Pittsburgh has a new yogurt joint called “karmic yogurt,” based on the Pinkberry style of frozen yogurt—two flavors, plain and green tea, with tons of fresh toppings. I sprung my niece out of Carnegie Mellon this week and it was the highlight of our food run. Do you have a “do it at home” recipe that comes close to that wonderful, fresh, tart flavor of the plain yogurt they offer?
There seem to be two schools of thought on recreating Pinkberry for home consumption—one version keeps things mostly yogurt, and the other mixes in additional acids to boost the flavor profile. I was leaning toward simplicity, but I had to try both to see what was more accurate. I test these things rigorously for you folks, you know.
The easier recipe, which was simply yogurt and sugar blended and frozen, was too thick and plainly sweet; it didn’t really replicate the tartness and granular texture that you get with a Pinkberry.
The following recipe, adapted from Gourmet, is a bit more work, but the results are much more on the mark. Note that the lower the fat content in your yogurt, the more bricklike it will become over time in the freezer. I used 0 percent Chobani and it was pretty tough to chip off a bowl after a week or so. If you’re planning to keep your batch around for a while, I recommend upping your fat content to at least 2 percent.
And don’t be afraid of the corn syrup mixture. It does sweeten and mellow the flavor, but the buttermilk/lemon combo keeps that tangy freshness right at the forefront. If the green tea flavor is more your thing, add 2 tbsp matcha (Japanese green tea powder)
I’ve been eating my homemade Pinkberry with pomegranate seeds because I’m a superfan of tart desserts—they add a great textural crunch to your bowl as well.
Homemade Pinkberry
Total time: 20 minutes plus freezing time
Makes 1 quart
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 2 cups plain Greek yogurt (Fage or Chobani are perfect)
- 1 cup well-shaken buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (must be fresh; don’t give me that bottled crap)
Method:
Bring sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 1/4 cup water to a bare simmer over med-low heat, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Transfer to a large bowl and cool about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In a separate bowl, mix yogurt, buttermilk, and lemon juice, and whisk into the sugar mixture. Refrigerate until cold, 6-8 hours.
Freeze in your ice cream maker and transfer to a separate bowl to harden in the freezer for at least four hours.
Now that I’m officially freelance, I have lots of time to answer your amazing questions. Kitchen tinkering is the best time-waster! You know the drill: Ask Casey at casey@goodfoodstories.com.
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I might just have to buy an ice cream maker now.
I’ve got the $50 Cuisinart model, which has always served me well – and there’s always the slightly-more expensive attachment for your KitchenAid stand mixer.
I hate to ask, but can you do this without an ice cream machine?
this is awesome–thanks! i improv’d something similar (and decent) over the last two summers, but this will be much much better. yum!
Yummy. I love this stuff.
thanks–finally got around to trying this and it was awesome!
This is where I get embarrassed. I have never in my life had a Pinkberry. There are always so many more exciting dessert options when we go into the city, and there just isn’t one anywhere around here. I will have to try this.
I have never heard of this before but it sound lovely!
I’ve heard of pinkberry but like Amber never had it. Too bad…it sounds delicious!
This looks great… I’ve never actually had pinkberry before, but I’m willing to give the recipe a try anyway. I just love the flavor of buttermilk in ice creams/sherbets.
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