Roasted raspberry frozen yogurt makes for a deliciously bright and refreshing summer treat!
This post was updated July 6, 2022.
Last week I was out on a long walk with the girls when I stopped to congratulate myself. “Elizabeth,” I said, “you have adjusted spectacularly to the Virginia heat. It’s nearly 90 and you are doing great.” At that moment, the weather gods laughed and released the humidity.The dreaded summer haze crept in, the sky edged several shades paler, crisp shadows blurred, and everyone began to sweat in places they’d rather not mention.
Facing such sweltering conditions, most people would sensibly shun their ovens. That would be the prudent thing to do. But I’m not known for my practicality, and accordingly, this summer I am all about roasting, baking, and cooking things. I can’t get enough of the deep, concentrated flavors that the oven coaxes out, and so this summer, even before biting in to a drippingly sweet donut peach, I first consider how much better it would be after a few minutes on the grill or under the broiler. And so my friends, that is how I came to make roasted raspberry frozen yogurt.
It’s everything you might imagine – sweet and bright, with smoky caramel undertones. Tucked in there too are hints of balsamic and maple, a flash of zest, just a few grains of salt, and some bite from the booze. I had toyed with adding a few drizzles of chocolate to the mix, but couldn’t bear to mess with the perfect fuchsia beauty, so instead I took my peeler to a bar of chocolate to top off the finished product.
Homemade roasted raspberry frozen yogurt captures the essence of summer raspberries beautifully. Recipe adapted from David Lebovitz.
- 1 pint fresh raspberries
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- Tiny pinch sea salt
- 1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
- 2/3 cup turbinado sugar
- 2 tablespoons kirsch or vodka
- 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
- Chocolate shavings for garnish (optional)
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Heat your oven to 400 degrees F. Wash and dry the raspberries, and toss them with balsamic, maple, and sea salt. Spread on a smallish rimmed oven-proof pan (a 9-inch cake pan works wonderfully). Roast for 30 - 35 minutes, or until the juices are bubbling but not burning, and the tops of the berries have started to brown just a bit. Use a spatula to turn the berries halfway through. Set aside to cool.
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Once the berries are fairly cool, scrape the berries and all of the juices into your blender. Add all remaining ingredients, and pulse until pureed. If you'd like, press mixture through a mesh strainer to remove seeds. Chill mixture 3 hours, or set container into an ice bath to chill faster.
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Process according to your ice cream maker's instructions. The frozen yogurt will be quite soft even after a good churning. Spoon into your preferred ice cream container (I use a metal loaf pan with a lid) and freeze for at least 6 hours to cure. If you are pressed for time, throw a few little bowls in the freezer too to keep your not-quite-cured frozen yogurt cold.
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Serve with fresh berries and bittersweet chocolate shavings.
Oh yum! I wouldn’t want to mess with that pretty color, either. I know not everyone feels this way, but I am super ok with seedy raspberry bites! Gorgeous!
Hi Nicole, Glad I am not alone on seed acceptance. And thanks for the nice comment! I am so glad you like it.
This looks AMAZING. I love these photos – total perfection!
Thanks so much Sarah. I’m thrilled that such a mess can also be perfect in your eyes. Yay!
I’ve never seen the summer heat as a barrier to turning on my oven (but then again, I live in England so it’s not really much of an issue). I can’t get enough of roasted summer fruit at the moment and this looks like the perfect way to combine them with a treat that will cool you down again!
Hi Kathryn, Oh man. During these above 90F summer days here on the east coast, I am dreaming of a cool English summer! And I’m hoping that stone fruits will last into the early fall so I can roast fruits to my heart’s content.
I love balsamic! I never would have thought to add it to ice cream. Yum 🙂
Hi Kelsey, Thanks! As it turns out, balsamic sneaks into most of my fruit ice creams, but then again, sour foods are totally my fave.
I’m just days away from coming into a ton of raspberries. I look forward to trying this recipe!
Sarah! I am so jealous!!! The possibilities are dizzying, but I do hope you can squeeze in a batch of this stuff — it’s the raspberry-est.
That is so gorgeous! The color is just electric. Beautiful images.
Took a few liberties with the recipe… honey instead of maple syrup, greek yogurt instead of plain yogurt, and lemon infused vodka and a mixture of fresh and frozen raspberries….but the results were absolutely divine. It was worth it to take the extra couple of minutes to strain the pureed raspberries to remove the seeds. Taste was on point, the texture is smooth, definitely a keeper…
Hi Garietta, SO happy you loved it as much as I did. And I’m thrilled you took liberties with the recipe. Such a laid back approach to frozen yogurt has to be accommodating. Thanks so much for the feedback!