Mint Chocolate Chip Frozen Yogurt

A natural homemade frozen yogurt recipe with a secret ingredient.

Jun 14, 2007 Stephanie Gallagher

Homemade frozen yogurt recipes allow you to be creative, and this one is no exception. Greek yogurt is mixed with dark chocolate chips, fresh mint and spinach!

This heart-healthy homemade frozen yogurt recipe has just 5 milligrams of cholesterol and offers a whopping 16 grams of protein and 28% of the recommended daily allowance for Vitamin A. How is that possible in a food that's normally loaded with fat and offers little in the way of nutritional value?

Ah, the secret ingredient. This mint chocolate chip frozen yogurt recipe doesn't need food coloring to make it a lovely mint green, because it gets its color -- and lots of nutrients -- from real mint and spinach! That's right, spinach.

When you taste it, you'll never believe this frozen yogurt recipe has spinach in it. And yet, it does. A full two cups, to be exact.

Now, if you're thinking this is a terrific way to get kids to eat spinach, you're right -- with a few modifications. This recipe is designed more for the adult palate, because it is made with plain yogurt.

As you may know, plain yogurt has a bit of a tang to it. You'll notice that tang in this recipe, and if you're a fan of good frozen yogurt, you'll appreciate it.

If not or if you're making this for the kids, you can always add more sugar to cover the tangy flavor. Or you can swap 4 cups of light cream for the yogurt. Of course, that will add fat and calories, but you'll still get all the nutritional benefits of a serving of spinach.

You'll notice there are quite a lot of calories in this frozen yogurt. That's because I've calculated it based on realistic serving sizes, not the 1/2 cup serving sizes usually seen on ice cream and yogurt packages. A comparable serving of Baskin Robbins Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream would have 794 calories and 47 grams of fat.

Mint Chocolate Chip Frozen Yogurt Recipe

• 4 cups plain yogurt or Greek yogurt
• 5 oz. dark bittersweet chocolate chips (such as Nestle Chocolatier 63% cacao chocolate chips), divided
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint
• 2 cups firmly-packed baby spinach
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

If using plain yogurt, place yogurt in a strainer set over a large bowl in the refrigerator and allow yogurt to drain for several hours. If you're using Greek yogurt, you can skip this step. It's already thick enough. Set aside 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips.

Combine yogurt and remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree until well combined. Pour into your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. Add the reserved chocolate chips during the last five minutes of churning. Serve immediately or place in an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to three days.

Makes 4 generous servings.

Per serving: 438 calories, 6 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 5 mg cholesterol, 84 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 16 g protein, 28% vitamin A, 11% vitamin C, 51% calcium, 8% iron

The copyright of the article Mint Chocolate Chip Frozen Yogurt in Healthy Cooking is owned by Stephanie Gallagher. Permission to republish Mint Chocolate Chip Frozen Yogurt in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.