Adapted from the Pines Lake Women’s Club Dessert Cookbook (1950s)
The best recipes are the ones you can adapt and make your own, depending on your mood or what’s in season. This one started with a no-churn ice cream recipe from Grace Nash that I keep coming back to.
I found Grace’s recipe for no-churn strawberry ice cream in the Pines Lake Women’s Club Cookbook from the 1950s. It has a sour cream base, takes almost no effort, and is genuinely delicious. I used the same formula with peaches and ginger cookies, and that turned out just as well.
A few friends asked if Greek yogurt could stand in for the sour cream, so I went back to the kitchen to test a cherry and chocolate version (one of my favorite flavor combinations). I am happy to report that with a few small adjustments, it works!
The result is a good balance of tangy and sweet, with streaks of cherries and chunks of chocolate throughout. It’s a wonderful showcase for cherries at their summer peak, and it’s ridiculously easy to put together.
Keep in mind this won’t have the silky texture of churned frozen yogurt — it’s a bit icier. But I’m certain you’ll be going back for seconds!
One note: this melts quickly, so keep it in the freezer between scoops. Also, the recipe also only makes about a pint, so you may want to double it!
Using frozen cherries: I made this batches with fresh cherries as they were in season. While I haven’t tested them yet, frozen could work well too. Thaw them completely — a bowl at room temperature for an hour or so, or overnight in the fridge — then drain off any accumulated liquid and pat the cherries dry before chopping. From there, proceed with the maceration step as directed, but shorten the time to 30-40 minutes, since thawed cherries release their juices faster than fresh ones.
Drop a comment below if you made this recipe – I’d love to know!
No-Churn Cherry Chocolate Frozen Yogurt
Ingredients
Yogurt Base
- 2 cups (1 pint) full-fat Greek yogurt*
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 big pinch of salt
Cherry Mix-in
- 3/4 cup chopped fresh cherries, about 4-5 oz (see notes if using frozen cherries)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Chocolate Mix-in
- 2-3 tablespoons chopped dark chocolate from chips or a bar, your choice
Instructions
- Whisk together the yogurt, sugar, salt, and vanilla until fully combined and the sugar is dissolved, with no gritty texture left.
- Pour into a shallow, freezer-safe pan. Freeze for 90 minutes total, stirring every 30 minutes (3 times), scraping the sides and folding in any frozen bits each time.
- While the base freezes, combine the cherries with the sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla in a bowl. Let sit for 60 minutes so the cherries release their juices and form a light syrup.
- Once the 90 minutes are up and the base has started to firm, gently stir in the chocolate, if using.
- Strain the cherries, reserving the syrup (nice drizzled on top or in a drink). Gently scatter the drained cherries over the surface of the base, keeping streaks and chunks rather than fully mixing them in — you want the vanilla base color to still show through.
- Cover the pan with parchment or plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface. This sets the cherry layer and helps prevent ice crystals.
- Freeze until completely firm, about 2-4 hours total, depending on your freezer and pan size.
- Let sit at room temperature for a few minutes before scooping and serving.
- Note: since this is a no-churn method, the texture will be a bit icier than traditional churned frozen yogurt, but still delicious. It melts fast on a hot day, so serve promptly.
- Leftovers should be stored in an airtight container in the freezer; the yogurt is best consumed within 3-4 days.
- YIELD: 1 pint (2 cups)
