Healthy Dessert Recipes

Staff Picks

Dark Chocolate-Walnut Date Bar

No-bake, vegan, gluten-free—this decadent dessert has a lot going for it. Dark chocolate is layered with a crunchy-chewy mixture of walnuts, dates, and peanut butter in a loaf pan, then finished with more nuts and flaky salt.

Vanilla Chia Pudding

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Chia seeds are available at health-food stores and online. They're rich in omega-3s, fiber, and antioxidants.

Banana Muffins

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These banana muffins are moist and delicious and take only a half hour to bake in the oven—making them ideal for breakfast.

Pineapple and Ginger Smoothie

Drink up! The fresh ginger in this tropical pineapple smoothie adds a layer of spice that'll give your morning a kick.

Roasted Papaya with Brown Sugar

Roasting halved papayaswith brown sugar and gingerdeepens the fruit's naturalsugars; a dash of cayenneand a squeeze of lime furtherenliven the dish.

Lemon Cream with Blackberries

Silken tofu makes this dessert smooth, while fresh lemon juice adds a burst of tart flavor.

Roasted Cherries with Tofu "Panna Cotta"

A quick turn in the oven with honey and lemon juice brings out the flavor of fresh sweet cherries. Serve with luscious, custardy steamed tofu -- no molding or chilling required for this healthy dessert!

Spiced Carrot Cake

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Cinnamon is commonly used to spice carrot cake but we recommend using cardamom here.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp

Strawberries and rhubarb are summer's best friends -- cook them up together in this quintessential dessert.

Vegan Apple Pie

This holiday beauty proves just how delicious special-diet desserts can taste. The pate brisee for this pie is made with safflower oil, not butter, so vegans can dig in.

Blueberry Pops

When the heat rises, cool off with a delicious frozen treat. Loaded with fresh blueberries, these pops are perfect on hot summer days.

Peach Crisp

Juicy, ripe peaches star in this easy-to-make dessert, but you can also substitute other stone fruits like nectarines or plums -- or even combine several.

Inspiration and Ideas

20 Summer Fruit Desserts You Can Make With Five Ingredients (or Less!)

Let summer berries, melons, peaches, cherries, and more shine with these easy dessert recipes. They all call for zero oven time, minimal prep, and just a handful of ingredients.

Healthy Easter Desserts That Are Full of Flavor

Finish off your Easter feast with a lightened-up treat starring all kinds of better-for-you ingredients.

Strawberries with Sweetened Sour Cream

Stewed Apples

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Fresh Figs with Mascarpone and Warm Spiced Honey

Frozen Yogurt and Fruit Pops

If a parfait and an ice cream bar got together, the logical conclusion would be this refreshing frozen treat. Greek yogurt, honey, and puréed fruit (we used strawberry, blueberry, and mango) are swirled together into molds and frozen for an all-ages treat.

All Healthy Dessert Recipes

Tofu Chocolate Mousse

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This smooth, chocolately dessert is made with silken tofu, which is usually sold in vacuum-packed, shelf-stable containers in the Asian-food section of grocery stores.

Mango Parfait

This sweet summer dessert is healthy, colorful, and easy to make.

Peach Betty

A betty is very similar to a crisp, a crumble, or a cobbler but instead of dough or other topping, this easy dessert is sprinkled with buttered breadcrumbs.

Coconut-Date Bars

This easy, no-bake dessert has just three healthy ingredients: dates, shredded coconut, and chopped walnuts.

Pumpkin-Seed Muffins

Celebrate fall with a batch of these nutritious, flavorful Pumpkin-Seed Muffins.

Light Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Vegetable oil subs in for butter in this fruit-topped, vanilla-scented cake, reducing the saturated fat; whole-wheat flour boosts the fiber and lends a nutty flavor.

Summer Fruit Salad

Use any seasonal fruit in this salad. Create your own mix based on what you like best.

Light Cherry Cheesecake

This cheesecake boasts a velvety texture with less fat than the original, thanks to lighter versions of cream cheese and sour cream, plus plenty of cottage cheese.

Almond Custard Tart with Strawberries

We love how balanced this tart is—the custard filling has a subtle almond flavor, isn't overly sweet, and pairs beautifully with the crunchy oat crust. It makes an excellent healthy Easter dessert and is dairy-free to boot.

Whole-Wheat Shortbread Cookies

These rustic shortbread wedges are made with whole-wheat pastry flour for a light, crumbly texture. Complete the treat with winter citrus, such as clementines or blood oranges, and dark chocolate.

Papaya Sorbet

Scoops of sorbet made with red papaya and a zingy dose of freshly squeezed lime juice pack plenty of antioxidant power in the form of lycopene and vitamin C.

Honey-Roasted Plums

This is a terrific light dessert. If you leave off the cream-cheese topping, it becomes a lovely accompaniment to roast chicken or pork.

Watermelon Pops

Nothing's better on a hot day than homemade watermelon ice pops.

Grilled Stone Fruit

Stone fruits taste delicious hot off the grill. Cooked over an open flame, stone fruits take on a satisfying smoky crust.

Strawberry Oat Bars

No cooking these bars; all you need is a food processor.

Peach Gels

These fruit gels are as wobbly as store-bought gelatins but loads healthier.

Guava Pudding

Individual fruit puddings made with guava juice, another good source of lycopene, are topped with yogurt and heart-beneficial almonds.

Frozen Yogurt Pops

Two ingredients are all you need to whip up these cold treats.

Peach Granita

Looking for a cool, healthy treat? This icy dessert is full of fruit and little else.

Guilt-Free Brownies

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To make these brownies lower in fat and calories (but still moist and fudgy), we replaced some of the eggs and butter with prune puree.

Dried Fruit and Nut Bites

These are good energy treats with plenty of healthy fats to satisfy a snacker.

Chocolate-Soy Panna Cotta

Creamy and extremely chocolaty, this custard relies on soy milk and tofu, rather than cream and eggs, for a smooth, silken texture with minimal saturated fat.

Blueberries with Maple Whipped Cream

This healthy dessert recipe is from Everyday Food reader Daniel Lee Mishkin, of South Portland, Maine.

Banana, Berry, and Buttermilk Popsicles

A healthy and chilly way to satisfy your snack cravings, these berry Popsicles are only 75 calories each.

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