Frozen yogurt on the Creami is a question of sugar and water. Yogurt is acidic and most of its volume is free water, so a plain pint of yogurt freezes into a tart, rock-hard block that the paddle shaves into sour snow. Full-fat Greek yogurt solves half the problem because it has been strained, leaving more protein and fat and less water. Sugar solves the other half, rounding the tang and lowering the freezing point so the first spin comes out soft.
The program depends on the model. The NC501, NC601 and NC701 have a Frozen Yogurt program, and on the NC601 it took our Greek yogurt and honey base to creamy on the first spin with no re-spin. The NC301 and NC351 do not have it, and on those we run the same base on Lite Ice Cream with one re-spin, which gets to the same texture a minute later. Every recipe here states the program on each model, and the Frozen Yogurt program has stayed in our weekly rotation on the NC501 and NC601 after 30 days.
The ratio we start from is 1 1/2 cups full-fat Greek yogurt to 1/2 cup whole milk with 1/3 cup of sugar or honey per 16 oz pint, which is listed with the other dairy bases on the base ratios page. Fruit goes in at the blend stage for a smooth pint or after the spin with Mix-In for ripples, and each card gives the 1.5x amounts for the 24 oz XL tub.
Tips for frozen yogurt
- Use full-fat Greek yogurt. Regular yogurt came out icy on the first spin and needed a re-spin plus a tablespoon of milk; Greek did not.
- Keep at least 1/3 cup of sugar or honey per 16 oz pint. It is the minimum that gave us a scoopable first spin, and it also tames the sourness at freezer temperature.
- Thin the yogurt with 1/2 cup of whole milk per pint so it pours. Undiluted Greek yogurt froze with air pockets that spun out as crumbs.
- Freeze flat for 24 hours at 0 F with the lid on. Yogurt bases are thick enough to hold a slope if the pint is tilted, and a slope means a dry first spin.
- Use Frozen Yogurt on the NC501, NC601 or NC701 and Lite Ice Cream with one re-spin on the NC301 or NC351. Do not use Ice Cream; it left the yogurt base coarse in our comparison.
- Add fruit or granola after the spin with Mix-In. Fruit blended into the base before freezing adds water and cost us a re-spin.
Best model for frozen yogurt
The NC601 is our pick because its Frozen Yogurt program removed the re-spin that every Creami series model needs for this base, and because frozen yogurt is a family dessert where the 24 oz XL tub’s six servings earn their place. After 30 days the Frozen Yogurt program is one of the handful we use every week on both Deluxe models, and the NC601 does it 7 seconds faster than the NC501 on the Ice Cream cycle with a 3 dB quieter motor at 83 dB. The NC601 review explains which programs stayed in rotation and which did not. The NC701 has the same program if you also want soft serve.
Creami Deluxe · Gen 2
Ninja Creami Deluxe 11-in-1 Gen 2 (NC601)
Model NC601 · Our score 8.9/10
- 11 programs including CreamiFit and the only Dairy-Free program
- Two 24 oz XL tubs, about 6 scoops each
- Oat base needed zero re-spins on the Dairy-Free program
The recipes hub lists the other 13 categories. Cottage cheese recipes give a similar tang with more protein, and the kids category uses frozen yogurt bases for fruit pops.
The NC501, NC601 and NC701. The NC301 and NC351 do not, and on those we run frozen yogurt bases on Lite Ice Cream with one re-spin. The Frozen Yogurt program took our Greek yogurt base to creamy on the first spin on the NC601, which is the main reason the Deluxe is our pick for this category.
Because yogurt is acidic and most of its water is free to freeze. Sugar fixes both: it rounds the tang and lowers the freezing point. Our Greek yogurt base carries 1/3 cup of sugar or honey per 16 oz pint, which is the minimum that gave a scoopable first spin on the Frozen Yogurt program. Less than that and it needs a re-spin.
Full-fat Greek. It has less water and more protein and fat than regular yogurt, and it spun creamy on the NC601 where regular yogurt came out icy and needed a re-spin and a tablespoon of milk. If you only have regular yogurt, strain it through a coffee filter for an hour first to get closer to Greek thickness.
Yes, and it usually spins better than plain because it already contains sugar. Count the sugar on the label toward the 1/3 cup per pint and reduce what you add. We tested a vanilla Greek yogurt with 1 tablespoon of added honey and it came out creamy on the first Frozen Yogurt cycle on the NC601.