What Is Frozen Yogurt?
From the ice cream aisle to the food court, frozen yogurt comes in tons of varieties and flavors. Like regular yogurt, the tangy frozen treat — sometimes called "froyo" — is made from milk fermented with live cultures. These are living organisms that aid in the fermentation process. The frozen stuff also typically contains sugar, flavorings, stabilizers, and cream.
Frozen Yogurt vs. Ice Cream
Frozen yogurt makers often claim it's a healthier alternative to ice cream, but that depends on the ingredients. It's usually lower in fat and calories than ice cream, but it can be just as high in sugar.
Ice cream usually is made by blending together a variety of dairy products. These can include:
- Milk
- Condensed milk
- Butterfat
- Cream
Some ice cream flavors also include pasteurized egg products. Homemade ice cream might include raw egg yolks in the base. Producers add sweeteners, flavorings, coloring, and substances to keep the ice cream stable. Depending on the flavor, ice cream also might include fruit, candy, and nuts. The FDA regulates ice cream. By law, it must contain at least 10% milk fat and 20% total milk solids by weight.
To make frozen yogurt, producers mix regular yogurt with pasteurized milk, cream, and sugar. It contains other ingredients, such as stabilizers, fruit, and flavors. Frozen yogurt might contain live bacteria, which become dormant when it's cold. Once you eat it, your body temperature warms and activates the bacteria.
Frozen Yogurt vs. Custard
Frozen custard is another type of sweet, cold treat. Nutritionally, it's closer to ice cream than to frozen yogurt. The main difference between it and ice cream is that custard contains more eggs. The FDA requires frozen custard to have at least 1.4% egg yolk solids.
Less air is whipped into frozen custard, so its texture is denser and creamier than ice cream or frozen yogurt.
Frozen Yogurt Nutrition
A half-cup of regular frozen yogurt has about:
A half-cup of nonfat frozen yogurt has about:
- 110 calories
- 3 grams of protein
- 0 grams of fat
- 24 grams of sugar
- 24 grams of carbohydrates
- 100 milligrams of calcium
A half-cup of low-fat frozen Greek yogurt has about:
- 100 calories
- 6 grams of protein
- 1 gram of fat
- 14 grams of total sugar
- 18 grams of carbohydrates
- 100 milligrams of calcium
The exact nutrition details differ depending on the brand and ingredients. Check the nutritional information on the package before you buy, or ask at the frozen yogurt shop.
Frozen yogurt also comes in dairy-free versions made with soy, coconut, or nut milk, but they're not necessarily healthier. Greek yogurt, frozen or not, can have more protein and less fat than other options.
Frozen Yogurt Health Benefits
Most frozen yogurt contains live probiotic cultures. These are good bacteria that can help build a healthy gut, lower blood pressure, and improve your immune system — your body's defense against germs.
The amount of probiotics in a scoop varies. Frozen yogurt often has fewer cultures than the refrigerated version. And some products have no live probiotics at all. If these good bacteria are what you're after, look for a seal that says "Live and Active Cultures."
Some frozen yogurts can also be a good source of bone-building calcium.
Things to Watch Out For
Remember that frozen yogurt is a dessert, not a health food. Don't overdo it. It's easy to turn a little treat into a super-sized sundae.
Check serving sizes for guidance. And limit yourself when using self-serve machines. Choose a small dish, and avoid the temptation to fill the whole cup. At the toppings bar, skip candy and sprinkles and choose unsweetened fruit and nuts, which will help fill you up.
Aim for the frozen yogurt with the fewest ingredients. Fewer ingredients means fewer additives.
Keep in mind that if a dessert is fat-free, it probably has more sugar, thickeners, or emulsifiers. You want to get the best of all worlds: the lowest sugar, fat, calories, and sodium. To avoid the extra sugar often added to frozen yogurt, you can freeze regular yogurt into pops.
How to Make Frozen Yogurt
Some appliances sold as ice cream makers can help you make frozen yogurt at home. Check your instruction manual — it might even include recipes.
But you don't need a special ice cream appliance to make frozen yogurt. You can do it using a blender or food processor. Here's one basic recipe:
- 4 cups of frozen fruit, such as peaches or berries
- 1 cup of nonfat or low-fat plain yogurt
- 1-3 tablespoons of sugar (or to taste)
Blend or process the ingredients until the texture is creamy. This should take 2-4 minutes.
You can eat it right away, or put it in an airtight container and store it in the freezer.
You also can choose vanilla-flavored yogurt and skip the added sugar.
Here are some additional recipes for homemade frozen yogurt:
Froyo Flavors
Frozen yogurt chains add new flavors all the time. In 2022, a frozen yogurt trade association found that more than 50 flavors were added that year alone. Fruit flavors tend to be the most common, but chocolate and cookies are also popular.
Some unusual varieties that you can find in the U.S. include:
- Blueberry lemon cake
- Hot honey
- Peanut butter banana
- Chocolate cake batter
- Cinnamon hot chocolate
- Dutch apple pie
- Peppermint brownie
- Gingerbread
- Snickerdoodle
- Chocolate covered strawberry
Takeaways
If you're craving a sweet treat on a hot day, frozen yogurt can be a healthier choice than ice cream or frozen custard. It's usually lower in calories and fat. But the sugar content can be similar, and if you load up on toppings, the calorie count grows. If you want to make sure you're getting the probiotic health benefits of yogurt, look for varieties labeled "Live and Active Cultures." You can make your own frozen yogurt at home, which allows you to control the ingredients.
Frozen Yogurt FAQs
Is frozen yogurt healthier than ice cream?
Frozen yogurt generally has fewer fat grams and calories than ice cream. The sugar content can be about the same. If you top your frozen yogurt with sprinkles, candy pieces, or other sugary additions, the calorie count goes up.
Can frozen yogurt be part of a healthy diet?
Like all desserts, frozen yogurt can be part of a healthy diet when you watch the portion size and don't eat it too often.
