Make your own homemade frozen yogurt with just two ingredients, and you can customize the base recipe for as many flavors as you want!
Super easy frozen yogurt recipe
The best part about this healthy frozen treat is how simple it is to prepare.
Adults and kids of all ages love getting to choose their ingredients to swirl into the thick and creamy vanilla base.
Turn it into Chocolate Frozen Yogurt, or strawberry, or peanut butter, coconut, mango, blueberry, cotton candy, birthday cake batter…
As a chocolate lover, I often like to stir in a handful of mini chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate and diced frozen cherries.
What are some of your favorite frozen yogurt flavors?
Also try this Almond Milk Ice Cream
Serving suggestions
You might already have the ingredients needed to make this homemade soft serve frozen yogurt right now!
Yes, even if you are reading this at ten in the morning.
With the same protein, calcium, and probiotic live active cultures as your usual healthy breakfast yogurt, who says you can’t eat frozen yogurt for breakfast?
Or serve it as a healthy dessert or snack, topped with Coconut Whipped Cream, sprinkles, sliced bananas, or chopped Chocolate Truffles.
Scoop the healthy frozen treat into ice cream bowls or waffle cones.
You can also make a delicious frozen yogurt parfait by layering vanilla froyo with sponge cake and strawberries in chilled mason jars.
*The recipe also works as Frozen Yogurt Bark
Homemade frozen yogurt recipe video
Above, watch the step by step recipe video
Homemade froyo flavors
Chocolate: Stir half a cup of Dutch cocoa powder and a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract into the yogurt, and increase the sweetener to half a cup as well.
Peanut butter: Add half a cup of peanut butter or almond butter before churning. Garnish with chopped peanuts if you wish.
Coconut: Use coconut yogurt, or add a fourth of a teaspoon of coconut extract. Stir in a handful of shredded coconut at the end, or top with toasted coconut flakes.
Coffee: Stir a teaspoon each of instant coffee granules and pure vanilla extract into the plain yogurt. Garnish with shaved chocolate or crushed coffee beans.
What flavor will you make first?
I think peanut butter and shaved chocolate sounds like a perfect frozen yogurt recipe. Chopped apples and cinnamon for apple pie froyo would be really good as well.
Or you can make this Nutella Frozen Yogurt or Cherry Frozen Yogurt.
Frozen Greek yogurt recipe ingredients
To make the froyo, you will need plain or vanilla yogurt or non dairy yogurt, a fourth cup of your favorite sweetener, and as many mix ins as your heart desires.
The recipe can be made with full or low fat regular or Greek yogurt. To make vegan frozen yogurt, try cashew yogurt, coconutmilk yogurt, or soy yogurt.
Pretty much anything goes in terms of all purpose sweeteners. Try pure maple syrup, honey, agave, white or unrefined sugar, date sugar, or xylitol or erythritol for sugar free frozen yogurt.
This homemade frozen yogurt can be gluten free, dairy free, egg free, vegan, low carb, keto, low calorie, low fat, and refined sugar free.
Readers also love this Coconut Milk Ice Cream
Sweet or tart frozen yogurt
If you are a tart froyo fan, use unsweetened yogurt and just the one fourth cup of sweetener. Or you can use sweetened yogurt and omit the added sweetener entirely.
For sweet frozen yogurt that is more similar to the kind you can get from a soft serve machine on the boardwalk or at a local Menchies, Costco, Sweet Frog, or Tutti Frutti store, double the added sweetener.
The great thing about this frozen yogurt recipe is that it is your choice how much sugar and optional ingredients to include.
How to make frozen yogurt at home
If using an ice cream maker, read the instruction manual that comes with your specific brand and model. Some machines require preparation ahead of time.
Start by whisking the yogurt and sweetener together. Pour the sweetened yogurt into the ice cream machine, and churn according to the manufacturer’s directions.
Mine usually takes about ten to fifteen minutes to thicken into an ice cream texture. This time can vary due to humidity, brands of yogurt, and different machines.
Turn off the ice cream machine, and stir in any desired add-ins. Serve immediately, or transfer to a container and freeze up to a half hour for a firmer texture.
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to a month. When ready to eat again, thaw fifteen to twenty minutes before serving.
No ice cream machine?
Option one: Freeze the yogurt mixture in an ice cube tray, then blend in a Vitamix or Blendtec until smooth and creamy.
Option two: Freeze the mixture in a shallow container. Around every thirty minutes (for up to three hours), stir the slush. Yes, this process takes a while, and it will also never yield as creamy of a result, but it is still delicious.
Option three: Forgo the ice cream texture entirely. Instead, pour the liquid yogurt mixture into popsicle molds or paper cups. You will probably want to double the sweetener for popsicles, because the sweetness is less pronounced once frozen solid.
Recipe tips and tricks
Homemade ice cream or froyo is best served the day it’s made. However, it still tastes delicious for up to a month in the freezer, stored in an airtight plastic container.
If you freeze for more than a day, you will probably end up with a frozen block. So just be sure to thaw the frozen yogurt for fifteen to twenty minutes prior to serving.
If you own a basic Cuisinart ice cream maker like I do, make sure its bowl has been frozen for at least twenty four hours prior to using and is solid like a frozen brick.
You may end up with slushy ice cream if the bowl of the machine is even the slightest bit unfrozen.
Homemade Frozen Yogurt
Ingredients
- 2 cups yogurt of choice
- 1/4 cup sweetener of choice
- add-ins or toppings of choice (see above for ideas)
Instructions
- How to make homemade frozen yogurt: Whisk ingredients together. If you want sweet froyo as opposed to tart, increase sweetener to 1/3 cup. If you have an ice cream maker, pour the mix into the machine and process according to your machine’s directions. Or if you don’t have an ice cream machine, see other preparation options listed above in this post. Store in an airtight container for up to a month. Natural homemade frozen yogurt is creamiest the day it's made because it freezes solid, so be sure to thaw any leftovers 15-20 minutes before serving.View Nutrition Facts
Video
Notes
More Healthy Dessert Recipes
Protein Bars – 5 Flavors
(Or these Keto Protein Bars)
Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies
I LOVE YOU!! Thank you for being the one person to not use a banana for this haha! I’m allergic to bananas and always get so sad when I see the banana soft serve… I’ll def be trying this!
Haha, I was just thinking that! Its always banana isn’t it? Thanks for trying a new way Katie!
Same here… I love bananas, but I don’t want everything to taste like bananas…
I am allergic too! Thankyou!
Katie.
Yum, yum, and YUMMMM 🙂 i can’t wait to make it!
Hi, Katie!
My sister-in-law told me about your amazing blog, and I have been tuning in every day! I LOVE to cook and can be quite….. eccentric (messy). I never cook the same thing twice, mostly because I go by “feel” rather than measurement, so I can’t follow a recipe to save my life. It’s an art. That said, I am not very good at baking! It’s such a science and totally foreign to me, so thank you for making it exciting, and pretty, and easy to follow!
I was reading The Healthy Home Economist today (http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/) and Sarah has something called Monday Mania every week, “a health and wellness carnival where Real Foodies who blog come together to link up their popular posts.” If you haven’t already, I think this would be a great place to get the word out about your blog! Hope that helps 🙂 Keep up the good work!
Thank you,
~ Lindsay
Hi Lindsey
I hope you are well. That was really nice of you to offer that link/information.
I hope Katie checked it out. Have a great day.
I was wondering what pinkberry ice cream was! This sounds delicious and I definitely will be trying it out! 🙂
I would go chocolate for sure. Maybe some sort of fall flavor with pumpkin spice!
Pooh, pumpkin spice is good, thanks. You just made me money.
Very clever!! Just think how if everyone started making this- all the frozen fro-yo places would not be on every block! They are on every block out here in LA. I like your version: clean and no chemicals or fillers. 😉 nice Katie!
vanilla bean. I never tire of the comforting flavor of vanilla bean.
Hi Katie! First off, this looks super yummy! (But of course, your recipes always do!) This comment doesn’t really have anything to do with this particular post though…It’s a little bit personal so if you don’t have much time to answer/don’t like that sort of thing, I won’t be offended! I’ve been a huge fan of your blog for a while, and I became a vegan last spring. (I’m 15.) I run a lot (I’m on the cross country team at my school) and I love both running and veganism! I make sure to get all my necessary nutrients (B12, calcium, protein, etc.) However, at my recent checkup, the doctor told me I was deficient in iron, so now I have to take a supplement, so it shouldn’t be a problem. The other slight problem is that I don’t get my period anymore. The doctor told me that I should try to get my weight up. But, I feel perfectly healthy, and when i do stuff my face, I feel sick, sluggish, and unhealthy. My mom is also trying to get me to eat more eggs and dairy products, and of course I don’t want to do that because I love animals. I know you aren’t a certified nutritionist, but being a fellow runner and vegan, do you have any advice? Thank you so much for your time (and sorry this was so long!)
Hi Andie, I know I’m not Katie but I am also a vegan and a runner and have been for a while so I thought I’d give my input. To up your calories try eating healthy fats like avocados, peanut butter and other nut butters, nuts, seeds, chia, coconut milk etc. You are going to need a lot of extra calories with all of the running you do on cross country. Katie has a few blog posts about gaining weight in a healthy way so I suggest looking those up as well. You likely have amenorrhea due to low body weight but I don’t think it is necessary to add animal fats to gain that weight. Just make sure you are getting a lot of calories, and fats (and carbs!) are a good way to do that. Also, try incorporating molasses in your diet to up your iron and calcium. I love making gingerbread oats and smoothies with lots of molasses. Good luck and if you are still having trouble gaining weight please see your doctor! 🙂
I definitely agree with all that Taylor said. Listen to your doctor… even if you feel ok, the fact that your body isn’t working properly suggests something’s not ok.
Thank you both a bunch for your input! I’ll definitely try the molasses and more calorie-dense foods, so that’ll help.
Andie, I’m a fan of this site and also a Registered Dietitian. Definitely agree with the previous comments and just wanted to add. Amenorrhea is a very serious problem; having a regular menstrual cycle is very important to maintain your bone density, especially for a young woman as you will still be building bone until about age 30. Studies show that amenorrhea is usually a result of inadequate calories, despite activity level, so you should be able to take care of this problem without decreasing your exercise- just increase your calories as suggested. Try eating 6 small meals per day if you don’t like eating large amounts at once. As for iron-deficiency, it is common with veganism because iron is not very well-absorbed from plant foods. Vitamin C increases absorption of both iron and calcium, so take your supplement with a Vitamin C source (citrus fruits or juices, other juices with added Vitamin C, or a Vitamin C supplement). Also be sure not to drink coffee or tea within an hour or two after taking the supplement, as this will inhibit the absorption of the iron up to 50%. Hope this is helpful!
Wow… I just thought I’d let you know that this info is a god-send for me. Like Andie, I am a runner ( though not cross-country); except im 18 now, and mostly vegetarian (rarely eat meat, limit animal products to fish and occasional egg).
I lost my period at 14 or 15.
Been to doctors, didn’t help. Only got it 1 or 2x in interim, little lasting (positive) change. One put me on Type 0 Diet but didn’t work after beginning; felt restricted and miserable when cheated on diet.
Developed orthorexia/anorexia along the way; constantly depressed – when I was happy I wasn’t for long.
Only noticed significant improvement when my dad took charge (bc he knows me better than almost anyone else). He insisted I eat small amt after exercise (instead of skipping meals), vary drinks from exclusively water, not force myself to run past my limits (despite determination).
Probably my best week in that time was when I changed my diet to avoid white carbs, only whole grains & citrus/VitC together; structured exercise – ran or aerobics before each of 6 meals (2med, 1 lg, 3 small), ate more carbs by day and more protein at night. I felt healthier, and happier, than when I was eating less.
I suspected iron deficiency bc of linked symptoms.
I’ve always struggled with happiness since losing my period… I guess bc of malnutrition as well as my hormones being out of whack.
I am now on hormone balancing treatment; and trying to incorporate more protein, iron, calcium, fibre, healthy carbs, and proper hydration.
Though I still haven’t got back my period yet… The treatment’s supposed to last at least 6 months, so I’ve got another 2 months left to see if it works
I love making this in my ice cream maker at home, but almost never think 8 hours ahead to freeze my old machine!
This sounds great! Trouble is I can’t eat soy or coconut. Has anyone found an unflavored rice yogurt that tastes good? Thanks 🙂
I haven’t tried any, but I’ve seen Ricera. Or also, Almande (not rice, but also not soy or coconut).
There’s a chickpea substitute for cream you can make that’s pretty easy to do at home. You can also make it into a firm, tofu-like consistency. There’s a video on YouTube, I think by Cooking Tree, so I would totally suggest checking it out 🙂
Kite Hill may have a plant based yogurt that would work for you.
Lovely pics Katie! You make everything look so amazing! Just thought I would share one awesome reason why making frozen yogurt at home is SUPER beneficial to your health! Unfortunately, frozen yogurt you buy doesn’t have the same standards as yogurt reagarding probiotics 🙁 Sneaky! You can read more here: http://fresh-you.blogspot.com/2012/07/homemade-greek-frozen-yogurt-popsicles.html Have a great day!!!
Question! Will Greek yogurt come out too tangy than if it was reg? I def wanna try Greek froyo for the protein content.
Greek yogurt is fine 🙂
Making this today!!!
P.S. You accidentally misspelled pinkberry lol. Just thought you’d want to know!
Oh wow, I did. *Embarrassed*
Thank you for letting me know!!
Lovely pics Katie! You make everything look so amazing! I’d go with mocha java chip!! By the way, we made Skinny Snickerdoodles last night — super yummy!! Also, just thought I would share one awesome reason why making frozen yogurt at home is SUPER beneficial to your health! Unfortunately, frozen yogurt you buy doesn’t have the same standards as yogurt regarding probiotics! Sneaky! To see the astounding numbers (unfortunately there aren’t any vegan brands in the comparison — feel free to leave a comment there if you have any more information!), click on my name above, and look up “Frozen Yogurt” in the upper left-hand corner. Have a great day everybody!!!
Simple and delicious…..my favorite kind of recipe! I think an oatmeal raisin would be yummy. Maybe add a little granola oat, cinnamon and raisins.
Once I have an actual freezer I think I will finally invest in an ice cream maker. It isn’t that they are expensive, but they take up a lo of space!
Thanks for this, Katie!! I seriously needed some vegan froyo in my life (I just went to a froyo place yesterday and it really does suck when they only offer 2 sorbet flavours, yet 8-10 dairy-based options!!). I think I will be buying some coconut milk yogurt this afternoon 😉