Four jars of yogurt with fruit on the bottom lay on their sides, surrounded by fresh fruit and a tea towel.
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I’m constantly looking for ways to streamline healthy eating in our house. One thing I’ve learned about myself is if it ain’t easy, I’m probably not going to follow through. That’s why I’m such a big fan of single-serving yogurts. They are super easy to meal prep and are a great grab-and-go breakfast or snack. Plus, they’re tasty and full of healthy fats, protein, and probiotics.

Four 4-ounce mason jars are stacked on top of each other, each holding a different flavor of fruit on the bottom yogurt. Fresh fruit lies around the jars.

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Why should I make my own yogurt with fruit on the bottom?

Unfortunately, there are also quite a few things that I don’t love about single serving yogurts. I really hate all the waste they create. We try to reuse our leftover yogurt containers wherever possible (and recycle if we can’t reuse), but that’s still generating way more waste than I feel comfortable with. I also don’t love the price. If you hit a good sale, you can maybe get organic yogurt for $1 per single-serving container (which averages around 6 ounces). By making my own yogurt from organic milk, I can get a full gallon of yogurt for about $5. A gallon at single serving prices=$21. That’s a hefty savings when you eat as much yogurt as we do.

What kind of container works best for this yogurt with fruit?

We use four-ounce and eight-ounce jelly jars, depending on how big we want the servings to be. They are glass, reusable, and hold the perfect portion size. You can usually find a set of 12 jars with lids at your local hardware store, supermarket, or grocery store for a reasonable price.

Ingredients in individual white bowls: four different fruit compotes and a bowl of plain yogurt. Spoons and raw fruit are nearby. Four quilted jars sit in two columns of two, each filled with a different yogurt flavor

What fruit should I use?

For the fruit-on-the-bottom part, you’ll make a lightly-sweet fruit-chia syrup concoction (kind of like a fruit compote) that not only looks great in the jars, but adds tons of flavor, antioxidants, and omega-3s. We’ve made it with:

  • Blueberries
  • Strawberries
  • Raspberries
  • Cherries
  • Peaches
  • Apples and cinnamon

You’ll find a recipe below that will work for most fruits, and feel free to adjust it and tweak it to make it your own. I like mine on the less sweet end of things to let the taste of fruit really shine, so if you’re into sweeter yogurts, I’d up the sugar content.

What kind of yogurt do I need?

On top, I just put my plain regular yogurt, but this also works well with homemade coconut yogurt. Making your own yogurt is so easy and cheap!

But if you aren’t into making your own yogurt, you can just as easily buy the large tubs of whatever yogurt you prefer and follow the same process. You’ll still be saving money over buying the single-serving versions.

Happy food prepping!

 
Four jars of yogurt with fruit on the bottom lay on their sides, surrounded by fresh fruit and a tea towel.

Homemade Fruit on the Bottom Yogurts - Syrup

Yield: 12 4-ounce jars, or 6 8-ounce jars
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Homemade yogurt with fruit on the bottom is an easy, inexpensive way to get a nutritious snack or breakfast. Learn how to make this perfect meal prep breakfast!

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups fresh fruit or frozen fruit
  • 3 tablespoons chia seeds
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2-4 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
  • 48 ounces plain yogurt (regular or Greek yogurt)

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients except yogurt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally.
  2. Spoon the fruit syrup into the bottom of each jar—use 2 tablespoons for four-ounce jars, or a quarter cup for eight-ounce jars.
  3. Top off the container with a layer of yogurt and seal. Store in the fridge until use.

Notes

  • This syrup is also delicious over pancakes or ice cream!

    • Nutrition Information:
    Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 4-ounce jar
    Amount Per Serving: Calories: 131Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 81mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 2gSugar: 18gProtein: 7g

    At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.

    © Cassie Johnston
    Cuisine: General / Category: Breakfast

    Want more meal prep breakfast ideas?

    Cassie is a holistic nutritionist, cookbook author, and all-around food lover. She grew up cooking dinner with her parents every evening, and her passion for home cooking has been strong ever since. Cassie is the author of two published cookbooks (Cooking with Greek Yogurt and Chia, Quinoa, Kale, Oh My!) and dozens of recipes published in major magazines and newspapers. Cassie has been sharing her award-winning recipes on Wholefully since 2010. She loves dark chocolate, homegrown tomatoes, motorsports, and anything that sparkles. She lives in Indiana with her family on a small homestead.

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    32 Comments

    1. I love this! I used some honey greek yogurt, added some granola, put it in a jelly jar and I was good to go. I just got home from the farmer’s market with a box of strawberries …. and I just might need to make my to-go yogurt jars with strawberries before they are consumed by my ravenous kids!! P.S. The little bitty jars are too adorable!

      Reply

    2. These look beautiful!! I’ve never made my own yogurt, although we go through a ton a week. I’m ultra-paranoid about it being ‘bad’ and making my kids sick (I think this stems from drinking bad milk when I was a kid and was told it was fine). Any reassurance you can offer?

      Reply

      1. If you have a local source of clean, raw milk, you’ll never have to worry about the milk being “bad”. Raw milk will sour, but won’t go bad unless it was handled improperly. You’ll know if you’ve made yogurt from “bad” milk, it won’t set correctly and will take on an odd spongy type texture. I have 2 dairy goats on my farm, and we make all our own yogurt, cheese, and other dairy products. We don’t have fancy equipment and I don’t spend half the day in a hazmat suit preparing a sterile milking facility. We simply wash our girls udders with warm soapy water, milk into a clean stainless steel bowl, and strain the milk before storing in a 1/2 gallon mason jar. Though we like the benefits of raw milk, you could certainly pasteurize it before making whatever cultured product you wanted, to ensure cleanliness. 🙂 Being that most people don’t have a goat waiting in the field to be milked, I often recommend purchasing a milk share (goat, sheep, or cow) from a local farmer, or one that delivers their product to your city. Do take the time to visit the farm you choose, look at the animals and assess their health and living conditions, and look at the milking area to assess the cleanliness. Ask the farmer questions about the dairy animals, any certifications they have, and any tests that have been run on the herd. Always trust your gut, if the farmer is open to talking with you and showing you around and the animals are in good body condition with clean living conditions, it’s likely that you’ve found a great source of milk 🙂

        Reply

    3. We do the same thing but using plain frozen fruit on the bottom (raspberries are a fav at our house) and drizzle a little honey on the top. The frozen fruit is also a great way to pack it for a school snack. The frozen fruit helps keep the yogurt cold and it is mostly thawed by the time my kid’s snack time comes along.

      Reply

    5. Back when I first tried Greek yogurt, I couldn’t stand the tartness of it. I swore by the Fage containers that came with the side of “jam” until one day I got the bright idea to buy a container of the plain stuff and a JAR of jam…yeah, I thought I was pretty friggin’ genius! Lol Of course now, I actually prefer it plain most of the time! There are only a few flavored ones out there that I don’t feel are overkill in the sugar department.

      I’ve been wanting to make chia jam for FOREVER!! I need to get on that!

      Reply

    8. This sounds like a really cool idea! I’ve never made yogurt but I’ve heard it’s easy to do. My fiance eats the store-bought yogurt cups every weekday for breakfast and this sounds much better for him (not to mention a cost saver and better for the environment). Thanks for the idea!

      Reply

    9. I already have those jars and blueberry syrup so I guess I have no excuse but to try this asap. Thanks for the kick of motivation!

      Reply