Yogurt is great, but drinkable yogurt is even better mom! Said my oldest son Alex. What is not to love in the creamy fruity drink sold in bright colored packaging? If you’ve been wanting to make your own homemade yogurt drinks with fewer ingredients and real fruit, you are in luck!
I’m a big fan of yogurt since it’s high in protein, calcium, and milk provides many of the minerals my kids need. There are two of us who are dairy free in the house, so if you are looking for the dairy free recipe, you’ll find it over at MOMables.
Back to the yogurts. I used to buy them but for starters, most don’t contain that much real fruit (if any) and then there is the issue that with 3 kids they are gone before I can put them away in the refrigerator from the grocery! I like convenience just like everyone else, but between the price tag, the added sugar and ingredients that are not really needed… I decided to make my own.
This recipe is in The Best Homemade Kids’ Snacks on the Planet. A book filled with 200+ Snack ideas you and your kids will love. To see what’s in the book click here.
I mostly come up with recipes out of necessity, because I want to make versions of store bought favorites with real ingredients, or a combination of both. My grocery store trips are a great way for me to come up with recipe ideas. My kids point out their favorite snacks, maybe they tried it at a friend, or maybe they think it looks so delicious. Unfortunately, I often reply to requests with “I have a recipe for those.”
That’s about how it went with these Homemade Yogurt Drinks and 60+ recipes in the Best Snacks Book. I either get inspired by something I see at the grocery or it’s something my kids beg for. In the end, I try to simplify a recipe so it’s easy for anyone to recreate at home. Just like these yogurt drinks. And for my dairy-free kiddo, I serve these up with homemade dairy-free yogurt. So easy. Just watch how easily these drinks come together.
The best part about making a recipe, like this one, at home is that you save money and you have control over the ingredients and flavor of the recipe. Many drinkable yogurts are filled with extra sugar and ingredients that are easily omitted when made at home. Some of the store-bought drinks have added thickeners, corn syrup, and preservatives to keep it last on the shelf.
The advantage of making it at home is that I can use any fruit I want to use up! I have a freezer full of ripe bananas, strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, peaches… and the list goes on!
You can use fresh or frozen fruit. Feel free to mix, your favorite fruit together to make a blend! Get creative! If you have leftovers, freeze it in popsicles for later.
Homemade Yogurt Drinks
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cups (475 ml) milk
- 1/2 cup (115 g) yogurt
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) maple syrup or honey (optional)
- 1 cup (145 g) chopped fruit
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on medium-low until everything is smooth and evenly combined.
- Pour yogurt drinks in 4-ounce (120 ml) drink containers and refrigerate for 1 hour prior to serving.
Notes
The maple syrup or honey is completely optional and the need to use it will depend on the type of yogurt you use and the fruit. Some fruits are naturally sweeter.
You can skip refrigeration by using frozen fruit.
I love this idea, Laura! My son Calvin is obsessed with those brightly-colored smoothie packages at the store, and I admit I do buy them. I tried making homemade ones, even using those plastic containers from the store-bought ones for a little bait-and-switch. He wasn’t fooled. BUT. I never tried adding sweetener… and maybe I need to use sweeter fruit, too. There must be SOME kind of concoction he’d go for that isn’t the store-bought! Thanks for reminding me to make this a priority. 🙂
I know the feeling Meggan. Start with the strawberry banana recipe (50/50) that is the sweetest. Enjoy!
Laura — thanks so much for sharing these. My kids LOVE yogurt drinks.
Do these work for packing in school lunches? Just wondering if they’d work, or because they are actually made of whole ingredients if they’d separate and not work. Thoughts? Thanks so much.
Stephanie, I pack these inside an ice pack and my kids know to shake them before they drink them (like in the video). I hope this helps! 🙂
Thanks for this recipe! I love drinkable yogurt but it’s expensive to buy! Do you know how long this will keep in the fridge for?
I keep these in the fridge for about 3 days. Give it a quick stir prior to serving and it’s good to go. Enjoy!
Do you have a recommendation on the containers you use?
These were empty glass bottles but I usually make a large container and fill lidded cups. I also use these lidded ones.