Lemon Yogurt Parfaits with Berry Compote

Made with a blend of protein-rich ricotta and Greek yogurt, this lemon yogurt parfait recipe is a delicious and satisfying grab-and-go breakfast. Best of all, they taste like cheesecake and you can make them ahead of time! Make these on Sunday for a week of hassle-free mornings!

While I’d love to make a delicious omelette or a healthy bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, I’m lucky if I have time for a piece of toast with a hard-boiled egg. However, in an effort to keep mid-morning hunger at bay, I tried eating more protein for breakfast. Enter the yogurt parfait for take-away breakfast.

The base layer is a creamy blend of high-protein ricotta and Greek yogurt, flavored with lemon juice, vanilla and a touch of Honey. While you could skip the ricotta and just use yogurt, adding it gives this yogurt parfait recipe a cheesecake flavor that I love! I layer with Quick Berry compote made with a combination of blueberries, raspberries and strawberries, then top the parfaits with a handful of crunchy, toasted almonds.

Making this yogurt parfait recipe on the weekends makes it easy for me to eat something healthy and filling during the week. Sunday evening I prepare a quantity in the blender and divide it equally five jars layer them with the compote and store them in the refrigerator. In the morning I garnish them with toasted walnuts and breakfast is served!

Summary

1. Ingredients for Lemon Yogurt Perfetti
2. How to prepare this recipe for yogurt semifreddo
3. How to prepare these yogurt parfaits
4. What to serve with yogurt parfaits
5. Four more protein-rich breakfasts
6. Yogurt semifreddo and lemon cheesecake recipe
7. Greek honey – Thyme, forest herbs and wild herbs

Ingredients for Lemon Yogurt Perfetti

The ingredients for this make-ahead breakfast are easy to find in any supermarket. Here’s everything you need:

• Almonds: The flaked almonds toasted until golden brown create a crunchy contrast with the creamy yogurt and cheese mixture and the soft berry compote. You can toast these weeks ahead and store them in an airtight container on the counter to use as needed.
• Cottage cheese is currently experiencing a renaissance. Here I use it to add both protein and cheesecake flavor to the parfait base.
• Honey adds a touch of sweetness and a floral note. Make sure you choose high-quality honey for this recipe. I particularly like with Italian citrus honey.
• Lemon juice and lemon zest they are traditional in cheesecake recipes and give parfaits a spicy flavor.
• Vanilla extract adds a subtle caramel note to many desserts. Bonus: Since people associate vanilla with sweetness, you can keep the sweetener content low.
• Greek yogurt: For this recipe I prefer full fat yogurt for its creamy texture and rich flavor.
• Milk: If the brand of yogurt or cottage cheese you use is particularly thick, you may need a few tablespoons of milk to make it easier to blend in the blender.
• Quick berry compote Made with blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, fresh lime juice and a touch of raw sugar, this compote pairs beautifully with the creamy yogurt and cheese filling. Feel free to replace frozen berries with fresh ones. Since you will only need 1 cup of compote, transfer the rest to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
  • What to do with leftover berry compote: Use in place of jam on toast, spoon over vanilla ice cream for dessert, or serve with Challah French Toast at brunch.

How to prepare this recipe for yogurt semifreddo

The best thing about these breakfast parfaits is that they can be made ahead of time. When the alarm goes off, you’ll be ready to grab and go!

• Do Quick berry compote: Prepare the compote and let it cool to room temperature. This can be made and stored in the refrigerator up to 3 days in advance.
• Toast the almonds. Add 6 tablespoons sliced ​​almonds to a small dry skillet set over medium heat. Toast, stirring often, for about 3-5 minutes until the nuts are golden brown and fragrant. Set aside to cool.
• Blend the semifreddo ingredients: Combine 1 3/4 cups cottage cheese, 3 tablespoons honey, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in a blender. Blend on high speed until smooth. Add 1 3/4 cups Greek yogurt and continue blending until completely smooth. If the consistency is too thick to blend easily, add up to 1/4 cup milk.
• Layer the semifreddos: Fill each of 5 small (half-pint or 8-ounce) jars about halfway with the yogurt mixture. Top with a couple of tablespoons of compote, then add another layer of yogurt mixture, leaving enough room for more compote and a sprinkling of almonds. Seal with a lid or cover tightly and store in the refrigerator.

How to prepare these yogurt parfaits

There are many ways to change up the ingredients and still get a satisfying breakfast parfait. Here are some ideas:

• Skip the ricotta: I love the concept of “cheesecake” for breakfast, but these parfaits are delicious made with just Greek yogurt. Double the amount of yogurt to replace the volume of ricotta. When you prepare them this way you can skip the blender, which is especially important for breaking down the ricotta. Simply blend the yogurt with the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl.
• Citrus Options: Instead of lemon, try orange zest and juice.
• Swap the toppings: The sky really is the limit here! You can replace the berry compote with toasted peaches, poached apricots, strawberry and rose compote or a few spoonfuls of fig jam with vanilla and citrus fruits. Swap the almonds for toasted pistachios, cashews, walnuts, or homemade olive oil granola.
• Add even more protein: To add even more protein to this breakfast, I like to mix in whey protein powder, which boosts the flavor of the cheese. I usually add 2 servings of unflavored whey protein powder to the other ingredients and blend until completely smooth. I prefer plain whey, but vanilla flavored whey works too. Since whey powders are often sweetened, you may want to reduce the amount of honey.

What to serve with yogurt parfaits

These high-protein grab-and-go parfaits might be all you need to fuel you in the morning. But for those with a bigger appetite, our Spanakopita Egg Muffins are a great way to add a savory option. Packed with spinach, feta and mint, they take less than a minute to heat up in the microwave.

And if you can’t imagine breakfast without toast, try our Toasts with Eggs and Vegetables. If you just want to add some veggies to your first meal, you can always sip them slowly with our Green Juice recipe.

Four more protein-rich breakfasts