Healthy Almond Pistachio Frozen Yogurt (Dairy Free)

This delicious and healthy frozen yogurt recipe is almond pistachio flavoured, dairy free, gluten free, and plant based. Perfect for a creamy, cold snack or dessert! 

Healthy Almond Pistachio Fro-Yo // Dairy Free via Nutrition in the Kitch

Dairy Free Almond Pistachio Frozen Yogurt… Yes Please!

Several years ago a little frozen yogurt shop opened up close to our home. Surprisingly enough, this was a bit new for our city, so I had to check it out and I’ll admit, I developed a bit of an obsession. I was really hooked, I mean who doesn’t like fro-yo??

Funnily enough, most fro-yo joints market themselves as “healthy”. But often, with some investigating you’ll find the frozen yogurt is really no more than a glorified ice cream, loaded with refined sugars and even artificial ingredients. That’s what I found when I moseyed along to this little spots website to look at the ingredients lists and nutritional information.

Healthy Almond Pistachio Fro-Yo // Dairy Free via Nutrition in the Kitch

Bummer. At least I lived in ignorant bliss for a short while. I eventually decided to forgo the fro-yo and make my own healthier version at home!

When I began brainstorming different fro-yo flavours that I could whip up in the kitch, I landed on the shelled pistachios sitting pretty in my pantry. I also remembered that I had almond extract hidden in my pantry too, and with a little creativity I knew I could conjure up a vibrant green, sneakily healthy, refined sugar-free version of Almond Pistachio!

 

Healthy Almond Pistachio Fro-Yo // Dairy Free via Nutrition in the Kitch

Making Almond Pistachio Frozen Yogurt: 

 

The simple components of this delightful frozen yogurt work perfectly together to make a flavorful, clean, green, almond pistachio that contends with any shop yogurt.

In my original version of this recipe (my pre dairy allergy days) I used 0% fat plain Greek yogurt as the base, which is naturally high in protein and contains no added sugars. This is definitely an option for those of you with no dairy intolerance looking for a higher protein dessert. For this recipe revamp however, I swapped the Greek yogurt for unsweetened coconut yogurt, which is of course dairy free, higher in healthy fats, but does not contain the protein.

Healthy Almond Pistachio Fro-Yo // Dairy Free via Nutrition in the Kitch

Along with the yogurt I added some frozen banana which creates an extra creamy texture and adds natural sweetness. I also threw in some frozen spinach for extra nutrition and a green hue, as well as avocado which brings in additional creaminess, healthy omega rich fats, and a tad more green.

For sweetness I used raw honey which I prefer as it does not have a strong flavour. For my vegan readers you could definitely use an alternative liquid sweetener of choice however it may affect the overall flavour.

At this point you might be thinking “Wait, what? Spinach? Avocado? What is this crazy concoction?”. Trust me, in the end you don’t taste any of that at all!

Healthy Almond Pistachio Fro-Yo // Dairy Free via Nutrition in the Kitch

The two key ingredients for that almond pistachio flavor really do their job to make this fro-yo taste exactly as it should. The first, pure almond extract, and the second… pistachios! Almond extract is pretty powerful in flavour so it shadows most of the banana and the pistachio blends wonderfully with the almond extract.

I chose to add a small amount of xanthan gum which helps give this almond pistachio frozen yogurt a nice, soft, texture, especially after freezing, but you can omit this if you want.

 

Healthy Almond Pistachio Fro-Yo // Dairy Free via Nutrition in the Kitch

In the blender went all the ingredients and after some vigorous blending, a smooth creamy almond pistachio frozen yogurt base was born. I poured the creamy fro-yo mixture into a small loaf pan and placed it in the freezer to set for a few hours.

Mmmm…creamy, dreamy, healthy, wholesome, naturally sweetened almond pistachio fro-yo. You had me at hello. This dessert is truly as delicious as it looks. Each cold, creamy, almondy, bite.

Healthy Almond Pistachio Fro-Yo // Dairy Free via Nutrition in the Kitch

Are you a fan of frozen yogurt? What’s your go-to flavour, and do you make your own healthier version at home? I’d love to read about it in the comments below!

 
Healthy Almond Pistachio Frozen Yogurt

Healthy Almond Pistachio Frozen Yogurt

Yield: 6
Prep Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes

A healthy frozen yogurt recipe in a delicious almond pistachio flavour that's dairy free, gluten free, and plant based!

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut yogurt (or 0% fat plain Greek yogurt for dairy option)
  • 2 medium bananas, frozen into chunks
  • 2 small nuggets frozen spinach (30g) OR 1 cup raw spinach
  • 1/2 medium avocado
  • 1/4 cup raw honey
  • 3/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum* (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons (crushed) shelled raw pistachios

Instructions

  1. In a high speed blender or food processor, blend together yogurt, frozen banana, spinach, avocado, honey, almond extract, xanthan gum, and 2 tablespoons of the pistachio until completely smooth and thick.
  2. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and pour mixture into the loaf pan.
  3. Smooth with a spatula then sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons crushed pistachios.
  4. If you have an ice cream maker you can pour this mixture into your machine and finish according to manufacturers instructions
  5. Add the loaf pan to the freezer and freeze for 3-4 hours or until firm enough to scoop with an ice cream scoop.
  6. Enjoy!

Notes

*xanthan gum is optional but helpts to create a thicker, creamier texture for the frozen yogurt.

 

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Have a wonderful Sunday!

Author: Christal Sczebel

Christal is the creator of Nutrition in the Kitch. She's a Certified Nutritional Consultant, twice published author, gluten and dairy free recipe developer, food photographer, speaker, wife, and mama. Christal loves good food, all things wellness, and loves to travel. Her wellness philosophy is centred around balance and sustainable health, life's way too short for boring diets and restriction!

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  • I tried this recipe and it was delicious! The only thing is that it tasted like banana and not pistachio. I used agave nectar instead of honey and no xantham gum. What can I do differently?

    • Hmm… some people do have palates that detect the banana a little more, what I would recommend is using less banana and more yogurt . You could also increase the amount of pistachios! The recipe is really flexible so you can play around with the amounts to get the taste you like before freezing the mixture 🙂

    • Hi Grace, you could use Kale, collard greens, or any other leafy green but just use less if the taste of the leafy green is stronger or more bitter as you may notice the taste more if you use the same amount as spinach. Spinach is mild tasting so blends well in this recipe.

  • Hi Christal
    My boys are diary intolerant. Would this recipe work with plain soya yogurt?
    Desperate to try this, it looks amazing.

    • Yes absolutely! I would go with a “greek” version of the yogurt though – you could also try plain almond or plain coconut greek yogurt!

  • Hi Christal!

    My absolute favorite flavor from this little soft serve ice cream shop close to my home is pistachio, but I am always trying to cut back on the amount of sugars I eat too, so when I saw this I was so excited!! Plus, pistachio in general is just plain hard to find where I live…
    I made half of this recipe tonight and was amazed. It was so good! I don’t have a very good food processor or blender, so mine was a little chunky and nutty, but I actually liked the different textures 🙂 so thank you! You are awesome, keep up the good work 😀 I am impressed!

    • HI Danae! So happy you enjoyed the recipe – isn’t it great not to have to go and buy an ice cream maker?!

      • Oh definitely, I don’t have enough money to buy all those fancy and fun tools 🙂 so I love things like this!

  • Hi! recipe looks wonderful, but I don’t do bananas or strawberries. (Food allergies are wonderful.) Any suggestions for a substitute?