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Make ahead breakfast Yogurt Parfaits are a quick, healthy breakfast for busy mornings. Yogurt, granola, and fruit will start your day off right. Just grab and go!
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This make-ahead breakfast yogurt parfait recipe is my answer to the craziness of back to school. Mornings starting sooner means breakfasts are often rushed or skipped. That’s where these breakfast parfaits come in. They’re easy to throw together so you can make several ahead of time, then grab and go on your way out the door! Kids and adults alike in our family love these nutritious, flavorful parfaits.
With these yogurt parfaits in the fridge, I find myself skipping breakfast MUCH less. They are super convenient and time-saving to take in the car (think sitting in the drive-up window at the bank or waiting for carpool kids). I have also sent my husband to work with these several times, as he gets up early and will often skip breakfast as well. Basically, this recipe has been a game-changer for our family. They’re light, convenient, and oh-so-yummy!
What is a Yogurt Parfait?
Most breakfast parfaits are filled with yogurt (any kind will work) layered with fruit and granola. I especially like these with our homemade granola! I make big batches of granola ahead of time and keep it in freezer bags to use for these parfaits.
Parfaits are pretty, healthy, and fun to eat! The great thing about a breakfast parfait is you can mix and match ingredients to make the perfect combination for you and your family. They are like a yummy dessert packed with all kinds of good-for-you ingredients that will start your day off on the right foot.
Make Ahead Yogurt Parfait Ingredients
It is a simple breakfast recipe that is a fruit filled with a creamy and crunchy texture in every bite! Fresh berries make this parfait taste amazing with sweet bites. It almost tastes like a treat! I love plain old vanilla greek yogurt – but you can use your favorite yogurt brand and flavor. The strawberries need to be cut, cleaned, and chopped in half or bite-sized pieces. Wash and rinse the raspberries and let them dry before adding them to the parfaits. Bite-sized deliciousness comes straight from the blueberries. They are simple to add to the parfait by dropping them in or mixing them together with other berries before adding to the healthy breakfast parfaits.
Making the Parfaits
Layer your healthy breakfast parfait in three easy steps. It is simple to make and keep in the fridge until ready to enjoy. This easy breakfast parfait can be layered in a bowl, mason jar, or plastic drink cup. It is the perfect quick parfait!
- Berries – Layer ¼ – ⅓ cup of mixed berries in the bottom of each cup.
- Yogurt – Next spoon about ¼ – ⅓ cup of yogurt on top of the berries. Repeat layers until the cup is as full as you would like (with yogurt being the top layer).
- Granola – Fill a snack-sized Ziploc bag with granola and seal it. Cover each cup tightly with plastic wrap and seal it with a rubber band. Place (or tie on) a granola bag on each cup along with a plastic spoon.
Tips and Substitutions for Perfect Yogurt Parfaits
Variations on layering the parfaits, which berries to use, and how to assemble them are great ways to make them fresh and delicious. Parfaits are a tasty and light breakfast that are easy to mix up.
- Types of granola – Any kind of crunchy granola will work for this recipe. I like our vanilla homemade granola the best, but the boxed cereal granola works too.
- Fresh fruit – Fruit such as blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, or raspberries are perfect for a breakfast parfait. But you could add bananas, sliced grapes, pineapple, peaches, apples, mango and just about anything you like!
- Yogurt choices – My family loves thick Greek vanilla yogurt or plain greek yogurt, but you can use any type of yogurt or flavor you’d like! Any flavored yogurt, plain yogurt, greek yogurt, or creamy yogurt will work.
- Nuts – Add in an extra crunch with slivered almonds, chopped walnuts, peanuts, peanut butter, or Nutella for a great protein additive.
- Top or garnish – Sprinkle with coconut, mini chocolate chips, chia seeds, cool whip, or a drizzle of honey or maple syrup or raspberry sauce. These are great ways to garnish the healthy breakfast parfaits.
- Kid-approved – Kids love to help assemble these breakfast parfaits. I line up yogurt, fruit, and granola on the counter and do an assembly line. The kids love to add their own ingredients to their parfaits, which makes them more likely to eat them!
How to Store Yogurt Parfaits
Make a double batch of these yogurt and fruit parfaits on a Sunday and prepare your breakfast for the week using this breakfast parfait recipe. It is the best way to stay on track with meal planning and still have a delicious breakfast every morning. Choose from the options below on how to store your parfait!
- Plastic cups and lids – You can buy cups with lids for these parfaits for a great price on Amazon*. The cups found here are actually better because they have a nice little dome lid so you can add the granola right into the cup before you go! The 8-ounce size seems to be plenty big for these parfaits.
- Plastic cups without lids – Or just use plastic cups and plastic wrap. I like to cover the plastic wrap tightly with a rubber band, and then put a Ziploc baggie of granola on top. That way you can add the granola at the last minute so it doesn’t get soggy.
- Tupperware – If you want to go all out and send them to school with the kiddos, just use a Tupperware with a good strong lid that screws on so you don’t have any backpack fiascos.
- Small mason jars – These are great to store the parfait in. Easy to hold and grab for on the go as well as using a screw-on and off lid.
- Bowl – This is more of serving the breakfast parfait. Layer your yogurt, berries, and granola for a different look and way of enjoying the parfait. Still tastes the same and has delicious flavor, only in a bowl.
“I’m not a huge fan of yogurt by itself, but add some granola and berries and I’m all in! I also love that I can make this in disposable cups so it can be eaten on the run and I don’t have to worry about any dishes not coming home. 🙂”
-Kara
More Easy Breakfast Ideas
Breakfast is a delicious meal that starts your day off right! Start with one or all of these breakfast ideas and see which one is your favorite. Each recipe is full of flavor and easy to make!
Yogurt Parfaits
Ingredients
- 32 ounces plain or vanilla yogurt Greek yogurt works great
- 1 ½ cups sliced strawberries
- 1 ½ cups raspberries
- 1 ½ cup blueberries
- 4-5 cups granola Our recipe for Vanilla Granola is my favorite
Instructions
- Mix berries together in a large bowl.
- In 6 small cups or bowls, alternate layering mixed berries, and yogurt until each cup is as full as you would like, with yogurt being the top layer.
- Layer ¼-⅓ cup of mixed berries in the bottom of each cup.
- Spoon about ¼-⅓ cup of yogurt on top of the mixedd berries.
- Continue layering until the cup is as full as you would like until the yogurt is the top layer.
- Fill one snack-sized zip-top plastic bag for each cup with granola and seal.
- Cover each cup tightly with plastic wrap and seal with a rubber band. Place a granola bag on each cup along with a plastic spoon. Place in refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Video
Notes
- Prepare for the week by making a double batch of these breakfast parfaits. Making them ahead of time is the best way to stay on track with meal planning and still have a delicious breakfast every morning.
- Greek yogurt works great for these parfaits.
- Our recipe for homemade granola is my favorite.
Nutrition Information
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The way you linked various concepts with each other showed an remarkable level of knowledge.
I love this. It tastes delicious and looks amazing
so good
This has become my favorite breakfast make-ahead recipe! Thanks for sharing another awesome recipe with us.
I’m not a huge fan of yogurt by itself, but add some granola and berries and I’m all in! I also love that I can make this in disposable cups so it can be eaten on the run and I don’t have to worry about any dishes not coming home. 🙂
This is my favorite breakfast! Love the idea of making them ahead – that will save me a lot of time in the morning.
Can I use oatmeal
Sure!
You could make these in mason jars or reuseable plastic containers instead of using disposable plastics. It still gives you the convenience of make-ahead, but with less trash.
Yes! Great suggestion!
I would be awesome to have a table of nutrition or a scale of how healthy it is for consumers.
Because we have over 1,100 recipes on our site, we are unable to provide nutrition for each recipe at this time. It is something we will try to work on in the future. Thank you for letting us know how you would like us to improve your experience! We love getting suggestions and comments and we are always working hard to make our site as user friendly as possible 🙂
Where do you get the disposable cups? Great idea…thank you!
Just found them. Sorry!
Can you use frozen fruit?
Absolutely!
I like to drain the yogurt overnight to get all the liquid out
Great idea! Thanks for sharing!
Drain the yogurt overnight.. How? Sounds like a good idea – I am afraid of the fruit getting mushy, YUCK! But I need this make-ahead breakfast for the work week in my life.
This is not eco friendly at all, cut out the single use plastics! It’s not just garbage it’s a complete waste
If you look at all the suggestions up above, you don’t need to use plastic cups…one is “Small mason jars – These are great to store the parfait in. Easy to hold and grab for on the go as well as using a screw-on and off lid.” Hope this helps.