Craving something cold and creamy? These easy blueberry yogurt clusters are the ultimate sweet and healthy snack, so satisfying, flavourful and yes…good for you. The tahini goes SO well with the blueberries and yogurt: these clusters taste like the most incredible ice cream bites but they take just minutes to make! Dip them in dark chocolate or not; they’re ready in the freezer for whenever hunger strikes.
I’m actually not a huge sweets person – shocking, but true – but the one sweet that I am always in the mood for is ice cream. Or, anything that approximates ice cream, like my strawberry coconut sorbet. It’s creamy, cold, and just the right amount of sweet…kind of like these blueberry yogurt clusters.
I’d been seeing variations on these viral frozen yogurt clusters all over Tiktok and Instagram for a while now, and I knew I needed to figure out a ME version. You know, a couple of little changes to dial up the flavour so you felt like you were eating some fancy restaurant ice cream but without the effort (or expense!).
These blueberry yogurt clusters are a nutrient-dense + healthy snack masquerading as ice cream and I am HERE for it. Not only do I love me a good blueberry recipe (my lemon blueberry muffins are on repeat all year round in this house) but I’m a dietitian who believes that nourishing food should taste really, really good. So I swirled vanilla and tahini into thick coconut yogurt and it takes the flavour of these viral yogurt clusters from fun to WOW.
It’s an easy dessert recipe in like 15 minutes of hands on time with no special equipment. Just whisk up the tahini and yogurt, sweeten and then toss the blueberries in. Spoon into clusters and freeze on a baking sheet. Then, you can either coat in melted dark chocolate or eat them as is…they’re incredibly delicious either way.
If you want even more fun, flavorful and energizing plant-based recipes, pick up a copy of my latest cookbook, Plant Magic! It’s packed with low effort, high reward recipes you’ll want to make again and again.
How to make these epic blueberry yogurt clusters
Got a jar of tahini in the fridge that you don’t know how to use up? Stick with me and that will never happen again, I promise! I use this staple of Levantine cooking a LOT in my recipes and it goes so dang well with blueberries and creamy yogurt that you’re gonna go bonkers for these.
First things first…grab your ingredients. You’ll need some tahini (stir it well!), thick yogurt (I use coconut yogurt so it’s naturally dairy free), maple syrup or your fave liquid sweetener, fresh blueberries, some vanilla and if you’re coating…some dark chocolate and coconut oil.
Step One: whisk up the tahini and yogurt with vanilla. If your yogurt is sweetened, you can skip the sweetener, otherwise sweeten to taste with maple syrup (I use 2 tablespoons to offset the earthiness of the tahini).
Step Two: toss in the blueberries, then drop 2-3 tablespoons by the spoonful onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Yep, that’s it. 5 minutes effort, tops!
Step Three: Freeze them WELL! A lot of other recipes suggest just freezing for 30-45 minutes but I found that if you do that, attempting to coat them with chocolate is a wee bit of a disaster. You need them REALLY frozen, I find 2 hours works well.
Step Four: Want to coat the clusters in chocolate? If you’ve got a microwave, just warm the chocolate and coconut oil in 30 second increments, stirring after each, until fully melted.
I DON’T have a microwave (for 10 years now!) so I melt the chocolate and oil in a homemade double boiler over simmering water..just add 2 inches of water to a small pot, once simmering, turn down to low and fit a small heat proof bowl over top and melt your chocolate, stirring constantly.
Step Five: pop the chocolate coated clusters back into the freezer until frozen solid, about 15-30 minutes. Then you can transfer them to an airtight container or freezer bag for storage in the freezer. They won’t last long in our house…but on the off chance you don’t eat them all in a day, they’ll store well for months.
Chocolate coating giving you trouble? If you dunk the frozen clusters directly into the chocolate, it does cool down the chocolate which could be annoying. If you are microwaving, you can just add an extra teaspoon or two of coconut oil to make it drizzle-able and then drizzle the chocolate over the clusters to avoid cooling the chocolate OR, feel free to dunk and then just rewarm the chocolate as needed.
Because I use a double boil method, the way I keep my chocolate from hardening when I dip my clusters is by leaving the bowl over the warm water (off the stove of course!) so there is enough residual warmth to delay hardening.
Try this fun variation: instead of clusters, you can freeze the blueberry yogurt mixture in silicone ice cube trays for a variation on the frozen yogurt bites recipes you see for kids OR turn them into mini ice cream bars by using mini magnum molds. Like homemade magnums!!!
Why these blueberry yogurt clusters are so so good for you
As a dietitian, I firmly believe that healthy eating means making food you are actually excited to eat! These blueberry clusters are the best of both worlds: truly craveable AND nutrient-dense. Plus, they’re naturally vegan-friendly, gluten free, low FODMAP and nut free so more people can enjoy them.
Blueberries are a true staple in my kitchen because they’re rich in gentle fibre (great for fussy stomachs) and packed with flavonoids, naturally occurring plant compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Dark chocolate is rich in flavonoids too! I really like a high cocoa dark chocolate for this recipe, at least 70-80%, not just because of the nutrition but also so these clusters don’t end up tasting too sweet.
These are a healthy dessert or snack that truly satisfies. These yogurt clusters are packed with healthy and satiating fats from the tahini, which is also rich in minerals like calcium, iron, selenium and zinc for skin and immune health.
More ways to enjoy blueberries:
- 3 Ingredient Instant Blueberry Sorbet
- Rustic Vegan Blueberry Cobbler
- Almond Meal Blueberry Muffins (gluten free)
- Quick Baked Lemon Blueberry Muffins
- Almond Meal Blueberry Scones
- 5 Min Blueberry Spinach Smoothie (high iron!)
- Spinach Salad with Fresh Blueberries and Strawberries
Frozen Blueberry Yogurt Clusters with Tahini
Ingredients
Frozen Blueberry Yogurt Clusters
- ½ cup thick yogurt I use Yoggu coconut yogurt; Cocojune or a Greek-style yogurt would also work
- ⅓ cup tahini well-stirred
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup if your yogurt is sweetened, omit or sweeten to taste
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon cardamom optional…for the cardamom lovers
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
Chocolate Shell, optional
- 1 cup dark chocolate 70% cocoa or more
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
Instructions
-
In a medium bowl, whisk the yogurt, tahini, vanilla and maple syrup until smooth. Add blueberries and toss to coat blueberries evenly.
-
Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a spoon, drop 2-3 tablespoons of blueberry mixture onto the baking sheet. You can leave them in a flatter shape or a mound (easier for chocolate coating).
-
Freeze until very solid, about 2 hours. Enjoy as is…or coat in chocolate!
-
Microwave method: place chocolate chips and oil in a microwave-save bowl. Heat in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until thoroughly melted.
-
Stovetop method: Add 2 inches of water to a small pot. Bring water to a simmer and then reduce heat to low. Fit a small heat proof bowl on the pot and add the chocolate and oil. Warm over low heat, stirring constantly, until the chocolate is thoroughly melted.
-
To coat the clusters, you can either drizzle the chocolate over top (add more coconut oil if not runny enough to drizzle) OR you can dunk the clusters quickly into the chocolate.
-
Freeze the clusters until the chocolate is firm, another 15-30 minutes. Once frozen, store in freezer in an airtight container or freezer bag. For best flavour and texture, let clusters warm for just a minute before biting in!
Notes
The post Frozen Blueberry Yogurt Clusters with Tahini appeared first on Desiree Nielsen.