Roasted blueberry frozen yogurt. Yes, believe it. Blueberries are roasted with sugar in the oven, which intensifies their flavor. The berries are then swirled into lightly sweeetened yogurt and then churned in an ice cream maker.
Adapted from Izy Hossack | Everyday Delicious | Hardie Grant, 2017
This blueberry frozen yogurt lacks nothing in terms of creamy decadence, despite the fact that it’s made with healthy ingredients. Although it can easily hold its own as dessert, we’re just as happy to scoop it up for breakfast. The blueberries are (surprise!) roasted to intensify their flavor before being blended with tangy Greek yogurt and just the right amount of honey. What results is a froyo that’s spectacularly balanced in terms of tart and sweet, indulgent and healthy. And if you’ve never made frozen yogurt, rest assured, it’s incomparably easier to make than ice cream with no custard to make and no impatiently waiting for it to cool before churning.–Angie Zoobkoff
☞ Contents
Roasted Blueberry Frozen Yogurt
Ingredients
- 1 cup (5 oz) fresh blueberries
- 3 tablespoons demerara or turbinado sugar
- 2 1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt (you want to use full-fat yogurt, not low-fat, trust us)*
- 4 tablespoons honey or agave syrup
- 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Scatter the blueberries over the baking sheet and sprinkle with the sugar. Roast until most of the blueberries have burst, 10 to 13 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the roasted blueberries cool on the baking sheet. If there’s any sugar that hasn’t yet dissolved, give everything a good stir before you walk away to let it cool.
- In a bowl, stir together the cooled blueberries and sugar, yogurt, honey or agave syrup, and lemon juice. If you prefer a smoother consistency, use an immersion blender and beat everything into smooth submission.
- Scrape the blueberry yogurt mixture into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer’s directions. Serve the blueberry frozen yogurt immediately or dump it into a resealable container, cover, and freeze for no more than a few hours. (When the roasted blueberry frozen yogurt first comes out of the ice cream maker, it will a consistency much like soft serve ice cream. If a firmer consistency is desired, freeze it for a few hours. If the frozen yogurt is left in the freezer for longer than that, it tends to turn into a solid purple chunk of ice.)
Notes
*Can you just freeze yogurt to make frozen yogurt?
Sure, you could. Just like you could make lemonade by jamming a straw into a lemon. Close…but not quite. Both of these scenarios are missing a key ingredient—sugar. If you just freeze plain yogurt and berries, you’re going to end up with a solid block of gritty dairy as soon as you put it in the freezer. You’ll need to add sugar, in order to freeze it into something scoopable. As with sorbet and ice cream, the more sugar you add, the softer it will be.Show Nutrition
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Recipe Testers’ Reviews
I thought this roasted blueberry frozen yogurt recipe had the most refreshing flavors. The mix of the blueberries with the tart yogurt and a hint of lemon in each bite made me feel like I was sitting on a beach in the sun. I got nervous with how much sugar I was adding to the pan when roasting the berries but when I tasted the final product I felt it could have used more.
Unfortunately for me, I didn’t read the recipe prior to purchasing the ingredients and I don’t have an ice cream maker. I made it the old-fashioned way and it turned out great. I think the honey was a great touch.
I’d recommend this roasted blueberry frozen yogurt recipe for its ease, taste, and gorgeous purple color. I appreciate how quickly it came together and was essentially hands-off. I just tossed the berries with the sugar, popped it in the oven, and was able to mix the yogurt base while the blueberries roasted and became syrupy. The roasting intensified the blueberry flavor.
I used a handheld blender to blend the cooled berries into the yogurt base which also helped the honey mix in better and I liked not having large chunks of skin in the creamy dessert. The frozen yogurt had a pleasing soft-serve consistency immediately after churning and after several hours was firm but still scoopable, unlike many other homemade ice cream recipes. The texture improved after letting it sit at room temperature for a few minutes before scooping.
It’s a delicious recipe that’s tart and refreshing. I found the blueberry flavor to be better right after churning and the lemon flavor to be more pronounced after freezing. I appreciated the tartness and brightness, but think some may prefer a less sharp flavor. Anyone looking for an easy, refreshing dessert that’s also healthy would enjoy this recipe. I might like a few more blueberries. I would actually consider using frozen berries and increasing roasting time when fresh berries are unavailable.
I really enjoyed making and eating this roasted blueberry frozen yogurt. I loved the flavor of the blueberries, honey, and sugar. The texture was creamy and decadent, with that fresh blueberry flavor.
The scooping and serving was quite easy, with a scooper dipped in hot water. I added a few more blueberries over the cup measurement. There were a few blueberries that didn’t pop in the oven but they burst open when I mixed everything together.
I recently was gifted an ice cream maker so when I saw this roasted blueberry frozen yogurt recipe, I had to try it. I’ve made ice cream in my new-to-me piece of kitchen equipment, but I’ve never made frozen yogurt. I couldn’t believe how quickly it all came together compared with making ice cream. The result was light and smooth with a good balance of sweet (from the roasted blueberries) and tart (from the lemon juice and Greek yogurt). Refreshing.
I think the texture of the frozen yogurt benefits from having little chunks of blueberries in it, and don’t think it would be as good if the mixture had been blended smooth. The frozen yogurt churned for 25 minutes, and the texture in the middle was perfect. However, it froze pretty hard to the walls of the ice cream maker bowl, so 20 minutes might be better for my machine (KitchenAid).
HUNGRY FOR MORE?
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We'd love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
I like to keep frozen yogurt in my freezer…and you are right it becomes impossibly hard. However, I have learned to add 2 to 3 tablespoons of not-special vodka, rum, brandy, or Kahlua (depending on the flavor of the frozen yogurt) at the end of the ice cream freezing cycle and that helps keep it scoopable when taking it out of the freezer. I love blueberries and this roasted blueberry recipe is wonderful. I added some vodka to this recipe and love the results and taste several days after making it.
Magnificent trick, Maureen! Thank you so much for taking the time to share it. We GREATLY appreciate it! And we’re so glad you like this recipe as much as we do.
Hi, I only have frozen blueberries at the moment. Would I need to change anything in the recipe other than letting them thaw first?
Thanks, this looks so yummy!
Chris, you’ll be fine. Just let the berries thaw in a colander and then proceed with the recipe. And come back to tell us what you think.