My Best Swirl of 2024

 

Fro-yo girl here. What was my best-looking swirl of self-serve froyo in 2024? I looked at all the pictures of every cup of froyo that I consumed in 2024. 

There was a clear winner this year: the cup of strawberry lemonade froyo that I swirled at the Pinkberry in Burbank, California. I didn’t add the toppings myself because that wasn’t allowed, but I’m considering the froyo swirl alone. It’s symmetric and tapers nicely, with an upright point at the top.

My most viewed cup of froyo was one that I didn’t swirl, from Souvla on Valencia St. in San Francisco. It had 310 views on Pinterest. My first froyo was a cone of Peanut Butter Prana vegan froyo from Yoga-urt in Glendale, CA.

Of the 153 cups and cones of froyo that I consumed in 2024, 52% were self-serve, 26% were counter-serve, and 21% were pre-packs; 88% were dairy and 12% were non-dairy; 89% had one flavor and 11% had more than one flavor. In 2023, 50% of my froyo cups and cones were self-serve, 13% partial serve, 32% counter-serve, 1% machine-served, and 4% pre-packed. In 2023, 84% of my froyo cups and cones featured one flavor and 85% of my froyo cups and cones were dairy-based froyo.

Yogurtland finally got rid of partial-serve and remodeled multiple locations. More Yogurtland locations have pre-packs now.

You can see every cup and cone of froyo that I consumed on my Pinterest board, 2024 Froyo Consumed by Me.

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.

My Best Swirl of 2017

Fro-yo girl here. I’ll probably have some frozen yogurt on New Year’s Eve, but I think I’m done doing my own swirling for the year. So, I’m ready to look back at my year of froyo and pick my best swirl of the year.

I predict I’ll end the year with 187 cups of froyo consumed, slightly less than my 2016 total of 197 and down from the peak consumption year of 2015 when I hit 200 cups. Two hundred cups of froyo is a lot of froyo. I did share some cups with Mr. Froyo, especially the ones that I took home and put in the freezer, but very few.

You can see all the froyo that I consumed on my Pinterest board, 2017 Froyo Consumed by Me.

I took a close look at all my cups of froyo consumed to find my best looking swirl. My best swirl happened on International Frozen Yogurt Day (February 6, 2017) at Yogurtland Pasadena. The swirl looked better before I added toppings to it. While I didn’t leave room for toppings, the swirl did look perfect.

I also like to look at flavors and toppings that I selected. I found the following:

• Self-swirled (64%) of cups vs not swirled by me (36%)
• Single flavor (89%) vs. more than one flavor (11%) in the cup
• Dairy (69%) vs. non-dairy (31%)
• Yogurtland (31%) vs. other shops (69%)

This year I went to several places more often, including Pinkberry, Yoga-urt, Pressed Juicery and eateries that serve baklava as a froyo topping. I also ate a lot more non-dairy soft serve. But, I stayed loyal to Yogurtland. And I still don’t like having more than one flavor in my cup. I’m going to more non-self-serve places than in the past and I’m definitely happy about that.

Want to make your swirl look nicer? Read IFYA's Froyo Swirling Tips and get plenty of practice. Practice does help because you need to swirl with precision but also have a relaxed wrist. For inspiration, check out the IFYA’s Pinterest board, Best Looking Cups of Froyo.

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.

Best Swirl of 2016

Fro-yo girl here. The year isn’t over yet and I expect to have frozen yogurt on New Year’s Eve, but I’m ready to look back at my year of froyo swirls and pick the best swirl of the year.

This year I consumed nearly 200 cups of froyo, slightly less than last year when I was determined to earn the Unlimited Cup reward at Yogurtland. I predict that I’ll end the year at I will have consumed 197 cups of frozen yogurt. You can see them all on the Pinterest board, 2016 Froyo Consumed by Me.

Cups that I consumed, a yearly comparison:

• 2016: 197
• 2015: 200 
• 2014: 139
• 2013: 138

I looked at all my cups of froyo that I personally swirled this year to find my best swirl of the year.

And the best swirl is…a cup of Nescafe vanilla latte froyo with almonds, white chocolate chips and Andes Mints swirled at Menchie’s in September. You can see the swirl gradually taper upwards and the swirl ends in a nice firm upright peak. The toppings are carefully placed around the swirl. Yum.

I also like to look at flavors and toppings that I selected. I found the following:

• 24.8% of my cups weren’t swirled by me (I went to a full serve froyo shop, last year’s number was 27.5%)
• 19.2% of my cups didn’t have any toppings (the same as last year)
• 89% of my cups had a single flavor (vs. 70.5% last year)
• 4.6% of my cups were dairy free (vs. 4.5% last year)
• 43.6% of my cups were from Yogurtland 
• 12.1% of my cups were from Menchie’s
• 7.6% from Pinkberry

My choices are remarkably consistent. I don’t like mixing flavors. I do really enjoy the quality of Yoga-urt’s non-dairy soft serve and a few non-dairy options from Fraiche and Tutti Frutti. I tend to go to the places that offer new flavors. Despite years of swirling my own froyo, I still prefer the full service experience.

Want to make your swirl look nicer? Read IFYA's Froyo Swirling Tips and get plenty of practice. Practice does help because you need to swirl with precision but also have a relaxed wrist. For inspiration, check out the IFYA’s Pinterest board, Best Looking Cups of Froyo.

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.

Best Froyo Swirl of 2015

Fro-yo girl here. This year I reached a personal high of 200 cups of froyo consumed in one year. The quest for the Unlimited Cup at Yogurtland and some other Yogurtland challenges based on the number of visits during a set time period encouraged my increased froyo consumption. I also went on several trips and that also leads to greater froyo consumption.

Cups that I consumed, a yearly comparison:

• 2015: 200 (plus a cup or two that I’ll have after this post)
• 2014: 139
• 2013: 138

Don’t believe it? You can see all my 2015 froyo cups consumed on my Pinterest board, 2015 Froyo Consumed by FYG.

I looked at all my cups of froyo that I swirled this year to find my best swirl of 2015.

And the best swirl is…a cup of Caramel Macchiato froyo with whipped cream, salted caramel bits, toffee and mochi from Yogurtland, swirled at Yogurtland Pasadena (415 S. Lake Ave.) on January 27, 2015 during the Yogurtland’s 2nd Annual Fan Choice Awards. Caramel Macchiato froyo won the Best Beverage category. It was delicious and I hope it comes back.

What I like about this swirl is that the swirls are clearly defined and uniform, with the swirls gradually getting smaller and ending in a nice upward peak. The toppings do not obscure the frozen yogurt but actually complement the swirl in terms of color. Also the whipped cream helps to fill up the cup.

There were many nice looking swirls from which to choose.

Here are a few others that I really liked:

Matcha green tea froyo w/ strawberries, pound cake and strawberries from Yogurtland (such a classic combination) 

Vanilla malt froyo w/ toffee, whipped cream & wafer roll cookie from Yogurtland (love that Sweet Treats teddy bear spoon, the whipped cream swirls look so pretty)

Candy clouds & plain tart froyo w/ strawberries, frosted animal cookies & mochi from Yogurtland (the red color of the spoons complements the froyo and toppings)

It was interesting to look back at all my cups of froyo to see which flavors and toppings I selected. I found out the following:

• 27.5% of my cups weren't swirled by me (I went to a full serve froyo shop, most often it was Pinkberry)
• 19% of my cups didn’t have any toppings (I prefer froyo to toppings)
• 37.5% of my cups contained fresh fruit (if I had a tart flavor or went to Pinkberry, I almost always selected fruit, but sometimes tart flavors aren’t available or the fruit doesn’t look fresh)
• 70.5% of my cups had a single flavor (I don’t like mixing flavors)
• 4.5% were dairy-free (I like my dairy)

And, yes, I go to Yogurtland all the time.

Want to make your swirl look nicer? Read IFYA's Froyo Swirling Tips and get plenty of practice. Practice does help because you need to swirl with precision but also have a relaxed wrist.

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.

Best Swirl of 2014

Fro-yo girl here. I'm about to swirl my last cup of froyo for the year, so it's a good time to look back at all my cups of froyo consumed in 2014.

You can see all my 2014 froyo cups consumed on my Pinterest board, Froyo Consumed by Me in 2014.

After looking at all my cups of froyo that I swirled this year, I picked out the nicest cup of froyo that I personally swirled.

And the winner is...a cup of Flan and Black Currant Berry Tart froyo with praline macadamia nuts, chocolate covered almonds, mochi, strawberries and graham cracker crumbs swirled on March 31 at Yogurtland San Francisco during the 2nd Annual Yogurtland Flavor Quest. I couldn't get enough of the flan flavor and I loved black currant berry tart as well.

It's more challenging to swirl two separate flavors side by side than one flavor. In my best swirled cup, I've achieved two swirls of equal height and diameter, with well defined swirls that point in the same direction. Not easy.

It was interesting to look back at all my cups of froyo to see which flavors and toppings I selected. I found out the following:

* 21% of my cups weren't swirled by me (I went to a full serve froyo shop)
* 18% of my cups contained pumpkin froyo, since it's generally available for 2-3 months, that's a lot of pumpkin froyo
* Over 130 cups of froyo consumed, or more than a cup of froyo every 3 days

Want to make your swirl look nicer? Read IFYA's Froyo Swirling Tips and get plenty of practice.

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.

Best Swirl of 2013

Fro-yo girl here. I’ve examined all the pictures of fro-yo that I took this year and picked out my best looking froyo swirls. I had a good year of swirling. Years of practice have done wonders for my swirling skills.

My best swirl of 2013 was actually my first swirl of 2013. It’s a cup of plain tart froyo with neatly arranged toppings (chopped almonds, strawberries, granola, watermelon, blueberries) and two spoons. I swirled it at Yogurtland Alhambra. I remember the frozen yogurt texture was exceptional that night: firm, creamy, thick and smooth.

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

* YOGURTLAND: 1 E Valley Blvd, Alhambra, CA 91801

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.

Best Swirls of 2012

Fro-yo girl here. I’ve examined all the pictures of fro-yo that I took this year and picked out my best swirls. It’s easier to get a pretty swirl with one flavor and a small cup. The fro-yo has to be firm enough. The swirls need to look well defined and be in the center of the cup.

I picked a one flavor and a two flavor example. They were both swirled at Yogurtland.


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