How to Make Your Own Fruit-Bottom Yogurt

We’re so pleased to have Cheri Neufeld of Kitchen Simplicity back as a regular contributor. Welcome, Cheri!

Growing up, Fruit-Bottom Yogurt was always my favorite. I got so excited when I would see one packed in my lunch box. Somehow they always seemed more flavorful then regular yogurt and I loved how the little chunks of fruit would add a burst of flavor in my mouth.

I’m still a big fan of yogurt but I have a hard time eating ones that taste fake or processed. Anything that has the “flavor” and no fruit gives me a bit of the heebie-jeebies.

Eating yogurt is a daily occurrence for my son so I try and make sure that the yogurt I purchase has real fruit in it. One way to ensure that is to make your own.

Why make your own?

It may seem pointless to make your own yogurt when there are so many brands available but here are some of the reasons you may want to give it a try.

It’s adaptable

No more scrounging the store for the perfect flavor that everyone will like. You can make a batch according the likes and dislikes of your family. I’ll share more of how you can do this below.

You can make them allergen free

The first several months of my daughter’s life I couldn’t have milk products because it upset her stomach. I switched to soy for a while but honestly, I didn’t enjoy it. Adding fruit definitely made it a lot more bearable. If you or your children have any sensitivities you can make so many varieties, using the appropriate yogurt, that even a non-yogurt lover may be converted.

No sugar added

The recipe I’m sharing below is sweetened with honey so it’s completely sugar free (besides naturally occurring sugars, of course). Yogurt is my son’s perfect snack before bed and this way I know he’s not getting a surge of sugar just before he goes to sleep.

It’s fun

Get the kids involved in the process and they’ll more then likely be excited to have this healthy snack all week long.

All photos by Cheri

It’s Easy

The concept isn’t as hard as one might think. You make a basic fruit compote, spoon it into jars and top with yogurt. Simple.

Feel free to play around with the ratios. I go with a ratio of 1 part fruit to 2 parts yogurt, but you can add more yogurt if you like.

These fruit-bottom yogurts stay good for a week in the fridge, so you can make a batch on Sunday to last the whole week. Throw them into lunch boxes, sprinkle them with granola for breakfast or save them for an afternoon snack that the kids can grab for themselves after school.

Less waste

This is another great way to recycle small jars, the sealable lids make them perfect for packing along. But tupperware would work fine too.

Or, you can store them separately and layer them right before you dive in. The color of the fruit does start to seep into the yogurt by the end of the week so if you’re worried about looks then you may prefer that option.

Below I’m sharing the basic recipe along with some tips on how to switch up the flavors. You can make your yogurt match the seasons and your kids’ taste buds.

Recipe: Fruit-Bottom Yogurt

It’s best to use stone fruit and berries with this recipe but feel free to experiment.

• 250g fruit (1/2 lb), peeled and chopped if needed
• 2 tablespoons honey
• pinch salt
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon cold water
• 1 3/4 cups plain yogurt, sweetened with 1 tablespoon honey, or to taste.

1. Make compote: Place fruit, honey and salt in a medium sized saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. Stir together cornstarch and water until cornstarch is dissolved. Pour into fruit mixture. Simmer 5 minutes, stirring often, until thickened and no longer cloudy. Allow to cool before layering with yogurt.
2. Make yogurt: Add two tablespoons fruit compote to a sealable jar or plastic container. Top with 1/4 cup yogurt. Refrigerate, covered, for up to one week.

This makes 7, 6 tablespoon servings which is a great size for kids. Feel free to up the amounts for an adult portion.

Keep in mind: You may need to add more honey when using a tart fruit, such as rhubarb.
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Ways to switch it up:

This recipe is endlessly adaptable. Here are some ideas of how to switch things up.

• Stir citrus zest, such as lime or orange, into the compote to add a punch of flavor.
• Mix up the fruits. Think strawberry-rhubarb, blueberry-plum or nectarine-raspberry.
  
• Add flavoring to the yogurt. Making a cherry yogurt? Stir in some almond extract. Making strawberry? Add vanilla.
• Turn them into a parfait by adding granola on top.

What kind of fruit-bottom yogurt would you like to make?

Tagged as: Breakfast, food in jars, healthy breakfast ideas, healthy breakfasts, Recipe, stone fruit, yogurt