Fruit Parfait with Yogurt

If you are not good at preparing or eating breakfast in the morning, we’ve got you covered! This fruit parfait recipe with yogurt and granola is perfect for you. It takes only 5 minutes to prepare and takes everyone’s attention including kids with its fancy look.

Why Should You Make This Recipe?

This healthy yogurt parfait can be served as a quick breakfast or a light dessert or snack after lunch or dinner. We know you will love it either way. Other reasons why we recommend this recipe are as follows:

• It is super easy to make! No cooking or baking is required. Just layer everything in glass cups.
• It is healthy, rich in protein and low in calories. And so delicious!
• It is a versatile breakfast parfait recipe. You can make your own variations using whatever fruit or yogurt you like and making additions to this basic recipe.
• You can make it ahead of time, even the day before. The granola inside gets soggy, but we do love it that way too. Alternatively, you can add the granola right before eating.

What Is Yogurt Parfait?

Yogurt parfait is the easier (and healthier) version of traditional parfait, which is a semi-frozen French dessert made with heavy cream, eggs and sugar like ice cream, and served with layers of fruit. 

Unlike the original parfait recipe, this homemade parfait for breakfast is simply layers of yogurt, berries and granola in glass cups. So it has the name "parfait" because it is served in the same way as the traditional parfait. With layers in glass cups or mason jars.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Although it has a fancy name, this breakfast yogurt parfait is made with a few simple ingredients. You probably have all of them in your pantry and only need to buy some fresh fruit. 

• Yogurt: We use either store-bought Greek yogurt or homemade Greek yogurt, which is thicker. It is a great source of protein and calcium. You can use plain regular plain yogurt, honey or vanilla yogurt too. To make it even lower in calories, use low-fat yogurt. If you want to turn it to a vegan recipe, you can even use your favorite dairy free yogurt like coconut or almond milk yogurt.
• Sweetener: This is completely optional. We use very little honey to sweeten the plain yogurt a bit. Maple syrup works fine too. You can even prefer honey flavored yogurt instead. 
• Berries: We use a mixture of strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. You can add blackberries too. Alternatively, you can use other fruit like bananas, mango and apples.
• Granola: We use raisin and almond granola. Use your favorite store-bought  crunchy granola or homemade granola. It adds a nice texture and a lot of fiber to this fruit parfait. 

Alternative Add-Ins

• Nuts: You can add almond or coconut flakes, peanuts, pecans or walnuts. Alternatively, you can make another layer with some peanut butter.
• Chocolate: If you want to add a little more sweetness, you can sprinkle some mini chocolate chips on the top.
• Cinnamon: You can spice up the yogurt with some cinnamon for even more flavor. 
• Seeds: You can make your yogurt granola parfait even richer and healthier by adding seeds like chia seeds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds or pepitas.
• Jams: You might leave out honey and sweeten this breakfast parfait with jams or marmalades. We sometimes add a tablespoon of mulberry jam or strawberry jam on the yogurt layer and then put the berries.

How To Make

This fruit parfait is one of those easy breakfast recipes with yogurt. You can prepare it in 5 minutes and your breakfast will keep you full till lunch time.

Let's learn how to make parfait with yogurt step-by-step.

1. Sweeten the yogurt: If you are not using an already sweetened yogurt, add about one teaspoon of honey (or more if your want it sweeter) or maple syrup into the yogurt and whisk well.

2. Layer the cups: Put 2-3 tablespoons of your honey flavored yogurt into the bottom of a glass. Top it with some chopped strawberries, whole raspberries and blueberries. Then make a layer of granola on the berries. And repeat this with another layer of yogurt, berries and granola. 

3. Serve: Serve fruit parfaits with a drizzle of honey on the top. Optionally, you can garnish it with fresh mint leaves. 

Expert Tips

• Use glass cups. Although you can make this yogurt parfait in bowls, glass cups or jars make it look even more fancy.
• Pat the berries dry before adding them into the cups. 
• Make sure that the berries and granola touch the glass when making the layers. The parfait will look more appealing this way.
• If you make the parfait ahead of time, the granola inside gets soggy. We do love it that way too, but if you want to keep it crunchy, don't add it until serving time. You can sprinkle it on the top when serving.
• Make sure to dice the strawberries. They are larger than the other berries, so it is better to chop them first.

Make Ahead and Store

These yogurt parfaits with granola and fruit make a wonderful grab-and-go breakfast especially when they are ready in the refrigerator. 

Make Ahead: To make things easier, you can prepare the berries the day before, whisk together the yogurt and honey and keep them in separate containers in the refrigerator. So the only thing you need to do is to assemble the sweetened yogurt, berries and granola. Your on-the-go breakfast parfait is ready in no time.

Store: If you don't mind soggy granola (which is really not a bad thing), you can combine yogurt with granola and fruit in layers in jars or glass cups the day before. Cover the cups well with a plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator. It keeps well for 1-2 days.

If you want the granola in your breakfast parfait keep crunchy, don't add it until the serving time. Just prepare the layers of Greek yogurt and fruit in jars and store them in the refrigerator. When you are ready to eat the next morning, just sprinkle some granola on it and enjoy.

Freezing: Not recommended.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Breakfast Ideas

• Bulgur Breakfast Bowls
• Eggy Bread
• Almond Milk Pancakes

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