Blueberry Strawberry Parfait USA

Blueberry Strawberry Parfait combines berries, whipped cream cheese, crumbled graham crackers & whipped cream for a tasty, healthier dessert!  Perfect for July 4th–or any occasion.

I always associate the 4th of July with strawberries. Besides the color, it comes from an old tradition. You see, a couple decades ago, as penny-watching newlyweds, my sister and I used to go out to our CSA farm every July 4th. Here we’d pick the last of the season’s berries which they’d give us for free. Then we’d celebrate with a girls lunch before heading home to the festivities. What a great way to start a holiday!

Of course there are lots of ways to use such tasty berries. But it would be hard to find one more perfect for the season than this Blueberry Strawberry Cheesecake Parfait.

Why You’ll Love This!

Fun. With bright colors and festive styling, this dessert will end your meal with pizazz!

Tasty. The classic combo of berries, graham cracker and whipped cheesecake filling is a taste delight.

Healthy (for a dessert). Light and fruity, a berry parfait is about as guilt free as dessert gets!

What You’ll Need

Ingredient Notes

• cream cheese.  This provides the cheesecake flavor.  You can use Vanilla Greek yogurt instead of the cream cheese, cream powdered sugar and vanilla layer.  You may still want whipped cream for a topping.
• heavy cream.  This lightens the cream cheese and adds volume.
• powdered sugar. This adds sweetness to the cheesecake layer
• vanilla. This adds flavor.
• graham crackers. This adds crunch and forms the bottom layer.  You can use other cookies if you prefer.
• blueberries. This is the blue fruit component
• strawberries.  This is the red fruit component
• jimmies or decorated skewers. Optional decoration.

Special Tools

• While it’s not a requirement, parfait dishes or large glasses that show off the layers are nice.

Step by Step Directions

Make Cream Cheese Whip. Beat cream cheese with electric mixer until light and airy. Add remaining ingredients and beat until fluffy. Store in refrigerator to keep cool. 

Crumble cookies in bottom of four serving glasses. Top with a layer of blueberries. 

Put cream cheese whip into piping bag or plastic bag with a corner cut out, then pipe onto blueberries.

Top with cut strawberries.

If desired, decorate with themed party favor, whipped cream and colored sprinkles or item of your choice.

Variations

This dessert is versatile and you don’t need to go by the book!

Don’t have blueberries but still want to go with a July 4th theme? Make an all strawberry parfait by subbing extra strawberries for the blueberries. Then add blue accents like blue jimmies or tiny American flags. All fun!

Allergic to strawberries? Go with raspberries or watermelon!

Of course there’s no inherent reason this needs to be 4th of July themed. There are so many other possible fruit combinations that would also be delicious. How about tropical fruit for a luau! Kiwi and raspberries for Christmas with a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds on the whipped cream!

Or for another July 4th blueberry strawberry dessert, consider this Red White and Blueberry Parfait with Meringue Stars. Or for an even healthier option, take a look at this Berry Salad with Limoncello!

Tips & FAQs

This Blueberry Strawberry Parfait USA is a dessert where you can really have fun with garnishes! Go wild with patriotic skewers or go simple with July 4th themed sprinkles.

To make the skewers, I started by shortening some regular bamboo shish kabob skewers. Then I pushed on a “string” of blueberries. Finally, I used a star-shaped cookie cutter to cute a star from a watermelon slice and added this to the end.

A parfait is the most fun in glassware that shows off the layers. Larger stemless wine glasses or brandy snifters would both work well. You could even use canning jars! I found my dishes in a secondhand store, which I check regularly for unique options!

4th of July BBQ Party Recipes

• Blueberry Strawberry Cheesecake Parfait from Art of Natural Living
• Bobby Flay’s Cole Slaw from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Creamy Cucumber Salad from Cheese Curd In Paradise
• Firework Oreo Cheesecake Bites from The Spiffy Cookie
• Grown Up Watermelon Slushies from That Recipe
• Hawaiian Plantation Iced Tea from Palatable Pastime
• Pearl Couscous Salad from Magical Ingredients
• Tuna Noodle Casserole Pasta Salad from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures

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Blueberry Strawberry Parfait USA

Blueberry Strawberry Parfait combines berries, whipped cream cheese, crumbled graham crackers & whipped cream for a tasty, healthier dessert!  Perfect for July 4th–or any occasion.

Author: Inger

5 from 1 vote

Print

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Desserts & Snacks

Cuisine American

Servings 4

Calories 428 kcal

Ingredients

  

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Cream Cheese Whip:

• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 3 ounces heavy cream 6 Tablespoons
• ¼ cup powdered sugar (or equivalent sweetener for low carb)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Rest of Parfait:

• 8 small graham cracker rectangles (for low carb, omit; for gluten free, omit or use gluten free grahams)
• 1 pint blueberries or a bit more
• 1 pint strawberries or a bit more, cut into medium sized pieces

Optional garnsih:

• whipped cream I whipped about 1/2 cup of cream with powdered sugar and vanilla
• jimmies or decorated skewers

Instructions

 

• Make Cream Cheese Whip. Beat cream cheese with electric mixer until light and airy. Add remaining ingredients and beat until fluffy. Store in refrigerator to keep cool.
• Crumble cookies in bottom of four serving glasses. Top with a layer of blueberries. Put cream cheese whip into piping bag or plastic bag with a corner cut out, then pipe onto blueberries. Top with cut strawberries.
• If desired, decorate with themed party favor, whipped cream and colored sprinkles or item of your choice.
  

Notes

You can use Vanilla Greek yogurt instead of the cream cheese whip.

Nutrition

Calories: 428kcalCarbohydrates: 57gProtein: 6gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 53mgSodium: 282mgPotassium: 381mgFiber: 6gSugar: 33gVitamin A: 771IUVitamin C: 81mgCalcium: 90mgIron: 2mg

I am not a health professional and nutrition data is calculated programatically. Accuracy may vary with product selection, calculator accuracy, etc. Consult a professional for the best information.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Originally published June 26, 2016

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