Made with fresh fruit, creamy vanilla yogurt and homemade granola, these Fruity Yogurt Parfait Popsicles will cool you down any time of day…breakfast, lunch or just a snack. No guilt!
Breakfast is easy with these make ahead pops. Fruity Yogurt Parfait Popsicles are just what summer needs.
I’ve spent all summer looking at popsicles online on Foodgawker, Twitter, Tastespotting…you get the picture… and they look so good, and COLD! By August I want all of my food served cold. Iced coffee, salads, fresh fruit. Some days I wake up and its already blazing hot in this old house, so I got to thinking about how I could make a popsicle for breakfast.
One of my favorite breakfasts is a granola yogurt parfait with fresh fruit… that is, as long as I have homemade granola… otherwise I’ll pass. Store-bought granola isn’t worth the calories in my humble opinion. It tends to taste stale, soggy and bland. On the other hand, homemade granola is sweet, salty, crunchy (or chewy if that’s what you prefer), full of nutty goodness, whole grains and flavor. Then you add fresh fruit…berries, stone fruit, pomegranates, really whatever fruit you like and yogurt. I’ve been doing the Greek yogurt lately, the kind with a little fat as opposed to the fat free and in my parfait it has to be vanilla flavored! Sounds sweet, right? So why not put these ingredients into a frozen pop? Stick with me….its really not that crazy!
I started this adventure by adding extra protein to my granola with quinoa. I’ve been thinking about how to get more nutrition into granola and this was a great solution. Quinoa provides a nice crunch to the granola and once toasted has a nutty flavor. Combine the quinoa with a generous helping of oats, unsweetened coconut and sliced almonds and you have a great base. For flavor, honey, brown sugar, vanilla extract, salt and cinnamon make a tasty granola that can pair with any fruit.
I made four fruit purees: strawberry, blueberry, kiwi-honeydew and peach-cantaloupe. For each, I only added enough simple syrup to make a smooth puree in the blender. I paired the fruit and granola with a thick, creamy vanilla bean yogurt and layered them into popsicle molds.
It might be a little unconventional, but I think it works. It feels indulgent to eat popsicles for breakfast, but the good, healthy stuff is in there. They are fruity, sweet and have just the right crunch thanks to the frozen granola.
The best part is they are easy to grab and go! I know many of you out there are sending your kids back to school right about now. Give these a try. The kids will think they are getting a treat, but you’ll know they are getting a solid breakfast! Once they are out the door, sit down, relax and treat yourself to a Fruity Yogurt Parfait Popsicle. You deserve a good breakfast too!
Fruity Yogurt Parfait Popsicles
Ingredients
Quinoa:
- 1¼ cups water
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup quinoa
Granola:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- Prepared quinoa
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- 1 cup oats
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut
Fruit puree:
- Fresh fruit
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
Popsicles:
- Vanilla yogurt
- Granola
- Fruit puree
Instructions
Quinoa:
- Combine quinoa, water, honey, vanilla extract, and salt in a small sauce pan.
- Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is soft, about 10-15 minutes.
Granola:
- Preheat oven to 325.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment or aluminum foil.
- In a bowl, combine oil, honey, vanilla extract, salt, sugar, and cinnamon.
- Add in prepared quinoa, oats, almonds and coconut. and toss.
- Spread mixture onto cookie sheet in a thin, even layer.
- Bake, stirring every 10-15 minutes, until granola is golden brown, about 30 minutes.
- Freeze granola.
Fruit puree:
- Make a simple syrup by combining the water and sugar in a small sauce pan over medium heat, until sugar crystals have dissolved.
- Blend your fruit of choice adding simple syrup to taste.
Assembly:
- Layer vanilla yogurt, fruit puree and frozen granola into popsicle molds and freeze.
Notes
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Belinda says
These are absolutely delicious, tried today with some homemade yogurt and still have some left in the freezer for the week :D
vintagekitty says
Homemade yogurt sounds delish!