Froyo Trends: Rise of Sugar-Free Froyo Shops

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Source: Yole UK

There is an emerging trend of sugar-free and no sugar added froyo shops outside the US. And it appears that no sugar added froyo shops might be coming to the US soon.

While major froyo chains in the United States like Menchie’s, Yogurtland, sweetFrog, TCBY, and Orange Leaf offer no sugar added frozen yogurt, we’re not aware of any US froyo chain or independent froyo shop that only serves no sugar added or sugar-free froyo.

Sugar-free froyo shops are particularly common in Mexico but have also emerged in other countries, namely with the growth of Yolé. The majority of sugar-free froyo shops in Mexico opened within the last five years. They emphasize health and enjoying desserts without feeling guilty.

Let’s take a look back at how froyo has changed over the years based on dietary guidelines and the popularity of particular diets.

Lowfat froyo becomes popular in the 1980s and 1990s

The first national (US) dietary guidelines for Americans were issued in 1980 and were based on a 1977 report by the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition. The Senate report recommended that all Americans lower their consumption of fat, especially saturated fat, and sodium, lower their cholesterol, and eat more grains, fruits, and vegetables. It was believed that the main goal should be to lower fat consumption and that was the message that Americans heard: avoid fat.

As a result of the dietary guidelines, lowfat foods became popular in the 1980s and 1990s. People replaced fat with carbohydrates, and these were often highly processed carbs and sugar. Some even falsely believed that you couldn’t get fat eating lowfat foods. This was also the time that lowfat frozen yogurt, positioned as a lowfat alternative to ice cream, became popular.

Rise of low carb diets

During the late 1990s and early 2000’s, low carb diets gained popularity. These diets limit the consumption of carbohydrates (including sugar) and encourage the consumption of high protein, high fat foods. Keto became popular in the mid-2010s and remains popular today. People following a Keto diet can consume yogurt but they’re encouraged to consume full fat, plain yogurt.

No sugar added vs. sugar-free froyo

No sugar added froyo is not the same as sugar-free froyo (i.e., froyo with no sugar). Yogurt made with dairy naturally contains sugar. For reference, a serving of plain, unsweetened Greek yogurt has 5 – 8 grams of sugar. However, manufacturers can remove the naturally occurring sugar and lactose from milk by using an ultra filtration process.

Sugar-free froyo is typically sweetened with a sugar substitute. Stevia and monk fruit appear equally popular as sweeteners in sugar-free froyo in Mexico. Both are natural and plant-based.

No sugar added froyo is easy to find in the US but very few shops carry sugar-free froyo.

Sugar-free froyo shops in Mexico

  • Beyond Sugar Heladeria (IG @beyondsugarmx) specializes in sugar-free, dairy-free, Keto sweetened ice cream and soft serve sweetened with monk fruit. The first shop opened in Guadalajara, Mexico in 2019. They currently have five locations. The soft serve is made with a coconut milk base that’s sweetened with monk fruit. Even the toppings are sugar-free and vegan. They call the product soft ice cream, so it’s probably not froyo.
  • Bliss Frozen Yogurt (IG @bliss.frozenyogurt) opened in 2022 and has two branches in Hermosillo, Mexico. The froyo is self-serve. They offer sugar-free and vegan options.
  • Dulce Nectar (IG @dulcenectarmx) in Chihuahua, Mexico started as a juice shop in 2017 and later added Greek frozen yogurt, smoothies, snacks, and bowls. The yogurt snow is sugar-free and fat-free. It’s sweetened with monk fruit.
  • Foreb Desserts & Coffee Shop (IG @foreb.desserts) in Matamoros, Mexico is a bakery that also sells guilt-free self-serve sugar-free froyo.
  • Frosh (IG @frosh.mx) serves Keto, sugar-free, yogurt ice cream made with Greek yogurt that’s sweetened with monk fruit or Stevia. They also have vegan options. Frosh opened in 2021 in Merida, Mexico.
  • Froyo (IG @froyots) is a one-year old froyo shop in Todos Santos, Mexico serving healthy, sugar-free froyo.
  • Froz & Fit (IG @frozandfit) was a low-calorie and sugar-free froyo shop in Tepatitlán de Morelos, Jalisco, Mexico. The shop opened in 2020 and closed in June 2023.
  • Froze Ice Cream Bar (IG @frozeslp) serves vegan, sugar-free, gluten-free frozen yogurt sweetened with Stevia and milkshakes. The first shop opened in December 2021 in San Luis Potosi. There are two locations.
  • Healthygurt (IG @healthygurt.tampico) opened in Tampico in 2021. The vegan soft serve is made with coconut milk and the sugar-free Greek yogurt soft serve is sweetened with Stevia. There was another location in Monterrey that closed in 2021.
  • Lafy Yogurt Bar (IG @lafy.mx) is a new froyo shop in Monterrey, Mexico that serves froyo that’s lactose-free without added sugar. They have vegan options too.
  • OH MY YOG! (IG @ohmyyogmx) has three branches that offer self-serve froyo. The first opened in Monterrey, Mexico in 2019. The sugar-free soft serve is made with a Greek yogurt base and sweetened with Stevia. The sugar-free vegan soft serve is made with almond milk and sweetened with monk fruit and there’s a sugar-free, vegan coconut milk soft serve sweetened with Stevia.
  • Scoop (IG @enjoy.your.scoop) has three locations that serve sugar-free froyo sweetened with Stevia. The first shop opened in 2019 in San Pedro Garza García. Their clean, plant-based soft serve is sweetened with agave or Stevia and made with almonds and cashews. They also have natural yogurt or low-sugar yogurt that is hand-mixed with your choice of add-ins. In 2020, Scoop introduced a sugar-free, vegan soft serve.
  • U’gurt (IG @u.gurt) is a health food store with five locations that serves natural yogurt ice cream and vegan ice cream that’s sugar-free, fat-free, and low in calories. Their soft serve is sweetened with monk fruit and Stevia.
  • Vegy (IG @vegy_yug) is a vegan soft serve concept with 11 locations in Mexico. Their sugar-free soft serve is sweetened with monk fruit. The first branch opened in 2020.
  • Yofruit (IG @yofruit.im) opened in June 2021 in Los Mochis, Mexico. Customers choose their base and their add-ins. The base (coconut milk, sugar-free yogurt) and add-ins are blended together. The soft serve base is sweetened with Splenda.
  • Yogobowl (IG @yogobowl) serves healthy frozen yogurt, smoothie bowls, and waffles. The sugar-free soft serve is made with Greek yogurt or a vegan base. Yogobowl opened in June 2021 in Monterrey, Mexico.
  • Well So Well (IG @wellsowell) is a health-focused café in Leon, Mexico that serves real food, including vegan options. Their soft serve (vegan and Greek yogurt) is sugar-free and sweetened with Stevia. The shop opened in 2017.

No Sugar Added Froyo Shops in Mexico

  • MYGYO (IG @mygyo) is a Greek froyo shop that opened in 2021 in Mexico City and now has seven branches. The Greek froyo has no added sugar. They also have a no sugar added vegan soft serve.

No Sugar Added Froyo Shops Outside of Mexico

  • Hello Frozen Yogurt (IG @hellohellohello.co) is a multinational no sugar added froyo chain with shops in Malaysia and Indonesia. New branches are opening soon in Singapore, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, and Australia.
  • Nyce (IG @eatnyce), formerly called Yogland, serves high protein, zero sugar added froyo at two locations in London (UK).
  • THAYA Ice Bar (IG @thaya.icebar) serves sugar-free and lactose-free froyo and acai bowls in La Paz, Bolivia. The shop opened in 2021.
  • Yolé (IG @yoleglobal) was founded in 2018 in Singapore when the master franchisee of llaollao, D+1 Holding, had a disagreement with llaollao and started Yolé. Their products are made in Spain and emphasize health as well as innovation. They launched as a no sugar added dessert concept. In 2020, Yolé launched their zero sugar, low calorie ice cream and froyo. Yolé is currently in seventeen countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Costa Rica, Chile, Canada, Egypt, Ghana, Guatemala, Indonesia, Malaysia, Portugal, Peru, Singapore, Spain, South Korea, Taiwan, and United Kingdom. Yolé is based in Singapore with offices in Spain and Miami, Florida.

Sugar-free and no sugar added froyo shops are growing rapidly, with Yolé leading the way. We will continue to follow this trend closely.

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