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Love charcuterie boards, but want to try something new? My Yogurt Parfait Bar is the answer! It's easy to make and so fun. Filled with wholesome fruit and sweet cereal parfaits, it's a colorful, good-for-you treat everyone loves for special occasions and holidays!
Jump to:
- What is a yogurt parfait bar?
- Fruit Parfait Bar Ingredients
- Choosing a Charcuterie Board Tray for a Parfait Bar
- Bowls and Glasses for Yogurt Parfaits
- How to Assemble a Yogurt Parfait Bar
- Charcuterie Board Recipes
- Tips for Making a Fruit Parfait Bar
- Storing Leftovers
- Yogurt Parfait Board FAQ
- Yogurt Parfait Bar
- Reviews
One thing my family and friends know me for is my charcuterie boards. I am all about serving a platter of fun snacks for parties, and personally can never seem to get enough of sliced cheeses and meats on a platter. Who can?
But what's also true is that I love to try new things, and because my kids are such big fans of yogurt parfaits and snack boards, it seemed like a perfect idea to combine the two concepts. How about a yogurt parfait bar?
Oh my gosh, I am so glad I tried this, and you will be, too! Using fresh fruit, colorful cereal, and your favorite yogurt, you can make a super fun fruit parfait bar everyone will be impressed by. It's perfect for baby showers, bridal showers, brunch parties, or even sleepover parties!
What is a yogurt parfait bar?
American parfaits, also simply referred to as yogurt parfait or fruit parfait, are a layered dessert made with yogurt, fresh fruit, and other fillings like granola, nuts, cake, and whipped cream. They're highly customizable, and a great treat for breakfast or brunch.
So, take the concept of a yogurt parfait and a charcuterie board, and combine them! That's what a yogurt parfait bar is. It's a board with all of your parfait toppings on display, plus bowls of yogurt and serving cups, so guests can assemble their parfaits to their exact taste preferences.
Fruit Parfait Bar Ingredients
Yogurt for Parfait
I'm using vanilla yogurt for my parfait bar. I recommend serving a couple of options, like plain or vanilla whole milk yogurt as well as Greek yogurt. This gives your guests options if they prefer a less sweet parfait.
You can use any brand you like best, but if I had to recommend one, it would be Stonyfield.
Fruit for Parfait
For my fruit parfait bar, I'm using a mix of raspberries, strawberries, cantaloupe chunks, orange slices, pineapple slices, green and purple grapes, kiwi, blueberries, and even star fruit. This offers a lot of flavor variety for what your guests can add to their parfaits. But, use whatever fruit you prefer or have on hand!
There will always be a way to beautifully arrange your parfait bar even if you use less fruit than I did for my photos here.
Parfait Toppings
When it comes to parfait toppings, you can get very creative. Here are some suggestions of what you can use for filling the parfaits:
- Vanilla cake, angel food cake, or pound cake. Soft, spongy vanilla cake makes a great filler for fruit parfaits. It absorbs all of the flavor of the yogurt and fruit and adds a nice texture contrast.
- Granola, nuts, and/or chocolate chips. Granola is a classic choice for serving with parfait. There are mixes available that combine granola with slivered nuts and cocoa chips, and these are among my favorite choices for serving with parfaits! Bear Naked brand granola is a good choice.
- Cereal. So, I'm using Lucky Charms cereal for my parfaits. I love the look and flavor of this cereal, especially when combined with yogurt and fresh fruit. Kids especially love this combination! But, feel free to use your favorite cereal varieties, such as Cheerios, Captain Crunch, or Fruit Loops. Generally, the crunchier the cereal, the better it will pair with a parfait.
- Mini marshmallows. To go with my choice of cereal, I'm also adding in mini marshmallows. Marshmallow with yogurt parfait is a fun combination that kids adore.
- Drizzled toppings, like honey or even maple syrup. You can get very creative. Honey is especially tasty paired with a yogurt parfait bar.
Choosing a Charcuterie Board Tray for a Parfait Bar
You may already have a charcuterie board on hand to pair with a yogurt parfait bar, but if you don't, what should you use? below are a few of my personal suggestions for charcuterie boards. Remember that the size of your board is important for serving size and how you're able to decorate it. Get as creative as you like!
Rattan Round Fruit Basket, 11-inch
I love rattan serving trays for a parfait bar. They're make for a gorgeous presentation!
13-inch Cheese Board
Rustic Nesting Serving Trays, 15-inch and 13-inch
14-inch White Wooden Serving Tray
Acacia Wooden Serving Tray, 16.5-inch
Bowls and Glasses for Yogurt Parfaits
For displaying the yogurt and serving the parfaits, you will need bowls and (optionally) glasses. For my fruit parfait bar, I set out champagne flutes, and my guests loved them!
But, you can use anything you prefer for serving the parfaits, from mason jars to cups, bowls, or champagne flutes like mine. Match the bowls for the yogurt to your board, and it will make for a beautiful presentation.
Rae Dunn Snack Bowls
Champagne Flutes, 6.5oz
Yogurt Parfait Cups with Lids and Spoons
Wide-Mouth Mason Jars
6oz Ceramic Ramekins
How to Assemble a Yogurt Parfait Bar
Prep your board
Line your basket or serving tray with parchment paper. For my board, I'm making a rainbow shape, so I've placed bowls at each end of the "rainbow" to hold the yogurt. Consider how you would like your board arranged and place the bowls appropriately.
Layer Ingredients
Once you have everything set up, you can begin layering your ingredients. As you can see with my board, I've layered according to the colors of the rainbow to make a rainbow shape on the board, starting with strawberries and raspberries, then cantaloupe chunks, pineapples and starfruit, green grapes, kiwis, blueberries, and purple grapes. Then, I added the marshmallows and cereal. If you prefer, you can add your dry ingredients to bowls to display with the fruit. Note: Before assembling your board, make sure none of your guests have any allergies to specific kinds of fruit. If they do, make sure to keep that fruit separate so there's no cross-contamination.
Set out Serving Options
Once your board is assembled according to your liking, set it out on a table with options for serving, such as mason jars, champagne flutes, cups, or small bowls such as ramekins. Make sure your guests have access to spoons, and that the different types of yogurt are labeled.
Charcuterie Board Recipes
Tips for Making a Fruit Parfait Bar
- Before assembling your board, check with your guests about any food allergies. Supply a full list of what will be offered on the board to ensure there won't be any cross-contamination from potential allergens. There are many fruit allergies, so it's safest to cover your bases by asking first!
- Plan out your board's design ahead of time. If you already have a charcuterie serving tray you know you want to use, design it ahead of time before beginning to assemble the board. This will save you any frustration from realizing you don't like how it's looking after you've already started putting it together.
- Make sure to offer plenty of spoons and serving tools. Kids tend to not pay too much attention to whether they put a serving tool back where it belongs, so it's best to have a few options to keep things mess-free.
Isabel's Top Tip
Size your bowls to the size of your charcuterie board. If you have a small serving tray, you don't want your yogurt bowls to be too large, or they'll take up a majority of the room and make it harder to decorate. Alternatively, you can set the yogurt bowls to the side and use the tray only for displaying the toppings.
Storing Leftovers
If you happen to have any yogurt or topping leftovers, store them separately and according to whether they need to be refrigerated or not.
Generally if there's any leftover yogurt, unless it's been kept at a cold temperature, it's better to toss it at the end of the day to avoid risking any spoilage, as yogurt is a dairy product. But, for ingredients like fruit or dry toppings, you can usually store them again without issue.
Yogurt Parfait Board FAQ
Parfaits are actually a traditionally French recipe made using a custard base including eggs, whipped cream, sugar, and other mix-ins like chocolate. American parfaits, however, use yogurt as a base and traditionally combine it with fruit and granola. You can get creative with how you serve your parfaits, so there's no need to feel limited!
Parfaits are a great way to offer a nutritious snack for breakfast or brunch that kids and adults both love. Yogurt is good for your gut, while fruits and granola offer other natural benefits. Combine them with a special treat like cereal or chocolate chips, and you can get even the pickiest of kids eating food that's good for them, too!
If you enjoyed the recipe, leave a comment and a rating below!
Yogurt Parfait Bar
Equipment
- Charcuterie board or other serving tray
Ingredients
- 2 cups Raspberries
- 2 cups Strawberries
- 2 cups Cantaloupe chunks
- 2 cups Orange slices
- 2 cups Pineapple chunks
- 2 cups Star fruit
- 2 cups Green grapes
- 2 cups Kiwi
- 2 cups Blueberries
- 2 cups Purple grapes
- 2 cups Vanilla yogurt
- 2 cups Mini marshmallows
- 2 cups Lucky Charms cereal
Instructions
How to Make a Fruit Tray for a Yogurt Parfait Bar
- Line a basket or board with parchment paper. Place two bowls where you want the ends of your “rainbow” to be.
- Start by placing raspberries and strawberries in a row extending from one yogurt bowl to the other. This is the first line of your rainbow.2 cups Raspberries,2 cups Strawberries
- Next, place cantaloupe chunks and orange slices in a row just below the strawberries and raspberries.2 cups Cantaloupe chunks,2 cups Orange slices
- Pineapple and star fruit go beneath the cantaloupe and oranges. Make sure to use as much or little as your board calls for to get that rainbow shape!2 cups Pineapple chunks,2 cups Star fruit
- Place green grapes and kiwi below the star fruit and pineapple.2 cups Green grapes,2 cups Kiwi
- Then, add blueberries.2 cups Blueberries
- Finally, for your last rainbow line, use purple grapes!2 cups Purple grapes
- Surround each yogurt bowl with mini marshmallows so it looks like fluffy clouds. Fill your bowls with vanilla yogurt.2 cups Vanilla yogurt,2 cups Mini marshmallows
- Fill the empty spaces of the board with Lucky Charms cereal. Then, serve!2 cups Lucky Charms cereal
Notes
- Note: The instructions and ingredient measurements are specific to the size of my serving tray and my desired parfait bar design. Adjust your measurements accordingly, and keep in mind this will change the nutrition!
- If using a smaller board reduce all ingredients in half or 1 cups each.
- Make sure to use smaller bowls for your yogurt when making a small board! This will make it easier to place the “rainbow” on the board.
- The size of your board makes a difference in how your board will look. Each row of fruit should be even if you want it to look like the rainbow I made.
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