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If you love fresh berries, you might like to try this easy berry parfait recipe. It combines juicy fresh berries with coconut pudding mix, lemon, vanilla, almonds, and more. This wonderful recipe is just perfect for the warmer months because it’s light and refreshing, and you get to use your favorite fresh or frozen berries. If you’re looking for a simple dessert you can prepare ahead, these berry parfaits are ideal.
Fresh berries, vanilla cookies, coconut pudding mix, and more combine to make berry parfait which is a wonderful spring or summer dessert everyone always enjoys.
Also try berry cheesecake tart, blueberry lemon jam seltzer, cherry cheesecake icebox cake, or choc chip buttercream sandwich cookies.
Why You’ll Love It
So simple to make: Once you’ve prepped the berries and made up the pudding mix, most of the recipe just involves layering the ingredients in parfait glasses. It’s such an easy dessert.
Customize it as you like: Use any berries you want – strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries are some of the most popular options. You can use a different flavor of pudding mix and different cookies too if you like.
Always popular: It’s hard to imagine anyone not loving this delicious dessert. The creamy pudding, crushed cookie, and juicy berry combination never fails to bring a smile to everyone’s face!
Berry Parfait Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Fresh berries: I like to mix and match and often use strawberries, blueberries and whatever else I spot at the store. Blackberries are also good, as are raspberries or even pitted cherries.
Crushed cookies: Vanilla wafer cookies are my usual go-to but you can use another kind. Graham crackers would work too.
Coconut pudding mix: This adds a summery tropical taste to each berry parfait, especially when also adding coconut flakes or coconut chips. Not such a coconut fan? Sub vanilla pudding or another kind.
Whipped topping: Use Cool Whip or whip your own cream to somewhere between soft peaks and stiff peaks for the perfect consistency. You can even use Greek yogurt in place of the cream.
Lemon juice: This adds a lovely tang to contrast with the sweet flavors in this dessert. Fresh is best but bottled will work. You could substitute lime juice.
Sugar: White granulated sugar adds a touch of sweetness to the parfaits. Feel free to substitute sweetener or even omit the sugar if you prefer less sweetness. If you don’t want the crunch of granulated sugar, you can use confectioners sugar.
How to Make Berry Parfaits
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card
Prepare the berries: Rinse and dry the berries and then discard the stems, chopping larger berries into halves or quarters. Toss them with the sugar and lemon juice.
Crush the cookies: Put them in a bag or bowl and crush using the bottom of a glass.
Make the coconut pudding: Whisk the pudding mix and milk and then chill in the refrigerator to thicken. Mix in the whipped topping.
Assemble the parfaits: Divide the crushed cookies between 4 parfait glasses, then add a layer of berries and some pudding mixture. Add more berries, more pudding mixture, and repeat one more time.
The finishing touches: Finish with coconut flakes and sliced almonds on top, then serve or cover and refrigerate until serving.
Substitutions and Variations
Gluten-free option: If you want a gluten-free version, use gluten-free cookie crumbs.
Frozen berries: Fresh berries do look prettier but you can also use frozen berries, such as frozen blueberries, frozen raspberries or even frozen mixed berries. If you do this, thaw them out fully first and drain on paper towels. Adding them still frozen will make the parfaits watery.
More toppings: Mini marshmallows, candies like M&Ms, chopped mixed nuts or even ice cream syrup or raspberry sauce would work as toppings. You can really get creative with these!
Fresh cream: Use freshly whipped heavy cream in place of the whipped topping if you prefer.
Sugar-free: Use artificial sweetener in place of sugar, a sugar-free pudding mix and unsweetened coconut flakes for a sugar-free version.
Serving Suggestions
Appetizers: Start the meal with a light salad, such as melon and prosciutto salad or Chinese chicken salad.
Main course: Next up, how does shrimp linguine sound, or perhaps you’d prefer lemon-baked pork chops?
Drinks: Pair these delicious berry parfaits with homemade limoncello or any of these fun frozen drinks. If serving for Memorial Day or July 4th, these red, white, and, blue jello shots would be perfect.
How to Store a Parfait
Store: You can keep this dessert refrigerated and covered with plastic wrap for up to a day, but they’re so much more delicious prepared and served fresh.
Freeze: If you try to freeze berry parfaits they’ll thaw out mushy, so freezing isn’t recommended.
Top Tips
Choose the berries carefully: The fresher your berries are, the prettier the parfaits will look, so inspect the berries and save the most perfect ones for the most visible spots such as the top layer. Any that are bruised should be reserved for another recipe (perhaps something pureed).
The perfect garnish: Coconut flakes and sliced almonds make a great topping, but you can add whatever you want. Anything from a drizzle of ice cream syrup to a sprig of fresh mint would look good.
The right serving glass: Choose something that’s tall enough to layer the ingredients. The serving glasses should be see-through since the parfait layers are so pretty!
Berry Parfait Recipe FAQs
It’s a French word that means perfectu and also refers to a dessert. In France, parfaits are made by boiling cream with sugar, syrup and eggs, to make a meringue or custard-like puree which is then frozen to serve. The American version is made by layering fruit with various ingredients like yogurt, ice cream or some kind of lightly sweetened cream cheese or sour cream mixture in a tall glass.
Oh yes, you can add anything else you want. Chopped peaches and apricots are good and offer a contrast with the fresh strawberries and other berries in the parfait glass. Banana slices would work, or even a firmer fruit such as chopped apple or pear. If you’re using something that tends to turn brown, don’t forget to toss in lemon juice before adding to the parfaits.
Although you can use any serving glasses, parfait glasses are especially beautiful (I love these!) Another option would be milkshake glasses (and then you can use them for milkshakes too!) Oh, and don’t forget the parfait spoons (here) so you can reach the yummy bottom layers!
Summer Berry Parfait Recipe
Berry Parfait
Ingredients
- 4 Cups berries, fresh strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries etc
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, fresh, plus 1 teaspoon
- 1 Cup vanilla wafer cookies, crushed, or graham crackers
- 1½ Cups whole milk
- 1 Package pudding mix, 3.4 ounce box coconut, or vanilla pudding mix
- 4 Ounces whipped topping, thawed, ½ small tub
- ¼ Cup coconut flakes , shredded or coconut chips
- 1/3 Cup almonds, sliced, optional topping
Instructions
- Remove the stems from the berries and cut the strawberries into quarters. Place the berries in a medium size bowl and add the sugar and lemon juice. Stir, and set aside.
- Place vanilla wafer cookies in a plastic bag or bowl, and crush into fairly coarse chunks with the bottom of a glass. Set aside.
- In a medium size bowl, add the milk and coconut pudding mix, and whisk for 2 to 3 minutes, until it begins to set. Place in fridge for 10 minutes to set.
- Add whipped topping to pudding and fold together gently.
- To assemble the parfaits, evenly distribute the crushed cookies into each of the 4 parfait glasses.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the mixed berries to each parfait glass over the cookie layer.
- Carefully spoon 2 tablespoons of the pudding mixture over the mixed berries layer.
- Carefully spoon 2 tablespoons of berries over the pudding layer.
- Carefully spoon 2 tablespoons of the pudding mixture over the mixed berries layer.
- Carefully spoon 2 tablespoons of berries over the pudding layer. That is 3 layers of berries.
- Sprinkle coconut flakes and sliced almonds over the top layer of berries as desired.
- Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to eat.
Notes
The perfect garnish: Coconut flakes and sliced almonds make a great topping, but you can add whatever you want. Anything from a drizzle of ice cream syrup to a sprig of fresh mint would look good.
The right serving glass: Choose something that’s tall enough to layer the ingredients. The serving glasses should be see-through since the parfait layers are so pretty!
Nutrition
This summer berry parfait is a wonderful dessert for the hotter months when you want something light, refreshing and delicious. With various fresh berries, whipped cream coconut pudding layers, crushed cookies, and coconut flakes, this parfait recipe is likely to become a new family favorite that you’ll crave whenever the weather is hot.
Other Recipes to Try
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
