I’ve been eating fresh fruit like it’s going out of style lately.
Berries alllll the time. I wasn’t joking on Monday when I told you we’d eaten more than 2 pounds of blueberries over the course of a week. And by “we” I mean… mostly me. Blueberries for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And snack. And another snack. And dessert.
You get the picture.
So naturally, I had to make sure I could work fresh fruit into this week’s ice cream. The perfect solution? Pinkberry frozen yogurt!
Are you familiar with Pinkberry? It’s a popular frozen yogurt chain featuring tart-tasting yogurt and lots of yummy toppings, like fresh fruit. There are many similar yogurt shops and chains that have sprouted up around the country; I’ve heard that Red Mango is similar. And while I will generally pass on frozen yogurt, I make a serious exception for Pinkberry.
Pinkberry is different because of that tart taste. It’s not trying to be ice cream – it really tastes like you took some yogurt and stuck it in your freezer. So… guess what I decided to do?
Oh yes.
This is a homemade version of Pinkberry’s “original” flavor – no vanilla or other flavorings in the ice cream. Just Greek yogurt, milk, sugar, and a little lemon juice to replicate that tart taste.
I made several versions of this, and couldn’t believe the results: the versions with low-fat or non-fat yogurt tasted the best (and by best I mean that they most closely resembled Pinkberry). I started out by making a full-fat version with whole-milk yogurt and cream, and while it was delicious, it tasted nothing like the Pinkberry in my memory. Using reduced-fat or non-fat Greek yogurt and milk, on the other hand, came very close to that perfect Pinkberry flavor and texture I was going for.
So it made sense when I learned that Pinkberry actually makes their frozen yogurt with non-fat yogurt and skim milk. Surprise! A chain that actually sells a healthy snack. Who knew?! Although I shouldn’t speak too soon – here is the ingredient list in Pinkberry’s original frozen yogurt:
Nonfat milk, sugar, cultured pasteurized nonfat milk with live and active cultures, contains less than 2%: cultured nonfat milk powder, fructose, dextrose, natural and artificial flavors, citric acid, guar gum, maltodextrin, mono- and diglycerides, lactoglycerides, propylene glycol esters, rice starch, and silicon dioxide (for anticaking). [source: The LA Times]
And here is the ingredient list in my homemade Pinkberry frozen yogurt (made with Fage yogurt and Simple Truth Organic milk):
Grade A pasteurized milk and cream with live active yogurt cultures, organic skim milk with vitamin A palmitate and vitamin D3, sugar, lemon juice.
Which one would you rather have?
Cheers to the weekend and a healthy frozen treat to get it off on the right foot!
- 3 cups non-fat or reduced-fat Greek yogurt (I used Fage)
- 1 cup skim milk
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice (from 1/2 a lemon)
- assorted chopped fresh fruit (or your favorite froyo toppings)
- ice cream maker
- Freeze the bowl of your ice cream maker according to manufacturer instructions.
- Whisk all frozen yogurt ingredients together in a large bowl. Pour into the bowl of your ice cream maker and churn until frozen. (This takes about 15 minutes in mine.)
- Scoop immediately for soft-serve (delicious!) or store in a covered container in the freezer. My preference is to place in the freezer for 30-60 minutes before serving to harden the yogurt up just a bit and ensure that it doesn't melt immediately. Top with fresh fruit and enjoy!
Perfection!! I love that you tested the recipe multiple times to find the perfect match. This fro yo looks sooooo good! With all them berries?? YUM! I’ve been obsessed with fruit lately, too. Better take it all in before our summer product goes away ;)
I LOVE your Friday frozen treats. This sounds fantastic! I’m with ya on the berry consumption. We are both going to turn blue!!
Amaaazing! Thank you so much for sharing this…I loove pinkberry!
I absolutely loved your Thai Green Curry Squash recipe and have passed out 5 copies of it to my friends. Now I want to try this frozen yogurt. It there any way you can make it without an ice cream maker?
Thank you Grandma! You are so sweet! I haven’t tried making it without an ice cream maker, but here is a resource about how to do it: http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2007/07/making-ice-crea-1/ It will turn out icier without an ice cream maker, and this froyo is somewhat icy anyway, so you may want to use whole milk and higher-fat yogurt if you do it that way. Let me know how it turns out! Love you!
Aww, how sweet – is that really your grandmother? By the way, I’m new here and I just want to say, awesome Web site Erica! It’s a blessing that I found your Pinkberry recipe – our joint is too far away, so I think I can use my ice cream maker (same Cusinart one as yours, I believe!) and test out this cool recipe. Thank you!
Haha yes, how sweet (and tech savvy) is she! Thanks for visiting, Amna – hope you enjoy the froyo!
I have to try this!!
Oh my god, Erica, you are my hero. I looooove Pinkberry, but the closest one is a 20 minute drive and, being carless and all, I don’t make it out there often ;) You are slowly convincing me to buy an ice cream maker!!
I’ve never been to Pinkberry but I have been to Red Mango and they have an original flavor that seems similar. Your version looks deliciously simple and perfect with all of that fresh fruit!
Ok, you’re really after my own heart with this recipe! I wonder if I could use coconut milk greek yogurt and achieve a similar result? Froyo is one of the few non-vegan treats I eat, but Pinkberry rocks my world. Especially with the little mochi on top :) I’m loving your blog!
Definitely give it a try! And let me know how it turns out if you do :)
Love to eat the kind of home made frozen yogurt you shared here. It’s look so creamy, yummy and healthy to eat. Keep sharing. Thanks a lot for sharing.
Thanks Josie!
Hi Erica, adapted this recipe to make my first froyo at home – sans ice cream maker! Came out pretty good. I used vanilla yogurt, honey instead of sugar, omitted lemon juice and used almond milk instead of regular milk.
Do you strain the yogurt prior to mixing it with the other ingredients?
Hi LC, no need to strain the yogurt, especially if you’re using Greek yogurt.
Has anyone tried it yet and confirmed it taste like pinkberry? I’m about to…..
Made just like recipe except used Splenda as I am diabetic it turned out great very tasty this is my go to recipe I will be making lots of it this summer. Thanks
I got on the home made yogurt bus last fall. I make a batch about every week or so. When I want a snack, it’s the yogurt stash I go to. Lost 15 lbs. not diving into the PBJ sandwich. Last fall I made a lot of jellies before I got on the yogurt bus. What to do with them? A tsp mixed in a serving of Greek yogurt and Bob’s Your Uncle. While I love the whole milk yogurt, I’m now onto the reduced fat milk. I picked up an ice cream maker this week at a thrift store and will try this recipe when I can get into the market for some skim milk and some fruit toppings. (Or maybe – some of my marmalade).
Made this with 2% Fage yogurt and 1/2 the amount of sugar in recipe but added honey to taste… Omg, it turned out amazing!
So glad you liked it Cathleen! Thanks for your notes about the sweetener. Love the idea of swapping honey!
Hi Erica. Can’t wait to try the Pinkberry recipe. Have you tried incorporating fruit into it (cantaloupe, strawberries, etc). Would I just add pureed fruit into the mixture before adding to the ice cream mixture? Thank you
Hi Karen, no I haven’t, but that sounds amazing! And yes, you could just stir the fruit puree into the yogurt before churning. Let me know how it turns out!
It’s been a few years, but one early morning, the boyfriend and I stopped by our local Pinkberry for a treat. At the time, the store was getting a delivery of the actual yogurt they use in their product. The brand? Dannon. It was also, like you said, non-fat Greek yogurt. So, next time you make this recipe, try this type and brand. The plain, non-fat Dannon Oikos would be the way to go.
If you want real frozen yogurt. Don’t ever use cream, you’ll just have more of a creamy ice cream flaver, and thicker. We have both at out shop