When it comes to a giant waffle cone piled high with frosty, sweet scoops of frozen yogurt, I never think twice. I don’t care if it’s 9am or 9pm, I’m going for it! This super-easy 3-Ingredient Frozen Yogurt is my favorite summertime magic trick! With just a little time spent blending the ingredients, thanks to a hand mixer (no ice cream maker necessary!), this vanilla froyo is light, sweet, and oh-so-creamy. I’m big on texture, especially when it comes to frozen treats, and this frozen yogurt does not disappoint. Not to mention, it costs pennies to make at home compared to going to the scoop shop!
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Easy 3 Ingredient Frozen Yogurt Recipe
I’ve played around with a bunch of combos, but this trio of ingredients always hits the sweet spot when I’m making homemade frozen yogurt. The hardest part of homemade froyo is getting the perfect creamy texture. Too much water in the mix means too many ice crystals. Full-fat Greek yogurt is my go-to because it’s thick, tangy, and strained, so it doesn’t have much extra water hanging around. Then the sweetened condensed milk pulls double duty by keeping things sweet and smooth. It’s got just enough sugar and creaminess to help reduce the formation of those pesky ice crystals that can make homemade froyo a little too crunchy.
And the vanilla? It brings in a familiar flavor and makes the whole thing taste like the real deal. It’s a seriously budget-friendly treat, and your family can customize theirs however they like; I love throwing together a little topping bar based on whatever candy or chocolate chips we have on hand in the house!
3 Ingredient Frozen Yogurt
Servings 24 servings (¼ cup per person)Ingredients
- 1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk ($1.59)
- 1 quart full fat Greek yogurt ($4.12)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract ($0.50)
Instructions
- Gather the ingredients.
- Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix on high speed with a hand mixer until completely combined, smooth, and fluffy, about 5-8 minutes.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and transfer to the freezer for 8 hours. Make sure your bowl is freezer-safe!
- Scoop and enjoy!
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Equipment
- Mixing bowl (freezer-safe)
- Hand Mixer
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!how to make Frozen Yogurt step-by-step photos
Gather all of your ingredients.
Mix the ingredients: Add one 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk, 1 quart full fat Greek yogurt, and 1 tsp vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl.
Using a hand mixer, mix on high speed for about 5-8 minutes until everything is fully combined, smooth, and fluffy.
Freeze: Now cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the freezer for 8 hours until frozen. Make sure your bowl is freezer-safe! If it’s not, you can transfer it into another freezer-safe container before freezing. Scoop and enjoy!
Recipe Success Tips!
- Stick with full-fat Greek yogurt and sweetened condensed milk. I’ve tried low-fat versions and regular yogurt, and they just don’t cut it. Too much water leads to an icy texture, and low fat condensed milk (or evaporated milk) won’t give you the sweetness or creaminess this recipe needs.
- Use shallow containers to freeze it faster. If you want to speed things up (and who doesn’t when there’s frozen yogurt on the line?), divide the mix into one or two shallow containers. The thinner the layer, the quicker it freezes, and the less time you’ll spend peeking into the freezer.
- If you’ve got an ice cream machine, go for it. While this recipe works great without one, you can use an ice cream machine to make it. Just follow the manufacturer’s instructions and churn away.
- Cover the surface to help prevent ice crystals. I use plastic wrap, but pressing a piece of parchment paper against the surface of the froyo mix will also work.
Variations & Serving Ideas
Once this Greek yogurt ice cream is frozen, it’s ready to serve! I like a classic waffle cone, but a bowl works great too…especially when you’re loading it up with toppings. 😋 Here are some delicious variations and serving ideas:
- Top with chocolate chips, crushed candies, sprinkles, or chopped nuts (whatever you’ve got in the pantry!).
- Switch out the vanilla extract for a different flavor, like almond or lemon.
- Drizzle with a fruity blueberry sauce or some strawberry freezer jam or peach sauce.
- Stir in chocolate chunks or chips, mini marshmallows, or fresh fruit such as blueberries, diced strawberries, or chopped peaches before freezing.
- For a rich, sweet, and salty combo, drizzle with salted caramel sauce.
- Want to make a fruit-flavored froyo? Toss the yogurt, condensed milk, and fresh or frozen fruit into a blender and blend until smooth before freezing.
- Scoop some vanilla frozen yogurt between two chocolate chip cookies for a quick and easy dessert sandwich.
- Try topping your serving with balsamic glaze for a surprisingly delicious treat that’s totally worth trying!
Storage Instructions
This vanilla frozen yogurt can be stored in the freezer for up to 1-2 months. Make sure it’s covered and in a freezer-safe container. Let it sit out at room temperature for 10–15 minutes before scooping, so it can soften up a bit if it’s too firm to scoop.
Unfortunately, this one is a fail. I used whole milk Greek yogurt, full fat sweetened condensed milk, and whipped it for 9 minutes with an electric hand mixer. The texture still turned out super icy. I read the other reviews and figured they must have done something wrong. But I promise I followed this recipe exactly and it still just didn’t work. Such a bummer.
The only other thing I could add is that hasn’t been said is that you do need to let it sit out for a good 10 minutes (depending on the vessel you froze it in) before scooping. This isn’t my recipe, but I made it at home with my 7-year old and we loved the way it turned out! We froze ours in a quart plastic deli container and it takes a while to soften up whenever we get it out to eat it. If I try to eat a bite before it’s soft then it can be a bit icier, but it’s very creamy when softened!
Thanks, Paige! I did let it sit for about 5 minutes before scooping but can try for longer next time. It didn’t seem to soften as I was eating it out of the bowl. I’m still going to eat it because I don’t want it to go to waste, but will try to brainstorm some solutions/alternatives if I try to make it again in the future.
Tastes great, nice bit of tang from the yogurt, but even with 5% Fage greek yogurt and regular sweetened condensed milk the texture is very icy. Could I replace 1 TBsp of the condensed milk with corn syrup, do you think that would help? And/or do I need to stir it twice an hour for the first 3 hours of freezing? I love the idea of this and want to make it work!
I find that making sure you whip the mixture for the full time suggested helps keep the ice crystals small!
The whole family loved this recipe. We can’t wait make it again. I was impressed with how creamy it was. It had a great texture.
Super easy recipe! Came out great and we all loved it! Saving to make again!
Followed the instructions, added a bit more vanilla. I put it in an old ice cream tub. It worked out perfectly! I did take it out within the first two hours are stirred it twice. It tastes like a sweet frozen yoghurt, exactly as I imagined
Yum! Glad you enjoyed.
Texture is icy, not scoopable and grainy. Waste of ingredients when budget is tight.
Hey, Haley. What was the fat % of the yogurt you chose? The sugar content (lots in this recipe!) plus the fat content will keep it from getting icy. You’ll need to let it thaw a bit before attempting to scoop (like regular ice cream or frozen yogurt.)
I don’t know if I did something wrong but this was not good. Definitely tasted just like I took the quart of yogurt and stuck it in the freezer. Does not scoop, the texture is like ice, and had no flavor.
How could you encourage sweetened condensed milk when there are so many alternatives? Very poor use of high sugar processed tin can milk. Think.
Patty I don’t think it’s healthy to go trolling recipe websites at 2:30 AM.
What would you use in place of sweetened condensed milk and have you tried it?
Thank you very much. Frozen yougurt was soo much tasty by following your recipe.
Hi thanks a lot for the recipe. What do you. mean by 1 quart of yoghurt? How much is this in grams or mililitres?
You can see the yogurt we used if you scroll down to the step-by-step photos! It was 907 grams. :)
2 lbs, or 907g
Think this will work in portion containers for freezing? I might try it with individual Greek yogurts I got on markdown and the ‘squeeze’ style condensed milk. A whole batch is too much for just me.
Hmmm. I think as long as the portions are scaled correctly and you’re still whipping the mixture well it should work out! Let us know if you try it, how it goes!
Make sure the yogurt you have is not non-fat or your froyo may turn out icy.
And I see from the photo that you’ve used my favorite whole milk yogurt–my 2nd choice is Aldi’s. I tried this with some fresh local peaches I picked up a couple of days ago–dead ripe. SO good!
1/4 cup serving size?? Just try to stop after only that amount :)
Fooled our 4 year old!