Salt & Straw Faux-Yo Review

Fro-yo girl here. Salt & Straw started the new year with an all vegan line-up of limited time (January) flavors. I think it’s the first time they’ve offered a “frozen yogurt” flavor, though they call it “faux-yo” and it’s plant-based. Their faux-yo is made with coconut cream and it’s scoopable.

Their Candied Mango Faux-Yo is described as: “We’ve done it! We’ve figured out how to make frozen yogurt using coconut cream. We hit it with a little lime and let it thicken. And then we add some sugar, mango puree, salt, vanilla, and yes, that is a little green cardamom you’re tasting. Then we fold in more pieces of candied mango for texture and fun, for a flavor that tastes like a fresh-fruit sorbet.”

Candied Mango Faux-Yo is available in the Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego scoop shops. Portland is serving Candied Apricot Faux-Yo. The Candied Apricot Faux-Yo sounds similar to the Candied Mango Faux-Yo based on the description: “We’ve done it! We’ve figured out how to make frozen yogurt using coconut cream. We hit it with a little lime and let it thicken. And then we add some sugar, apricot puree, salt, vanilla, and yes, that is a little green cardamom you’re tasting. Then we fold in more pieces of candied apricot for texture and fun, for a flavor that tastes like a fresh-fruit sorbet.”

I wasn’t sure what to expect. Candied mango sounded like it could be very sweet. Well, Salt & Straw’s faux-yo did not disappoint. The texture was super thick, dense, and creamy. It was hard to believe that it was vegan. The sweet mango flavor was the dominant, intense flavor, but I was also surprised that the faux-yo was tangy. The coconut cream flavor was noticeable but not strong. The backnotes of coconut cream, lime, and green cardamom just added to the complexity and deliciousness. There were very few candied mango pieces but the ones that I encountered were small and not overly sweet. The tang is different from yogurt tang but different can still be wonderful. The texture was much creamier and richer than a typical sorbet.

Try any faux-yo flavor you can, before it’s too late. Get a pint or two. I hope there are more faux-yo flavors in the future.

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.