4 Easy Yogurt Snacks for Kids Perfect for After School - Baby Chick
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4 Easy Yogurt Snacks for Kids Perfect for After School

Discover some ideal go-to yogurt snack recipes that make after-school snacking easy, fun, and healthy with Stonyfield yogurt.

Sponsored by: The image shows the Stonyfield Organic logo, featuring the brand name in white with a green leaf inside the letter "O" in "Stonyfield." The text is set in a blue arch for "Stonyfield" and straight for "ORGANIC.
Updated September 23, 2024

by Dr. Nicole Avena, Ph. D.

Associate Professor of Neuroscience
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It’s that time of year again — when your hungry child runs off the bus and straight into the kitchen for a perfect after-school snack. Making snacks for your child shouldn’t be complicated or take you forever, and that’s where yogurt comes in. We’ve got some ideal go-to yogurt recipes that make after-school snacking easy, fun, and healthy. But what makes a healthy snack healthy?

It’s easy to choose pre-made and pre-packaged items when thinking of quick things to hold your child’s hunger off until dinner time. The reality is that most of the time, those aren’t the healthiest options. These items are often highly processed, high in sodium, and packed with added sugars. To prepare the perfect after-school snack, include protein and fiber and skip the added sugars.

Components of a Perfect Snack

Protein and fiber are two critical components of a great snack. They not only help balance blood sugar, but they also keep kids full for a lot longer than a simple carb like chips or cookies would.1 Generally, fiber is easier to get into a snack than protein since fruits and veggies are packed with fiber. Protein can be a challenge, but a great kid-friendly option is yogurt. Yogurt gets its complete protein from milk, making it vegetarian-friendly and loaded with other nutrients, including calcium and vitamin D.2 It also contains probiotics, which may have benefits on your child’s immune system — and we all know that could be taking a hard hit this back-to-school season.3

Avoiding high-sugar options is the final key to keeping kids full for longer. Sugar is a fast-burning source of carbohydrates, and that often leads to a sugar high hours before bedtime.

Now that you have the tools to build healthy (and kid-friendly) snacks, here are four yogurt snack ideas you can prep beforehand, either with your child’s involvement or on the spot, to curb that after-school hunger. The best part is they all take less than 10 minutes to prepare.

1. 3-Ingredient Frozen Yogurt Bites

A bowl of strawberries, Stonyfield plain yogurt and a muffin tin filled with yogurt bites

These yogurt bites are great to make ahead and serve later in the day as a kid-friendly treat. They make eating yogurt way more fun, and your child can customize what they want in their cup of yogurt. For this yogurt snack recipe, you’ll need muffin tin liners and a 12-count muffin tin.

Yogurt bite ingredients - Stonyfield plain yogurt, strawberries, granola, blueberries.
Berries mixed into a bowl of yogurt
Layering some yogurt over some granola in muffin tins.
Hand sprinkling berries and granola on top of yogurt in muffin tins.
Lowering the muffin liner to show the yogurt bite
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A close-up of a stack of two frozen yogurt cups on a wooden surface. They are topped with blueberries, chopped strawberries, and granola. Other similar yogurt snacks are visible in the background.

Frozen Yogurt Bites


  • Author: Dr. Nicole Avena
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 12 cups 1x

Description

These yogurt bites are great to make ahead and serve later as a kid-friendly treat. They make eating yogurt way more fun, and your child can customize what they would like in their own cup of yogurt. It’s like a tasty frozen parfait bite that your kids are sure to love!


Ingredients

Units Scale

Instructions

  1. For prep; cut up your fresh fruit into small pieces.
  2. Place your muffin tin liners into your muffin tin and sprinkle a layer of granola (about 1 tablespoon) into the bottom of each liner.
  3. In a bowl, add the Stonyfield yogurt and 1½ cups of your cut fruit and mix together. Use a fork or potato masher to blend your fruit into your yogurt until it is mostly mixed in.
  4. Spoon a layer of the yogurt and fruit mixture, roughly 2 tablespoons, in each cup on top of the granola.
  5. Top each with a sprinkle of granola, then the remaining berries.
  6. Place the muffin tin into your freezer for 4 hours or until frozen.
  7. Take them out of the freezer when ready and allow them to thaw for 10 minutes before enjoying!

Notes

This recipe is good in the freezer for up to 2 months! Place them in a freezer-safe container for storage.

  • Prep Time: 25 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Category: Snacks
  • Method: Chill
  • Cuisine: American

2. Cheerio & Yogurt-Covered Strawberries

Strawberries dipped in yogurt and covered with Cheerios on a white plate in a white kitchen. There are strawberries and Cheerios scattered around.

Here’s another easy, 3-ingredient yogurt snack recipe! Meet the chocolate-covered strawberry’s healthier cousin! Your child will love this healthy yogurt snack with an added crunch from Cheerios. For this recipe, you’ll need parchment paper and a large plate or baking sheet.

Stonyfield yogurt with bowls of yogurt, cheerios, and strawberries
Hand dipping a strawberry into a white bowl of Stonyfield plain yogurt
Hands carefully putting cheerios on the yogurt covered strawberry.
A plate with cheerio and yogurt-covered strawberries. There is a bowl of strawberries in the background.
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A plate displays eight strawberries partially dipped in yogurt and coated with round cereal loops, reminiscent of delightful yogurt popsicles. The strawberries are arranged in a ring, two of which have green leaves facing upward. The white plate with a ridged edge makes the presentation even more charming.

Cheerio & Yogurt-Covered Strawberries


  • Author: Dr. Nicole Avena
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 12 servings 1x

Description

Meet the chocolate-covered strawberry’s healthier cousin! Your child is sure to love this healthy snack that has an added crunch from Cheerios.


Ingredients

Units Scale

Instructions

  1. Wash and pat dry whole strawberries.
  2. Then, hold each strawberry by the stem and dip each end into the Stonyfield yogurt.
  3. Place the Cheerios on the yogurt around each strawberry, fully covering them. Another option, place the dipped strawberries on the parchment-lined plate or sheet pan and sprinkle the Cheerios over your yogurt-covered strawberries.
  4. You can enjoy them right then or move the sheet pan with the Cheerio and yogurt-covered strawberries to the fridge and refrigerate!

Notes

For this recipe, you’ll need parchment paper and a large plate or baking sheet.

  • Prep Time: 15
  • Category: Snacks
  • Method: Chill
  • Cuisine: American

3. Yogurt Pops

A white plate with yogurt pops and small bowls around with different topping choices.

These two-ingredient yogurt pops should be a household healthy popsicle staple. They are easy to make and stay well in the freezer whenever your child is craving a sweet treat. This also makes for a fun after-school activity and treat! You’ll need six popsicle sticks for this recipe.

Stonyfield Yobaby yogurt and cookie sticks on a cheese board
Hand putting cookie sticks into Stonyfield yogurt cups
A frozen yogurt pop with a tray of yogurt cups with cookie sticks in the background.
A white plate with yogurt pops and small bowls around with different topping choices.
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A hand holds a marshmallow on a stick, partially dipped in white chocolate and coated with colorful sprinkles. Other marshmallows, similarly decorated with various toppings like nuts and chocolate chips, are blurred in the background. They look as delightful as yogurt snacks for any festive gathering.

Yogurt Pops


  • Author: Nicole Avena
  • Total Time: 2 minutes

Description

These two-ingredient yogurt pops should be a household healthy popsicle staple. They are not only easy to make but stay well in the freezer for whenever your child is craving a sweet treat.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 6 Stonyfield YoBaby cups
  • Age-appropriate toppings of choice (we used sprinkles, shaved almonds, and coconut shreds)

Instructions

  1. Take the yogurt cups, remove the wrapper on the tops, and stick a popsicle stick into the yogurt.
  2. Place them in the freezer for at least four hours until firm.
  3. When set, pop the popsicle out from the desired yogurt cup without disturbing the stick. Roll the pop in your child’s (age-appropriate) favorite topping and enjoy!

Notes

You’ll need six popsicle sticks for this recipe.

  • Prep Time: 2 minutes
  • Category: Snacks
  • Method: Chill
  • Cuisine: American

4. Yogurt Granola Banana Pops

Hand holding up a banana popped. The banana is covered with yogurt, granola and dried cranberries. There's a parchment paper lined cookie sheet with more banana pops in the background.

Another great freeze-ahead option can be made using bananas. These make the perfect warm-weather treat. For this recipe, you’ll need eight popsicle sticks, a baking sheet for freezing, and parchment paper.

The ingredients for the Banana pops - bowls of granola, yogurt, dried cranberries and two bananas
Hand putting a cookie stick into half of a banana with three bowls behind filled with yogurt, granola, and dried cranberries
Banana dunked into a bowl of plain yogurt
Yogurt-covered banana dipped into a bowl with granola
Banana pop in a bowl with granola and a hand putting on dried cranberries on the banana
A parchment paper lined cookie sheet with yogurt covered banana pops with granola and dried cranberries
Print
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A hand holding a frozen banana on a stick, coated in Stonyfield yogurt and sprinkled with granola and dried cranberries. More of the same delicious yogurt snacks can be seen blurred in the background.

Yogurt Granola Banana Pops


  • Author: Dr. Nicole Avena
  • Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x

Description

Here’s a delicious freeze-ahead option using bananas. A perfect snack for the kids and the whole family!


Ingredients

Units Scale

Instructions

  1. Peel and cut a banana in half vertically.
  2. Stick a popsicle stick or cookie stick through the cut end. This makes the banana easier to hold and decorate.
  3. Dip the end of the banana in the yogurt. You can roll this in a bowl, but we found it easier to dip it directly from the Stonyfield yogurt carton.
  4. Have the granola and dried fruit on a lined baking sheet and roll the yogurt-covered banana into the mixture. Another option is to sprinkle on the granola and dried fruit. Have fun with the toppings. This could also be dark chocolate chips!
  5. Place the bananas on a lined baking sheet and put them in the freezer between 2-4 hours before serving.

Notes

For this recipe, you’ll need four popsicle sticks, a baking sheet for freezing, and parchment paper.

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Category: Snacks
  • Method: Chill
  • Cuisine: American

These four yogurt snack recipes are quick, easy, and affordable ways to get your child to eat more protein and fruit. The key elements of a healthy snack can allow you to get creative with your choices, like high-fiber fruits and veggies like bananas, berries, apples, pears, broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower.4 High-protein options that avoid meat include yogurt and cottage cheese.5 Whether these yogurt snacks are a treat or a daily staple, your child will love a healthy, sweet way to kick their after-school hunger.

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  • Author
Nicole Avena
Dr. Nicole Avena, Ph. D. Associate Professor of Neuroscience
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Nicole Avena, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Neuroscience at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Visiting Professor of Psychology at Princeton University. She is the author of several books, including Why Diets Fail, What to Eat When You’re Pregnant, and What to Feed Your Baby and Toddler. Her new book, What to Eat When You Want to Get Pregnant, is available now.

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