Parfait is a super quick, healthy, and refreshing breakfast, snack, or dessert that is made up of creamy yoghurt, layered with fresh fruit and crunchy toppings to create a treat that’s incredibly delicious and bursting with flavours.
Eating breakfast that looks like a tempting dessert is a pretty awesome way to start the day. You could go with pancakes covered in stewed fruit, decadent French Toast drowned in maple syrup and whipped cream or rich and buttery pastries. All delicious, but probably best saved for a weekend treat.
Parfaits for breakfast though? Delicious, dessert-like, AND healthy!
Made with super creamy yoghurt, a little crunchy granola (topping), and juicy fresh fruit, parfaits are perfect for a waist-line friendly breakfast on the go or a easy-to-make yet fancy-looking dessert. You could use just one fruit for your parfait or combine 2 or more fruits for an explosion of flavours in your mouth.
SO WHAT IS A PARFAIT?
A parfait is a dessert or snack made with alternating layers of usually yoghurt (ice cream or whipped cream), fruits and a crunchy topping (granola, toasted coconut flakes etc).
Parfaits are getting very popular these days because they are healthy and satiating and work well with any age group, picky eaters and all. Also, you can experiment with different combinations of fruits, types of toppings or flavours of yoghurt, making them very customizable.
Parfaits are also another fun way of having kids consume fruits. Making parfaits makes for a very fun interactive activity to be done with the little humans. All you have to do is lay out all the ingredients and let them assemble their parfaits to their choice. That way they tend to at least try to taste it and once they do they are sure going to love it.
Personally, I really enjoy yoghurt parfaits for breakfast, as an afternoon snack, or even for dessert. Simple and fresh flavours combined to create a snack that is tasty and healthy. I make my own yoghurt, so that is what I usually use when I make parfaits at home, but you can use any yoghurt and flavour of your choice. Most people love to use Greek yoghurt because of its high protein content and extra creaminess, but vanilla or coconut yoghurt are excellent options as well.
Ideally, parfaits should be made and eaten the same day, to prevent the granola from going soft. But if you want to make yours the night before, just leave out the granola and wrap it up in a little bag. Then you can sprinkle it on top when you are ready to eat it. If you’re making them for a crowd, you can set out all the components and have people make their own for maximum granola crunchiness.
Because this recipe is very flexible, I love to experiment with my choice of fruit. My favourite fruits for parfaits are mangoes (duh!!!), kiwis and pineapples. Strawberries and blueberries I equally love but they are a bit scarce where I live so I don’t get to use them often. But when I make parfaits for guests I love to mix things up and experiment with a wide variety of tropical fruits I can lay my hands on for a unique tropical flavour. Need I say it’s healthy, refreshing, delicious and bursting with flavour.
This recipe is so simple I will hardly call it a recipe even. It’s basically just instructions on how to assemble the different components in alternating layers in a glass to make it look it all fancy and pretty.
INSTRUCTIONS
Top Tip: If I’m using stone fruit or berries I love to squeeze some lemon juice on the diced fruit.
If you are looking for a dessert which has all the deliciousness but equally healthy which can be consumed guilt-free, then why not settle for a yoghurt parfait. Serve it in a fancy glass and maybe drizzled with some chocolate, maple syrup, or honey. Or instead of fresh fruit, some roasted or caramelised fruit for additional flavour and texture. Winning dessert I tell ya!
The granola you can use to make the parfaits are endless. Not into making your own granola? Buy your favourite granola bars and crumble them up to make the parfait. If you are into making your own granola, I share how to make quick stovetop granola here. But if you don’t have granola on hand, anything that can give you some crunch will work just fine (toasted coconut flakes, cereal, crushed nuts, etc)
Finding quick and healthy options for breakfast and snacks could be challenging. Fresh juicy ripe fruit laying on a bed of super creamy yoghurt and topped with crunchy granola; always a great option. Texture…layers of wonderful texture, that combo of creamy, crunchy, and juicy to make your mouth and spirit happy! You should be making these parfaits at home all the time … All the flavour with none of the guilt. Enjoy!
