Make Your Own Fruit-on-the-Bottom Yogurt Cups

Yogurt cups are one of my favorite lunches. They're convenient, easy to grab, and yummy. But they are often too sweet for me, and so I wondered why I was settling for the flavors at the grocery store. Why not make my own?

With the help of a few inexpensive half-pint jars you can make your own yogurt cups. You can do this in Tupperware or other sealed storage containers, of course, but I really like the airtight seal and the shape of a half-pint jar.

To make this particular yogurt cup I layered about 1/2 cup of plain, whole-milk yogurt with a spoonful of berry jam, a handful of blueberries, a drizzle of honey, and a few walnuts. It made for delicious eating — I dug the spoon down to the bottom and it came up with a bite of everything. Sweet jam, tangy blueberries, and tart yogurt.

These can be so much better than over-processed yogurt cups. In fact, you don't even need jam; just cut up a fresh, perfectly ripe peach, and dump some yogurt and honey on top.

Here are some more mix-in ideas:

• Oats and kiwi
• Peanut butter and honey
• Crackers or crushed cookies
• Stewed fruit, such as stewed prunes

You can use spices, nuts, granola, any kind of fruit. While I love Liberté yogurt cups, homemade ones might replace them soon. (I might have to get some lemon curd to recreate my favorite flavor!)

I haven't used homemade yogurt to create yogurt cups yet, but after Emma's series on making yogurt at home (so easy!), I'm inspired to try!

Do you often eat yogurt for lunch? Do you make your own yogurt cups?

More on yogurt:
• How to Make Yogurt at Home
• Three Ways to Make Yogurt Without a Yogurt Maker
• Crunchy, Tangy, Sweet: 10 Favorite Add-Ins to Yogurt

(Images: Faith Durand)

Comments (22)

I felt like such a genius when I figured out to put my own homemade jam in plain yogurt. I love fruit on the bottom yogurts, but they are too sweet for me as well, and often have gelatin and pectin and stabilizers.

I feel silly for never thinking of this before. I only have a couple dozen half pint jars like that sitting around. Great idea!

i love the shape of that spoon too!

Ah, totally stealing this! Any thoughts on how long granola would hold up? I always see it already mixed in to the big cups they sell at Starbucks and such, but wonder about the sogginess...

There are heavy duty dishwasher proof plastic lids available for mason style canning jars. I use the jelly size jars with them for home made single serve ice cream. And the wide mouth version on the pint size for homemade pet food. Ever since I discovered them I keep coming up with new uses for canning jars. They are kind of hard to find but very useful.

SO perfect for car camping breakfast! Thank you!

My breakfast is usually a yogurt cup. 0% greek yogurt, frozen blueberries, honey, and granola. The blueberries thaw by the time I eat it, but the granola is usually still crunchy.

@ ladidi: I never put the granola on the yogurt ahead of time anymore. The first couple times I brought yogurt parfaits for lunch I tried it, and it always end up mushy with an unappetizing mouth feel (you expect this wonderful crunch in your mouth and you actually get a lumpy mush, yuck!). BUT! there is a trick, you can keep the two separated and still only use one container by filling up your jar (or tupperware, etc.) maybe 2/3-3/4 full, then place a piece of plastic wrap over the yogurt/fruit. It is important that the plastic wrap continue along the surface of the yogurt and all the way over the rim of the container. Then, place your granola on top of the plastic wrap, inside the jar/container and put the lid on. This creates two separately sealed compartments with the one container. When you sit down to eat, lift the plastic and dump in the granola :-)

yes I do this all the time but never in a mason jar. it looks so much tastier in a mason jar!

Yep, I've been doing this idea for my lunch for about 2 years now. I do it with tupperware because I already had those, but the jars look really sweet. It's great to customize the flavors. I just do about 5-6 of them on Sunday and I have enough for the whole week!

If you're trying this with homemade, you should just make the yogurt in the little jars to begin with and save yourself a step. Mix the starter into the warm milk in a big bowl, pour into the little jars, then throw them all in a blanket-lined cooler with a hot water bottle. Works!

I mix equal parts yogurt, milk, and rolled oats when I get up in the morning, and by the time I get to work and eat it an hour later, the oats are softened. I also mix in honey, vanilla or almond extract, fruit, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, nuts, or whatever I have on hand. Fast, easy, healthful, and delicious!

I've been doing a variation on this for the husbands lunch for several years. I got tired of paying high prices for store version that had questionable ingredients. This way I know what I'm feeding him.

@Alfrun -- I totally agree about those lids (Ball Plastic Storage Caps)!

A friend introduced them to me and I quickly got hooked on how sturdy and convenient they are. Now I always switch out the 2-piece lid for a plastic lid after I open a preserved item as well as for any non-canning purposes. They are a little harder to find but any Ace Hardware seems to always have them in stock.

And I always use them for making yogurts...in cute to-go 1/2 pints or big quart jars. I like roasted rhubarb compote at the bottom of mine.

If you don't want to use glass (ie for a lunch box) I've been packing yogurt or applesauce in these ball plastic freezer jars with screw-on lids for a few years and have never had a leak.

http://www.amazon.com/Ball-Plastic-8-Ounce-Freezer-Jars/dp/B000SN0WH0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1282826725&sr=8-1

I'm going to try this. I used to eat a yogurt cup every day and while I loved the single portions I felt like I was killing the environment with all the plastic. If I buy one large container of greek yogurt and portion myself I can feel less guilty and a big tub of yogurt is much cheaper.

@ladidi If you're eating them in the same place all the time (ie at work) you can bring a big Tupperware container to work and keep it there and just add the granola before you eat it. I do this with granola for my yogurt cups (or did when I ate them regularly).

Love this post and all of the suggested combinations! I always feel great when I eat yogurt, and the possibilities are endless. Especially with jam thrown into the mix -- even just a tiny bit for sweetness -- a simple breakfast can become extra-special. Current favorite: plain yogurt w/ blueberry jam + sliced nectarines & walnuts.

I buy a big container of yogurt at the farmers' market every week and making my own "fruit on the bottom" yogurt cups for some time now. The variety is endless! And you can create flavors you'd never find at the store. I had this ginger jam for awhile that was absolutely fantastic mixed with yogurt. :)

I have a couple of the pint jars w/2 part lids sitting around. It didn't even occur to me to use them for my yogurt! I've been using a number of different of tupperware/rubbermaid containers, trying to find one that doesn't leak. To think the solution was in my pantry the entire time!

As I'm occasionally making homemade yogurt I appreciate this idea. This is perfect for lunches!

Also, the spoon. I think it might be a Gnali & Zani gelato spoon.

Mmm I gonna try this soon :)

ok ~ I love almost every recipe on this site but this has to be the cutest!! Love it.....

Stacey Dolenti

Where did you get your spoon? I absolutely love it! We do this with yogurt but the biggest complaint I am getting from my family has to do with the spoon. This one would work wonderfully.... Thanks!