Only 3 simple steps and 0 ice cream makers required!
Bringing a hint of tanginess and a lot of sweetness, the bright notes of peach make for a refreshingly flavorful treat – perfect for beating the summer heat. And with just a blender or food processor and roughly 4-5 ingredients, you can make a dreamy, fruity frozen dessert in less than 10 minutes that’s ready to eat after a few hours in the freezer.
This homemade froyo is so delectably smooth and creamy, it’s hard to believe there isn’t any milk or dairy in it. It can be tricky to nail that soft serve-like consistency though, and that’s on account of the yogurt. The type and water content of the yogurt plays a part: a lower amount of fat makes for a firmer froyo and a higher concentration of water yields an icier consistency.
Typically when it comes to the ingredients, I refrain from naming specific brands as I want my recipes to be realistic and accessible to all (okay, all is pushing it, but as wide of an audience as possible). But in some instances, I do specify brands that have proven to produce optimal results. This recipe is one of those exceptions; a particular brand of yogurt is listed in the ingredients along with further elaboration in the notes section following the directions. Be sure to read the directions and notes thoroughly for all the tips and info on making a creamier, extra yummy froyo!
Dairy-Free Peach Froyo
Ingredients
- 115 g (½ C) dairy-free yogurt, unsweetened plain or vanilla* (Silk), please see notes
- 160 g frozen peaches
- 2 TBSP honey
- ¼ tsp. vanilla*
- Pinch of sea salt
- Optional, but recommended: ¼ tsp. xanthan gum*
Instructions
- In a blender or food processor, combine all of the ingredients until smooth
- Transfer and spread the froyo into a shallow dish or food storage container, cover with an airtight light, and place in the freezer on a flat surface where it won’t get jostled around
- For the initial 2-3 hours in the freezer, regularly stir the froyo every 20-30 minutes, scraping around the sides as the edges usually thicken first
- Let soften at room temperature for 10-20 minutes before serving*
Notes
- Fats and liquid sugars serve two main purposes in froyo: makes it more scoopable and inhibits the formation of ice crystals. This is why honey (a liquid sugar, along with maple syrup) is used instead of cane sugar, Stevia, or another powdered sweetener and how a dairy-free yogurt (as long as it’s higher in fat) can create a milky, creamy froyo comparable to its dairy-filled counterpart.
- *Yogurt: as mentioned, the texture of the froyo may differ depending on the water content and overall composition of the yogurt. Normally, So Delicious Coconut Milk yogurt is my reliable, tried and true dairy-free yogurt of choice. But I found that with So Delicious, the froyo almost had an underlying shaved ice texture while Silk Almond Milk yogurt delivered the best, creamiest consistency.
- *Vanilla: the precise amount can be based on the yogurt flavor or preferences, but generally speaking, use ½ tsp. vanilla with unsweetened plain yogurt and ¼ tsp. vanilla with unsweetened vanilla yogurt (or less, taking into consideration how strong the yogurt’s vanilla is)
- *Xanthan gum: xanthan gum acts as a glue in recipes, holding the ingredients together and providing additional structure. In this, it does just that and contributes to the “mouth feel” or the pleasantly thick, soft texture of froyo. It also helps prevent the froyo from getting icy after being in the freezer. While it is optional, it does make a notable improvement which is why it’s definitely recommended. Without it, the consistency will be a bit meltier and not as creamy, but the froyo will still taste just as good!
- *4. On top of sugars and fats, store-bought ice creams and froyos also have preservatives and stabilizers to keep the desserts from getting icy and rock hard in the freezer. This froyo will harden in the freezer and that’s okay; most homemade recipes do since there’s no processing and very few ingredients! Allow it to sit and soften for 10-20 minutes before eating or serving.
College is the time to make spontaneous (and at times, judgement-lacking) decisions, right? Well when I was in college, I decided to get my tongue pierced out of the blue. It was a Friday night and a few of my friends and I went to get new, ~fun~ piercings. By the next morning, it was obvious that I was going to become a regular at the local froyo shop as there wasn’t much else I could eat without feeling discomfort or fear of biting down on my newfound tongue ring.
After 3 days of continuous froyo runs in a bid to subdue my insatiable craving for solid, warm foods, attempting to get accustomed to the strangely foreign feeling of having a bulky metal rod in my mouth, and realizing just how much we utilize our tongues, I came to one conclusion: a tongue piercing was so not me. This epiphany struck me while at Nike, where I worked at the time. Not wanting to go another minute longer with it in my mouth and despite my coworker’s best efforts insisting I’d get used to it and grow to love it, I marched into the break room and feeling instantaneous relief, took that sucker out!
While that’s what comes to mind when I think of frozen yogurt, I hope the experiences you have tied to froyo are a little less …colorful than mine. Either way, new memories are begging to be made with this fresh, peachy froyo!
If peach isn’t your jam, you can swap it out with a fruit of your liking. But much like how yogurt influences the texture, so does fruit choice. Naturally hydrating, all fruits (as with virtually all foods) contain water, but the degree of which varies. For example, ~70-79% of a banana’s weight is water whereas cantaloupe, watermelon, and strawberries are 90% and above. A higher water concentration increases the likelihood of an icier consistency. When testing different flavors, it wouldn’t hurt to start with a lesser amount (than what the recipe calls for) of fruit if it’s a fruit higher in water. So know that the feel of the froyo – specifically pertaining to the creaminess and iciness – is subject to change with the fruit selection. Below are a couple variations I’ve made:
- 125g raspberries – my taste tester (my husband) really liked this one, but it was a little icy for my liking so next time I’d probably decrease the raspberries to ~100-110g
- 175g frozen blueberries – we loved this one
- Mango Dragon Fruit
If interested, the macronutrients are below. They are kept separate at the very end of each recipe blog so that this can remain a safe, positive space for all as not everyone wishes to see the nutritional information.
Macros for the whole recipe: 64 C | 11.25 F | 5.35 P
The macros for recipes are also available on MyFitnessPal. Simply search the name of the recipe followed by “ – SUNutrition” (so for this recipe, search “Dairy-Free Peach Froyo – SUNutrition”).
leave a comment