Review of Panera Bread's Strawberry Granola Parfait

I discovered Panera Bread's Strawberry Granola Parfait while checking their online menu. According to the description, it consists of low-fat vanilla yogurt, fresh strawberries, and maple butter pecan granola. I was immediately intrigued but somewhat hesitant to try it. Vanilla yogurt is pretty much hit or miss for me, but the thought of fresh strawberries and maple butter pecan granola persuaded me to try it during my next visit to Panera Bread.

Panera Bread's Strawberry Granola Parfait: The Presentation

Parfait, pronounced "par FAY," is the French word for "perfect." It generally refers to a layered frozen dessert concoction served in a tall, clear glass. In the United States, this usually means soft-serve ice cream layered with a sundae topping, but I've also seen a few with pudding or gelatin as the main ingredient. Panera Bread's Strawberry Granola Parfait is the first one I've ever seen with yogurt.

Panera Bread's Strawberry Granola Parfait comes in a clear plastic drink cup. The bottom of the cup contains Stonyfield Farm organic vanilla yogurt. I can't estimate how much there is, but it's a respectable portion. There are some sliced fresh strawberries on top of the yogurt. A granola mixture is in a separate little container resting at the top of the cup. The granola is separated from the other ingredients in order to keep it from getting soggy. Just remove the lid, take out the little container of granola, and pour it into the cup--after having a little taste of the granola.

Although there is just one size parfait, it can come in at least two different cup sizes. Sometimes when we order two of them, each parfait is in a different size cup. From what I can tell, it's so that takeout orders of two parfaits can fit well enough inside the bag. If they were both the same size, the lids might not stay on, and they would be hard to get out of the bag. Anyone who has ever packed drinks to go or tried to extract them from a bag knows what I'm talking about.

Panera Bread's Strawberry Granola Parfait: The Verdict

The portions of strawberries, granola, and yogurt are just right. Once everything is mixed together, it's still possible to have at least two components in every bite. If the strawberry slices were smaller, it would be even better; smaller pieces would make it easier to blend, and it's not easy to cut them up once they're inside the cup. The vanilla yogurt could be sweeter, but it's sweet enough, especially when everything in the parfait is blended together. The granola is quite tasty; it contains toasted pecans, toasted oats, toasted coconut, honey, maple syrup, and brown sugar.

Panera Bread's Strawberry Granola Parfait is a delicious breakfast that is well worth the $3.49 I currently pay. At 8.25 ounces, it's much more filling than any serving of yogurt I could buy at the grocery store. It has four grams of fiber and three grams of protein. It also contains 310 calories, 41 grams of carbohydrates, 20 grams of sugar, 12 grams of fat (including 3.5 mg of saturated fat), 100 mg of sodium, and 5 mg of cholesterol. It contains no trans fat.

Panera Bread's Strawberry Granola Parfait is a good choice for yogurt lovers who want something more substantial. It is available all day, or at least until supplies run out.

Caution: Panera Bread's Strawberry Granola Parfait contains ingredients that cause allergic reactions in some people. Use your best judgment.

Sources:

http://www.panerabread.com

http://www.epicurious.com