The Lunch Lady, with a football player holding a whisk and a chop

The Lunch Lady

Yogurt parfaits with toasted house granola

Honey-vanilla Greek yogurt, berries and golden oat granola made with extra virgin olive oil. Keep the granola crunchy by adding it just before eating.

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By Jared Veldheer

Published

Servings
4 parfaits; granola makes about 5 cups, enough for several breakfasts
Total time
About 1 hour, including cooling the granola
Greek yogurt with toasted granola and berries, beside a chocolate chip pancake muffin and strawberry jam.
In the school kitchen.

The granola carries this one

A yogurt parfait is pretty straightforward. The granola is what makes this one. Get it nice and toasted, with that nutty smell coming out of the oven. If it needs more time, give it more time. Rotate the pan so the corners don't get all the color.

This is a great place for extra virgin olive oil. At home I use Besti Brown sweetener, but regular brown sugar works too. Add nuts, seeds, whatever you like. It's a blank slate.

Then build your parfait. Berries, a little honey, freeze-dried fruit, maybe some nuts. Granola goes on last so you keep that crunch. We served ours with pancake muffins and strawberry jam.

Home recipe

Yogurt parfaits with toasted house granola

The Lunch Lady · Jared Veldheer

Servings
4 parfaits; granola makes about 5 cups, enough for several breakfasts
Prep time
About 15 minutes
Cook time
About 20 to 25 minutes
Total time
About 1 hour, including cooling the granola

Equipment: Mixing bowl, 13-by-18-inch rimmed sheet pan, parchment, spatula

Ingredients

Check off ingredients as you go.

House granola

Four parfaits

Instructions

Bake the granola

  1. Heat the oven to 300°F conventional. Line a 13-by-18-inch rimmed sheet pan with parchment.
  2. Stir the Besti Brown or brown sugar into the honey. Whisk in the olive oil, vanilla, cinnamon and kosher salt. Add the oats and chia seeds, plus any optional nuts or seeds, and toss until evenly coated.
  3. Spread in a thin, even layer. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the pan and gently turning the oats at 10 minutes. Start checking at 15 minutes and remove when golden and toasted; do not wait for the full time if it is ready. If using two pans for a doubled batch, swap their oven positions too.
  4. Look for golden oats and a toasted, nutty aroma. Add time in 5-minute increments if needed, watching closely toward the end. Allulose can brown quickly. The granola will still feel soft while hot.
  5. Sprinkle with a little flaky salt while warm. Let cool completely on the pan before breaking into clusters. Taste a cooled piece. If it is still soft, bake 5 minutes more and cool again. Store cooled granola in an airtight container.

Assemble the parfaits

  1. Stir the Greek yogurt with 1 tablespoon honey and the vanilla. Taste and add a little more honey if needed, keeping some of the yogurt's tang.
  2. Divide half the yogurt among four cups or bowls. Add some berries, then the remaining yogurt and berries.
  3. Top each with about 1/4 cup granola just before eating. Add freeze-dried fruit, nuts or a drizzle of honey if you like. Keep assembled yogurt and fruit refrigerated until serving, with the granola separate if making ahead.

Recipe notes

  • Besti Brown is a blended sweetener, not plain allulose. Brown sugar works in the same measured amount here. Other sweeteners can change browning and texture.
  • Toasted flavor matters, but dark edges can turn bitter. Bake in a thin layer and check the whole pan.
  • Fold dried fruit or chocolate chips into the granola after it has cooled. Add fresh fruit when assembling the parfait.
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