10 Things To Mix With Yogurt To Make It Dessert-Worthy

A favorite for building breakfast bowls, enhancing homemade bakes, and blitzing into smoothies, yogurt is a regular in many of our fridges. Whether thick Greek yogurt, tangy kefir, or a plant-based alternative is your go-to, yogurt is always sure to bring a delicious dose of creaminess. One way to make this humble ingredient shine is transforming it into a decadent dessert.

Served alone, yogurt might not seem especially dessert-worthy, but with the help of a sweet mix-in or two, you can easily amp up the indulgence factor. The mild, creamy taste of yogurt makes it exceptionally versatile, and it pairs beautifully with a wide range of fruits, sauces, snacks, and spreads. These extras can add color, crunch, and richness to your bowlful in seconds, turning each dollop into something totally irresistible. If you're wondering what to do with that tub of yogurt sat in your fridge, here are ten tasty add-ins that can help you create an epic post-dinner treat.

A simple scattering of fresh berries is a fantastic way to add sweetness and tang to your yogurt. Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and diced strawberries will all makes excellent accompaniments to the creamy base. The contrasting richness with their fresh, juicy taste and bringing a gorgeous pop of color to your bowl. This is a wonderfully healthy approach to dessert, too — berries are loaded with antioxidants, high in fiber, and an excellent source of essential vitamins and minerals.

Once washed (and diced if necessary), the berries can absolutely be paired with the yogurt as they are, but there are a few nifty ways to make this add-in even more flavorful. Try macerating strawberries by tossing them with a squeeze of lemon juice and sprinkling of sugar, and letting them sit for half an hour. This will draw out their natural juices and give them a glorious syrupy texture, all while intensifying their flavor. Alternatively, you can whip up a raspberry compote by simmering the berries with water, sugar, and lemon juice until broken down into a chunky, sauce-like consistency. For a heat-free approach, you could even smash the berries using a French press. 

There are plenty of other yogurt add-ins that'll complement the berries perfectly. A drizzle of honey or maple syrup will always go down a treat, or for a more indulgent finish, pair the fruits with some crushed cookies or chocolate shavings.

One of the easiest and most popular ways to sweeten up yogurt is with honey, and this add-in can instantly make things feel more dessert-like. Just dollop some yogurt into a bowl and drizzle over the honey. You can either let it sit as a glossy layer on top, or stir it in for a more even flavor distribution. There are many different varieties of honey to consider. For example, clover honey offers a mild taste and light golden color, while wildflower honey is often boasts a more complex flavor. There's also set honey, which has a thicker, creamier texture, making it a fitting match for yogurt.

Other liquid sweeteners can work just as well with yogurt. With its deeper, more caramel-like taste, maple syrup is another great choice — agave syrup, date syrup, or even versions flavored with vanilla, hazelnut, or chocolate will taste amazing. Furthermore, there's always room for extra mix-ins. Consider pairing the honey or other liquid sweetener with some sliced bananas or a spoonful of peanut butter to create a well-rounded, satisfying dessert.

Bring some crunch to your yogurt-based dessert with the addition of crushed cookies. This crowd-pleasing mix-in creates plenty of textural contrast, while boosting sweetness and adding sustenance to your bowl. Any type of cookie with a crisp, crumbly texture is ideal. For a chocolate-forward flavor, Oreos or chocolate chip cookies are always a safe bet. You can introduce a hint of warming sweetness with crushed ginger snaps or opt for graham cracker crumbs for a more subtle hint of sweetness that still delivers on crunch. You also might want to bake your own batch of cookies from scratch, letting them cool completely before breaking them down into crumbs.

An effective way to crush cookies is adding them to a zip-top food bag and crushing them with a rolling pin. Feel free to leave them a little chunky, if preferred. Alternatively, toss the cookies into a food processor and pulse them until your desired consistency is reached, before scattering them over or stirring them into the yogurt. Cookies also work well alongside other crunchy yogurt add-ins, like crushed pretzels, toasted nuts, or M&Ms, so don't hesitate to get creative with different ingredient combos.

Chocolate chips are a welcome addition to any dessert, and paired with yogurt, they bring mouth-watering pops of crunchy sweetness to every spoonful. The great thing about adding chocolate in the form of chips is that there's no chopping or grating required — just sprinkle them straight from the package and you're good to go. Dark, milk, or white chocolate chips are all great options, and they taste wonderful paired with just about any other sweet add-in (Think fresh berries, nuts and seeds, shredded coconut, or fruity sauces).

If you prefer a more luxurious injection of chocolate flavor, you can always melt the chocolate chips beforehand by warming the chips in a double boiler or microwaving them in 30 second bursts. The melted chocolate makes the perfect finishing touch for drizzling over other yogurt toppings, but used alone, it can also help you create a pudding-like treat. Try whisking the hot melted chocolate into room temperature yogurt until the two ingredients are well combined. The resulting dessert should be thick, smooth, and packed with chocolate flavor. Chilling the mixture for an hour or so will yield an even thicker, more indulgent texture.

Caramel sauce is about as decadent as it gets, and a spoonful of this rich, glossy concoction can give yogurt a seriously sweet upgrade. It blends seamlessly with the creamy texture of Greek, plain, or plant-based yogurt, instantly taking things from basic to irresistible. We especially love using salted caramel as a yogurt pairing, as this provides a more balanced dose of sweetness. There are plenty of store-bought options to consider, but making your own batch of sauce from scratch will likely yield a superior flavor and texture. Thankfully, salted caramel is easy enough to whip up in under 15 minutes by whisking together sugar, butter, cream, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt in a saucepan over a medium-low heat until smooth and thick.

This sauce is also the perfect tool for incorporating into layered dessert pots. To create a banoffee pie-inspired treat, add alternating layers of yogurt, caramel sauce, sliced banana, and crushed graham cracker crumbs to individual serving glasses before topping each portion off with some grated dark chocolate. You can also create a caramel-infused yogurt dip for fruit by simply whisking together the yogurt and sauce — perhaps also incorporating cream cheese for added richness and some balancing tang.

Another healthy way to enjoy yogurt for dessert is combining it with banana. This classic duo provides a tempting balance of sweetness and tang, with the softness of the fruit and creaminess of the yogurt yielding a satisfying mouthfeel. Topping dollops of yogurt with slices of banana is a perfectly acceptable way to enjoy this pairing, but there are few other tricks you can use to make your dessert bowl feel extra special.

The sweet, aromatic taste of vanilla is an excellent accompaniment to banana, so consider reaching for a vanilla-flavored yogurt, or mixing a drop of vanilla extract into a base of plain or Greek yogurt. Adding a drizzle of honey, maple syrup, or caramel sauce to your banana-yogurt bowl will also make it more dessert-worthy. Another fun technique is to blitz up the banana and yogurt in a food processor, essentially creating a homemade, healthier version of store-bought banana-flavored yogurt. Additionally, you can customize this with other mix-ins, such as nut butter, cinnamon, or cocoa powder.

Caramelized bananas will taste fantastic with yogurt, too. These are perfect if you're in the mood for something warm and comforting, and they offer a sweeter finish than fresh bananas. A convenient way to prep them is in the air fryer. Just slice up bananas, coat them in a mixture of butter and brown sugar, and air-fry until sticky, golden and tender — for about eight minutes.

To craft a dessert that brings all the cozy, autumnal vibes, try mixing yogurt with caramelized apples. The sweet, gooey fruit has a glorious tender texture and buttery taste that's often enhanced with warming spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. This moreish flavor profile is a fitting match for the subtle, creamy tang of yogurt.

Making caramelized apples from scratch is your best bet, and this will only take around 10 minutes of your time, so this dessert is still very much weeknight friendly. Just peel, core, and slice the apples (Granny Smith or Honeycrisp are ideal), and fry them in butter with a sprinkling of brown sugar, a pinch of salt, and any additional spices of your choice. After about eight minutes, the apples should be tender and golden, with a deliciously syrupy coating.

Serve the apples warm, spooned over your yogurt of choice. They'd work brilliantly with vanilla- or berry-flavored yogurt. A garnish of chopped toasted pecans or walnuts would top everything off nicely. Caramelized apples are also perfect for adding to a yogurt parfait, with thick Greek yogurt and cinnamon-spiced granola or crushed gingersnaps fitting in beautifully alongside the sweet, sticky fruit.

The zesty brightness of lemon curd can spruce up a basic bowlful of yogurt no end. This rich, creamy spread is bursting with bold, citrusy flavor, and its smooth texture makes it super easy to incorporate. Spooned on top or swirled in, the curd's sharp-sweet taste will effortlessly cut through the mild tang of the yogurt. In seconds, you'll have a smooth, refreshing treat that's equally delicious served as it or adorned with other toppings.

Grab a store-bought jar, or go all out with a homemade lemon curd if you're feeling fancy. There are also other flavors of curd to consider, such as lime, orange, or even passion fruit, which will bring plenty of tropical goodness to your bowl. For a more elegant presentation, you can spoon the yogurt-curd mixture into mason jars or dessert glasses and top it with fresh fruits such as raspberries, diced mango, or peach slices. Adding a layer of buttery graham crackers in the bottom is the perfect way to give the treat a cheesecake-esque feel. Fruity curds also taste incredible with white chocolate, so consider tossing in some chips or shavings, or drizzling warm melted chocolate on top of your vibrant creation.

A generous spoonful of creamy peanut butter brings a delightful richness to yogurt, adding heaps of salty, nutty flavor, plus a welcomed dose of protein and healthy fats. You may find that runnier natural peanut butter is easier to combine with the yogurt, but a standard creamy variety should blend in nicely after a good stir. Additionally, there's always the option to warm the peanut butter in the microwave to make it easier to drizzle, if you want to use it as a topping rather than a mix-in. Feel free to go for a crunchy variety if preferred, or finish your bowlful with some chopped roasted peanuts. Other nut butters (think almond, cashew, or hazelnut) are great for enhancing yogurt, too. They all taste wonderful in combination with other add-ins like honey, vanilla extract, and chocolate.

One must-try method is first mixing the nut butter with some Greek yogurt in a bowl, and then pouring melted dark chocolate all over the top in an even layer. Pop the bowl into the freezer for five minutes, and you'll have created an gloriously crunchy chocolate shell atop the creamy yogurt mixture. Try garnishing everything with some fresh berries for the ultimate combo of fruity, nutty, and chocolatey flavors.

Who doesn't love Nutella? This tempting chocolate-hazelnut spread needs no introduction, and its sweet, nutty taste can make yogurt infinitely more exciting. Stir the two together, and you'll have a delightful pudding-like mixture that's great for dunking strawberries, apple slices, or Nilla wafers into. You can also build a fully-loaded bowlful — top your yogurt with crushed cookies, pretzels, banana slices, or chopped nuts, and then drizzle on warm Nutella as the final element.

Nutella-yogurt bark also makes for a fun twist on the usual yogurt bowl approach. To make this, mix the spread with some yogurt of your choice until well-combined. Then, spoon the mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, spreading it out in an even layer. You can get creative with any toppings that take your fancy, such as chocolate chips, fresh berries, or cookie pieces. Just scatter these over the base before freezing everything solid. Broken into shards, this makes a brilliantly crunchy yet creamy treat. It's perfect for prepping in a big batch and grabbing from the freezer whenever you're in need of a post-dinner pick-me-up.