This recipe started with my Strawberry Banana Ice Cream. I wanted a lighter, higher-protein version that was still creamy and scoopable, so I swapped the base for Greek yogurt and cottage cheese.
That’s how this strawberry frozen yogurt came together. It’s tangy from the yogurt, packed with real strawberries, and has about 9 grams of protein per serving, but it still tastes like dessert rather than a diet snack.
If you’d rather start simpler, my plain tart frozen yogurt is the unflavored version of this base.
Jump to:
- Why You’ll Love This Strawberry Frozen Yogurt
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- Easy Swaps and Add-Ins
- How to Make Ninja Creami Strawberry Protein Frozen Yogurt
- 🍒 Mix-Ins and Topping Ideas
- Serving Size
- Tools You’ll Need
- Quick Tips
- Recipe FAQs
- More Strawberry and Frozen Yogurt Recipes
- Did you try this recipe?
- Ninja Creami Strawberry Frozen Yogurt
Why You’ll Love This Strawberry Frozen Yogurt
- 9 g protein per serving. Greek yogurt and cottage cheese supply all of it, so there’s no protein powder and none of the chalky texture that comes with it.
- Real strawberry flavor. The flavor comes from actual strawberries, fresh or frozen, not syrups or flavorings, so it tastes bright and fruity instead of artificial.
- Tangy like real froyo. The Greek yogurt gives it that classic frozen yogurt tang, so it doesn’t taste like a protein snack pretending to be dessert.
- Sugar-free or classic, your choice. Allulose keeps it sugar-free without a bitter aftertaste, or you can use regular sugar if you prefer.
- No pudding mix. Blended cottage cheese gives the base its body, so it spins creamy without the thickeners many protein recipes rely on.
- A lighter take on a favorite. If you’ve made my Ninja Creami Strawberry Banana Ice Cream, this is the lighter, higher-protein version of that flavor.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Strawberries: Strawberries give the froyo its flavor and color. Fresh or frozen both work, and frozen strawberries are often sweeter and more concentrated, which helps here. If you use frozen, thaw and drain them first, since extra juice adds water and makes the pint icier. Hull fresh ones before blending.
- Greek yogurt: Greek yogurt brings the tang that makes this taste like real froyo, plus protein and thickness. Use full-fat or 2% for the best texture. Fat-free has more water and tends to spin up icier. Chobani and Fage are both reliable.
- Cottage cheese: Cottage cheese adds creaminess and extra protein without any noticeable flavor once it’s blended completely smooth. Any curds left in the base freeze into small lumps. It’s the same trick I use in my Ninja Creami Rocky Road Ice Cream.
- Allulose: Allulose sweetens without a bitter aftertaste, and unlike erythritol, it doesn’t recrystallize when frozen, so the texture stays smooth instead of gritty. You can find it at Costco, Whole Foods, or on Amazon. Regular sugar works too (see Easy Swaps).
- Vanilla extract: A small amount rounds out the tangy and sweet flavors so the strawberry tastes fuller.
- Milk: Whole or 2% milk thins the base just enough to blend and spin cleanly. Without it, the base is too thick for the blade to process evenly.
Easy Swaps and Add-Ins
- Regular sugar instead of allulose: Use ¼ cup granulated sugar. The texture stays smooth, since sugar also keeps frozen yogurt soft. Allulose just keeps it sugar-free.
- Higher-protein yogurt: Use a high-protein Greek yogurt like Oikos Pro to push the protein even higher. It has more protein per serving than most regular Greek yogurts, and the texture stays about the same.
- Mixed berry froyo: Swap half the strawberries for blueberries or raspberries. The base stays the same, and the other berries add a deeper color and a little more tartness.
- Dairy-free version: Use a full-fat coconut or oat yogurt instead of Greek yogurt, full-fat coconut cream instead of cottage cheese, and oat milk instead of dairy milk. The protein drops a lot, but the strawberry flavor still comes through.
How to Make Ninja Creami Strawberry Protein Frozen Yogurt
- Blend: Blend the cottage cheese alone first until completely smooth. Then add the strawberries, Greek yogurt, allulose, vanilla extract, and milk, and blend again until there are no curds or strawberry pieces left. Anything left unblended freezes into icy or grainy bits.
- Freeze: Pour the base into your Ninja Creami pint, keeping it below the max fill line. Seal and freeze on a level surface for at least 24 hours, so it freezes solid and evenly all the way through.
- Spin: Let the pint sit on the counter for 2 to 3 minutes, then lock it into your Ninja Creami and process on Lite Ice Cream.
- Respin if needed: If it looks crumbly or powdery, run Respin once. Add 1 tablespoon of milk first only if it’s still dry, since too much liquid makes it soft and icy.
- Scoop and serve: Scoop right away for a soft-serve froyo texture, or freeze for 20 to 30 minutes for firmer scoops.
🍒 Mix-Ins and Topping Ideas
Strawberry froyo goes well with toppings that add crunch or a little extra sweetness without covering up the tang. For mix-ins, make a well down the center of the spun froyo, add them, and run the Mix-In program.
- Fresh strawberry chunks: Fold them in after spinning, or pile them on top for bursts of fresh fruit. Add them right before eating, since fresh fruit turns icy if it sits in the pint.
- Granola: Granola adds crunch and turns a scoop into a froyo bowl. Use the Mix-In program so it spreads evenly, or sprinkle it on top so it stays extra crunchy.
- White chocolate chips: A small handful adds sweetness and creaminess that balances the tangy yogurt.
- Graham cracker crumbs: These give it a strawberry cheesecake feel. If you like that combination, try my Ninja Creami Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream.
- Honey drizzle: A light drizzle on top adds a floral sweetness that goes well with strawberry. Skip it if you’re keeping it sugar-free.
- Strawberry jam swirl: A teaspoon added to the mix-in well makes a jammy ribbon through the froyo and deepens the strawberry flavor.
For a full breakdown of what works as mix-ins across different Creami recipes, see my guide to the best Ninja Creami mix-ins.
Serving Size
This recipe is made for the Ninja Creami Deluxe and makes 4 servings from one 24 oz pint.
If you have the original Ninja Creami with a 16 oz pint, use about two thirds of each ingredient: ⅔ cup strawberries, ½ cup Greek yogurt, ⅓ cup cottage cheese, ⅓ cup milk, about 3½ tablespoons allulose, and ¾ teaspoon vanilla.
Tools You’ll Need
- Blender: Makes mixing ingredients effortless.
- Ninja CREAMi Deluxe 11-in-1 Ice Cream & Frozen Treat Maker: The star of the show, perfect for creating creamy, smooth ice cream.
- Ninja Creami Pint Container: The pint container is essential for freezing and churning your ice cream mix.
Quick Tips
- Blend the cottage cheese alone first. It only takes about 20 extra seconds and gets it completely smooth before anything else goes in. Skipping this is the most common reason cottage cheese bases come out grainy.
- Use full-fat or 2% Greek yogurt. Fat-free Greek yogurt has more water, which makes an icy pint more likely. A little fat keeps the texture smooth and scoopable.
- Drain thawed frozen strawberries. The juice that collects as they thaw is mostly water. Adding it to the base makes the froyo icier.
- Taste the base before freezing. Sweetness reads milder once it’s frozen, so the base should taste a little sweeter than you want the finished froyo to be.
- Strain for an extra smooth finish. Strawberry seeds don’t change the flavor, but they can make the texture feel slightly gritty. A quick strain before pouring into the pint takes care of it.
- Go easy on respin liquid. If the first spin is crumbly, respin before adding anything. Add a tablespoon of milk only if it’s still dry, since extra liquid makes it soft and icy.
Recipe FAQs
I use the Lite Ice Cream for lighter and softer texture. If the first spin comes out crumbly, run Respin once before adding any liquid.
Yes. Frozen strawberries are often sweeter and more concentrated than fresh. Thaw and drain them before blending, since the extra juice adds water and makes the froyo icier.
About 9 grams per serving, or about 35 grams for the full 24 oz pint. All of it comes from the Greek yogurt and cottage cheese, with no protein powder.
You can, but expect a slightly icier result. Fat-free yogurt has more water and less fat, which affects how smoothly it spins. Full-fat or 2% gives you the best texture in this recipe.
No. Once it’s blended completely smooth and combined with the Greek yogurt, strawberries, and vanilla, you can’t taste the cottage cheese at all. It adds creaminess and protein without any noticeable flavor of its own.
The most common causes are fat-free yogurt, not freezing the full 24 hours, adding the juice from thawed frozen strawberries, or not blending the cottage cheese smooth. Use full-fat or 2% Greek yogurt, drain the berries, and blend the cottage cheese alone first. One respin usually fixes any remaining texture.
More Strawberry and Frozen Yogurt Recipes
- Ninja Creami Plain Tart Frozen Yogurt: the unflavored froyo base, if you want to start simpler
- Ninja Creami Strawberry Banana Ice Cream: the classic, full-fat version of this flavor
- Ninja Creami Creamy Strawberry Sorbet: dairy-free and the lightest strawberry option
- Ninja Creami Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream: strawberry in a richer direction
- Ninja Creami Protein Ice Cream: a vanilla protein base with no protein powder
Did you try this recipe?
Share how it turned out in the comments below, and if you loved it, share it on Facebook, Pinterest & Instagram.
Thank you! - Rose
Ninja Creami Strawberry Frozen Yogurt
Equipment
- Ninja Creami Deluxe Ice Cream maker
- Ninja Creami 24 ounce container pint
- Blender
Ingredients
- 1 cup strawberries hulled, fresh or frozen and thawed
- ½ cup whole milk or 2% milk
- ¾ cup full-fat or 2% Greek yogurt
- ½ cup cottage cheese
- ⅓ cup allulose or white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add the cottage cheese, strawberries, Greek yogurt, allulose, vanilla extract, and milk to a blender. Blend until completely smooth, with no visible cottage cheese curds or strawberry pieces.1 cup strawberries, ½ cup whole milk or 2% milk, ¾ cup full-fat or 2% Greek yogurt, ½ cup cottage cheese, ⅓ cup allulose, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pour the mixture into a Ninja Creami pint container, keeping it at or below the max fill line.
- Seal the pint and freeze on a level surface for 24 hours.
- Remove the pint from the freezer and let it sit at room temperature for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Process on the Lite Ice Cream setting for a lighter froyo texture, or use Ice Cream for a denser result.
- Respin once if the texture is crumbly after the first spin.
- Scoop and serve immediately, or refreeze for 20 to 30 minutes for firmer scoops.
Notes
- Use full-fat or 2% Greek yogurt for the creamiest texture. Fat-free Greek yogurt can turn out icier.
- Blend the base until completely smooth so there are no cottage cheese curds or strawberry chunks.
- Fresh or frozen strawberries both work. If using frozen strawberries, thaw and drain them first.
- Straining the base is optional, but it helps remove strawberry seeds for a smoother froyo.
- Taste the base before freezing. It should taste a little sweeter than you want the final frozen yogurt to be.
- If the first spin is crumbly or powdery, run Respin once. Add 1 tablespoon of milk only if needed.
- Serve right away for a soft-serve texture, or freeze for 20 to 30 minutes for firmer scoops.
- Flatten leftovers in the pint before refreezing so it spins evenly next time.
- For extra strawberry flavor, add a few chopped strawberries after spinning, but avoid adding large frozen chunks before processing.
Rose Sioson says
Want even more protein? Use a high-protein Greek yogurt like Oikos Pro. The texture stays about the same. And if you want to keep it simple, my plain tart frozen yogurt is the unflavored version of this base. Tell me which one you made.