Homemade Frozen Yogurt - Cooks Illustrated

Published May 1, 1996.

Gelatin creates a smooth, creamy texture, while plain low-fat yogurt and real fruit, vanilla, coffee, or cocoa provide great taste.

The Problem

Like ice cream, frozen yogurt is prone to iciness. Also, freezing plain yogurt and fruit does not make the best frozen dessert. The yogurt flavor is very strong and the sugar in the recipe does not dissolve properly.

The Goal

A faddish health food turned into a mainstream American treat, frozen yogurt is a commercial product that, unlike ice cream or sorbet, has no real history in either home kitchens or restaurants. We figured it was time to try to make our own frozen yogurt at home.

The Solution

We solved the problem of strong yogurt flavor and grainy sugar by adding some milk. Not only did it tame the yogurt flavor, but, when put over low heat, the milk made it possible to dissolve the sugar and gave us an easy way to add vanilla bean flavor. To cut down on iciness, we found that draining the yogurt was helpful, as was using a small amount of gelatin. In premium ice creams, egg yolks are responsible for the smooth texture; gelatin serves the same purpose in many low-fat desserts.

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