Strawberry Frozen Yogurt Recipe

This frozen yogurt recipe is full of healthy yogurt and fruit, and it’s so delicious it will disappear in a flash.

Making Frozen Yogurt with a Creamy Texture. One way to create smooth texture in frozen desserts is to limit the water content so that large ice crystals are less likely to form. Both milk and strawberries have plenty of water, so we strain the yogurt overnight to thicken it and then macerate the strawberries and reduce their juices. It’s also best to use custard-style yogurt as the base for this frozen yogurt recipe because it has more denatured protein, which is effective at keeping ice crystal size small and the texture of the frozen dessert creamy.

This recipe is just sweet enough for a not-too-sweet palate. More sugar can be added to taste, which will also help keep the texture soft.

Yield: Makes about 3 cups of pre-mix, or about 4-5 cups of frozen yogurt, depending on the overrun of your ice cream maker.

Ingredients

* Made according to our Custard-Style recipe. Lactose-free yogurt works equally well in this recipe, sweeten to taste. There will be about 2½ cups / 600 ml of very thick yogurt after straining.

** This recipe is not particularly sweet.  If desired you can add more sugar. This will sweeten it up and create a softer texture.

Equipment: An ice cream freezer and a pre-frozen 4 cup container for storing the frozen yogurt. A blender is optional.

Prepare the Strawberries. In a medium bowl, sprinkle the sugar over the frozen strawberries and allow them to thaw and give off juice. Drain the juice (our berries gave off about ⅜ cup of juice) and boil in the microwave until reduced to ¼ cup or a little less. Pour over strawberries and stir to dissolve any remaining sugar. Puree strawberries and their reduced juice in the blender, or, for a more chunky texture, chop the berries into pieces small enough to easily pass through the gaps in your dasher.

Make and Chill the Pre-Mix. Fold the prepared strawberry-sugar mixture into the strained yogurt and stir in the extracts. Taste and correct for sugar (the mixture will seem a little less sweet after freezing). Chill the pre-mix thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze according to your ice cream maker’s instructions.

When the frozen yogurt is ready, transfer to the pre-chilled container and allow to freeze until a little firmer, about 30 minutes. If desired, garnish with fresh strawberries.