How to host a yogurt bar! A great breakfast idea.

I love a good yogurt bar!  They are a wonderful way to share breakfast with a larger group of people.  And, those people can choose what they want.  No picky eater will feel left out!  There is something for everyone!

My friend Kristi and I hosted a neighborhood yogurt bar yesterday.  Yes, we invited a whole subdivision!  It's funny, but like every other year we had about a dozen RSVP's with 25 or so attendees. Life happens. And, Kristi and I have figured out to plan for this.  This is our 5th annual time hosting a gathering in February for everyone.  We did chili last year but changed it up from a lunch event to breakfast.

There are so many different ingredients you can use.  But, here's what we had:

Two types of yogurt.  Plain and vanilla greek yogurt.  Stir that greek yogurt.  Some people don't like the texture of greek yogurt, especially if it hasn't been stirred yet.

Fresh fruit!  Strawberries are a must have, as far as I'm concerned.   Some melons, cut into small pieces are great.  You are looking for fruit with a sweet flavor and nice color.  We eat with our eyes first!

Canned fruit.  As much as I'd love to have all fresh fruit, it's February here in Wisconsin.  Not only is the fruit expensive, it's not that great tasting sometimes.   We offered preserved peaches.  Yum!  The color and flavor are great all year round!

Granola.  Buy it in bulk in the cereal aisle.  I found this great tasting granola at Costco.

We made a point of having some of the fruit cut small to be used as topping for the yogurt.  Some we left in bigger chunks in case someone wanted to just have some fruit.

Offer a fun individual dish that your guests can create their delicious breakfast.   You could serve it in a bowl but that's kind of boring!

I've used all of these in the past:

Seriously, serve yogurt with the fruit in granola in a martini glass!  It elevates the experience.   Obviously, this would be for a smaller group.

Mason jars are also great for this.  The big benefit is you could easily make a breakfast to go!  Perfectly portable.  I love the crystal ball jars.  I had a hard time finding them and had to order them online. To see exactly what I ordered, click here.

 

For a larger group, be kind to yourself.  There are pretty, inexpensive plastic cups out there too!  You still have the impact with a fraction of the work to clean up.  And, with a yogurt bar there is absolutely no cooking!!  Woohoooo!

 

 

We also served beverages at our neighborhood gathering.

Coffee (regular and decaf.)

Diet Coke (I could never, but some people have their DC every morning)

Orange juice

Water

Baked goods are also a good idea.  We just purchased some Costco muffins and cut them in quarters.  Seriously, no one is going to eat a big muffin like that at a social gathering.  A quarter muffin is still more than a little muffin.  

You can make everything from scratch or ask a few friends to bring a baked good.  But, here is our thought.  This is an opportunity for friends to gather and it should be fun and stress free.  Too much work, causes stress!  Make it easy on yourself!

So, if you ever want to invite a group of people over for breakfast, a yogurt bar is a wonderful way to accommodate different tastes.   It would be a wonderful way to serve a big family group staying over too!  There is something for every taste.

Last year we served lunch!  Click through here to see what we served (recipe included!).

In Wisconsin we hibernate in the winter.  That's why we feel it's important to get together and socialize.  We always enjoy hosting and seeing everyone.  Try it!!  It's not as hard as you think.