Ingredients Needed

• 2/3 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• pinch of salt
• 1/2-1 serving vanilla protein powder (a good source of protein and a great way to add extra protein to the oatmeal)
• (optional) 1-2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut (add a delicious coconut flavor and healthy fats)
• 1 cup coconut milk from a carton or light coconut milk from a can OR 1/2 cup water + 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk from a can
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey
• 1/2 cup mango or pineapple chunks (fresh fruit or frozen)

Optional Extras for Flavor (Choose one or multiple options)

• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon orange or lemon zest (grated from the rind of a lemon or orange)
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

What are the best kind of oats to use?

For this recipe, use old-fashioned rolled oats or quick oats. You’ll find both options at any grocery store. Both options soften perfectly with the liquid, making a delicious oatmeal that you can enjoy cold, without cooking the oats.

Avoid using steel cut oats. Steel cut oats have a different texture and don’t work as well in this recipe.

How to Make Coconut Milk Overnight Oats

This recipe requires prep in advance. Make the oats at least 4 hours before consuming, or up to 4 days in advance. A great healthy breakfast option (or snack) to keep prepped in the fridge.

Step 1: Combine Dry Ingredients

Add the dry ingredients to a meal-prep jar or small bowl: oats, chia seeds, shredded coconut (if using), protein powder, salt.

If you’re adding any extra dry ingredients (cinnamon, flax seeds, orange or lemon zest, etc.), now is the time to add one or a few of these ingredients.

Step 2: Add Liquid Ingredients

If you’re using light canned coconut milk, or coconut milk beverage from a carton, add 1 cup to the oats.

If you’re using full-fat canned coconut milk, add 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup water to the oats.

Add vanilla extract, if using.

Give all the ingredients a good stir with a fork until well combined.

Step 3: Add Fruit

Top the oatmeal with your fruit of choice: mangoes or pineapple (fresh or frozen). Do not stir the fruit into the oatmeal. Let the fruit rest on top of the oatmeal.

Step 4: Refrigerate Overnight

Secure a lid on the jar or bowl and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight (8 hours), before consuming. As the oats rest in the fridge, the mixture will thicken. The oats may be made up to 4 days in advance.

Before eating, stir the fruit into the oatmeal. Top with your favorite toppings, or enjoy as-is.

Favorite Toppings

If you want to add anything extra, before enjoying, here are a few ideas for toppings that will add different flavors and additional nutrients to your oatmeal:

• Plain Greek Yogurt or Coconut Milk Yogurt: Add a scoop of your favorite yogurt for extra protein, creaminess, and probiotics. Stir in the yogurt as you enjoy the oats.
• Nut or Seed Butter: Add a scoop of peanut butter, sunflower butter, almond butter, or cashew butter. Or tahini (made from sesame seeds; also used to make salad dressing and hummus).
• Nuts and Seeds: Sprinkle with your favorite nuts or seeds, like pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, walnuts, macadamia nuts, etc.
• Granola: Top with homemade granola, homemade grain-free granola, or a store-bought granola (like Purely Elizabeth brand).
• Bananas: Slice up 1/2 or 1 whole banana and add the slices on top of the oatmeal.

How to Store This Make-Ahead Breakfast

The oats may be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container.

My favorite storage jars are Weck Jars: beautiful and functional. Mason jars are also fantastic. The wide-mouth 8 or 16-ounce mason jar is the best option for overnight oats.

More Favorite Oat Recipes

The best thing about oats is their versatility! Want another healthy breakfast idea using oats? You’ll also want to make my other easy overnight oats recipes and baked oatmeal recipes.

• Baked Oatmeal With Blueberries
• Baked Oatmeal Cups
• High Protein Overnight Oats
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats
• Banana-Oat Breakfast Cookies

If you love this recipe, you’ll also love high-protein overnight oats, tropical overnight oats with coconut milk, chocolate peanut butter overnight oats, overnight oats with yogurt, baked oatmeal cups, and baked oatmeal with blueberries.

The Secret to Making Overnight Oats with Frozen Fruit

The secret is to reduce the liquid (water or milk).

As frozen fruits defrost, they naturally add more water to the oat mixture. To adjust for this extra water content, I reduce the amount of water/milk in my recipe.

In my basic overnight oats recipe, I use 1 cup liquid, but in this recipe I’ve reduced that amount to 2/3 cup. This keeps the oats from being too watery. Instead, you end up with creamy and thick oats-just how they should be.

Ingredients Needed

• 2/3 cup old-fashioned oats or quick oats (for best results do not use steel cut oats)
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1/2-1 serving of your favorite protein powder (chocolate or vanilla)
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup milk of choice + 1/3 cup water (or use 2/3 cup water or milk)
• 1/2 cup favorite fruit (frozen): strawberries, blueberries, peaches, mango, pineapple, tropical fruits mix, mixed berries, etc.

Optional Extras for Flavor (Choose one or multiple options):

• 1-2 teaspoons maple syrup or honey
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, or cardamom
• pinch of nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon orange or lemon zest (rind of a lemon or orange finely grated)
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

How to Make Overnight Oats With Frozen Fruit

Step 1: Combine Dry Ingredients

Add the dry ingredients to a meal-prep jar or small bowl: oats, chia seeds, protein powder, salt.

If you’re adding any extra dry ingredients (cinnamon, nutmeg, hemp seeds, flax seeds, cocoa powder, etc.), now is the time to add one or a few of these ingredients.

Step 2: Add Liquid Ingredients

Add the milk and water to the oat mixture.

If you’re adding any extra liquid ingredients (like maple syrup, mashed banana, or vanilla extract) now is the time to add one or a few of these ingredients.

Stir all the ingredients together with a fork until well combined.

Step 3: Add Frozen Fruit

Top the oatmeal with your frozen fruit of choice. Do not stir the frozen fruit into the oatmeal. Let the frozen fruit rest on top of the oatmeal.

Step 4: Refrigerate Overnight

Secure a lid on the jar or bowl and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight (8 hours), before consuming. As the oats rest in the fridge, the mixture will thicken.

Before eating, stir the fruit into the oatmeal. Top with your favorite toppings, or enjoy as-is.

Topping Ideas

If you want to add anything extra, before enjoying, here are a few ideas for what to add to the top of the oats.

• Plain Greek Yogurt: Add a scoop of your favorite yogurt for extra protein, creaminess, and probiotics. Stir in the yogurt as you enjoy the oats.
• Nut or Seed Butter: Add a scoop of peanut butter, sunflower butter, almond butter, or cashew butter. Or tahini.
• Nuts and Seeds: Sprinkle with your favorite nuts or seeds, like pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, walnuts, macadamia nuts, etc.
• Granola: Top with homemade granola, homemade grain-free granola, or a store-bought granola (like Purely Elizabeth brand).

How to Store

The oats may be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container.

My Favorite Jars for Overnight Oats

• My favorite jars are Weck Jars: beautiful and functional.
• Mason jars are also fantastic. The wide-mouth 8 or 16 ounce mason jar is the best option for overnight oats.

Ingredients Needed

Main Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup Greek yogurt, 170 grams (Plain yogurt is my preference since it doesn’t have any added sugar. Vanilla yogurt also works.)
• 1/2 serving chocolate protein powder (my favorite brands: chocolate whey protein from Tera’s Whey and chocolate dairy-free protein powder from Faster Way)

Optional Extra Flavorings:

• 1/2-1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder (for additional chocolate flavor)
• 1-2 teaspoons maple syrup or honey (or 1/4 teaspoon liquid stevia)
• pinch of cinnamon (enhances the chocolate flavor)
• pinch of salt (enhances the dark chocolate flavor)
• splash of vanilla extract

Optional Yogurt Toppings:

• 1-2 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1-2 tablespoons peanut butter powder
• 1/4 cup granola (like homemade oat granola or grain-free granola)
• 1/4 cup fresh fruit (or frozen berries: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries)
• 1 banana, sliced

Equipment Needed

• 1 medium or small bowl for mixing and eating the yogurt
• Storage jars (I love Weck Jars or Mason Jars) if you want to prep individual jars for a food prep breakfast or snack

Step By Step Instructions

Step 1: Combine Yogurt and Protein Powder

Spoon the yogurt into a bowl. Add 1 scoop of chocolate protein powder. If you’re going to add extra flavorings (cocoa powder, sweetener, vanilla, etc.) do that now.

Use a spoon to combine the ingredients. Aggressively mix the ingredients with your spoon until all the powder is incorporated into the yogurt and the yogurt mixture appears fluffy and has a creamy texture (about 15-30 seconds).

Step 2: Add Toppings

The yogurt is ready to enjoy. Top the yogurt with your favorite toppings: banana slices, frozen or fresh berries, peanut butter, granola, shredded coconut, etc.

Need topping ideas? Check out 17 healthy yogurt bowl toppings.

Make-Ahead Meal Prep Storage Instructions

If you’d like to make multiple yogurt bowls for a make-ahead breakfast, snack, or lunch, spoon the yogurt mixture into individual airtight containers (I love Weck Jars or Mason Jars). Secure the lids. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days. Before enjoying, add your favorite toppings.

Chocolate Overnight Oats is another favorite make-ahead breakfast using protein powder.

Step 1: Toast the Bread

Toast the bread to your liking in a toaster. I like a crispier toast that’s more golden brown as I love a crunchy base with the soft peanut butter and bananas.

1. Cinnamon

Sprinkle cinnamon over the top of the banana slices, after assembling the toast. I recommend adding a pinch of salt as well. The sweet bananas and cinnamon pair perfectly with the touch of salt and enhances all the amazing flavors!

2. Honey

Drizzle honey over the top of the sliced bananas, after assembling the toast. I recommend adding a pinch of salt for a sweet and salty balance.

3. Coconut Flakes

Add a tropical flair with shredded or flaked unsweetened coconut. Sprinkle the coconut over the top of the bananas, after assembling the toast.

4. Chia Seeds

Chia seeds are a great source of fiber and healthy fat and they add a delicious crunch to the toast. Sprinkle the chia seeds over the sliced banana, after assembling the toast.

5. Flax Seeds or Hemp Hearts

Flax seeds are a great source of healthy fat and fiber. Hemp hearts are a delicious way to add plant-based protein. Sprinkle the flax seeds or hemp hearts over the top of the sliced banana, after assembling the toast.

6. Granola

For extra crunch, sprinkle your favorite granola over the top of the sliced bananas after assembling. I love to use my homemade granola recipe which I keep stocked in my freezer for an easy breakfast or snack (also great on healthy yogurt bowls).

Variations

1. Baked Sweet Potato Instead of Bread

Roast up a tray of the best and quickest baked sweet potatoes then place them in the fridge to enjoy all week for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Pull one sweet potato from the fridge, reheat in the microwave or oven, and then top with peanut butter and sliced bananas. Add cinnamon, coconut flakes, chia seeds, or honey (if desired). This is one of my favorite ways to enjoy a sweet potato and a great breakfast paired with easy recipes like eggs (and there are so many different egg styles to cook).

2. Use a Different Seed or Nut Butter

Instead of peanut butter, use your favorite nut or seed butter: sunflower butter, almond butter, cashew butter, hazelnut butter, etc.

What to Serve With This Toast

This recipe is great any time of the day, but it’s particularly delicious for a morning toast served with breakfast items. The banana, peanut butter, and bread pair particularly well with a protein-rich breakfast side. Here are a few of my favorite quick and easy, protein-rich egg recipes to serve with this toast.

• Fluffy Scrambled Eggs: Take less than 5 minutes to make and cook. A great side to make while the toast cooks.
• Make-Ahead Omelet Cups: If mornings are super busy for you, make egg omelet cups (baked in a muffin pan) on the weekend and serve cold, at room temperature, or reheat in the toaster oven or microwave. Then serve with the toast.
• Classic Cheese Omelette: Sounds fancy, but oh so easy!
• Feta and Spinach Omelette: A great way to get greens into your morning meal.
• Frittata: Make this recipe in advance, slice it up, and serve as a quick and easy breakfast all week alongside the toast.
• Breakfast Egg Casserole: Make this casserole on Sunday, enjoy a few slices, then place the rest in the fridge for a fast protein breakfast to serve with the toast.
• Protein Overnight Oats: Make the oats with frozen fruit, high protein oatmeal, or make tropical overnight oats with coconut milk.
• Yogurt Bowl: Choose a fruit and granola yogurt bowl or serve the toast with my favorite chocolate protein yogurt.

How to Make: Step-by-Step

To make the perfect dip with these simple ingredients…

Step 1: Add Yogurt

First, spoon 1/2 cup of plain yogurt into a mixing bowl (or a storage container with a lid, if making for later).

Step 2: Add Honey and Spice

Add 1 tablespoon honey, cinnamon, and pure vanilla extract to the yogurt.

Step 3: Stir to Combine

Give everything a good stir or whisk to combine. Taste the dip and add a little extra honey or spices to your taste preference.

Step 4: Serve or Chill for Later

Serve the dip immeadiately, with one fruit or a plate of fruit, or place in an air-tight container and store in the fridge for later.

How to Serve

There are so many different fruits to serve alongside this naturally sweet yogurt dip. During the summer, berry kabobs (seen here in my 31 summer snack ideas list) are a favorite. During the fall months, pair this honey yogurt dip with pears and apples.

Fruits that are the perfect compliment to this yummy dip…

• Strawberries (wash and store the berries properly so they don’t go bad before you make this dip recipe)
• Blackberries
• Raspberries
• Blueberries
• Pineapple Chunks
• Honeydew Slices
• Cantaloupe Slices
• Apple Slices
• Pear Slices
• Peach Slices
• Cherries
• Kiwi
• Grapes
• Bananas

For a party, serve the naturally sweet fruit dip with toothpicks on a fruit platter so guests can easily pick up fruit for dipping in the sauce.

For on-the-go snacking, spoon the yogurt dip in a dipper container and place your favorite fruit in a travel container. Or, spoon yogurt dip into a mason jar and top with berries (or your favorite fruit). Enjoy later as a fruit and yogurt parfait.

How Long Does it Last?

This fruit yogurt dip will keep for up to 1 week in the fridge, if stored in an air-tight container.

This is a great recipe to double or triple for a party, prep-ahead family snack, or multiple yogurt bowls.

More Healthy Snack Ideas

This is one of many different snacks on rotation during the year in our home. During the summer, we snack a lot! Here are a few of our favorite easy and healthy snacks:

• 31 Easy and Healthy On-the-Go Summer Snacks
• Mango Pineapple Smoothie
• Yogurt Bowls with 17 Topping Ideas
• Easy Energy Bites
• Homemade Fruit Yogurt Sticks
• Homemade Chocolate Yogurt

Overnight oats are the perfect make-ahead meal to meal prep on Sunday night for an easy breakfast on busy mornings, mid-day snack, or a healthier treat option.

Today’s chocolate peanut butter overnight oats recipe is made with old fashioned oats, chocolate protein powder, creamy peanut butter, and cocoa powder. And while that all sounds rich and decadent, this recipe is 100% healthy and made with real-food ingredients to fuel your body.

More Ways To Make Overnight Oats

If you love overnight oats, here are more ways to make this delicious nutrient-dense breakfast.

• Overnight Oats with Frozen Fruit
• Overnight Oats With Yogurt
• Protein Overnight Oats Without Yogurt
• Tropical Overnight Oats with Coconut Milk

It’s officially summer and there’s nothing like a homemade popsicle on a hot summer day! The kids are out of school and it’s set to reach 100 degrees by the weekend.

With summer here, I’m ready to embrace chicken on the grill, no-cook grazing boards made from pantry ingredients, and all the frozen treats (like our favorite homemade vanilla ice cream).

Why make your own?

3 reasons to stop buying popsicles and start making your own homemade popsicles this summer:

• Healthy: When you make your own popsicles, you know exactly what’s going in those popsicles. No high fructose corn syrup, artificial dyes, or mystery flavorings. Just healthy, real-food ingredients!
• Easy: It takes just 10 minutes of hands-on time to make your own popsicles. And there’s no cooking involved! Once made, they’re a healthy snack the kids can help themselves to on a hot day. A homemade snack or treat doesn’t get any easier than popsicles from the freezer.
• No Expensive Ice Cream Maker Required: Making summer treats, like homemade vanilla ice cream, requires an ice cream maker. But for DIY popsicles, you don’t need any expensive equipment; just a popsicle mold (you can keep this super basic) and ingredients already stocked in your pantry.

How do you make homemade healthy popsicles?

Are you in the mood for creamy popsicles made with yogurt or coconut milk? Or do you want to make something fruity with whole fruits, fruit juice, or fruit puree?

Once you know what kind of popsicle you want to make, here are a few basic principles for making your own popsicles.

Step 1: Flavor

One of the best ways to make easy homemade popsicles is to use your favorite fruit: fresh or frozen, ripe or slightly overripe (a great way to put those extra berries or bananas to use before they go bad). With fruit, you don’t need any extra sweetener as the fruit itself is sweet. Blend up the fruit with a liquid, like coconut milk, almond milk, Greek yogurt. Or, skip the whole fruit and use juice (like orange juice). The easiest way to make popsicles is to place the ingredients in the blender and give everything a good puree.

Step 2: Choose a Mold

After blending the popsicle ingredients, pour the mixture (which should resemble the consistency of a smoothie), into a popsicle mold. There are lots of options: make your own mold with plastic cups (little Dixie cups or small plastic yogurt cups work best), use a muffin tray, buy a reusable popsicle mold, or use a push up pop mold. Or, make fun dinosaur shapes with a special popsicle mold.

Step 3: Add a Stick

Without a stick it will be impossible to eat your popsicles once frozen. Most reusable popsicle molds come with reusable sticks. Personally, I hate cleaning those stick so I prefer to use wooden craft sticks, which the kids can just toss when they’re done.

Step 4: Freeze

Now you’re ready to freeze the popsicles. The time it takes to freeze the popsicle mixture depends on how thick it is. It takes about 4-8 hours to freeze homemade popsicles. The faster they freeze, the more they’ll resemble a store-bought popsicle (soft when you bite into it). To help them freeze quickly, place the popsicles in the coldest part of your freezer.

Step 5: Remove From The Mold

Once frozen solid, remove the popsicles from the mold by running the outside of the mold under cold water. This the easiest way to remove the frozen popsicles from the molds. I like to remove them all at once and store in a freezer bag to make it easy to grab and enjoy an ice-cold popsicle. The perfect treat on a hot day.

Liquid: Yogurt, full-fat coconut milk (or another milk, such as: cow’s milk, almond milk, cashew milk), juice (apple juice, grape juice, pineapple juice, or orange juice), water, coconut water, or yogurt.

Fruit: Fruit may be blended with the liquid or chopped up and stirred into the liquid. Strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, kiwis, peaches, mangoes, cherries, raspberries, are just a few options. Steamed veggies can also be added, like carrots or beets. Or add raw spinach or avocado. When you freeze fruit, it becomes less sweet so adding sweetener is optional.

Sweetener: You may want to naturally sweeten homemade popsicles: honey, maple syrup, or a banana.

Herbs: During the summer, fresh herbs are bountiful (learn how to store fresh herbs). Blend up a few mint leaves or basil leaves for a subtle, fresh flavor.

Extras: Peanut butter, cocoa or cacao powder, lemon juice, chocolate chips, and vanilla extract are few of the fun ingredients you can add to make a unique popsicle.

Examples of how to make your own custom flavors with simple ingredients:

• Peanut Butter Fudge Popsicles: blend coconut milk, peanut butter, banana, cinnamon, and maple syrup.
• Blueberry-Yogurt Popsicles: blend blueberries, plain yogurt, and honey.
• Strawberry-Mint Lemonade Popsicles: blend water or coconut milk, strawberries, mint leaves, and lemon juice.
• Mango-Coconut Popsicles: blend mangoes and coconut water.
• Cherry-Lime Popsicles: blend cherries, lime juice, and water (or coconut milk).

The Best Popsicle Molds

You can’t make DIY popsicles without some sort of mold. Here are all the options for the best homemade popsicle molds:

• Reusable Popsicle Mold: I purchased my popsicle mold 4 years ago. $13 well spent! Popsicle molds are super easy to use and most come with reusable sticks/handles. I use this popsicle mold.
• Fun Shapes: Make dinosaurs and other fun shapes with special molds, like this.
• Dixie Cups and Wooden Craft Sticks
• Plastic Yogurt Containers and Wooden Craft Sticks: Wash and reuse small plastic yogurt cups. Glass will break in the freezer, so don’t use the small glass yogurt cups.
• Muffin Pan and Wooden Craft Sticks: The one issue with this option: it can be difficult to remove frozen popsicles from a muffin pan. Let the muffin tin rest for 5 minutes at room temperature to make it easier to remove the frozen popsicles.
• Push Up Pop Mold: A silicone reusable mold that requires no sticks. I use this push up pop mold.
• Zipzicle Molds: Just like a Go-Gurt Mold, but for homemade treats. Great for making ice pops.

10 Easy and Healthy DIY Recipes

I can’t wait to share my favorite ways to make homemade popsicles. If you want to invite your kids into the kitchen this summer, these recipes are fun and easy to make with them.

This recipe collection represents a variety of different flavor combinations made with my favorite ingredients: fruit-based popsicles (using different fruits), creamy pops, and a homemade version of classic Fudgesicles. You can use a variety of different popsicle molds (see recommendations above) to make most of the recipes, unless noted.

1. Orange Creamsicles

This healthy, homemade version of a classic creamsicle is made with orange juice, yogurt, and coconut milk.

2. Peanut Butter Fudge Popsicles

If I had to choose my favorite popsicle, this is it because…peanut butter! It’s made by blending natural peanut butter and ripe banana (for sweetness) with coconut milk. Creamy and sweet with plenty of healthy fat!

3. Chocolate Fudge Popsicles

Another knock-off from my childhood. This healthy version of the classic Fudgesicle is made with the simplest ingredients: cacao or cocoa powder, coconut milk, and maple syrup.

4. Fruity Ice Pops

Use DIY ice pop molds to make fresh fruit pops that are naturally different colors (no artificial dye needed!).

5. Fruit and Yogurt Pops

Blend up your favorite fruit with yogurt and honey. Pour into ice pop molds and freeze. A healthy (and on-the-go) snack or treat for a hot day!

6. Mango Electrolyte Popsicles

Made with mango and coconut water, this popsicle is perfect for staying hydrated and cool on super hot summer days.

7. Strawberry Lemonade Cream Pops

One of my favorite homemade fruit popsicles made with frozen or fresh strawberries. This recipe is made in two steps: first by freezing the strawberry lemonade base, then later adding the coconut layer. This is the perfect way to use all those frozen strawberries from strawberry season.

8. Pina Colada Popsicles

A virgin Pina Colada in popsicle form, made with just two ingredients: fresh pineapple and coconut milk.

9. Veggie-Packed Popsicles

Vegetables can be a delicious addition to a homemade popsicle. And with fun names, like Green Dinosaur and Tickle-Me-Red, the kids are sure to get on board with this veggie-packed treat.

Yogurt is a traditional food, that’s been consumed for thousands of years. Yogurt was first discovered during the Neolithic period, in an accidental kind of way: milk soured in warm temperatures and the end result was edible yogurt. Yogurt was a way of preserving milk, as it extends the life, through fermentation, of fresh milk. Fermentation not only preserves food, naturally, but is also incredible for gut health. Learn about the amazing benefits of fermentation in this podcast episode.

Today, 90% of the yogurt sold in stores is far from healthy. Most yogurt is filled with artificial and “natural flavors”(ingredients that are not disclosed…what ingredients are used to make that natural flavor?), large amounts of sugar, and even food dyes. Real, traditional yogurt is naturally plain, with a sour taste from the fermentation process.

I know that people today are used to sugary, flavored yogurts. That’s where making homemade yogurt bowls come into play! Buy a tub of plain yogurt (full of beneficial bacteria, protein, and fat), then sweeten and top the yogurt with granola, nuts, fruit, and other toppings to make a nutrient-dense, superfood breakfast or snack!

Start with healthy yogurt. In the healthy dairy guide, I share how to find healthy dairy. For the best yogurt bowl at home, here are the best yogurt options:

• Plain Yogurt: The healthiest and best yogurt for making yogurt bowls is plain yogurt. No dyes, artificial or natural flavorings, or added sugars. Check the ingredient list and look for just milk and active bacteria, that’s it! You’ll add real-food toppings and natural sweetener to your yogurt bowl, so stick with plain and let the mix-ins and toppings add the flavor!
• Plain Whole Milk Yogurt: Yogurt is a fantastic source of protein and naturally-occurring healthy fat. Whole milk yogurt is a healthy option with a great consistency for a yogurt bowl. Whole milk yogurt is particularly great for children who need the healthy fats in their diet.
• Plain Greek Yogurt: Greek yogurt is regular yogurt that’s been strained to separate the whey. The end result is a thicker yogurt. Greek yogurt breakfast bowls have a thicker consistency with higher protein than regular yogurt. If you’re watching your fat intake (fat is healthy and good for you, but if you’re counting macros and need to keep within a certain amount of fat during the day), then a non-fat Greek yogurt is going to taste amazing and have a great consistency (unlike non-fat plain yogurt which is runny and not ideal for a yogurt bowl with toppings).
• Store-Bought or Homemade Yogurt: Use either store-bought or homemade yogurt. If you’d like to make your own yogurt, it’s easy to do. Use the slow-cooker yogurt method or Instant Pot yogurt method.

My favorite yogurt brands: Stonyfield, Maple Hill Creamery, Culina (dairy-free), So Delicious Coconut (dairy-free), CoYo (dairy-free), Wallaby, Organic Valley, and Trader Joe’s Organic. The cheapest way to make yogurt bowls is to buy a 32-ounce tub of yogurt, which will make multiple yogurt bowls.

The best part about a yogurt bowl is the toppings. There are many different ways to top a bowl of yogurt. I’ll share a few of my favorite yogurt bowl recipe variations in a minute, but first, let’s talk about the different ways to top a yogurt bowl.

Use a natural sweetener for extra flavor

Storing and Serving Tips