix for 2-3 minutes until smooth and fluffy.
Using a spatula, transfer the mixture to a square 9-inch glass or ceramic 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.

Notes

To keep this yogurt low-carb, you can use a sugar-free sweetener.
While regular yogurt is delicious, you should definitely use Greek yogurt in this recipe.
Use high-quality pure vanilla extract for the best results.
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, remove it from the freezer about 30 minutes before enjoying it.

Nutrition per Serving

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Disclaimers

Most recipes are low-carb and gluten-free, but some are not. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate. Please verify it independently. The carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Please read these Terms of Use before using any of my recipes.

Homemade Frozen Yogurt

Ingredients

Variations

Instructions

Featured Comment

Recipe Tip

Recipe FAQs

Serving Suggestions

Recipe Card