Let's make Mango Frozen Yogurt with a little hack so we don't need an ice cream maker. Only an ice cube tray and a strong blender or food processor are required. With minimal added sweetener and optional cardamom that is reminiscent of mango lassi flavors.
Whether it's the middle of summer or you just feel like a frozen treat any time of year, frozen yogurt is a delicious and probiotic-rich way to cool down.
I've loved making nice cream based on frozen banana and other frozen fruit since my daughter was a toddler and requested ice cream on a daily basis. Not much has changed with those ice cream requests, but I don't always have a bunch of frozen bananas on hand. However I usually have yogurt in the fridge.
And I learned that if I freeze yogurt in an ice cube tray, the frozen yogurt cubes quickly turn into a creamy frozen dessert when blended up with a high-speed blender or food processor. You can add an endless variety of flavoring agents to make the frozen yogurt flavor of your choice.
Today's mango frozen yogurt is starting off a new easy frozen yogurt series on here. So get your frozen yogurt cubes ready to have on hand for all the flavors to come.
Ingredients and Substitutions
The ingredient list for this mango frozen yogurt recipe is short and simple. Use your preferred type of yogurt and sweetener of choice if your mango isn't naturally sweet already.
- Frozen mango chunks - either store bought or cut up a fresh mango and freeze yourself
- Plain yogurt - frozen in an ice cube tray. Regular, Greek, or dairy-free yogurt alternatives all work well here as long as they are unflavored. I use homemade Instant Pot yogurt. Lactose-free yogurt is naturally sweeter for less tart results without much added sweetener
- Sweetener of choice - granulated sugar, honey, maple syrup or sugar-free sweetener alternatives. May not be needed if using very sweet, ripe mango to begin with
- Cardamon - just a pinch of ground cardamom gives the mango frozen yogurt a hint of mango lassi flavors. Substitute with cinnamon or omit
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Follow these pictured instruction steps for your own homemade frozen yogurt without an ice cream machine.
To a blender/food processor add the mango, yogurt, cardamom, and sweetener
Turn on the blender and use a tamper to push down or twist the pronged lid to continuously move ingredients towards blades
Blend for 1-2 minutes until all the ingredients are smoothly combined without any frozen chunks left
Scoop and serve right away for soft serve textured frozen yogurt. For firmer frozen yogurt, freeze the mixture in a container for a couple hours before scooping
Hint: Use the smallest sized ice cube trat you have for faster freezing. Smaller cubes will also break down into smooth frozen yogurt faster without melting too much in the process.
Variations
Any other frozen fruit can be used to replace the mango chunks to make a limitless variety of fruit flavored frozen yogurt. Think pineapple chunks, frozen berries like strawberry, blackberry, raspberry, blueberry, or a mix.
Equipment
Ice cube trays - since this recipe is for frozen yogurt without an ice cream maker, we need to pre-freeze the yogurt. The easiest way to do that is in an ice cube tray. The smaller the cube size, the faster the yogurt will freeze. And the quicker it will blend up too.
High speed blender or food processor - you need a small appliance with a powerful motor that can break down frozen ingredients. It is even more ideal if the blender has a tamper or twisting lid with prongs that can be used to continuously move the contents towards the blades. I use a Vitamix with tamper or a Blendtec with twister jar.
With a food processor you may have to stop it occasionally to scrape down the sides with a spatula.
Alternatively, if you have an ice cream maker you can blend all the ingredients and then transfer to the ice cream maker bowl to churn.
Considering getting an ice cream machine? Check out my ice cream makers review.
Storage
This homemade mango frozen yogurt is best enjoyed right after blending up. You can freeze it in an container to firm up for a couple of hours. But if frozen for a long time ice crystals will form and the froyo will harden too much and lose its creamy texture.
If you end up with a lot left over, try freezing the entire mixture in and ice cube tray again and re-blend before serving.
Top tip
If you enjoy this method of making frozen yogurt, be sure to always have frozen yogurt cubes on hand. Freeze the yogurt in an ice cube tray for 4-24 hours.
Then pop out the yogurt cubes and transfer to a freezer bag or air tight container to avoid freezer burn and unwanted flavors being absorbed by the yogurt in the open ice cube trays. Alternatively, cover the yogurt cubes if your ice tray comes with a lid.
FAQ
Absolutely. Mango and yogurt makes a delicious flavor combination. In fact this recipe is inspired by Indian mango lassi which is a traditional blended mango yogurt beverage.
Any well stocked grocery store should have bags of frozen mango chunks. If not, I recommend making your own. This way you have even better control. Choose a very ripe and juice mango, which will make naturally sweeter frozen yogurt. Cut it into chunks removing the peel and pit. Freeze the chunks in a freezer safe container for at least 4 hours.
If you want less tart frozen yogurt without too much added sugar, try starting out with milder yogurt. Instead of Greek yogurt, try regular plain yogurt. Or choose lactose-free yogurt, which tastes sweeter. Dairy-free yogurt alternative may also be milder in taste.
You can also neutralize the tart flavor by adding ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon of baking soda to the mixture.
Related
Looking for other frozen dessert recipes like this? Try these:
Recipe
Mango Frozen Yogurt Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup frozen mango chunks
- 1 cup plain (Greek) yogurt frozen in ice cube tray
- 1 pinch ground cardamom or cinnamon; optional but makes it taste more like a mango lassi
- 1-2 tablespoons sweetener honey, maple syrup, or granulated sugar/sweetener; to taste
Instructions
- At least 4 hours before making the frozen dessert, divide up 1 cup of yogurt in an ice cube tray and freeze (I like to have lots of frozen yogurt cubes ready all summer long). Unless using store bought frozen mango cubes, also peel and cut up 1 cup of fresh, ripe mango. The riper the better; this will make sweeter frozen yogurt. Freeze the mango cubes as well.
- To high-speed blender with tamper or pronged twister lid (or food processor) add the frozen yogurt cubes, frozen mango cubes, optional pinch of cardamom/cinnamon, and sweetener of choice. With very ripe, sweet mango no sweetener may be needed. Add only a little at first. More can always be added later.
- Turn on the blender or food processor and blend until everything is smoothly combined into creamy frozen yogurt. Use a tamper to keep pushing the ingredients into the blades. Or turn the lid of a twister jar. With a food processor you may have to stop and scrape down the sides with a spatula occasionally. The whole blending process should only take 1-2 minutes.
- Your soft serve style mango frozen yogurt is ready to be enjoyed immediately. For a firmer texture, transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze the mixture for a while until it reaches your desired level. However, freezing too long will form ice crystals again and the frozen yogurt may not be as creamy anymore.
Nutrition
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