DIY Greek Yogurt Parfaits-At Home or “On the Go”

Breakfast is the best meal, in my humble opinion, but that doesn’t mean it needs to be complicated or fancy. These DIY Greek Yogurt Parfaits are a healthy breakfast option that only take a few minutes to prepare.

With the warm summer weather, spending time over a hot stove may not be the way to start off the day; rather, some cold yogurt flavored with your favorite jam will hit the spot and keep you out of the kitchen.

Are you intrigued, yet? You should be! This is another recipe in which you can let your taste buds guide you. Plus, if you are prepping these for your significant other and/or kiddos, you can easily design them to match their tastes without feeling like you are making a million separate meals.

What you will need for the Greek Yogurt Parfaits:

• Plain Greek Yogurt
• Homemade or store-bought jam
• Other fun ingredients to add:
• Chopped nuts
• Seeds
• Toasted coconut
• Dried fruit
• Cacao nibs

Although these are the ingredients we tend to use in our parfaits, your options are endless. You can add whatever you and/or your family will enjoy. Since the Greek Yogurt Parfaits are individual, you can also adapt them to any specific dietary needs. For example, my younger son can’t currently have dairy, so I found a delicious coconut yogurt as an alternative to our go-to Straus Greek yogurt. We make some of the parfaits with regular “cow yogurt” as my boys refer to it and some with the coconut yogurt.

As for the jams, you can pick whatever flavors and textures you prefer. My boys don’t care for too much “fruit” in their jam so I tend to select ones that don’t have big chunks. If you have 20-30 minutes of extra time you feel like spending in the kitchen (don’t we all?), you can also make your own peach jam.

Get your Kids Involved

Kids can be picky. One day they LOVE eggs and the next day it is revolting. They may gobble up every blueberry in sight because it’s their favorite only to quickly move on to bananas five minutes later. Kids often have flighty taste preferences which can create unnecessary stress first thing in the morning.

For us parents and care-takers, in general, this pickiness can be very, very frustrating, but give them some control over their food and their willingness to eat may surprise you.  These Greek Yogurt Parfaits are an easy way to let your children pick what they want in their breakfast. They can personalize and make it special just for them.

My older son eagerly awaits his first bite of his blueberry parfait.

The parfaits not only make great breakfasts, but also a nutritious and satisfying snack. Let your child make a couple parfaits with different jams or other tasty mix-ins such as granola.

Greek Yogurt Parfaits & weekly meal planning

Even though these a kid friendly, they are also perfect for us grown-ups as well. Early start at the office? Busy afternoon between baseball practice and swimming lessons? Time may be short, but you don’t have to go hungry. Prep several of these Greek Yogurt Parfaits at the beginning of the week and grab one out of the fridge whenever you need one.

If you are a fan of meal planning, get several glass jars with tight-closing lids. You can make these on Sunday and pop them into your bag when leave for the day. If you prefer some textural contrast, put some granola or nuts into a separate bag and add to the Greek Yogurt Parfait just before eating. This will prevent the toppings from getting mushy. 

Perfect Summer food.

Now that you have this simple and healthy recipe down, sit back and relax. Sip your morning coffee in those brief moments of silence before the children awake and craziness ensues. Don’t worry, though, you have breakfast handled. And maybe, just maybe, your kids won’t reject their personally designed Greek Yogurt Parfaits.

Print Recipe

DIY Greek Yogurt Parfaits- At home or On the Go Recipe

No fuss Greek Yogurt Parfaits are a healthy breakfast or afternoon snack that only take a few minutes to prepare. Great for meal planning and easy-to-go breakfasts.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Total Time10 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: breakfast, gluten free, meal planning, snack, yogurt

Servings: 4 parfaits

Calories: 200kcal

Author: Ashley

Ingredients

• 2-3 cups plain Greek Yogurt See Note
• 1 cup jam of choice
• Additional mix-ins: granola, toasted coconut, nuts, dried fruit, cinnamon

Instructions

• Spoon two tablespoons of jam into bottom of jar. Add about ½-2/3 cup yogurt on top of jam. Spoon 1-2 more table spoons of additional jam on top of yogurt.
• Optional. If adding additional mix-ins such as granola or nuts, layer them in between the yogurt layer and second layer of jam. Also, sprinkle some on top, if you desire.
• Eat now or cover and save for breakfast or snack later in the week.

Notes

The nutrition information was calculated based on generic jam and 2.5 cups of Whole Milk, Greek yogurt. Nutrient total will vary based on ingredients used and amount. 

Note: I like using Greek yogurt because it’s a thicker yogurt and works well especially for little children, but you can use any yogurt you prefer. I also make a few of these parfaits using coconut yogurt for my youngest son who currently can’t eat dairy.

 

[nutrifox id=”43334″]