This frozen yogurt recipe 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 a truly easy recipe, and the yogurt comes out creamy and delicious.
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 frozen yogurt recipe is truly easy to make and it's so delicious. You can serve it at soft-serve consistency or freeze it until it can be scooped out.
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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 - sugar or an 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. 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 frozen yogurt, raspberry frozen yogurt, and chocolate 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. 🙂 (Photos 1-2).
- 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. (Photos 3-4).
- 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. (Photo 5).
- 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. (Photo 6).
Recipe FAQs
No, you don't. Instead of using an ice cream maker, you can stir the yogurt often during the freezing process to ensure a smooth and creamy consistency.
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 by not owning an ice cream maker.
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 version is wonderful! You can taste the tang of the yogurt and the sweetness of the honey. It's simple, delicious, and fresh.
Serving Suggestions
This dessert is excellent all on its own. It also goes really 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.
Storing Leftovers
You can keep the leftovers 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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Recipe Card
Frozen Yogurt Recipe
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.
Video
Notes
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Nutrition per Serving
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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. 
Adam
Can you just use the vanilla and yogurt?
Vered DeLeeuw
Yes, you can!
Amber
Can your frozen yogurt recipes be made in an ice cream maker? Also, do you think this would work with 2% Fage? Thank you.
Vered DeLeeuw
Yes. You can mix the ingredients per the instructions and then transfer them to an ice cream maker.
I don't recommend using 2% Fage in my frozen yogurt recipes.
Marina
Have you tried this with fruit in it such as raspberries? Does the consistency turn out right?
Vered DeLeeuw
Yes, you can add fruit - fresh or frozen, pureed or chunky. I 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 fruit flavors I make most often are mango frozen yogurt and raspberry frozen yogurt.
Marina
Will this turn out well with a 2% fat greek yogurt instead of full fat?
Vered DeLeeuw
Sadly, it won't. I tested this recipe with full-fat Greek yogurt and low-fat Greek yogurt. The full-fat version is significantly better. It's tastier and creamier. The low-fat version is OK, but it's not as good.
Marina
Thank you!
Antoinette
Can this be made in an ice cream maker?
Vered DeLeeuw
Yes. You can follow steps 1 and 2 in the recipe card (mixing the ingredients), then transfer the mixture into your ice cream maker. An ice cream maker will eliminate the need to stir the yogurt periodically.
Kim
Can these be placed in a mold to make them into popsicles?
Vered DeLeeuw
I haven't tried this, so I'm not sure.