Frozen yogurt has rapidly increased in popularity over the last few years. Many frozen yogurt shops have come and gone even just here in Ankeny, yet one remains; Orange Leaf. It is a very popular frozen yogurt chain, and we understand why! With its variety of delicious flavors and assortment of unique toppings such as fruits, boba, candy pieces, sauces, and more, it is certainly a favorite of ours when we are looking for a sweet treat. Since we are such big fans of the establishment, we took it upon ourselves to try all 14 flavors offered at the Ankeny location; 1350 NW 18th St. in Ankeny.

A behind-the-scenes look

We wanted to learn more about the creation process that goes on behind what is seen from a customer viewpoint, so we went to a long-time worker for some knowledge of the process of the frozen yogurt creation. Keyholder at Orange Leaf, Faith Feverhelm filled us in on the steps taken each morning to create the mouthwatering end result; fresh frozen yogurt. 

“Most of them are really easy. We just start with a powder base, all of them have a powder base, and we mix that with water… for our dairy-free flavors, so most of our fruit flavors, those are going to be just the powder, and then you mix it with water, and go from there” Fetherhelm stated. 

She added that if there is too much water, it will not work and the batch cannot be used. Also, all the flavors that are not dairy free are mixed with syrups as well, and some special flavors, like Oreo for example, have cookie pieces in them as well. 

This entire process happens in the morning each day. Although in the summer when there is an abundance of customers compared to the rest of the year they may do this again in the afternoon too, to avoid running out of a flavor.

Why Consumers Love Orange Leaf

One of the unique parts of Orange Leaf that sets it apart from many other frozen yogurt companies is the variation of flavor options. Each person can get their own creation that fits their likes and preferences. 

“I get salted caramel froyo, and I put so many of the chocolate caramel turtles on it with marshmallow syrup,” senior Madison Vogel said. 

Senior Addison Hudson gets a different order but enjoys Orange Leaf just as much as Vogel. 

“I get cake batter and then sometimes I’ll add chocolate and strawberry, like kind of a Neapolitan vibe, ” Hudson said.

The girls mentioned that Orange Leaf is a healthier option when you are craving a sweet treat. The flavors are light making it easier to pair well with the multiple other flavor options, it is not as rich as other ice cream options around Ankeny. Vogel and Hudson also talked about other reasons besides the flavors of why they love it so much. 

Hudson and Vogel both stated that they like the outside seating area, especially during the summertime when there is a sunset and the amount of topping choices available. Other customers in Ankeny feel the same way as these two seniors. Orange Leaf has a rating with an average of 4.3/5 stars along with multiple Google reviews and Yelp reviews having an average of 3/5 stars talking about the friendly staff and great-tasting froyo. 

Our opinions

After trying each of the 14 frozen yogurt flavors at the Ankeny Location, we ranked them based on their texture, consistency, overall taste, and how well they blend with each other. Everyone’s taste is different, as we know, but these are just our opinions.

Overall Consensus

After tasting all the flavors we realized that Orange Leaf tries to have a variety of flavors that fit everyone is different tastes and preferences. We have even learned to appreciate some different flavors and intriguing combinations we hadn’t thought of before. We definitely noticed a trend in our preferences when most of the sweet flavors were at the top of our ranking and the fruit flavors were at the bottom. But whatever your preferences may be, Orange Leaf most definitely has something for you. 

We hope this ranking inspires you to go out of your comfort zone and try a new flavor combination. If you haven’t been to Orange Leaf, or just haven’t stopped in in a while, we have one word for you; go!