Fruity frozen yogurt for children

Mild strawberry and banana frozen yogurt with half the sugar, no honey and no alcohol. It can also be made as ice lollies.

A children’s version of frozen yogurt: most of the sweetness comes from ripe banana and strawberries, and there is about half the added sugar of an ordinary recipe (about 8 g per 100 g). It contains no honey, which children under 1 year must not have, and no vanilla extract with alcohol. The healthier side: about 100 kcal per 100 g, little fat, and calcium and protein from the yogurt. The trade-off: with less sugar it is harder straight from the freezer — it is best eaten straight from the machine or frozen as ice lollies, which are fine to eat hard.

Type: Frozen yogurt · Servings: 8 · Difficulty: Easy

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 60 g whole milk 3.5 %
  • 55 g granulated sugar (sucrose)
  • 30 g dextrose (glucose powder)
  • 35 g skimmed milk powder
  • 1.5 g locust bean gum (carob gum, E410)
  • 200 g strawberries
  • 150 g overripe banana (brown-speckled, peeled) (1–2 ripe bananas)
  • 450 g plain yogurt 3 % (whole-milk, plain)

Making the mix

  1. Mix the dry sugar, dextrose, milk powder and locust bean gum, stir in the milk and heat to 85 °C. Hold for two minutes.
  2. Cool the syrup in iced water and chill it completely in the fridge.
  3. Blend the strawberries and banana into a smooth purée.
  4. Whisk the purée, cold syrup and chilled yogurt together. Don’t heat the yogurt.

Method — Compressor ice cream maker

  1. Switch on the ice cream maker 5–10 minutes in advance so the bowl pre-chills.
  2. Pour in the chilled mix (no higher than the fill line) and churn for 25–35 minutes until it has the consistency of a thick cream.
  3. Serve straight away, or after a short spell in the freezer (half an hour at most).

The mix has less sugar and fewer solids than ordinary ice cream, so in the freezer it sets almost rock hard. It is best straight after churning; from the freezer, let it soften for 20–30 minutes or beat it before serving. The CREAMi is ideal for this kind of recipe, as it processes the frozen block just before you eat it.

Total time: 2 h

Method — Freezer-bowl ice cream maker

  1. Freeze the bowl for at least 24 hours in advance. Take it out just before use, fit the paddle and switch the machine on.
  2. With the machine running, pour in the thoroughly chilled mix — filling the bowl no more than two-thirds full; freeze the rest as a second batch.
  3. Churn for 20–30 minutes until the mix thickens. Going on longer is pointless — the bowl has already warmed up.
  4. Serve straight away, or after a short spell in the freezer.

The mix has less sugar and fewer solids than ordinary ice cream, so in the freezer it sets almost rock hard. It is best straight after churning; from the freezer, let it soften for 20–30 minutes or beat it before serving. The CREAMi is ideal for this kind of recipe, as it processes the frozen block just before you eat it.

Total time: 1 h 55 min

Method — Ninja CREAMi and similar machines

  1. Pour the mix into the CREAMi tub up to the MAX line (one or two tubs, depending on their size), put the lid on and freeze level for 24 hours.
  2. Put the tub in the machine and run the Frozen Yogurt (if your model doesn’t have it, Lite Ice Cream) program.
  3. If the result is crumbly or powdery, add 1–2 tablespoons of milk and run Re-spin — with a very cold freezer even twice.

Programme: Frozen Yogurt (if your model doesn’t have it, Lite Ice Cream)

Total time: 25 h 5 min

Method — No-machine method

  1. Pour the mix into ice lolly moulds, leaving 1 cm of space (it expands as it freezes).
  2. Insert the sticks and freeze for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight.
  3. Before serving, hold the mould under warm water for a moment and the lolly will slide out easily.

Ice lollies are ideal for this recipe — no machine and no stirring, and hardness doesn’t matter in a lolly.

Total time: 7 h

Stages

Preparation
15 min
Cooking
5 min
Cooling
40 min
Freezing
6 h
Total time
7 h

Serving and storage

Small portions in bowls with chopped fruit, or as ice lollies. For young children, let it soften a little so it isn’t too cold.

Ice lollies in their moulds or in a bag, 2–3 weeks; the frozen yogurt in a container, up to 5 days.

Tips

  • For children under 1 year, leave out both the sugar and the dextrose and freeze just the yogurt with the fruit purée as ice lollies — a baby doesn’t need added sugar.
  • Never sweeten with honey for children under 1 year — there is a risk of infant botulism.
  • You can replace the strawberries with raspberries, blueberries or peaches; keep the banana, as it holds the creaminess.

Why it works

The mix contains about 8 % added sugar, compared with 15–17 % in ordinary frozen yogurt. Less sugar means a higher freezing point and more ice — which is why the recipe has milk powder and locust bean gum, which bind water, and ripe banana, whose flesh acts as a natural thickener. The UK’s NHS recommends that children under 1 year are not given added sugar or honey; for older children, too, it is advisable to limit added sugar.

Sources