This Ninja Creami frozen yogurt is sweet, tangy, and tastes as if it came from a scoop shop. My daughter took one bite and said it tasted like ice cream. To me, it tastes like yogurt, but in a good way. All it takes is a handful of simple ingredients you probably already have.
I've made a lot of Creami pints, but frozen yogurt took the most fiddling to get right. Get the yogurt and the technique right, and you land on soft serve every time. So that's where we'll start.
More Creami recipes to make next: my Ninja Creami vanilla ice cream and protein ice cream.
What yogurt to use
I tested this with regular unsweetened whole-milk yogurt. I found that the fat in whole milk yogurt keeps the texture creamy.
Low-fat yogurt works, but you'll get a lighter, tangier, icier result. When I tested this with low-fat, it tasted like a compromise.
Greek yogurt works differently, and you can't make a straight swap. I’d adjust it to 1 cup of Greek yogurt and an extra ½ cup of milk. I’d also add an extra tablespoon of sweetener and a pinch of salt.
The secret to creamy, scoopable fro-yo
Icy fro-yo is the number one Creami complaint, and it's almost always one of these three things.
First, the blend. Make sure you use your blender, or an immersion blender, instead of just stirring. This breaks up any thickness in the yogurt and works in a little air.
Second, the fat and the sweetener. They aren't just for flavor. Both lower the freezing point, which keeps ice crystals from forming.
Third, the freeze. Give the pint a full 24 hours to freeze.
Lastly, the respin. After your first spin, the yogurt is going to look...weird. Don't panic and don't add liquid. Just run it through again. A re-spin or two turns crumbles into soft serve.
Is it Tangy Enough?
Tang is a key component to good frozen yogurt. If you go too sweet it doesn’t taste like yogurt. Too tart and nobody reaches for seconds.
The lemon juice does the work here. It nudges the yogurt's natural tang up just enough. I tested a tangier version too and pulled back.
For me, more tang tipped it out of balance. If you like yours sharp, like a Pinkberry, add another half-teaspoon of lemon and taste before you freeze. Just make sure you taste it. Going overboard is easy.
Mix-ins
I used an ounce of chopped chocolate, but the possibilities are endless. I've made this with a peanut butter swirl, toasted pecans, and evern a spoonful of jam. All were fabulous.
Make it a bowl
My strawberry compote or blueberry compote are both take vanilla frozen yogurt to the next level.
Step by Step
Ninja Creami Frozen Yogurt
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups plain whole milk yogurt
- ½ cup whole milk
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extra
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Mix In (Optional)
- 1 ounce chocolate chopped
Instructions
- In a blender combine the yogurt, milk, honey, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla bean paste and salt.
- Blend until smooth and then transfer to a Ninja Creami pint container. Freeze for 24 hours in a 0 °F freezer.
- Remove from the freezer, and secure the pint on the creami base.
- Select the Frozen Yogurt setting. If your machine doesn’t have a yogurt setting, select the lite ice cream setting. Process.
- Remove the pint from the machine, and dig a well in the center with a spoon. Add the chocolate. Select the mix-in cycle, and respin.
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