Wild Berry Parfait with Mascarpone

This delightful dessert is refreshing and absolutely delicious.

We love this summertime dessert for so many reasons. First, and foremost, it is absolutely scrumptious. But, it’s also beautiful in presentation, very festive, and can be made in advance! After a BBQ feast of burgers, pasta salad, and baked beans, this is the perfect sweet finish to an amazing meal.

How To Make Wild Berry Parfait with Mascarpone

One of our favorite components of this parfait is the homemade granola. You’ll have extra on hand, but, trust us, it won’t last long. It’s good on so many things! (think ice cream and yogurt).

Assemble and keep in the fridge until ready to serve.

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The Ingredients You Will Need

Go with the best looking fruit you can get your hands on. Frozen will work in a pinch. Fresh is definitely best.

Here Is What You’ll Need to Have on Hand

For the Granola:

Rolled oats – Also called “Old Fashioned”
Nuts – Pecan or walnuts, roughly chopped
Coconut – Shredded, sweetened
Brown sugar – Light or dark
Maple syrup – Pure, not pancake syrup
Oil – Vegetable
Cinnamon – Ground

For the Parfait:

Orange juice – Freshly squeezed is best
Honey – Go with good-quality
Sugar – Granulated
Berries – Strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries are our favorites
Mascarpone cheese – Found in the specialty cheese section of most supermarkets, cream cheese is a fine substitution
Yogurt – Vanilla adds wonderful flavor

EXPERT TIP: You can make the granola up to several days in advance. After you’ve baked the granola, let is cool completely in the baking pan then transfer it to a container with a tight-fitting lid.

Tips for Perfect Wild Berry Parfait with Mascarpone

Make the Granola – We can’t stress this enough. Homemade granola is so easy to make and the taste and texture it adds to the parfait is key to making this dish extra special

Use Fresh Berries – Definitely go with fresh berries, if at all possible. When selecting the produce, inspect it closely and check the date is was packed. Fresh fruit can go bad quickly, even in the packaging.

Chill the Parfait – This parfait is delicious served room temperature, but we think it’s even better when it’s nicely chilled. Especially as a refreshing dessert on a hot and sultry summer day.

EXPERT TIP: After pouring the dressing over the fruit, and then gently tossing it, you’ll want to rest in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes in order to let the fruit to release some delicious liquid. You can cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it chill for up to 2 hours.

Other Fruit Recipes to Try

Most everyone loves juicy, sweet, and delicious fruit. These recipes all star fruit in ways that you and your family are going to love. These are some of our favorites:

Summer Fruit Salad
Classic Fruit Tart
Old-Fashioned Peach Cobbler
Peach Crisp
Strawberry Pavlova
Homemade Blueberry Pop Tarts
Classic Cherry Pie
Raspberry Linzer Bars
Watermelon Cucumber Salad with Basil and Feta

These are all so wonderful. But, in the meantime, isn’t this calling your name?

Folks, this is no-fail summertime dessert that you and your family are going to fall in love with.

The recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to feed a crowd. Or, go with small vessels to serve more!

The red, white, and blue colors make it a perfect Fourth of July dessert. No matter what, it’s guaranteed to be a crowd favorite!

Ready to make the best summertime dessert on the block? Go for it!

And when you do, be sure to take a photo of it, post it on Instagram, and tag @HowToFeedaLoon and hashtag #HowToFeedaLoon

Wild Berry Parfait with Mascarpone

Wild Berry Parfait with Mascarpone is so refreshing and so good. Serve in a Bell or Mason jar for easy transport and fun presentation. The homemade granola puts it over the top! So good! (double recipe to serve 8 to 10 people)

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American / French

Keyword: fruit parfait recipe, the best summer dessert

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Granola Preparation (can be done in advance): 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 396kcal

Author: Kris Longwell

Equipment

• Jars for serving

Ingredients

For the Granola

• ▢ Vegetable oil for greasing the pan
• ▢ 1½ cups rolled oats aka: Old Fashioned
• ▢ 1 cup pecans roughly chopped, or walnuts
• ▢ ½ cup sweetened coconut flakes
• ▢ ¼ cup brown sugar light or dark
• ▢ ¼ cup maple syrup pure
• ▢ ¼ cup vegetable oil plus more for greasing the pan
• ▢ 1 tsp cinnamon ground

For the Parfait

• ▢ 4 tbsp orange juice freshly squeezed from 2 oranges
• ▢ 2 tbsp honey
• ▢ ¼ cup sugar
• ▢ 4 cups strawberries hulled and sliced
• ▢ 1 cup blueberries
• ▢ 1 cup raspberries
• ▢ 8 oz Mascarpone cheese room temperature
• ▢ 8 oz Vanilla yogurt
• ▢ 1 tsp sugar
• ▢ 2 cups granola

Instructions

Do Ahead - Homemade Granola

• Preheat oven to 300°F.
• Liberally grease a baking sheet with vegetable oil.
  Vegetable oil
• Add the oats, pecans, and coconut to the pan and use a spatula to mix it all together.
  1½ cups rolled oats, 1 cup pecans, ½ cup sweetened coconut flakes
• In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, maple syrup, oil, and cinnamon. Pour over the oats mixture and use a spatula and your hands to coat completely.
  ¼ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup maple syrup, ¼ cup vegetable oil, 1 tsp cinnamon
• Place the pan in the oven and bake for about 35 to 40 minutes, stirring every ten minutes. Once the granola is somewhat crisp and lightly golden, remove it from the oven and let the granola cool completely in the pan. If not using immediately, place it n a container with a tight-fitting lid (no need to refrigerate).

Assemble the Parfait

• In a bowl, whisk together orange juice, honey, and sugar.
  4 tbsp orange juice, 2 tbsp honey, ¼ cup sugar
• Gently fold in fruit. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes, or up to 2 hours.
  4 cups strawberries, 1 cup blueberries, 1 cup raspberries
• In another bowl, whisk together Mascarpone, yogurt, and sugar until smooth.
  8 oz Mascarpone cheese, 8 oz Vanilla yogurt, 1 tsp sugar
• In a serving glass (such as a Bell or Mason jar), add a layer of the fruit, and then a layer of the Mascarpone sauce, a layer of the granola. Top with another layer of Mascarpone, and then fruit. Garnish with a dollop of Mascarpone and a sprinkling of granola.
  2 cups granola
• Repeat for remaining servings. Serve at once, or chill in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours.

Notes

See the video near the top of the blog post for visual guidance. If you liked the video, please subscribe to our YouTube channel. 

The granola can be made up to 5 days in advance. You will have extra granola left over. It's amazing on ice cream, yogurt, and on its own. 

The recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to feed a crowd. The parfaits can be assembled up to 8 hours in advance. Keep chilled in the fridge until ready to serve. 

Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. 

Nutrition

Calories: 396kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 60mg | Sodium: 129mg | Potassium: 498mg | Fiber: 16g | Sugar: 86g | Vitamin A: 915IU | Vitamin C: 105mg | Calcium: 337mg | Iron: 6mg

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POST UPDATE: This recipe was originally published April 2014, but was updated with improved tweaks to the recipe with new tips and photography and fabulous new video in June 2023.