Yogurt parfait – sounds fancy! But in fact it is super simple to put together 🙂 When I was thinking of something super easy and simple to put together for summer afternoon snacks – this was the first thing that came to me. Yogurt parfait is a kind of frozen dessert with layers of yogurt, fruit and nuts/granola. What is there to not like about this? 🙂
The creamy yogurt, the juicy fresh fruit topped with some crunchy nuts/oats/granola.
I can think of lots of super awesome reasons why you should try this – it practically takes 5-10 min work, no-fuss recipe, uses whatever you have on-hand, great way to get the kids to have some fresh fruit, entirely customizable ingredient list 🙂 And like I always insist on this blog – this is healthy too. The protein from the yogurt, a good dosage of fruit and some lovely nuts. Only thing is that for this to be truly healthy, go a little easy on the toppings – stuff like nuts are good when had in moderation. And while I love some dried raisins in my topping, again any dried fruit has more sugar than fresh fruit. Lot of people use vanilla yogurt in parfaits – but I stick to plain one. Some of these flavored yogurts have a lot of sugar/artificial sweeteners. So watch out! I used honey to sweeten my parfait up – this works great because you can add as little or more as you prefer.
Yogurt Parfait!
Ingredients
For the granola topping (this makes more granola than needed for 2 yogurt parfaits – you can customize this)
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1/3 cup rolled oats
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1 tbsp chopped almonds
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1 tbsp chopped walnuts
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2 tsp honey
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1 tsp oil
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1/2 tbsp raisins
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Some dry shredded coconut(Other add ins can be dried fruit, other nuts, chocolate chips, m&ms 😉 )
Fruit (for 2 servings)
- 4 chopped strawberries
- 1 small banana chopped
(Can use other seasonal fruits like mangoes, kiwi or even berries like blueberry/blackberry)
Yogurt
- 6-8 tbsp (for 2 servings)
Method
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To make the granola, heat a small pan. Add 1 tsp oil in it. Add the rolled oats, nuts and honey . Roast on low flame while stirring continuously for 5-6 min. The oats and nuts should get evenly roasted and crisp. (2 tsp honey gives very mild sweetness – adjust as per your taste)
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Once roasted, take this mixture out into a bowl. Let it cool down a little. Then add the mix-ins such as raisins and dry shredded coconut. (Add in chocolate chips or chopped dried fruit too if you prefer).
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This makes lots more granola than you need for 2 cups – you can store the rest in zip-lock covers or air tight containers. You can add it to your breakfast cereal or even eat as is like a snack.
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To assemble the parfaits, take a tall glass. Add 3-4 tbsp yogurt on the bottom. Top with some chopped strawberries and bananas. Top with some granola. If you want a sweeter taste – drizzle some honey on the fruit.
These look delicious!!