My Best Swirl of 2025

Fro-yo girl here. I’ve reviewed every single photo of every cup of self-serve froyo that I consumed in 2025 to answer the question, what was my best-looking self-serve swirl of the year? Of the 62 cups of self-serve froyo, I narrowed it down to two from Menchie’s in Valley Village.

The 2025 Winner

My best self-serve swirl was my first self-serve swirl of the year. It happened at Menchie’s in Valley Village. I selected original tart froyo and added Special Dark chocolate chips, mini Hershey’s Kisses, strawberries, & a chocolate-dipped waffle chip.

Most Viewed Cup

My most viewed cup of froyo consumed in 2025 was from Pinkberry in Los Feliz. The pin received 283 impressions and 7 pin clicks in the last 30 days. It was a raspberry white chocolate froyo with raspberries, chocolate chips, and a matcha macaron.

First Froyo of 2025

My first froyo in 2025 was a cone of Peanut Butter Prana vegan froyo from Yoga-urt in Glendale, CA.

2025 Stats

Out of the 161 cups and cones of froyo that I enjoyed this year, here’s how the stats broke down in 2025 vs. 2024.

• Format: 38% self-serve, 32% pre-packed, 29% counter-serve in 2025; 52% self-serve, 21% pre-packed, and 26% counter-serve in 2024
• Type: 84% dairy, 16% non-dairy in 2025; 88% dairy, 12% non-dairy in 2024
• Number of flavors per cup: 88% one flavor, 12% multiple flavors in 2025; 89% one flavor, 11% multiple flavors in 2024

And yes, I did consume more froyo in 2025 than 2024. 

You can see every cup of froyo that I consumed on my Pinterest board.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Yumi Yogurt Returns to Redwood City

Fro-yo girl here. After closing in September 2019, Yumi Yogurt made its triumphant return to Redwood City. It reopened on November 28.

Yumi Yogurt RWC was the first Yumi that I visited and the one that I went to the most often. I visited the new location in the same shopping center as the original. The original building was demolished.

The new Yumi Yogurt features 8 soft serve flavors a day, hard scoop ice cream, Flavor Burst, and shakes. It’s counter-serve, the way it used to be. During my visit, the following flavors were available:

• Vanilla custard
• Italian chocolate
• Chocolate peanut butter Carbolite
• Graham cracker cheesecake Carbolite
• Pistachio cream Carbolite
• Oreo matcha WowCow
• Georgia Peach WowCow
• Cold Brew Coffee WowCow

Carbolite is low sugar, low carb, and low calorie. WowCow is low lactose and low sugar. Ask for samples. I prefer regular yogurt to Carbolite and WowCow, so it’s disappointing to see so many Carbolite and WowCow flavors and so few regular yogurt flavors.

Froyo prices: Small ($7.20), Medium ($8.30), Large ($9.75), Quart ($16.50). Keeping with Yumi’s tradition, portions are very generous.

Décor was simple but pleasant. The logo on the wall says Yumi Yogurt was established in 1985.

* YUMI YOGURT, 1019 El Camino Real, Unit B9, Redwood City, CA 94063

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

2025 Christmas Froyo Shop Spirit Winner

 

Fro-yo girl here. I love seeing all the froyo Christmas spirit during the holiday season. It makes it hard to choose the shop with the most Christmas spirit!

This year, the winner of the Christmas Froyo Shop Spirit Award is…Yogurtland for the second year in a row.

Yogurtland brought by the 12 Days of Froyo promotion, with a mystery reward every day for Real Rewards members. They introduced a new flavor, Peppermint Mocha froyo, and a festive topping, mini gingerbread man cookies. There was a new festive spoon with a red candy cane design and holiday cups. The gift cards also featured holiday designs.

Last year, Yogurtland introduced a new flavor, Peppermint Fudge Brownie, and brought back a seasonal flavor, Cranberry Orange Tart. They also had a new holiday cup design, new holiday spoons (gingerbread man, giant hunter green), a new holiday topping (mini gingerbread men cookies), an online exclusive festive Gingerbread Wonderland froyo creation, and, to top it all off, a 12 Days of Froyo promotion for Real Rewards members.

Previous winners of the Christmas Spirit Froyo Shop Award

• 2024: Yogurtland
• 2023: Llaollao
• 2022: Yogurtland
• 2021: 16 Handles

My Christmas-y froyo images Pinterest board has nearly 1,900 images. 

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Painful Froyo Shop Closures of 2025

Frog

Fro-yo girl here. It’s always sad when a froyo shop closes, but some closures are more painful than others. These are the shops that I’ll miss most in alphabetical order. I’ve visited all the shops on this list.

Active Culture, 6240 E Pacific Coast Hwy, Suite 170, Long Beach, opened at the attractive 2nd & PCH shopping center in 2022. Active Culture is a natural foods health café that started in Orange County. The Long Beach branch was their first and only branch in Los Angeles County. While the original location in Laguna Beach has self-serve froyo, the one in Long Beach had counter-serve froyo. The grain bowls and nachos were very tasty. 

Cantaloop, 7095 Hollywood Blvd, Ste 106, Los Angeles, was one of the older froyo shops in Los Angeles. This was the first location; it opened in April 2007 and was similar to Pinkberry (i.e., counter-serve, tart froyo specialist). In 2008, the owners decided to add coffee, oatmeal, and waffles and convert to self-serve. The menu continued to expand over the years. Additions included shaved ice, smoothies, slushies, ice blended drinks, and boba drinks. In 2022, Cantaloop began offering Ethiopian food, first out of a mobile van parked in the parking lot and later in the actual storefront. Ownership changed a few times. I wasn’t a fan, but it reminded me of the early days of froyo, and it managed to survive for 18 years.

Frog Frozen Yogurt Bar, 1550 N Cahuenga Blvd, Los Angeles, opened in 2012. The self-serve froyo shop had a nightclub feel with original artwork from Plasticgod and rainbow-colored lights. It was open late. The froyo had great texture. The shop is shown in The Kominsky Method, Season 2, Episodes 4 and 6. 

Toppings Frozen Yogurt, 872 Via De La Paz, Pacific Palisades, and The Yogurt Shoppe, 873 N Swarthmore Ave, Pacific Palisades, were both lost in the Palisades Fire in January 2025. They had the same ownership. The Yogurt Shoppe first opened in 2011. Toppings Frozen Yogurt opened in 2012. The owners are hoping to rebuild.

Farewell, old friends. You are missed.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

California Froyo Shop Openings and Closings in 2025

Pinkberry, Santa Clarita

Fro-yo girl here. I’ve been tracking froyo shop openings and closings all year. This year, I found 32 new businesses serving froyo in California, including seven new Nick the Greek branches, four new Menchie's branches, four new Golden Spoon branches, and three new Pinkberry branches. 

This was slightly more than 2024, when I found 30 new businesses that serve froyo. 

I found fifteen froyo shop closings in 2025 (vs. 14 in 2024). Two froyo shops were lost in the LA wildfires. The two shops had the same ownership, and they also closed another location primarily due to the strain from losing two shops.

My goal is to track any new venue that serves froyo in soft serve form, including restaurants, convenience stores, pop-ups, froyo trucks, froyo trailers, vending machines, amusement parks, stadiums, etc. It's easier to track openings, since they're usually announced, but many places close quietly.

With 25 new froyo businesses set to open in 2026, that's considerably more than the eight we found at the end of 2024. Notably, Yogurtland plans to open 13 locations in California in 2026.

Businesses are listed in alphabetical order with the location noted.

Openings

• The Farmacy, San Francisco
• Gelato Sweet Spot, Poway
• Go Greek, Newport Beach
• Golden Scoop, Rancho Palos Verdes
• Golden Spoon, Fountain Valley
• Golden Spoon, Laguna Beach
• Golden Spoon, San Marcos
• Golden Spoon Rancho Santa Margarita
• Menchie’s, Cameron Park
• Menchie’s, Clovis
• Menchie’s, Madera
• Menchie’s, Manteca
• Myka, San Diego
• Neptune’s Frozen Treats, Palos Verdes Estates
• Nick the Greek, Ceres
• Nick the Greek, Laguna Niguel
• Nick the Greek, Mira Mesa, San Diego
• Nick the Greek, Modesto
• Nick the Greek, North Hollywood
• Nick the Greek, Palo Alto
• Nick the Greek, Stockton
• NuYo Frozen Yogurt, Solana Beach
• Pinkberry, Citrus Heights
• Pinkberry, Roseville
• Pinkberry Santa Clarita
• San Froyo, Daly City
• Sunnyside Swirlz, Fresno
• SweetFrog, Clovis
• Sweets & Swirls, Los Angeles (cart)
• Swrlies (trailer), Los Angeles
• Yumi Yogurt, Redwood City
• Yummy Spoon, Chula Vista

Of the 32 new businesses serving froyo in 2025, two were mobile units (6%) and eight (25%) were eateries (and not primarily froyo shops). A surprising 49% are counter-serve.

Closings

• Active Culture, Long Beach
• Amazon Go, Woodland Hills
• Bon Bon Berry, Los Angeles – might be turning into a bakery
• Cantaloop, Los Angeles
• Frog Frozen Yogurt, Hollywood (April liquidation)
• Jayna Gyro, Roseville
• Sprinkles on Top, Elk Grove
• SweetFrog, Lancaster
• Sweet Spot, Escalon 
• Toppings Frozen Yogurt, Pacific Palisades (fire)
• Urban Desserts, Gold River
• Valley Swirl, Los Angeles (mostly an ice cream shop but they do have mix-in froyo)
• Yogofina on Lakeshore, Oakland
• The Yogurt Shoppe, Pacific Palisades (fire)
• The Yogurt Shoppe, Santa Monica (couldn’t keep open after the fire)

Of the 15 closures, several shops were over a decade old, including Bon Bon Berry (2014), Cantaloop (2007), Frog Frozen Yogurt (2012), SweetFrog (2014), Toppings (2012), Yogofina (2010), and The Yogurt Shoppe Pacific Palisades (2011). The owners of The Yogurt Shoppe and Toppings plan to rebuild the shops.

New Ownership

• Jus Chillin’, Palm Springs
• Simon’s Frozen Yogurt & Dole Whip, Murrieta
• Simon’s Frozen Yogurt & Dole Whip, Temecula
• Tutti Frutti, Canyon Country, Santa Clarita
• Tutti Frutti, Palm Springs

Coming Soon

• Cuppa Yo, Danville
• Froyo and Fido, Simi Valley
• Go Greek, Brentwood, Los Angeles
• Go Greek, Larchmont, Los Angeles
• Go Greek, San Diego
• Golden Spoon, Santa Clarita
• Golden Spoon, Aliso Viejo
• Lillie Yogurt, Beverly Hills
• SLO Froyo & Italian Ice, San Luis Obispo
• Swirlicious, Newbury Park
• Toppings Frozen Yogurt, Pacific Palisades
• Yogurtland, Carlsbad
• Yogurtland, El Monte
• Yogurtland, Gilroy
• Yogurtland, Oceanside
• Yogurtland, Ontario
• Yogurtland, Pleasanton
• Yogurtland, Rancho San Bernardo
• Yogurtland, Redwood City
• Yogurtland, San Diego (2)
• Yogurtland, San Leandro
• Yogurtland, San Mateo
• Yogurtland, Sunnyvale
• The Yogurt Shoppe, Pacific Palisades

It looks like 2026 is going to be a good year for froyo. 

Did I miss any froyo shop openings or closures in California? Let me know.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry. 

Favorite New Froyo Flavors of 2025

Fro-yo girl here. I think I tried about 25 new froyo flavors this year, so that’s a good number. There weren’t many new tart froyo flavors from which to choose.

These were my favorites.

Best Tart Froyo (Dairy-Based): Blueberry Lavender from Pinkberry. I tend not to like the flavor of lavender (too floral) but I do love blueberry tart froyo. Blueberry Lavender froyo was smooth and tangy. The blueberry flavor was much stronger than the lavender flavor. 

Best Sweet Froyo (Dairy-Based): Peppermint Mocha from Yogurtland. I wasn’t in the mood for a strong mint froyo, but Yogurtland surprised me with a flavor that tasted much more like mocha than peppermint.

Best Vegan Froyo: Masala Chai from Yoga-urt. This was my favorite new flavor of 2025, thanks to the complex yet scrumptious blending of spices and the clean finish. I’ve always loved chai, especially with cardamom, and Masala Chai brought the cardamom and more. It’s based on Roma B’s family recipe for masala chai.

For a list of the new froyo flavors introduced in 2025, see:

https://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/news/new-froyo-flavors-flavor-trends-of-2025/

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Froyo Scene in Costa Mesa, CA

Fro-yo girl here. Costa Mesa in Orange County is known for being the home of South Coast Plaza, the largest shopping center on the West Coast. The current population is approximately 106,069 and has been declining in recent years. The median household income was $110,073 in 2023.

There are seven places to get froyo in Costa Mesa today. The oldest of these is Yogurt America’s Cup, which opened in 1987 and is self-serve. It was called America’s Cup when it opened. Five of the seven remaining shops in Costa Mesa are self-serve. 

I found six closed froyo shops in Costa Mesa. Golden Spoon was probably the oldest of the closed shops, though I couldn’t determine the opening date.

I thought there would have been more froyo in town because of South Coast Plaza, but I was wrong.

Current Places To Get Froyo

• Boba Junkie, 2300 Harbor Blvd Suite N-6, opened in 2020. It took over a self-serve boba business and kept the self-serve froyo. Boba Junkie has other locations in the OC, but the Costa Mesa one is the only one with froyo.
• House of Yogurt, 369 E 17th St #27, is a self-serve shop that opened in 2008. They hand-craft their yogurt flavors and offer 14 flavors at a time.
• IKEA, 1475 S Coast Dr, opened in 2003. You can get froyo at the IKEA snack bar.
• Milk & Honey, 2981 Bristol St B6, is located at The Camp. The Korean coffee and dessert shop offers counter-serve froyo, including shaved ice topped with froyo. The shop opened in 2008.
• Miss Donuts & Yogurt, 2200 Harbor Blvd, is a donut shop that also offers self-serve froyo. The shop opened in 2013.
• Yogurt America’s Cup, 427 E 17th St UNIT E, is a self-serve froyo shop opened in 1987 and later opened another shop on Harbor Blvd.
• Yogurtland, 1450 Baker St, Ste A2, opened in 2008 and is located near South Coast Plaza

Closed Froyo Shops

• America’s Cup, 2300 Harbor Blvd Ste N-6, opened in 2008. Both America’s Cup locations were owned by the same couple but this location was sold to Boba Junkie. The original America’s Cup name was changed to Yogurt America’s Cup.
• Beach Berries, 1696 Newport Blvd, was a counter-serve froyo shop that may have opened in 2007 or 2008 and closed in 2013. The original location was in Huntington Beach.
• Golden Spoon, 2801 Harbor Blvd # A, may have closed in 2012. I don’t know when it opened.
• Golden Spoon, 488 E 17th St Ste B105, closed in 2010. I'm not sure when it opened.
• Sweet Chills Frozen Yogurt, 2801 Harbor Blvd Ste A, was a counter-serve froyo shop offering ten flavors a day. It took over the Golden Spoon space in 2012 and may have closed in 2014.
• We Heart Froyo was a froyo truck that operated from 2012 – 2015.

Did I miss any froyo in Costa Mesa? If so, let me know.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

An Update on Holsom by Yogurtland

 

Fro-yo girl here. I don’t make it to Huntington Beach too often, but I realized that it had been quite some time since I heard anything about Holsom by Yogurtland. Sure enough, the concept was discontinued, possibly in 2024 or earlier. It is not mentioned on the Yogurtland website.

Holsom by Yogurtland was a new concept with an expanded food and beverage menu launched in late 2024. The made-to-order sweet and savory toasts and grain bowls were designed to be delicious, wholesome, and affordable. Yogurtland froyo continued to be offered.

The first Holsom by Yogurtland opened in November 2020 at the Edinger location in Huntington Beach, CA. Interestingly, they did away with self-serve for the frozen yogurt (though this was during the pandemic, so that wasn’t unusual) when it first opened.

The Lakewood Yogurtland was converted to Holsom by Yogurtland in May 2021. It no longer offers the Holsom items.

It looks like there were only two Holsom locations. I'm glad the locations didn't close. They just dropped the Holsom menu items.

Yogurtland’s founding family also launched a fried chicken and egg sandwich concept called Egg N Bird in 2021. The Maywood location opened in 2021 and closed this year. Egg N Bird currently has three locations: Cypress, CA, Upland, CA, and Plano, TX. Egg N Bird does not offer froyo.

Remember when Yogurtland Lakewood offered breakfast?

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

December at Menchie’s

 

Fro-yo girl here. I’m back from Menchie’s Percy Jackson & the Olympians Season 2 celebration. At 3 PM today, the first 50 guests at Menchie’s across the country received 5 oz of free froyo. Thanks Disney/Hulu and Menchie’s. Season 2 of Percy Jackson & the Olympians premieres today on Disney+ and hulu.

To celebrate the premiere, Menchie’s created a new flavor, Percy Jackson’s No Sugar Added Blue Raspberry froyo. Described as “a sweet blue raspberry fruity flavor with a slight tartness,” NSA Blue Raspberry froyo is made with no artificial flavors or artificial colors. It tasted like sweet blue raspberry candy. While the texture was creamy, it was also slightly gritty. I didn’t like it. Recommended toppings: fresh berries and white chocolate chips.

I also spotted new Percy Jackson & the Olympians cups. The other side of the cup features a holiday scene with Menchie and Chip.

The other featured flavor this month is White Peppermint Bark froyo, made with Hershey’s Premier White Chips. White peppermint bark froyo was first introduced in 2016, but it might not have been made with Hershey’s back then. I liked this creamy flavor better – the white chocolate muted the peppermint, so it wasn’t overwhelming minty. The texture was creamy. Recommended toppings: I didn’t see any peppermint candies, so I recommend adding white chocolate chips, waffle chips, and roasted almonds for crunch.

Menchie’s is also offering a free $5 bonus card with a purchase of $25 or more in Menchie’s gift cards.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Anita Gelato’s New Hours & Acai News

Fro-yo girl here. Anita Gelato was founded in Tel Aviv, Israel in 2002 and opened in Tarzana in 2022, was closed on a Friday afternoon. I thought that was odd, but then I saw that the shop is now kosher certified. According to the sign posted on the door, this certification means that they will be closing every Friday two hours before sundown and reopening Saturday one hour after sundown (to observe Shabbat). This means no froyo on Friday nights.

I noticed that they stopped serving the soft serve acai. I never tried it. Fortunately, you can still get their luscious plain froyo with unlimited toppings. The small froyo ($9) is huge! Anita has the best sauces like pistachio, tahini, cookieman, and pretzel. Now that they aren't one side of the soft serve machine, they could introduce a different soft serve...maybe even another froyo flavor. Fingers crossed.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Muusho Narine Armenian Yogurt Review

Fro-yo girl here. I’m always on the lookout for yogurt. Recently, I spotted a new yogurt, Muusho Narine Armenian Yogurt, at The Market in Pasadena. What is Armenian yogurt, you ask. It contains a strain of bacteria, Lactobacillus acidophilus Er-2 strain 317/402 Narine, that was isolated and discovered in 1954 at the Laboratory of the Institute of Microbiology in Armenia. The strain was only available in Armenia and the Soviet Union for many years.

Muusho Narine Armenian Yogurt contains the Narine strain. The yogurt is made with a traditional Armenian recipe, using dairy from local farms. It contains no additives and no added sugar. It is high in protein and probiotics. Armenian yogurt is made with milk and a starter (plain yogurt with live cultures). The milk is heated and cooled. The starter is then added, and the mixture is incubated in a warm place to allow fermentation to take place. It is not strained.

Muusho Armenian dairy products can be found in Los Angeles in Armenian stores. Muusho launched in Los Angeles in 2024. The Narine yogurt product was introduced in July 2025.

Muusho Narine yogurt: the texture was creamy, clumpy and soft, like your traditional unstrained yogurt. It’s made with milk and live active cultures. The yogurt is slightly sour and natural-tasting. I liked the simplicity of it. One tablespoon (15g) is 10 calories, with 0.5g total fat, 0g cholesterol, under 1g of sugar, and 0g protein. The jar is 130 calories.

A jar is 7 fl oz and $4.29 at The Market.

Is it any better than Straus European Style Yogurt? I haven’t had Straus in a long time, so I’m not sure.

THE MARKET: 1511 E Washington Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91104

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

New Flavor at Yoga-urt, Masala Chai

 

Fro-yo girl here. I’m so in love with the newest Yoga-urt flavor, Masala Chai, developed in collaboration with Roma B, a plant-based recipe developer. The flavor is inspired by her family’s masala chai recipe. The masala blend is made with nine organic spices added to black tea and Yoga-urt’s plant-based, organic cashew and almond base. The spices are fresh and blended by Roma herself.

I’ve always loved masala chai, so this flavor truly excites me. The black pepper adds a bit of a kick. With so many spices, the flavor is complex. None of the spices is too strong or overwhelming. There’s ginger, cardamom, saffron, and more. The texture is super thick and creamy, and it has a clean finish.

You can find Masala Chai at all Yoga-urt locations (Granada Hills, Santa Monica, Echo Park, Glendale) from now until December 15. Buy some pints for home consumption too.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.