Frozen yogurt may be more American than apple pie. This creamy dessert was first created in New England in the 1970s and it quickly became popular across the country. It has a similar texture to ice cream, but is lower in fat and calories because it is made with milk instead of cream. It also has a mild tartness due to the cultures in the yogurt. Like ice cream, it can be made at home using ingredients that are readily available in stores. You can enjoy it plain or add additional ingredients to customize your mix.
Yogurt
As its name suggests, the key ingredient in frozen yogurt is the same cultured milk product found in the dairy section of most grocery stores. You need non-fat plain yogurt for most recipes. Avoid flavored yogurts until you know how your recipe tastes with the plain variety, as most flavored yogurts have added sugar that may affect the taste of the dessert. Some recipes call for strained yogurt, which has a smoother consistency than other varieties. You can make your own by placing regular yogurt into a strainer lined with several layers of cheesecloth and refrigerating it for six hours. Use two cups of regular yogurt for each cup of strained yogurt. You can also use Greek yogurt in most recipes.
Sugar
Sugar counteracts the natural tang of the yogurt. You can adjust this ingredient to taste to make a slightly sweeter or tarter dessert. Most recipes call for white sugar. However, some call for superfine sugar, which dissolves more quickly. You can purchase superfine sugar at many grocery stores or make it yourself by running granular sugar through a food processor until it turns into a fine powder. Some recipes also call for you to add corn syrup.
Flavors and Additives
Vanilla is a common flavoring used in frozen yogurt. It is not only appropriate for vanilla yogurt, but also for chocolate and other flavors. You can also experiment with other extracts, such as orange or lemon. You can make chocolate yogurt by adding melted chocolate chips or add chopped candy pieces to make other flavors. For a healthier alternative, soft fruits, such as berries, peaches and cherries may be blended with the yogurt to make a fruit-flavored dessert.
Alternative Ingredients
People who are sensitive to milk products can substitute soy yogurt, which can be purchased at many health food stores. Read the label on the yogurt, however, to see how much sugar has been added, since soy yogurt can be sweeter than some dairy varieties. Diabetics can replace the added sugar in the recipe with a sugar substitute, such as Stevia, according to the substitution guidelines for that product.
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