Name: Healthy Yogurt Parfaits
Prep time: 2 min
Ingredients: 1/2 c yogurt; 1/2 c berries; 1/4 c granola

This healthy yogurt parfait is vegan, gluten free, low in sugar, and perfect for the whole family. It is great for breakfast, lunch, or an easy snack.

Say hello to my new favorite breakfast – the healthy yogurt parfait.

Actually, I eat these pretty much at any meal. I don’t discriminate against the parfait. Ha!

I’ve always loved yogurt, and I used to love fruit and yogurt parfaits. Vanilla yogurt has always been my favorite. So, that, paired with some ripe fruit and crunchy granola was the absolute tops for me.

After I was diagnosed with cancer, though, I cut way back on my sugar intake. It’s well documented that cancer feeds on sugar, and I certainly don’t want any of that going on around here. So, for awhile, the fruit and yogurt parfaits got the boot.

Yogurt is notorious for having an outrageous amount of sugar. Most individual cartons of flavored yogurt contain 20-30+ grams of sugar. (!!) Did you know that?! Yogurt is often considered a health food, when in reality, it usually contains more sugar than a candy bar. And, unfortunately, store bought granola isn’t all that much better.

When I came up with my homemade maple pecan granola recipe, though, the hunt was on for a suitable yogurt that would enable me to indulge in one of my favorite treats again.

The Best Dairy Free Yogurt

After testing a number of different brands of unsweetened, dairy free yogurt, I have come up with two favorites.

The number one spot goes to Kite Hill Plain Unsweetened Almond Milk Greek Style Yogurt. This yogurt has a nice thick, creamy texture (much like greek dairy yogurt) and works so well for these layered parfaits. It only has 6 ingredients, 1 gram of sugar, and a fair amount of protein (11g). I also don’t find it too bitter or sour (which I can’t say for all of the unsweetened brands that I have tried). So, this one tops my list.

My second favorite is the Forager Unsweetened Plain Cashewmilk Yogurt. With only 5 ingredients and 1 gram of sugar, this yogurt hits all the marks, as well. While I do enjoy the taste of this yogurt, it doesn’t have the typical texture of yogurt. It is quite a bit thinner and runnier than most standard yogurt. This is not one that will layer well. When I use the Forager yogurt, it all just get tossed in a bowl together, and still makes for a fantastic healthy yogurt parfait.

What to Put in your Healthy Yogurt Parfait

The sky is really the limit when it comes to how you layer your parfait. Feel free to include nuts, granola, coconut, cacao nibs, fruit, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc. My personal go-to is a basic fruit, yogurt, and granola version.

Most of the time, I use some combination of berries – raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and/or strawberries. I typically use fresh fruit, but frozen will work just as well. Be aware, though, the juice from frozen fruit will start to bleed into the yogurt as it thaws. This will give your yogurt a bit of yummy flavor, but it may not look too pretty. So, if you are needing something picture perfect, then frozen fruit may not be the best idea. If you are just going for taste, though, then frozen will work well.

Other fruits that go well with yogurt parfaits are apples, mangos, bananas, cherries, and pineapple.

I also usually top mine with granola. I’ve been a bit obsessed with my homemade maple pecan granola lately and have been using that a lot. But feel free to get creative with other nuts, seeds, dried fruits, etc. for topping.

How to Store Healthy Yogurt Parfaits

If you are wondering whether these can be made and stored, the answer is Yes!! These are great to make a few at a time and store in the fridge for a fast and easy breakfast or after school snack. You will want to wait to add your granola, though. The granola will get soggy in the fridge, so be sure to just add a handful on top when you are ready to eat.

Small plastic cups (as pictured) make these healthy yogurt parfaits even more convenient for an on-the-go treat, or for little hands that may not be ready, or steady enough, for glassware.