Backpacking Yogurt Parfait
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A parfait of creamy yogurt, crunchy granola, and fruit might sound like something you’d order at a trendy brunch spot, but we’re here to show you how you can enjoy this backpacking breakfast on the trail!
Breakfast while backpacking is super important—it gives you a jump start of energy and nutrition to help you tackle those early miles so you can start your day out strong.
Some mornings, we have the time to break out the stove and enjoy a hot breakfast like oatmeal or quinoa porridge, but other days we just need to fuel ourselves fast and get going.
That’s where this backpacking yogurt parfait comes in! Not only does it take almost no time to prep at home, but it’s a no-cook backpacking meal that’s ready in five minutes on the trail.
It’s creamy, crunchy, and sweet, and we hope you love it as much as we do!
Why you’ll love this
- Easy to prep at home and on the trail
- Uses store-bought ingredients—no dehydrator required!
- It’s lightweight (just a hair over 2 oz) and packs in 144 calories per ounce
Ingredient Notes
Freeze dried yogurt: The easiest way to source freeze dried yogurt is to look at the baby food aisle of your grocery store! You’ll likely find either Gerber Yogurt Melts or Happy Baby Yogis, and either will work for this recipe.
Dried fruit: You can use home-dehydrated fruit (we love dried strawberries and bananas in ours!), or buy freeze dried fruit at the grocery store (look near the snack nuts) or online.
Granola: Use your favorite!
Step by Step
Making this meal couldn’t be easier. At home, open the bag of freeze dried yogurt. You can blitz the yogurt in a small food processor and then transfer it back to the bag, or you can just crush the yogurt drops in the bag with a rolling pin. The finer the yogurt drops are crushed, the smoother the yogurt when you go to rehydrate it. Ideally, you are looking for a fine powder.
Then add your dried fruit to the bag and re-seal it. In a separate bag, store the granola.
You’re done! Stick the two bags in your bear canister or food bag.
Out on the trail, open the bag of yogurt and add 1/4 cup cold water (you could also transfer it to a bowl or cup if you use one. You’ll have a dish to clean but it’s a little easier to eat from!). You can add a bit more or less water depending on your preferred yogurt consistency.
Let the yogurt and fruit hydrate for about 5 minutes. Give it a stir every so often to help it hydrate evenly.
Once the liquid is absorbed, top with the granola and enjoy!
Trail Weight & Nutrition
This recipe makes one ~61g serving (dry weight), clocking in at 144 cal/oz. Each serving provides approximately:
- 313 calories
- 2g fat
- 62g carbohydrates
- 9g protein
For more information about how much food to eat while backpacking, check out our backpacking meals post.
(Disclaimer: Nutrition was calculated based on the ingredients we used, so yours may vary slightly.)
Backpacking Yogurt Parfait
Ingredients
Instructions
- At home: Place the freeze dried yogurt in a small food processor or spice grinder and blitz it into powder, then place in a zip top bag with the dried fruit. Package the granola separately.
- In camp: Add ¼ cup cold water (more or less depending on preferred consistency of the yogurt) to the powdered yogurt and fruit. Let it rehydrate, stirring occasionally, until creamy and smooth — about 5 minutes. Top with the granola.
I can’t rate this yet since haven’t tried it but I loveeee this idea! Would never have thought to look in the baby food section. Sounds delish, can’t wait to try on my next backpacking trip!
I bought a Bushka’s Kitchen yogurt bowl on a whim once for my son and it quickly became his favorite backpacking breakfast. He was heartbroken when he found out they weren’t in business anymore. I knew there had to be a way to recreate their bowls at home and you guys came to the rescue with this recipe!
I always add a little coconut milk powder in while pulverizing the yogurt drops. (It doesn’t rehydrate well in cold water, but does better if it’s mixed it with the yogurt in the food processor.) I also vary the fruit between dehydrated and freeze dried depending on what we have on hand/what’s available at the store. My son always has leftover in his granola bag so I’ve started packing less of it.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe and helping me keep my teen fed and happy on camp mornings!