Fruity Vegan Yogurt Recipe

Fruity Vegan Yogurt Recipe

Today we are making a Fruity Vegan Yogurt Recipe! Summer fruits are in season, and I’m not letting them slip away before putting a few more summer-related recipes out there. Give me all the fresh berries, papayas, mangoes, and tropical fruits around!

I remember when I was younger, my mom used to buy flavored yogurt packets for me, for school lunchtime. But when I became vegan, flavored yogurt wasn’t really an option, because it was a bit too expensive (and tasted not so great at the time).

On top of that, the only flavored yogurt box I saw was almond berry yogurt (made with Silk almond milk). Even now, a lot of the flavored yogurts on the market that are emerging are expensive or contain extra unwanted ingredients.

So, I decided to create fruity yogurt flavors at home, and layer them to make a yogurt parfait! It’s a great make-ahead breakfast that you can store in the fridge overnight, or make it on the spot in 15 minutes.

This is a very simple recipe. Just blend yogurt with each fruit for two layers, and use fruits in between. Let’s get onto it!

Making Homemade Yogurt

For those who want plant-based alternatives but don’t want to pay an arm and a leg for a pack of vegan yogurt, there is an easy way to make your own vegan yogurt at home as well. Although I don’t have a recipe for it on my website, yogurt is made using some simple ingredients. The key ingredient in vegan recipes can be raw cashews, full-fat coconut milk, silken tofu or another non-dairy milk base.

You can make homemade yogurt in an instant pot, no other special equipment or specific yogurt maker required! Just add in probiotic capsules or a yogurt starter such as pre-made vegan yogurt with active cultures, and it will begin to ferment to make yogurt. You can check out this recipe using raw cashews if you want to make it at home!

Why You’ll Love This Vegan Yogurt Parfait Recipe

Just Three Ingredients: This recipe consists of just three ingredients. Mangoes, berries (which can be a mix and match of whichever berries you prefer) and vegan yogurt! I absolutely love yogurt parfaits in the summer, because it’s a way to get in that good bacteria for the gut, as well as fruit right at the beginning of the day.

Since the yogurt is plain and tangy, blend almost any fruit with it and it turns into an at-home flavored yogurt mix! Then, layer your parfait with more fresh fruit, nuts, seeds and all the good stuff.

New Breakfast Ideas: If you ever need new and healthy breakfast ideas, this is it! Get in multiple fruit servings, probiotics and protein all in one.

Substitutions: Yogurt

Vegan Yogurt: I used Riviera brand of vegan yogurt, but you can use any brand you prefer. This was their coconut milk based yogurt. They also make oat yogurt, as well as other flavors aside from just plain yogurt. But their coconut milk one has been my favorite, and doesn’t really have a very strong coconut flavor for me.

Alternatively, choose a high protein dairy-free yogurt brand to make this parfait higher in protein. One excellent choice I recommend is from the Kite Hill brand. They make a plain unsweetened non-dairy yogurt (greek style yogurt, so it’s very thick and has a tangy taste) with a high protein content of 15 grams of protein per serving! This one uses a soy milk and almond milk yogurt base, but others use oat milk, cashew milk or a coconut yogurt base.

Taste Testing Yogurts

When it comes to vegan yogurts, everyone has their own personal preferences in terms of taste. The first time I tried a vegan yogurt brand, I didn’t love it (and this was way back in 2014, when vegan yogurt was barely a thing in the supermarket)!

Now, there are too many brands to choose from. However, I recommend a taste test of a few different brands to choose the best option as your go-to yogurt. The refrigerated section of most grocery stores has a section for plant-based yogurts next to the dairy products and plant-based milks.

Checking Ingredient Labels

For this recipe specifically, to keep it refined-sugar free, be sure to check the ingredient label for any added sugars. I would opt for a brand that has the least number of added ingredients!

For example, the Kite Hill brand linked above contains the following: Almond Milk (Water, Almonds), Soy Protein Isolate, Tapioca Starch, Natural Flavors, Live Active Cultures. Although the tapioca starch is likely there as a thickener, and the natural flavors is a bit ambiguous as to what it consists of, this is still a brand I would choose because of the low number of added ingredients.

Silk is another common yogurt brand, with their Unsweetened Plain Coconut Yogurt having the following ingredients: Organic coconut base (filtered water, organic coconut cream), Rice starch, Pectin, Calcium citrate, Dicalcium phosphate, Active bacterial cultures. This is similar to the last yogurt, with the base being coconut, added thickener (pectin and rice starch) and active bacteria. The other chemicals are likely there as stabilizers or to fortify the yogurt with calcium.

Personally though, I like Kite Hill brand best, for both the number of ingredients and the high protein as compared to others.

Substitutions: Other

Fruits: Fruits are a great addition to any yogurt recipe! You can use whichever fruits you’d like. Try raspberries or blackberries as a replacement for the blueberries, and strawberries as a replacement for the cherries. Pineapples or papayas can be a substitute for the mangoes.

I prefer to use frozen fruits because using fresh fruit in the yogurt will make it too liquid-y. But within the fruit layers themselves, fresh fruits would work best. The fruits also contribute natural sweetness to this recipe.

Vanilla Extract: I use an alcohol-free vanilla flavor with minimal ingredients. No dyes, caramel colors or other additives. The taste is much stronger and the texture is thicker than a diluted, cheaper version of vanilla. Although the type I use from Simply Organics doesn’t contain any alcohol so it can’t be deemed vanilla extract. Instead, the alcohol-free options legally must be called vanilla flavor. I love vanilla flavors in all my recipes, but this can also be omitted.

Fruity Vegan Yogurt Recipe Notes

• For more sweetness, add some pure maple syrup into the yogurt when blending the layers.
• I do not recommend to blend protein powder into the yogurt for a high-protein version. This will make the yogurt taste … not so great. Instead, opt for a high-protein yogurt itself.

More Healthy Recipes You’ll Love

Mango Sago: Mango Sago is a sweet, layered coconut and mango dessert with tapioca pearls that originated in Hong Kong!

Lime Chili Mango: This is a simple recipe is also known as Mango con Chile y Limon. It’s a popular street food in Mexico and made of just three ingredients!

Creamy Oatmeal Recipe (Chocolate Coconut): Another great breakfast recipe, this oatmeal bowl is inspired by the well-known chocolate-covered, coconut-filled Bounty bars!

Warm Quinoa Recipe: This recipe is similar to a warm bowl of oats, but now it’s quinoa! With roasted nuts and juicy berries, it makes for a healthy and filling breakfast recipe.

Orange Yogurt & Blueberry Compote Parfaits: These breakfast parfaits are made of a sweet berry compote with vegan orange creamsicle-like yogurt!

Hawaiian Acai Bowl: This recipe uses frozen fruits with acai powder to make a homemade frozen fruit bowl, full of nutrients and topped with goji berries, coconut and cacao nibs for a raw breakfast recipe!

Lemon Coconut Chia Pudding

3-Ingredient Chia Pudding

If you make this Fruity Vegan Yogurt Recipe, then leave a comment and star rating! Don’t forget to tag your photos @peanut_palate on Instagram. Enjoy!