Quick 4-Ingredient Strawberry Yogurt
Nourishing, kid-friendly Strawberry Yogurt coming right up! Add a little flavor to plain yogurt by making this easy and healthy Strawberry Yogurt. Great for breakfast, snack, simple dessert or packed into a school lunch. For ages 6+ months.
Medically reviewed and co-written by Jamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), and Lauren Braaten, Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT).
Easy Strawberry Yogurt
Ready to kick your yogurt game up a notch?
Then this strawberry yogurt is just the thing for you!
Fresh or frozen strawberries are simmered together along with a little maple syrup and a pinch of cinnamon or vanilla or both until we have a swoon-worthy strawberry compote. Swirl this compote into a bowl of yogurt and watch your littles dive right in!
Highly recommend that you make yourself a bowl.. it’s seriously the best yogurt you will ever have!
If you are looking for more easy and healthy yogurt recipes for your little one, then be sure to check out my Blueberry Yogurt, Fruit-Filled Yogurt Parfait, easy DIY Yogurt Tubes, Favorite Yogurt Toppings, or these delicious Yogurt Pancakes or Muffins. You can also find more recipes and information in my best-selling cookbook Little Foodies: Recipes for Babies and Toddlers with Taste.
Strawberry Yogurt Video
Watch this video to see how easy it is to make this crave-worthy Strawberry Yogurt!
Reasons to Love this Strawberry Yogurt
- Adds a fun twist to plain yogurt
- Easy to make using fresh or frozen strawberries
- Perfect for baby-led weaning, traditional spoon-feeding, toddlers, and big kids
- Good source of protein, fats, probiotics, and antioxidants
- Customizable – make this recipe as is, or blend together a combination of fruits in your pantry or freezer, like strawberry + banana or strawberry + peach + mango, for even more flavor
- Lower in sugar and no added preservatives
- Freezer friendly
- Leftover strawberry puree can be stirred into oatmeal, used for topping pancakes, added to smoothies or baked goods
Ingredients
- Yogurt: plain whole milk yogurt is best, either regular or Greek style. For a dairy-free version, you can do any plain plant-based yogurt you prefer – almond, cashew, oat, etc.
- Strawberries: fresh or frozen, hulled
- Cinnamon or Vanilla Extract: add in one or both to bring out the flavor of the strawberries.
- Maple Syrup: optional – for toddlers and kids, you could also use honey (for babies over 1) or agave nectar.
Recipe Tip: Feel free to sub a squeeze of lemon instead of vanilla or cinnamon.
Benefits of Strawberry Yogurt
Yogurt has many health benefits for babies, toddlers, adults and everyone in between. It provides many of the nutrients our bodies need for different functions in every stage of life. And strawberries have a whole list of health benefits as well.
- Yogurt is an excellent source of calcium, needed for bone growth and development, one cup has almost half of the recommended daily value for adults.
- If yogurt contains live active cultures, these are probiotics, which are helpful for a healthy gut and digestion.
- Whole milk yogurt, recommended for kids 2 and under, has fats necessary for brain development.
- Strawberries are high in vitamin C; in fact one cup contains about 180% of the recommended Daily Value for kids, making it an excellent source of this vitamin.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- In a small saucepan, place strawberries, water, maple syrup, and cinnamon (or vanilla) and heat over medium-low heat for 10-12 minutes or until soft and broken down.
- Let cool slightly, and then pulse with an immersion blender or transfer the strawberries to a blender or food processor and puree for 1-2 minutes until smooth.
- Spoon into yogurt and enjoy!
Time-Saving Tip: while we love making this recipe using simmered strawberries, if you are short on time, you can simply blend frozen and thawed strawberries (and their juices) with cinnamon and maple syrup until smooth.
Toppings
While this yogurt is amazing by itself, toppings and yogurt are always a good idea. Here are some of our favorite toppings to add:
- hemp seeds
- granola
- drizzle of honey (over 1 year of age)
- chopped berries
- sliced bananas
- sprinkle of ground flax seeds
What Yogurt is Best
When choosing yogurt for your baby and toddler, look for a whole milk yogurt that contains a variety of live active cultures. Yogurt that’s plain or has no added sugar and organic is also preferable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, this strawberry yogurt is a great source of vitamin C, manganese and potassium, as well as probiotics, protein and fats for brain development in babies and toddlers. In addition, this homemade strawberry yogurt contains less sugar and no added preservatives or flavors, compared to traditional store-bought strawberry yogurt.
The best yogurt is whole milk (full fat), plain or unsweetened, and those with live active cultures.
Storage
Store this strawberry yogurt in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also freeze the strawberry puree for up to 4 months. We recommend freezing the puree in a silicone baby food freezer tray or an ice cube tray for easy portion sizes. Simply take out the amount you want to thaw and add to yogurt whenever you want.
Feeding Tips
- Mix this strawberry puree with Greek yogurt for easier eating – Greek yogurt is slightly thicker than standard yogurt, which can be helpful for babies starting solids because it sticks a little more to spoons and fingers.
- Pre-loading a spoon is a great way to help your baby be more successful in the early stages of self-feeding. Simply dip a spoon like the NumNum GOOtensil or ChooMee Starter Spoon into the yogurt so that it sticks to the utensil and allow baby to grab the spoon.
- Make it worth your time – this recipe can easily be doubled to make enough for the whole family and to freeze for later!
- Use leftover strawberry puree in other recipes – if you’ve got a picky eater, don’t stop with mixing this puree into just yogurt. Plan out other opportunities for gradual exposures to strawberry by adding this puree to pancakes, baked goods, oatmeal, or smoothies. Creating more exposures will help your picky eater become more familiar with the flavor, and often increases the chances they will like it!
- Dress it up – for toddlers and kids, try topping this strawberry yogurt with hemp seeds, granola, a drizzle of honey or peanut butter, or chopped berries.
Get the recipe: Quick 4-Ingredient Strawberry Yogurt
Ingredients
- 2 cups plain whole milk yogurt
- 2 cups strawberries, hulled, fresh or frozen
- 2 tbsp water
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon or vanilla extract
- 2-3 tbsp maple syrup (optional)
Instructions
- Simmer: In a small saucepan, place strawberries, water, and cinnamon or vanilla and heat over medium-low heat for 10-12 minutes or until the strawberries are soft and broken down. Stir in the maple syrup (if using). Let cool slightly
- Pulse: pulse with an immersion blender or transfer the strawberries to a blender or food processor and puree for 1-2 minutes until smooth. You can make this as chunky or smooth as you prefer.
- Incorporate: Spoon into yogurt.
Notes
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3 Comments on “Quick 4-Ingredient Strawberry Yogurt”
First time mom and first time cooking baby food! I have to say this was such an easy recipe to do and my 12 month baby loved it! Before we used to buy him organic strawberry yogurt and now we just do it ourselves. I feel better with the food I’m giving him because I know what’s in it. Thank you so much !
That is so awesome to hear, Vanessa! Happy to be a part of your homemade baby food journey. All the best! 💕
Yum! This was tasty! Trying to get my 2 year old into yogurt. So far she hasn’t tried it so I ate hers. I think she will come around ..