Who says you might’t enjoy dessert while staying healthy?
The secret lies in swapping traditional treats for healthier alternatives, which is exactly what our collection ofhealthy dessertsdelivers.
While store-bought orrestaurant dessertsare often loaded with sugar and calories, these homemade recipes let you control the ingredients.
Photos: Waterbury Publications, Inc.; Mitch Mandel and Thomas MacDonald; Kiersten Hickman. Design: Eat This, Not That!
Ready to get started?
Explore our list of homemade healthy dessert recipes, and prepare to whip up something delicious today.
Don’t feel like making dessert?
Mitch Mandel and Thomas MacDonald
Then dig into one of these21 Best Healthy Desserts on Grocery Shelves.
Bananas can help you lose weight, reduce belly bloat, fight cancer, and increase your energy.
Get our recipe forDark Chocolate Dipped Bananas.
Mitch Mandel and Thomas MacDonald
Can Eating Bananas Help You Lose Weight?
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Is there anything more classic than a chocolate chip cookie?
Even though this version is low-calorie, we still use all the typical ingredients.
Mitch Mandel and Thomas MacDonald
We just went for a lighter approach, taking it easy on the butter and the chocolate chips.
But we promise these are going to be the only cookies you’re ever going to want to bake.
Get our recipeforChocolate Chip Cookies.
Mitch Mandel and Thomas MacDonald
Get our recipefor aMolten Chocolate Cake.
So in our recipe, we still use all the classic, real brownie ingredientsjust less of them.
Get our recipefor theBest Fudgy Brownies.
Mitch Mandel and Thomas MacDonald
Go ahead and have a few of them, too!
Get our recipeforOatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.
(Not to mention, homemade pops are far healthier than the ultra-processed, sugar-laden ones.)
Mitch Mandel and Thomas MacDonald
Get our recipe forSmoothie Popsicles.
Get our recipe forBanana Coconut Ice Cream.
Get our recipe forCoconut Fruit Tart.
You’re basically cooking apples with cinnamon, then drizzling them with some velvety, syrupy sweet sauce.
We like to think of it as a deconstructed apple pie.
Get our recipe forWarm Sauteed Apples with Caramel Drizzle.
The Instant Pot baking method is especially well-suited for almond flour-based batters like this one.
To make it work, you’ll also need a 7-inch springform pan and a trivet.
Get our recipe forInstant Pot Lemon Cake.
But just because you’re following a low-carb diet doesn’t mean you have to give up dessert entirely.
Get our recipe forKeto Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Just stir a few pantry-staple ingredients in one bowl, and you’re good to go.
Get our recipe forLow-Carb Keto Peanut Butter Cookies.
Get our recipe forKeto Latte Swirl Brownies.
In fact, they’re even better.
Get our recipe forDark Chocolate-Covered Almond Clusters with Coconut-Matcha Sprinkle.
There are numerous combinations you might try.
Simply choose your favorite fruit and favorite extra crunch!
We have five options for fruit toppers that come with the recipe already.
Get our recipe for aFruit and Cream Tart.
It gives the cream puff a tangy and sweet flavor, while still keeping that sugar count really low.
Get our recipe forLow-Sugar Orange Dream Cream Puffs.
Strawberry Rhubarb Ice
Making this recipe is really simple, including the easy ingredient list.
As you work on this recipe, you could easily hull strawberries using a straw!
Get our recipe forStrawberry Rhubarb Ice.
Get our recipe forCoffee and Chocolate Meringue Cookies.
Take, for example, this scrumptious treat, which combines poached pears with a rich chocolate sauce.
Spices like cinnamon and nutmeg accentuate the flavor of the chocolate.
Apple juice and more cinnamon flavor the pear for a truly unforgettable taste.
Get our recipe forPoached Pears with Spiced Chocolate Sauce.
Cinnamon-Orange Lava Cakes Recipe
There’s something so satisfying about tucking into gooey lava cakes.
The chocolate filling seeps out onto your plate, and the whole thing feels decadent.
It might seem complicated to recreate this treat at home, but it doesn’t have to be!
All you need are some ramekins and a bit of time.
Get our recipe forCinnamon-Orange Lava Cakes.
And that’s where our espresso granita comes in.
Get our recipe forEspresso Granita.
Who could resist that?
Get our recipe forEgg-Free Chocolate Pudding with Olive Oil and Sea Salt.
Get our recipe forGrilled Strawberry Shortcake with Balsamic.
Get our recipe forFruit Pizza.
Pumpkin Cheesecake
What better way to celebrate the fall season than a delicious pumpkin cheesecake?
Not only that, but a pumpkin cheesecake that is actually considered healthy!
Get our recipe forPumpkin Cheesecake.
Whole30 Mini Chocolate Cakes
Can chocolate cake ever truly be a healthy dessert?
Yes, it can, if it has no gluten, dairy, or refined sugar.
check that to use creamy rather than crunchy almond butter to get the smoothest texture in your cake batter.
Get our recipe forWhole30 Mini Chocolate Cakes.
Get our recipefor aRicotta Cheesecake With Warm Blueberries.
That’s where our blueberry-peach cobbler comes in.
There’s a good chance your mouth is watering just thinking about it!
Get our recipefor aBlueberry-Peach Cobbler.
2-Step Affogato
This Affogato recipe, however, is a dessert that earns its keep.
Get our recipe forAffogato.
Having oats in the recipe is also great for your health.
Oats are high in fiber and have nutrients that will help lower cholesterol and stabilize blood sugar.
Get our recipe forCocoa-Coconut-Oat Cookies with Chocolate Chunks.
There are so many flavors going on, and each of them complements the others perfectly.
Key Lime Pie
This is the easiest pie in the history of baking.
Mix, pour, bake, serve, devour.
It’s so easy, it’ll become your go-to for potluck and dinner parties.
Get our recipe forKey Lime Pie.
It still tastes absolutely delicious!
For this carrot cupcake recipe, we even lightened up the cream cheese frosting.
This cream cheese frosting is also naturally sweetened with pure maple syrup.
Get our recipe forCarrot Cupcakes.
Mitch Mandel and Thomas MacDonald
Get our recipeforBanana-Nutella Crepes.
Get all hands on deck to make these simple treats.
Get our recipefor anIce Cream Sandwich.
Mitch Mandel and Thomas MacDonald
Get our recipeforSavory and Sweet Olive Oil Ice Cream.
Seriously, this frozen, fruity dessert is next-level, and it doesn’t have any artificial flavoring.
Get our recipeforFruit-Packed Mexican Paleta.
Did we mention this is all only 320 calories, too?
Get our recipefor aGrilled Banana Split.
Warm Banana Split in a Rum Sauce
And here we have another take on the banana split!
Get our recipefor aWarm Banana Split in a Rum Sauce.
Get our recipeforBanana Pudding.
Get our recipeforBanana Bread.
And there you have a much lower-calorie pie!
Get our recipefor anApple Pie with Crunch Topping.
Get our recipefor anApple Crumble.
), this time in a turnover style.
Here, we wrap sweetened, spiced apple chunks in a flaky puff pastry.
Get our recipefor anApple Turnover.
Plus, with a cool yogurt sauce, you’ll forget this sweet treat is actually good for you!
Get our recipeforGrilled Fruit Kebabs with Yogurt and Honey.
Get our recipefor aFruit and Granola Yogurt Parfait.
Mitch Mandel and Thomas MacDonald
Grilled Apricots
In some places, dessert is simply just a delicious piece of fruit.
Get our recipeforGrilled Apricots.
Low-Sugar Cranberry Orange Scones
Yes, scones absolutely count as one of our healthy dessert recipes!
Mitch Mandel and Thomas MacDonald
Each cranberry orange scone only has 8 grams of sugar in itseriously, that’s it!
Not only that, but the sugar count in this recipe is coming from natural sweeteners.
Get our recipe forLow-Sugar Cranberry Orange Scones.
Mitch Mandel and Thomas MacDonald
Get our recipe forSugar Cookies.
Get our recipe forKeto Cheesecake.
Get our recipe forToffee Popcorn.
Mitch Mandel and Thomas MacDonald
Get our recipe forHomemade Ice Cream.
Get our recipe forPressure Cooker Molten Lava Chocolate-Cherry Cake.
Get our recipe forSticky Toffee Date Cake.
Mitch Mandel and Thomas MacDonald
Get our recipe forPumpkin Bread Pudding.
Peanut Butter Blossoms
We can’t think of a more perfect pairing than peanut butter and chocolate.
These two flavors are a match made in heaven, especially when combined to make the most delicious cookies.
Mitch Mandel and Thomas MacDonald
Get our recipe forPeanut Butter Blossoms.
Whipped Chocolate Coconut Pudding
The coconut cream whip topping is optional, but delicious.
Get our recipe forWhipped Chocolate Coconut Pudding.
Mitch Mandel and Thomas MacDonald
Apple-Cranberry Crisp
For our most visually appealing healthy dessert recipes, make this apple-cranberry crisp.
Who wouldn’t want more home-cooked desserts in their lives?
We think this apple-cranberry crisp recipe fits the bill for an easy, healthy dessert you’ll love.
Mitch Mandel and Thomas MacDonald
Get our recipe forApple-Cranberry Crisp.
Get our recipe forGinger-Carrot Pineapple Cake.
This easy 4-ingredient cake cookies recipe will come to your rescue!
Eat This, Not That!
It’s incredibly easy to throw together, and can even be made with multiple different flavors.
Get our recipe forFour-Ingredient Chocolate & Lemon Cake Cookies.
Get our recipe forHomemade Donuts.
Mitch Mandel and Thomas MacDonald
Date Squares
Having added sugars on Whole30 is a big no-no.
Get our recipe forDate Squares.
This chocolate cherry bread pudding is so gooey, you won’t believe it clocks in under 350 calories.
Mitch Mandel and Thomas MacDonald
Get our recipe forChocolate Cherry Bread Pudding with Pistachios.
Get our recipe forIndividual Key Lime Cheesecakes.
Old-Fashioned Milkshakes
This is one of our healthy dessert recipes we’re constantly drooling over.
Mitch Mandel and Thomas MacDonald
The trick to a good, thick milkshake is your ice cream to milk ratio.
Get our recipe forOld-Fashioned Milkshakes.
But this easy recipe takes avocado where you probably haven’t seen it before: into ice cream.
Mitch Mandel and Thomas MacDonald
And more specifically, into an ice cream mixture made from sweetened condensed milk and coconut milk.
Get our recipe forAvocado Ice Cream.
Get our recipe forPillowy Snickerdoodle Cookies.
Mitch Mandel and Thomas MacDonald
You’ll feel like you’re eating the best part of the cakethe toppings!
Get our recipe forKeto Strawberry Marscarpone.
The best thing about these pumpkin brownies?
Mitch Mandel and Thomas MacDonald
They are the perfect, indulgent dessert!
Get our recipe forFudgy Pumpkin Brownie Bites.
Get our recipe forWarm Mocha Tart.
Use grape, strawberry, apricot, raspberry, peach, or whatever else you have on hand.
You don’t even have to stick to one key in of jam for this entire batch of cookies!
Mix it up with different types of jams for some variety.
Get our recipe forJelly Thumbprint Cookies.
This sweet soda is the perfect addition to a homemade chocolate cake.
Get our recipe forTraditional Coca Cola Cake.
Get our recipe for10-Minute Whole30 Chocolate Pudding Cakes.
Lemon juice and zest will brighten up the berry filling.
Get our recipe forBlueberry Cobbler.
