Frozen yogurt in a Creami comes down to balancing yogurt’s acidity and thickness with enough sugar and a little milk, and this ratio does that without a stabilizer. Whole-milk Greek yogurt brings about 12 g of fat per pint and the body, half a cup of whole milk thins it, and sugar plus honey lowers the freezing point so the paddle shaves it smooth. We tested it on the Ninja Creami Deluxe NC601 on the Frozen Yogurt program and it scooped on the first spin with no re-spin. Per serving, four per pint or six per XL tub, we estimate 140 kcal, 6 g protein, 20 g carbs and 4 g fat.
Tested recipe
Greek Yogurt Frozen Yogurt
A tangy, dense frozen yogurt made from whole-milk Greek yogurt, sugar and honey that scoops straight off the first spin of the Frozen Yogurt program.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Freeze
- 24 h
- Process
- 3 min
- Total
- 24 h 8 min
- Servings
- 4 per pint
Ingredients
- 1 cup (240 g) whole-milk plain Greek yogurt (5%)
- 1/2 cup (120 g) whole milk
- 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp (20 g) honey
- 1 tsp (5 g) vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp fine salt
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (360 g) whole-milk plain Greek yogurt (5%)
- 3/4 cup (180 g) whole milk
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp (75 g) granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp (30 g) honey
- 1 1/2 tsp (7 g) vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp fine salt
Equipment
- Ninja Creami Deluxe NC601
- 24 oz Deluxe XL tub
Method
- Whisk the milk, sugar, honey, vanilla and salt in a bowl until the sugar dissolves.
- Whisk in the Greek yogurt until smooth.
- Pour the base into the XL tub (or pint) up to the max fill line.
- Tap the tub on the counter to release air bubbles.
- Lid the tub and freeze it on a level surface for 24 hours.
- Remove the lid, lock the tub into the outer bowl, fit the paddle lid and press Frozen Yogurt.
- Scoop and serve, or press Re-spin once if the top looks crumbly.
Nutrition per serving (estimated)
- Calories
- 140 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 20 g
- Fat
- 4 g
Tips
- Freeze flat. Yogurt bases are thick enough to hold whatever shape they are poured in, so tap the tub on the counter to level the surface before you lid it and freeze it on a flat shelf at 0 F. A tilted top is the most common reason a first spin comes out half creamy and half crumbly. Fill lines and leveling notes are in our base ratio cheat sheet.
- Dissolve the sugar before you add the yogurt. Undissolved sugar sinks and freezes as a sweet, icy layer at the bottom of the tub. Whisking it into the milk first takes 30 seconds and fixes that.
- Re-spin only if the top is crumbly. On the NC601 the Frozen Yogurt program gave us a scoopable result straight away. If the top inch is powdery, press Re-spin once with no liquid, and add 1 tbsp of milk only before a second re-spin.
- Do not reduce the sugar below 3 tbsp (38 g) per pint. Sugar is doing the texture work here, and our lower-sugar test tubs went from zero re-spins to two.
- Let the tub sit for two minutes after processing. Frozen yogurt is denser than ice cream and the flavor opens up as the surface softens slightly.
Variations
- Honey lemon: add the zest of one lemon and 1 tbsp (15 g) of lemon juice to the base, and raise the honey to 2 tbsp (40 g).
- Strawberry frozen yogurt: blend 1/2 cup (80 g) of strawberries into the base and reduce the milk to 1/4 cup (60 g), or make our strawberry sorbet for the dairy-free version.
- Vanilla bean: scrape the seeds of half a vanilla bean into the base in place of the extract, as in our classic vanilla bean ice cream.
Storage and refreeze
Smooth the surface flat with the back of a spoon, press the storage lid on and return the tub to a level shelf at 0 F. It refreezes solid overnight. To serve again, run Frozen Yogurt and check the texture; a refrozen tub usually needs one re-spin because the first processing broke down some of the yogurt’s structure and the water refreezes as free ice. Add 1 tbsp of milk only if a second re-spin is required. Refrozen frozen yogurt keeps well for a week, better than most of our protein pints, because the fat and sugar protect the texture. Process the whole tub each time rather than a half-full one, which the paddle cannot reach evenly.
The model and pints we used
We made this in a 24 oz Deluxe XL tub on the Gen 2 Deluxe NC601, which measured 83 dB during the spin and whose Frozen Yogurt program is one of two that carry our weekly rotation. The XL tubs fit the NC501 and NC601 only; our Deluxe tubs guide covers the two-packs, and the pints guide covers the original pints if you make this on an NC301 or NC351 with Lite Ice Cream. More recipes in this style are in the frozen yogurt recipes category.
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
Accessory
Ninja Creami Deluxe XL Tubs 2-pack
Model XSKPNTLD2
- Two 24 oz XL tubs with lids
- Fits NC501 and NC601 only
- Dishwasher safe top rack
Frequently asked questions
Yes, but expect one re-spin. The fat in 5% Greek yogurt is what lets the Frozen Yogurt program finish creamy on the first pass. With 0% yogurt the first spin came out crumbly in our tests and one re-spin fixed it. Keep the sugar and honey as written, because sugar does the rest of the softening work.
Plain Greek yogurt on its own is too thick, too acidic and too low in sugar, so it freezes into a chalky block that shaves into tart snow. The half cup of milk thins it to a pourable base, and the sugar and honey lower the freezing point enough for a scoopable result.
The Deluxe NC501 and NC601 and the Scoop and Swirl NC701 have a Frozen Yogurt program. The NC301 and NC351 do not; use Lite Ice Cream on those and re-spin once if needed. Use the pint that matches your model: XL tubs for the Deluxe, Swirl pints for the NC701, original pints for the NC301 and NC351.
Yes, two ways. For a fruit-flavored base, blend up to 1/2 cup (80 g) of fruit into the pint quantities and reduce the milk to 1/4 cup (60 g). For pieces, process the plain base, dig a hole to the bottom, add 1/4 cup of frozen berries and run Mix-In so the paddle folds them through.
