20 Delicious Frozen Dessert Recipes

May 11, 2016
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Photo: Jennifer Causey
When summer is at its hottest, nothing beats a cool dessert to cap a meal. Make sure your dessert is delicious and healthy by making your own.
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Our Best Frozen Dessert Recipes

Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Quick Berry Frozen Yogurt

Warm weather means it's time for cool treats. Frozen desserts like ice cream and frozen yogurt are easy to make at home (with or without an ice cream machine!). They're sweet, creamy, and if made well can be surprisingly healthy.

An easy introduction: Quick Berry Frozen Yogurt. All you need to make this melt-in-your-mouth dessert is 5 minutes and a food processor. It's easy to customize with your family's favorite berries or fruits.

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Breakfast Parfait Pops

Photo: Rebecca Longshore
View Recipe: Breakfast Parfait Pops

These kid-friendly parfait pops are a great option for breakfast on-the-run or a sweet protein-rich afternoon snack. Easily customize it with different fruits and flavors of granola. 

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Matcha-Tahini Ice Cream

View Recipe: Matcha-Tahini Ice Cream

It’s easy enough to make your own version of sesame ice cream at home. Use tahini (sesame seed paste) for loads of nutty flavor and creamy texture. Load on some matcha, and this ice cream is over-the-top good.

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Poached Fruit Over Vanilla Frozen Yogurt

Photo: Brian Woodcock; Styling: Cindy Barr
View Recipe: Poached Fruit Over Vanilla Frozen Yogurt

Any unsweetened juice (such as apple or cherry) will work. We love a mix of dried plum, pear, and apple. Dried figs, apricots, and cherries would also be delicious.

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Lemon Verbena Ice Cream

Photo: Romulo Yanes
View Recipe: Lemon Verbena Ice Cream

"I remember discovering lemon verbena one summer at the green market in New York," says Chef Quinn Hatfield, of Hatfield's, in Los Angeles. "The smell is intoxicating, and it stays with you forever."

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Banana-Mango Frozen Yogurt

Oxmoor House
View Recipe: Banana-Mango Frozen Yogurt

You can feel good about this dessert, from the book Cooking Light First Foods, because it's made with fresh fruit, milk, and yogurt, so not only will you love it, but your toddler will as well.

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Dark Cherry Merlot Sauce over Yogurt

Photo: Romulo Yanes
View Recipe: Dark Cherry Merlot Sauce over Yogurt

We love the flavor of a tangy fro-yo with this sweet sauce, but ice cream works just as well.

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Broiled Pineapple With Bourbon Caramel Over Vanilla Ice Cream

Photo: Quentin Bacon
View Recipe: Broiled Pineapple With Bourbon Caramel Over Vanilla Ice Cream

Sugar-coated fruit caramelizes beautifully under the broiler, deepening and intensifying its flavor. Toasted coconut has a sweet nuttiness and a texture that is both crispy and chewy.

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Raspberry Frozen Yogurt

Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Raspberry Frozen Yogurt

This light, refreshing frozen yogurt makes an ideal end to a nice dinner. Serve with biscotti and a garnish of fresh mint sprigs.

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Mexican Hot Fudge Sundae Bowls

Photo: Greg Dupree
View Recipe: Mexican Hot Fudge Sundae Bowls

This delicious dessert earned raves from the Cooking Light staff. Although not traditional, a corn tortilla cup might just taste better than a beloved waffle cone.

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No-Cook Fro-Yo

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: No-Cook Fro-Yo

This super easy recipe for frozen yogurt only uses 4 ingredients and doesn't require any cooking!

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Lavender and Toasted Almond Ice Cream with Warm Figs

Photo: Jan Smith
View Recipe: Lavender and Toasted Almond Ice Cream with Warm Figs

This delicious ice cream is redolent with lavender, almonds, honey, and figs. Look for dried lavender flowers in natural foods or specialty grocery stores, or buy it on Amazon. 

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Pineapple-Brown Sugar Frozen Yogurt

Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Pineapple-Brown Sugar Frozen Yogurt

Brown sugar adds a caramel hint to this fruity frozen treat. Throw in some candied cherries for a pineapple upside-down cake twist.

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Strawberry-White Fudge Crunch Frozen Yogurt

Photo: Karry Hosford
View Recipe: Strawberry-White Fudge Crunch Frozen Yogurt

Frozen yogurt, pretzels, and baking chips create a sweet-salty, creamy-crunchy combination.

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Almond Butter Nice Cream

Photo: Katherine Flynn
View Recipe: Almond Butter Nice Cream

A blend between frozen yogurt and ice cream, "nice" cream is the easiest and healthiest way to satisfy your sweet tooth. There's nothing better than the salty and sweet combination of nuts and chocolate. We've elevated this classic combo with creamy almond butter and high quality cocoa powder. 

 

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Frozen Yogurt Dots

Photo: Rebecca Longshore
View Recipe: Frozen Yogurt Dots

These naturally flavored frozen yogurt dots are an easy and fast creamy treat. Make a batch on the weekends to keep handy when a sweet tooth craving hits.

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Peppermint Ice Cream

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
View Recipe: Peppermint Ice Cream

Crushed peppermint candies turn this ice cream a soft pink. This is a great make-ahead recipe; if it's frozen solid, remove it from the freezer 30 minutes before serving so it can soften.

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Frozen Yogurt Blueberry Bites

Photo: Rebecca Longshore
View Recipe: Frozen Yogurt Blueberry Bites

Frozen blueberries are absolutely delicious, and when dipped in creamy Greek yogurt and frozen again, they make for a delightful snack or slightly sweet dessert.

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Honey-Lavender Ricotta Ice Cream

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
View Recipe: Honey-Lavender Ricotta Ice Cream

Infusing the syrup with lavender imparts a subtle floral flavor to this ice cream. Look for fresh ricotta cheese at gourmet markets, or you can make your own—go to CookingLight.com for our homemade version. It lends the ice cream wonderful richness. Serve with Easy Raspberry Sauce, and garnish with lavender sprigs.

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Soft Serve Nice Cream

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Soft Serve Nice Cream

If you’re unfamiliar with the term “nice cream,” it refers to an ice cream–like concoction made by pureeing frozen bananas. This version takes on a smooth, creamy, soft-serve texture with the addition of a little coconut milk. A handful of soft, sticky dates and a sprinkling of salt also enhance the flavor, lending the dessert a caramel-like richness. The final touch is a crunchy coconut flake topping that adds an irresistible textural contrast that both counters and enhances the soft, creamy texture of the nice cream.

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