Innovative Froyo (Cultured Gelato) Shop Spotlight: Hellenika Cultured Creamery in Seattle

Fro-yo girl here. I recently visited Seattle to check out Hellenika Cultured Creamery, which opened in Pike Place Market in July 2023. Hellenika Cultured Creamery was founded by three siblings, including one of the co-founders of Ellenos Yogurt.

Hellenika calls the cultured scoopable frozen dessert that they serve “cultured gelato”; it’s made with milk, cream, sugar, and cultures. The cultures that are used result in a product that is less tangy than traditional yogurt. The cultured gelato is made in gelato machines and served straight from the machine. There are twelve flavors offered at a time. Some flavors are made with products from other vendors at Pike Place Market.

The shop has a minimalist/laboratory look. It’s very white. Instead of a case of gelato, the counter has churning gelato. Each flavor is covered by a clear dome. The kitchen is visible from the retail area.

Flavors: London Fog, Matcha, Dutch Chocolate, Plain Greek, Bananas Foster, Yuzu, Ube Coconut, Honey Lavender, Miso Caramel, Mango, Lemon Curd, Marionberry. No vegan options. 

Ube coconut had bits of coconut. Plain Greek was mild with little tang. Lemon curd wasn’t sour but it had a bit more tang. Marionberry had some tang from the berries. The gelato is rich (it’s made with whole milk), so even a small size seems satisfying. I did miss the tang of yogurt. The gelato tasted more like cream than yogurt. The texture was sticky and softer than ice cream. I prefer the firmer texture of ice cream over gelato and the flavor of tangy froyo over both ice cream and gelato.

Prices: Walkaround ($6.50, add $0.75 for a split flavor), Medium ($8.50), Large ($12.50), Mezze ($16.50). They do not have any toppings or sauces.

Both Yogurtland and Menchie’s have offered cultured gelato in the past. Their cultured gelato didn’t taste like yogurt either.

Hellenika is located at Pike Place Market, near Piroshky Piroshky and the first Starbucks.

* HELLENIKA CULTURED CREAMERY: 1920a Pike Pl, Seattle, WA 98101

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.

Yogurtland Testing Gelato Sandwiches

Fro-yo girl here. Yogurtland is currently testing a new offering, gelato sandwiches. They’re sold by the box, with four vanilla gelato chocolate chip sandwiches per box, for $5.95. There’s just one flavor at the moment and you can find them in the freezer at Yogurtland CSUF (Cal State Fullerton) and Seal Beach, CA. 

The chocolate chip cookies were thin and soft. For some reason my cookies were also wet and soggy – perhaps because it took two hours for me to transport them home (but I had them in an ice chest and they didn’t look like they melted). I liked the firm crunchy chocolate chips. I cranked up the freezer and tried the sandwich again – the cookies were still very soft and even oily but not as soggy. They’re like big cookie dough discs which is great if you like cookie dough. The vanilla gelato wasn’t smooth in texture, which is unusual since Yogurtland’s yogurts and gelato are always smooth. It was gritty/sandy; the flavor was fine though pretty sweet. The flavor of the chocolate chip cookies dominated the flavor of the gelato. The flavor of the sandwich was fine but the texture wasn’t what I expected.

Each sandwich is 4.8 fl oz. One sandwich is 300 calories, 12g of fat, 32g of sugar and 6g of protein. The vanilla gelato has live and active cultures.

Ingredients: Cultured gelato (pasteurized & cultured milk, skim milk, sugar, cream, dextrose, whey, stabilizer (mono & diglycerides, locust bean gum, guar gum), vanilla extract), Cookie (enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate (Vitamin B1), riboflavin (Vitamin B2), folic acid), brown sugar, chocolate chunks (sugar, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter, dextrose, soy lecithin an emulsifier, vanilla), palm oil, sugar, butter, eggs, invert syrup, salt, natural flavor, whey, baking soda.

Has anyone else seen or tried Yogurtland Gelato Sandwiches?

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.

Yogurtland’s Flavor Quest Continues with Fig & Honey Gelato (Middle East)

Fro-yo girl here. Yogurtland’s Fourth Annual Flavor Quest brings you a brand new flavor, Fig & Honey Gelato, inspired by the flavors of the Middle East.

I’m not a fan of figs or gelato, so I wasn’t too excited but I do like honey, so I was hopeful. Remember the Yogurtland Honeycomb Tart flavor? I was a fan. Plus Yogurtland gelato is not like other gelato because it has live and active cultures (big yay).

Yogurtland describes Fig & Honey gelato as: “To create this sweet combination, we visited the source of where figs originated – the Middle East! Known for their antioxidants, we combined real figs and a touch of honey to create a rich and sophisticated gelato.”

The fig and honey gelato smells like figs but the first flavor to hit me was the honey. The honey is definitely noticeable and it’s delicious. The fig flavor isn’t too strong but it lingers. The texture seemed denser and richer than their frozen yogurt.

Suggested toppings: Honey, almonds, galette cookies. I like something crunchy and nutty with honey. Baklava would be a perfect topping if they had it.

Every Thursday will feature a new froyo flavor. The flavor will run for two weeks or while supplies last.

Collect a stamp in your passport for every visit. The more stamps you collect, the more free froyo you can earn. Collect five stamps and get 5 free ounces. Collect ten stamps and you’ll be rewarded with 10 free ounces. Join Real Rewards to participate.

Next up: Dulce De Leche Cookies (Argentina): April 28

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.

Yogurtland Flavor Quest New Flavors: Peanut Nougat with Almond Butter & Honey Gelato, Pineapple Sorbet

Fro-yo girl here. Round two of Yogurtland’s Third Annual Flavor Quest brought two new flavors starting March 16. One of the flavors is the world’s first cultured gelato. It’s made with whole milk. 

The two new flavors are:

• Denmark’s Peanut Nougat with Almond Butter and Honey Gelato – “This flavor completes the creamy treat tripod with its Danish-inspired gelato packed with flavors that will have you calling this your new favorite.” It’s very creamy, thick and dense. The flavor is interesting…it tastes like peanut nougat candy. The peanut flavor is noticeable but not strong/overpowering. I didn’t notice any yogurt like tang even though it has live and active cultures. 
• Recommended toppings: Peanuts, almonds, Nilla Wafers, Nutter Butters
• Brazil’s Pineapple Sorbet – “Inspired by the tropics of Brazil, this sorbet presents pineapple in all its sweet pucker-punching delight and puts it right into a cup.” I didn’t sense any pucker – this sorbet was sweeter than I expected since pineapple usually is tangy. 
• Recommended toppings: Pineapple, raspberries, kiwi, popping boba, mochi

Real Reward members, remember to collect Sweet Spot visits. Five Sweet Spots equals 5 free ounces and 10 Sweet Spots entitles you to 10 free ounces.

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.