What Is Frozen Yogurt?

Even if, like me, you’re not particularly a fan of Chobani or Dannon, you might still have a place in your heart for frozen yogurt. What is frozen yogurt made of if not yogurt, or course, but for some reason, the freezing of it, and the addition of about ten billion different types of flavor and a similarly large number of toppings, transforms it into an enjoyable treat.

Let’s dig deeper into yogurt (ew!) and frozen yogurt (yum!), shall we?

Essentially, yogurt is the byproduct of fermenting milk. When the good kind of bacteria known as yogurt cultures ferment the sugar in the milk, they produce lactic acid, which acts on the protein in the milk to transform it into its characteristic yogurt-y texture and flavor. Cow’s milk is most commonly used, but milk from other mammals such as buffalo, sheep, and goats are also suitable for this purpose.

Yogurt is super old. It was most likely invented around 5000 B.C. and was enjoyed by a variety of ancient cultures. It was brought to the U.S. in the 1900s and attained popularity in the 1930s thanks to Dannon. Frozen yogurt, on the other hand, was invented much more recently, in the 1970s. Originally styled as frogurt—which, like, I’m not a marketing genius, but does have the word “frog” in it—it quickly made the switch to frozen yogurt, or fro-yo, which sounds much more appetizing, and exploded from there. Today, frozen yogurt is a common alternative to ice cream, and super popular in its own right.

Does frozen yogurt have dairy?

Yes, as with the un-frozen variety, yogurt is made from milk and is thus a dairy product. If you’re trying to eat dairy-free, you should avoid it. However, if you are lactose intolerant, it’s worth noting that yogurt, and frozen yogurt, may be much easier to digest since the lactose is broken down in the fermentation process.

And does frozen yogurt have probiotics?

Yes again! Probiotics, which are those good bacteria I mentioned earlier, are contained in yogurt of all temperatures and provide health benefits such as good gut health and an improved immune system.

What’s the difference between frozen yogurt and ice cream?

Well, while fro-yo uses yogurt (which again, is made from milk) as its base, ice cream uses cream. This means that ice cream contains more milk fat and thus fro-yo has fewer calories than ice cream. Of course, if you add several scoops of gummy bears and mochi to your yogurt as some of us like to, then the caloric difference starts to disappear.

However you enjoy your frozen yogurt, it’s a fun, satisfying, potentially more healthful dessert option. And it’s way, way better than regular yogurt.