Berry Trifle Recipe

This Berry Trifle recipe is perfect for a healthy, Mother’s Day dessert, or for any special occasion when dessert must be enjoyed by all!

Mother’s Day is upon us once again and few things go better on a Mother’s Day brunch table than a beautiful berry trifle. It’s a simple yet elegant dessert that everyone will enjoy. And the best part is, you don’t have to bake anything. But you will want to have your phone handy because this is a very instagram-able dish!

What Is A Trifle?

Trifle (TRI-fuhl) – The word “trifle” comes from the old French term “trufle,” and literally means something whimsical or of little consequence. A proper English trifle is made with real egg custard poured over sponge cake soaked in fruit and sherry and topped with whipped cream. (source)

These days, trifles are typically made (at least in the States), with vanilla pudding (or some type of pudding mix), whipping cream made from heavy cream, and store-bought angel food cake or pound cake.

However, they can be made much healthier and with much better flavor. There are so many versions out there, it can be hard to decide what type to make. But if healthier fare is what you’re after then this version is delicious, light, and satisfying.

Making Homemade Whipped Cream

While it’s easy to pick up a spray can of whipped cream at the store, the ingredients are typically less than desirable. So instead, you can make your own simply by pouring heavy whipping cream into a large bowl and beating it with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Then slowly mix in any sweetener you want to use. You can also mix in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract if you wish.

Recipe Variations

Try using any of these in your trifles, either in addition to the recipe below or in place of it.

• Peaches
• Nectarines
• Any type of fresh berries
• Grapes
• Citrus fruits
• Apples
• Cherries – pit them first!
• Chopped nuts

About The Ingredients

Strawberries – Find the biggest, sweetest berries you can get.

Blackberries – You can use raspberries instead or a mix of both.

Plain, unsweetened, and unflavored Greek yogurt

Granola – try one of my recipes here.

Sweetener of choice – Try honey, maple syrup, Sucanat, or coconut sugar. Even monk fruit will work.

How To Make A Berry Trifle

If doing a brunch bar, arrange all of the ingredients in pretty bowls for everyone to choose from and build their own trifles.

Remove the stems from the strawberries and slice them width-wise. To build either small individual trifle cups or one large one, the following is how we built ours.

Going along the bottom edge of the cup(s) or pint-size trifle dish (s), arrange the sliced strawberries so they stick to the bottom edge.

Use a spatula to scoop 1.5 to 2 heaping tablespoons of the yogurt into the bottom of the cup.

Then sprinkle in 2 Tablespoons of granola and smooth it over to create an even layer covering the yogurt.

On top of the granola add more yogurt, enough to cover it well, then arrange some blackberries along the inside edge of the trifle cup, going all the way around.

In the center part, you can use sliced strawberries to cover the empty space.

Next, drizzle in or sprinkle your sweetener of choice over the fruit. The amount is according to taste.

Then scoop in more granola to cover the fruit and then more yogurt to cover the granola.

Continue to repeat these layers until you get to the top.

The last 2 layers should be yogurt and fresh fruit, with the top layer being fruit.

You can leave the top, and last layer, with just the fruit, or if you’d like you can drizzle or sprinkle your sweetener of choice over the fruit.

Berry Trifle Recipe Tips

You can prepare this trifle in a normal size trifle bowl or turn it into a DIY trifle brunch bar and have everyone build their own in smaller bowls for a fun activity.

• I used strawberries and blackberries but if you can find raspberries and blueberries too, they would be delicious options too. Have fun mixing up the berries you can find available.
• If you’re making the trifle ahead of time you can keep it in the fridge for a couple of hours but do keep in mind that the granola will soften and the berries will too.
• While this can be served at room temperature, it’s best served a bit chilled.

Garnish

While garnish is optional, I have found the best garnish to be fresh mint leaves. Some folks like to add a splash of lemon juice over the top to keep the berries fresh.

Storage

Store leftovers in the fridge. If the yogurt is mixed with the granola, it will get soft overnight in the fridge. This is normal and safe to eat. Refresh leftovers with some fresh, crunchy granola. Make sure to store this either covered with plastic wrap or in a food-safe storage container with an airtight lid.

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Recipe Supplies

More Healthy Brunch Recipes

• Baked Apples
• Almond Blueberry Salad

Granola Recipes For Making A Healthy Berry Trifle

• Low Sugar Granola
• Maple Cinnamon Granola
• Banana Granola
• Traditional Granola

Berry Trifle Recipe Card

Recipe from the Gracious Pantry® archives, originally posted on 5/5/20.