Cherry Frozen Yogurt (Ninja Creami)

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Close up of cherry froyo garnished with whole cherries

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A bag of frozen cherries makes making this cherry frozen yogurt in the Ninja Creami a breeze. Packed with flavour and protein, using just a few everyday ingredients, and no processed additives!

Servings:

Author: Helen Best-Shaw

Prep Time10

Freezing1

Total Time1 10

Equipment

Ninja Creami

Ingredients

220 g cherries - 1
½ lemon - juice & zest
1 tbsp maple syrup - 2
280 g Greek style natural yoghurt - 3

Optional

4 tbsp milk kefir - 4
1 tsp vanilla extract - 5

Instructions

Prep the fruit – If using frozen cherries allow to partially defrost. Transfer to the Creami tub, checking them for any missed stones – I have never found one, but a random stone could break your machine so it is worth taking the extra 60 seconds to do this.
Add the maple syrup, lemon zest and juice and vanilla (if using).
Give it all a mash with a fork to start to break up the cherries.
220 g cherries, ½ lemon - juice & zest, 1 tbsp maple syrup
Add the yoghurt up to the max fill line. Use a spatula to mix the cherry mixture and yoghurt together so all the fruit are completely surrounded by the yoghurt.
You do not need to blend as the yoghurt is thick enough to stop the cherries sinking to the bottom.
Freeze until solid; this can take overnight or up to 24 hours depending on your freezer.
280 g Greek style natural yoghurt
Check for humps - If the mixture has developed a hump or bump in the middle scrape with a spoon so it is flat.
* Freezing with the lid off can help to stop humps forming. Different recipes and freezers can different sized humps to form. If your mixture always forms a large hump as it freezes give it a stir after the first hour in the freezer.
Do not spin a mixture that has a large hump, without flattening it first. You may damage your machine.
Process - Put the container in the machine and spin – with the regular Creami (the NC300) I have found that the light ice cream cycle gives the best results.
Respin if needed.

Notes

Cherries - I’ll nearly always choose frozen for this recipe – the cherries are pitted saving you a fiddly and messy job, and usually fresher and cheaper than fresh produce.
Maple Syrup - optional but adds some sweetness, flavour and improves the texture of the final froyo. You could also use honey or golden syrup.
Yoghurt – For the best results use a thick creamy Greek style natural yoghurt. I prefer full fat.
Milk Kefir (Optional) - substitute up to 1/4 of a cup of the yoghurt with milk kefir.
Vanilla Extract / Paste (Optional) – takes your cherry froyo to the next level! I prefer a vanilla bean paste with the little black flecks of seed, as they have more flavour. It is worth spending more money on a decent brand, because if you buy a cheaper, one you often need twice as much (or more). Avoid false economy!
Vanilla extract contains real vanilla, while vanilla essence is generally synthetic and really does not taste very good. So don’t buy it.

Hints and Tips

This recipe is for the regular NC300 Ninja Creami, with (American) pint pots. For the Deluxe model use 1.5X the ingredients.
Make sure the mixture is completely frozen before processing.
If you add some cherries as additions using the mix-in function, then any re-spinning of the froyo will blend them completely.
Smooth the surface of any leftover froyo before returning to the freezer.
To enjoy a half empty pot: either just let it thaw slightly or process again with the light ice cream function. You must not the re-spin function on a solid mixture. Or, you can add about 2 teaspoons vegetable, food grade glycerine into the mixture so it is scoopable from the freezer. Experiment to perfect quantities.

• Please note that the nutrition information provided below is approximate and meant as a guideline only.

• Unless stated otherwise cup conversions have been made with an online tool. For accuracy please check with your favoured conversion tool. We recommend buying inexpensive digital kitchen scales.