I’m so excited to share this delicious and refreshing little number with you before things wind down over here for summer break.
I’m always amazed to discover how a small collection of ingredients can harmonize to create such complex flavor. And in this case, it all happens in about 5 minutes – no ice cream/yogurt equipment required and no need to spend a ton of money at a froyo shop. You can make this in the comfort of your own home any time day or night.
For this recipe, all you will need is some frozen fruit, yogurt, whatever add-ins you wish and a simple blender.
Nourishing, gorgeously addicting, and hydrating too. You can have fun playing around with different combinations of fruit, herbs and flavors. Another garden herb we love with blueberry is mint — my son makes blueberry mint popsicles and they are seriously gooood.
Word to the wise ~ I’ve been making homespun treats of this nature for a few years now and one thing I can tell you is that these cold snacks/desserts are always best served right from the blender. If you leave them out too long at room temperature (or even in the fridge) the frozen fruit will begin to thaw and you will end up with a little puddle. If you try to freeze and save for later, the consistency will change and become grainy and pasty — not good.
So if there are any rules, I would say serve immediately. Otherwise, be a rebel. You can assemble all of your ingredients ahead of time (while keeping the fruit frozen) and then just give it a whirl when you’re ready to enjoy. You can also modify quantity, varying the batch size to suit your needs.
Now I did try a balsamic version (just part of the sacrifices I make) — subbing balsamic for the lemon juice but, to my surprise, I didn’t like it very much. Not much at all, in fact. In this particular recipe, I found the balsamic contributed too much on the sweet side and not enough on the tart side – not my thing but you could certainly play around and see what suits you best.
- 4 heaping cups frozen blueberries (or frozen chopped fruit of choice)
- 1 generous cup plain Greek yogurt (I use 2%)
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 to 4 Tbsp pure maple syrup (or sweetener of choice*) depending on taste preference
- Handful fresh basil leaves
- Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until well combined, stopping to scrape down sides of blender, as needed. The consistency will be fairly thick but will begin to thin relatively quickly.
- Be sure to serve right after blending for best consistency and taste!
Use frozen fruit - you can experiment with different fruit, citrus juice/zest and herbs here but the fruit needs to be frozen in order for this recipe to work - frozen berries work especially well but you could experiment with other frozen fruit such as mango, kiwi and melon chunks to see how you like the texture.
Serve Immediately - I mentioned this in the body of the post but it's important to serve this snack/dessert right from the blender for best taste/texture results.
The sweet factor - the amount of sweetener you add, if any, will depend on your taste preference but keep in mind that fruit is already quite sweet by nature and if you choose to use a flavored yogurt, you may want to skip the additional sweetener all together.
Why Greek Yogurt - I favor Greek yogurt for its exceptional protein content and gorgeous texture. All yogurts, regardless of milk fat content, begin the same way - by adding bacterial cultures to milk. Greek yogurt begins this way but it soon departs from other yogurt brands in that the milk is strained to remove the liquid whey. According to manufacturers, this process of straining means that as many as four pounds of milk are required to produce one pound of Greek yogurt. The resulting product is a far more concentrated source of protein (from casein) and a thick and creamy texture characteristic of Greek yogurt (regardless of fat content - even zero fat Greek yogurt has a cream-like texture reminiscent of sour cream - though I generally use 2% fat content). You will pay more for Greek yogurt but I think you will find that you get what you pay for.
Gorgeous froyo Kelly! One of my favorite summer flavors in one of my favorite summer treats! I love the idea of a splash of maple syrup for a sweetener! Now if only I could enjoy a cup of this while sitting in that rowboat at sunset! That’s a stunning photo! : )
Hello Anne! Apologies for the tardy reply and thank you kindly for dropping by… so lovely to see you — have you started a new blog (or just changed the name?) I hope you’ve been keeping well, xx
such a lovely summer treat! It’s winter in Sydney so I will remember this for December ;)
Ah, December will be here soon enough…thank you Hungry Mum and welcome to Inspired Edibles :)
Now that pic at the very end looks like Ontario, is it? I think of you often, climatizing to your new home and the very difficult drought that is happening (some photos are quite shocking really). Will you be coming to Toronto for any of the PanAm games? I know you’ll be busy reconnecting with family and friends so I won’t even try to meet up with you, just know I’m thinking of you!
I’ve made a blueberry banana frozen dessert that was simply TDF…the banana was the creamy part (I just sliced bananas and put them on a baking sheet in the freezer, I used Costco’s mega-sac of frozen wild blueberries and blitzed them with my stick blender). I love adding basil to it, I would think that it elevates the flavours to a real sophisticated combination. The photos are indeed lovely.
rural Ontario it is…or, as we like to call it, heaven :) we drove through Toronto on day 1 of the PanAm games (!) Luckily we got a very early start and the traffic was not an issue at that hour. Yes, visits home are always tricky in the sense that we have to pick and choose and try and accommodate both sides of the family… inevitably, there are some (including family members) we don’t get to see which is tough…and I have yet to share an evening with a friend since our departure; so it goes. Yes, banana, wonderful in these treats – I have a couple on the blog. Cheers Eva.
How easy and fun! I love this. The kids and I were just talking about making a banana version, but blueberry mint sounds phenomenal. Love that one of the boys made it into Popsicles! So cute! My kids would love that! Hope your summer vacay is off to a great start. :)
thank you Kristy – I hope you and the family are having a ball this summer; thinking of you! (the boys return to school on the 17th… seems earlier every year :(
Ah, such a beautiful, healthy treat! I would much prefer this to fro-yo from a shop! Which is so ridiculously expensive anyway…
Blueberry and lemon is always a winning combination, and adding the basil makes it so unique. I’ve got to try it!
That picture at the bottom is so stunning…..summer in a nutshell :-)
thank you so much KoKo – you are always so kind, supportive and full of positive energy. I love reading you!
Blueberry and basil and yogurt all frozen up together? I love it!!
That last photo is so peaceful.
yes, peaceful it is Maureen… we luxuriated there recently and I already miss it dearly. Thank you for dropping by.
I caught a glimpse of these on Foodgawker and was mesmerized – had to come over and have a closer look. Your photography is just beautiful and I took the opportunity to browse your site. I love your approach to food – using simple whole ingredients to create delicious results. So sensible and down to earth. Your writing is also friendly and beautiful… so glad I discovered you! And as for this recipe, I cannot think of a more delicious way to keep cool and refreshed in the summertime. Gorgeous!
Marissa, what a delight to read your note; thank you for taking the time! I am just getting back from holidays and a little tardy in my reply but that is not a reflection of my appreciation for your kind words. Welcome to Inspired Edibles!
This looks absolutely delicious, Kelly! I love how easily it comes together and all of the ways you can customize it. And what a great way to trick your kids into eating fruit :) Have you been to Bi-Rite in SF for ice cream? They have a flavor with balsamic in it, but I’ve always been too hesitant to try it out!
I am just now getting settled in SF and have missed so many great posts from you! I hope you are having a wonderful summer!!
Hi Julia! We had some really neat and innovative flavored ice cream (so yum) at Fisherman’s Wharf back in May but I can’t recall whether it was Bi-Rite – you realize you are going to become my go-to girl for all things culinary in SF :) we don’t get up there nearly enough and I have so much to discover…Which reminds me, I have to shoot you an email to coordinate our fall date with Vanilla and Bean. Can’t wait to meet you ladies!!
The sunset picture is gorgeous! This is a perfect little dessert for Bobby and me. We both love fruity desserts and ice cream type treats so this is a keeper. Headed to Costco tomorrow for berries. :) Thanks for sharing this!
yay! happy to hear it appeals MJ… hope you two enjoy :)
Love simple frozen treats like this, Kelly, and it comes together quick enough so that when I’m craving a cold treat, this one whips up in minutes! The simplicity, vibrancy and nourishing factor is pulling me in… just look at the color! I’m not sure I could decide between basil or mint. Blueberries are my most favorite of berries. Thank you for this!
thank you Traci! I didn’t know blueberry was your favorite… I hit the jackpot :) the cool thing about real food is that it doesn’t have to be complicated to be good. It just is.
Ok, I don’t know what to say now, because the last photo took my breath away….
magical. purely magical
but now that I regained my composure, I intend to give this a try for sure, I know my beloved will appreciate, and we happen to have a ton of blueberries in the fridge, he keeps buying them, compulsively.. ;-)
I also take this opportunity to thank you for the incredible sacrifices you put yourself through in the name of food blogging. It is hard to keep my eyes dry.
;-)
heeheeh, I know… my selflessness knows no bounds ;-) Hope you enjoy this simple refreshing treat Sally!
I’m definitely going to give this a whirl, but I think I’m going to try and use my kefir instead of the greek yogurt. The idea of basil and blueberry together sounds so delicious! And right now the blueberries are perfect. You are the queen of the frozen yogurt desserts!!! xxx PS..love that picture of the lake!!!
Oh, yes, let me know how you enjoy your kefir version… the lake is heavenly. I’m missing it with my whole heart (and body!).
Love the flavors and colors — just gorgeous! Also love that this is a quick treat!
I know, I just love when we can whip something up that the whole family enjoys without spending a whole afternoon doing it :) thanks Patricia.
We made this last night Kelly! it was so tasty and the perfect cool down after a muggy day. I substituted lime for lemon (strangely didn’t have lemon) and found the basil such a nice touch in this mixture – so fresh. I love how you keep giving us new ways and reasons to use our garden herbs. Next time I will try your son’s version with mint!
how great to hear Clare! I’m so happy this recipe worked out for you… yay! Love hearing that. Yes, the mint, a must try…. so vibrant and gorgeously refreshing… can’t get enough this time of year!
This looks like something that I need to try! I haven’t but blueberries and basil together before, sounds good!
Hi Karen, thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you like the combination of blueberry/basil or discover one you enjoy even more :)
How simple.. and healthy too! I love berry fro yo and can definitely see myself making the recipe – it’s a shame its winter here in Australia though!
ah, but summer is on its way…enjoy Thalia!
Gorgeous! I love the combination of flavors and color. I’ve got the frozen blueberries, I’m running out to get the basil. Cannot wait to try this – thank you!
wonderful! I hope you enjoy Mia – thank you for taking the time to drop in.
This looks soooo good! I’m excited to make it AND I think the kids will love it too!
thanks Donna! I hope you and your youngsters enjoy :)
5 minutes to obtain such a beautiful and delicious AND healthy summer dessert? I find it hard to believe, but I should have learnt from your blog that you make everything possible (even quinoa becomes exciting with Kelly’s touch!). I keep on making my yogurt and fruit-based mousses this summer too and your creation is not very far with its ice-creamy texture…. minus the chilling time to set the gelatin, so I think I’m heading to the kitchen and freezing the fruits! Thank you so much for inspiration and have wonderful time!
thank you Sissi – you’re very kind with your words – haha, yes, frozen fruit is a beautiful thing :)
Great recipe – tasty and made in 5 mins! Can’t wait to try it tonight – very hot and humid today. Great images Kelly, keep up the lovely work :)
thank you Lynn! I hope you enjoy this blended treat – so refreshing on a hot summer’s day! :)