Frozen Clabber: Our Favorite Old Fashioned Summer Treat
Learn how to make frozen clabber, a tangy old-fashioned frozen yogurt made from raw milk. A simple, probiotic-rich summer treat straight from the homestead!
Last week, I set out to make a big batch of Parmesan using skim milk I had just separated. I heated the milk, added the culture, and then—realized I was out of rennet. Whoops.
With over 7 gallons of milk already cultured, I had a choice: dump it, or pivot. On the homestead, we pivot. So I decided to let the milk naturally ferment into clabber, a traditional cultured dairy product made simply by letting raw milk sit at room temperature until it thickens.
Over the next few days, I found all kinds of ways to use that clabber:
– Mixed with jam for a drinkable yogurt
– Blended into smoothies
– Strained and used like yogurt
– Strained longer to make a soft cheese like quark or cream cheese
– Heated and strained into a rustic cottage cheese
– Baked into bread and cakes
– Even poured into popsicle molds for the kids
But by far our favorite use — especially this time of year — is Frozen Clabber.
It’s like a tangy frozen yogurt, naturally fermented, sweetened with honey, and blended with whatever fresh fruit you have on hand. It’s simple, refreshing, and one of those humble farmhouse recipes that feels a little magical on a hot summer day.
🍓 Frozen Clabber Recipe
Ingredients:
2 cups clabber
½ cup berries fresh or frozen (we love strawberries!)
¼ cup honey (or sweetener of your choice)
2 tsp lemon juice (optional)
Instructions:
Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker.
Churn for about 20 minutes, or until it reaches your desired texture.
Serve immediately for soft-serve consistency, or freeze longer for a firmer scoop.
Optional: You can also pour the blended mixture into popsicle molds if you don’t have an ice cream maker but they will freeze solid!
🥛 What Is Clabber?
Clabber is a naturally fermented dairy product made from raw milk. When left out at room temperature, the beneficial bacteria in raw milk thicken it into a yogurt-like consistency. It’s rich in probiotics and flavor — and was a staple in farmhouse kitchens for generations.
If you’ve never made clabber before, it’s as easy as setting out a clean jar of raw milk and letting time do the work. (Just be sure your milk is truly raw — pasteurized milk will not clabber properly.)
🧀 Why I Love This Recipe
It’s a zero-waste solution for milk that might otherwise go bad
It’s full of gut-friendly probiotics
It uses ingredients we already have on hand
It feels like a treat — without being too sweet
It honors old-fashioned, low-tech dairy traditions
And most of all, it’s simple — which matters a lot on a busy farm day.
🌾 From Mistake to Magic
I didn’t plan to make frozen clabber. I planned to make cheese. But in true homestead fashion, a small mistake turned into a new seasonal favorite — and one we’ll be making again and again.
If you try it, let me know what fruit you used and how it turned out! And if you’d like more ideas for using clabber (or milk you’re not sure how to save), leave a comment or subscribe — I’m always happy to share what’s working in our farmhouse kitchen.
📹 Watch the Video Tutorial
Want to see exactly how I make it step-by-step? Watch the full video here:
➡️ Frozen clabber
More Recipes You Might Like:
Frozen Clabber Treat
Learn how to make frozen clabber, a tangy old-fashioned frozen yogurt type treat made from raw milk. A simple, probiotic-rich summer treat straight from the homestead!
Ingredients:
2 cups clabber (Can substitute yogurt if needed)
1/2 cup fruit (fresh or frozen )
1/4 cup honey (or sweetener of your choice )
2 tsp fresh lemon juice (optional )
Add all ingredients to blender and blend until smooth and well incorporated
Pour mixture into your ice cream maker
Churn for twenty minutes or until desired texture
Enjoy!
Clabber, cow milk, dairy recipes, fermented, gut healthy, probiotic, raw milk, sheep milk
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