Blueberry Frozen Yogurt
This tangy, honey-sweetened lemon blueberry frozen yogurt is a delightful (and healthy) summer treat.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 6, 2024
I’m an idea person. You know what I mean? I get really excited about new concepts and novel ways to combine things. It’s my nature. After I created this blog, I started to get bigger and better ideas about food. Through my camera lens, I saw ingredients broken down into colors and textures. Then the flavors seemed more abstract, and I learned that I could combine them like paint on an artist’s palette. Every new-to-me cooking technique is a revelation, every new kitchen gadget a new tool.
I say that I won the jackpot when this little side project of mine turned into a full-fledged food blog, because food blogging suits me so well. I love that my day job lets me work from home and spend more time on this blog. Most days, it’s just me, my dog and my ideas, and I’m happy. I literally get to taste my ideas—sometimes they are good and sometimes they are bad—but they’re always satisfying. It’s all about the learning process.
I decided to write about this subject today because I was just complaining to my friend that writing these posts is the hardest part. You see, when I get excited about a recipe concept, it’s off to the races. I daydream about it, I research it, I make my grocery list, and then I go home and make it. Maybe it’s no good and it dies there. Maybe it has potential and evolves into something different, but better. Maybe I get lucky and it’s just right on the first try. I make it again while tweaking my notes and photographing the process, and then I edit the photos. All this time, I’m in the zone. I couldn’t tell you how much time I spend standing on a chair and leaning over the table with my camera like a crazy person, because I lose track of the minutes while I’m doing it.
Then comes the writing. Frankly, sometimes I don’t have anything to write about, because I’ve been hanging out with my dog and my ideas for too long. Sometimes, I want to spout off about a subject like dating in the Midwest, but I censor myself because my parents and potential boyfriends might read it (ugh). Most of the time, I’m so ready to share my latest concept that I just want to hit the “publish” button. That’s how I was feeling earlier about this fro-yo, before I chugged a cup of coffee and went on a tangent about ideas. Ideas, man!
Maybe you cook for other reasons entirely. I think most people cook by necessity, or for health reasons. Some find great satisfaction in cooking for loved ones. Some, like me, enjoy the creative aspect of it. I cook because I have ideas about food, and I love sharing my ideas once I’ve figured out how to execute them. So whether you’re stopping by this blog for inspiration, a recipe for tonight’s dinner, or just to escape from your workday, I’m just glad you’re here.
I should probably talk a little about this delicious blueberry frozen yogurt. Every bite starts with the flavor of honey, followed by a bracing combination of tart lemon and tangy yogurt, and lastly, the taste of sweet summer blueberries. It’s like, whoa.
Unlike a lot of homemade ice cream concoctions, this one is scoopable straight out of the freezer. That’s the magic of combining full fat goodness (i.e. yogurt) with honey (which never freezes solid) in an ice cream maker. If you have an ice cream maker, this fro-yo is totally worth the effort to make. I hope you’ll give it a shot soon.
Blueberry Frozen Yogurt
This tangy, honey-sweetened lemon blueberry frozen yogurt is a delightful summer treat. Use full fat yogurt for the best texture, and buy organic berries and lemon if you can.
Ingredients
- 1 pint (2 ½ cups) blueberries, fresh or frozen
- ⅔ cup honey
- 1 small lemon, to be zested and juiced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups full fat yogurt, chilled
Instructions
- Pick through your blueberries and discard any bad berries, stems or debris. In a medium saucepan, combine the blueberries, honey, ½ teaspoon lemon zest, 2 tablespoons lemon juice and salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, then cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
- Optional step: For a smooth consistency, strain the mixture through a fine mesh colander into a bowl. Mash the blueberries with the back of a large spoon in order to extract as much liquid as possible, then discard the mashed blueberries.
- Refrigerate the blueberry mixture until it is totally and completely chilled. You can speed up this process by placing it in the freezer, stirring every 10 minutes or so, for about 45 minutes.
- Mix together your chilled blueberry mixture and chilled yogurt, then freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to your manufacturer’s instructions. Serve immediately for a soft serve texture, or transfer the frozen yogurt to a freezer-safe container and freeze for several hours for a scoopable consistency.
Notes
- Recipes consulted in the making of this recipe: my honey-sweetened chai coconut ice cream, Simply Recipes’ blueberry frozen yogurt, and Green Kitchen Stories’ rhubarb and strawberry ripple froyo. You might also like my roasted berry and honey yogurt popsicles.
- Yields 1 quart frozen yogurt.
- Tip: if your ice cream container is made of glass or metal, chill it in the freezer prior to transferring the finished ice cream to the container. That way the ice cream doesn’t melt when it comes into contact with the glass/metal.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
P.s. Every time I publish an ice cream recipe, I get questions about ice cream makers. I’m a big fan of this Cuisinart ice cream maker
. It’s a pretty affordable option (around $80) and yields a lot of delicious, creamy ice cream (2 quarts at a time). On the downside, you have to freeze the canister for over 24 hours before use, which takes up freezer space, and it is a little noisy while running. I also have a fancy new Breville ice cream maker, courtesy of Sur la Table. It’s nice because it has its own freezing component, so I can just pour in a chilled mixture inside and hit start. However, it is large and heavy, prohibitively expensive, and only yields 1.5 quarts ice cream. So there you have it.
Can’t remember how I found your blog (think via a pin on Pinterest) but so glad I did. Not a “naturally gifted” cook LOL (sure glad hubby is) but love to follow a recipie and create something :) Love your blog! Thank you for all your work behind the scenese to create your posts and wonderful cullinary creations. So wonderful to have a passion turn into a wonderful blog and who knows what in the future :) Wishing you all the best and thanks again for sharing so many wonderful recipes!
Thank you for saying hello, Marisa! Delighted to hear that you’re enjoying my recipes. I feel like I landed the best job in the world! I love it. :)
Wow. This looks great. Can’t wait to try it.
My family and I absolutely LOVE this recipe! Not only is it made with healthy ingredients, but it is absolutely delicious and quite easy! Thank you for sharing, Kate.
Amazing! My favorite ice cream/frozen yogurt recipe!! Thank you!
Marsha
Thank you, Marsha! Happy to hear it!
I only have non fat yogurt, Can I use 1/2 cup heavy cream then 2 1/2 cups of non fat yogurt
Yes, I think that will work!
Did it work? Thanks in advance.
The reason I cook is for the enjoyment. I have depression and anxiety and cooking and / or baking makes me forget about what is bothering me. I enjoy being in the kitchen (except for dishes and cleaning up that is lol) I have a food blog as well.
Now for the question I actually was commenting on. Would this recipe taste as good replacing the blueberries for another fruit? would it need to be changed in any way if it was strawberries or raspberries?
I find cooking soothing, too, Laurie, so you’re definitely not alone in that! I think this would be delicious with other types of berries. You wouldn’t need to change anything about the recipe if you swap out the berries.
Could i use mango instead of blueberries ?
Thanks !
I haven’t tried it with mangos. It could work, but blueberries provide a nice sauce when you simmer. Let me know if you try it!
Question: could I sub fresh strawberries for blueberries instead? I just went strawberry picking and I THOUGHT I would be able to get through 2 pounds of strawberries easily, but it’s proving harder than I thought!
It could work as a good substitute! Let me know!
Hi Kate,
Thank you very much for sharing your recipes. My husband and I loved your Blueberry Frozen Yogurt so much, I am making it for the second time.
I am going trying your Roasted Berry and Honey Yogurt Pops next. I can’t wait!
You’re welcome, Sherry!
Do you think this could be made with a non dairy yogurt with a high fat content like coconut yogurt?
Hi Hayley! You could try it. Let me know if it works for you.
Hi Kate! Love all your recipes, would love to make this one but have a question: can this be made without the ice cream maker? How essential is it in the recipe? Thanks!
Hi Asia, You want to make sure it is cold enough and can process right to get the ice cream / frozen yogurt texture. Sorry!
Yum yum yum YUM! I made the base over the weekend and just had a chance to run it through my ice cream maker. It’s SO DARN GOOD. The lemony zing and fresh blueberry flavor are TO DIE FOR! I had a little extra heavy cream from another recipe that I threw in and I’m not mad about it. Turned out delicious. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
I’m so glad this was a hit and that you loved it, Anna! I appreciate you taking the time to review.
This was unbelievable!!! I used homemade unsweetened yogurt, and the recipe just blew me (and all who tried it) away!!! We are always searching for satisfying treats that are sweetened only with honey or maple syrup. Bookmarked and will be a permanent treat in our home!
This was AMAZING!! Super easy to make and absolutely delicious!
I found this quite icy and a bit too tart. I notice you didn’t say to churn the mix but I assume that this should have been part of the process to avoid the icy texture?
I’m sorry you didn’t love it, Sarah. I appreciate your feedback. Did you follow the optional step?
I kniw this is very old but i still found my way to it. Ive not finished with the recipe part but i did have a small comment about straining the blueberries. I hate throwing things away so i took the part that was strained out added a few large spoonfuls of yogurt with it and to add a bit of extra flavor, an emulsifier(agar) and a 1/2 tsp blueberry emulsion. Then I put it in candy silicone molds and put them in the freezer. It turned into some yummy little frozen yogurt bites. Id post the photos if i could but they actually looked pretty good, too.
The color and the consistency of this frozen yogurt are perfect. However, about all we taste is the honey. I would make this again but next time I would use sugar syrup in place of the honey.
I’m sorry you didn’t love it, BF. I appreciate your review.
With this turn out well with Greek yogurt?
Thank you!
I recommend this recipe best as written. I hope you try it! If you try something else, let me know what you think!
Awful, i read two conflicting instructions. In one section it says 1/4 teaspoon of salt. And then in the guide it says 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and salt. I followed that part. Salt overload. Wrank.
Hi, you should get at least 2 tablespoons lemon from the juice of the one specified in the ingredient list, and then combine it with the 1/4 teaspoon salt listed in the ingredients.
Love your Recipes, Thanks we can’t wait to try frozen Blueberry yogurt