These healthy desserts are deliciously wholesome, easy to make, and satisfy your sweets craving! While the term is a bit of a misnomer, these are my top ideas for when I want a simple treat that’s not too indulgent.
For years I’ve been working to crack the code on healthy desserts that are deliciously wholesome. And I know—the term itself is a bit of a misnomer (desserts aren’t meant to be healthy, are they?)
To me, any dessert eaten in moderation can still be part of a healthy diet. I also try to avoid the word healthy since it’s subjective and can be used by diet culture to promote mindsets based on guilt and shame. However—sometimes I’m looking for a treat that’s light but satisfies my sweet tooth.
So, here’s my list of top healthy dessert recipes that are lighter than most and still taste splurge-worthy! My criteria for a “healthy” treat: one that’s based on wholesome ingredients like oats, nut butters, yogurts, fruits, and even vegetables, or a dessert with a smaller serving size than a standard dessert.
Our top 25 healthy desserts
Here’s a favorite trick for healthy dessert recipes: peanut butter oatmeal bars! These are everything you want in a treat: irresistible sweet peanut-y flavor, chewy texture, and a little drizzle of chocolate on top!. These no bake oatmeal bars are like our famous bliss bite cookies, but easier and healthier (if that’s possible). This sweet treat optimizes whole grain oats while hitting it big in the sweet, salty and satisfying department.
The best healthy dessert recipe when a chocolate craving strikes? This healthy chocolate pudding! It tastes just like dark chocolate pudding, but it's simply Greek yogurt, dark cocoa powder, and maple syrup. You get the protein and probiotics of yogurt while getting your chocolate fix. Even better, you can make it in 2 minutes! Or, try Vegan Chocolate Pudding for a plant-based option.
Here’s a favorite healthy dessert that's ultra delicious: Chocolate Covered Bananas! The crunch of a crisp dark chocolate coating around an icy banana makes magic. Here’s the new thing for us: making small chocolate covered banana bites! It gives you a healthy treat in the freezer anytime a chocolate craving hits.
Here’s a fun and easy snack no one can turn down: Yogurt Bark! This play on chocolate bark uses frozen yogurt as the base. Mix Greek yogurt with a little honey and vanilla, then sprinkle with toppings of your choice: fruit, granola, chocolate chips, and nuts. Freeze it up and break it into pieces, and each bite is creamy and refreshing: perfect for kids and adults.
This date snickers recipe is a delicious, homemade no bake treat made simply from Medjool dates, peanut butter, and chocolate! They’re great to keep on hand for snacking all week long, and fit many diets (gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan).
Craving cookie dough, but you want to be healthy? We get it. Cookie dough is not a health food, and chickpeas don’t taste like cookie dough. But this chickpea cookie dough recipe actually tastes good! It uses butter and sugar, but less than a standard dough. This way you can feel like you’re actually enjoying a treat!
A #1 fan favorite in our healthy dessert recipes is these Bliss Bites! These no bake cookies taste like a peanut butter cup: but they're made with whole grain oats, peanut butter, maple syrup, and cocoa powder. Store them in the freezer and grab one every time you need a sweet bite!
This no bake peanut butter energy balls recipe tastes like healthy brownie bites! It's an easy naturally sweet treat made with dates. Adding protein powder is optional, but adds a bit of protein and sweetness. Our family gobbles these up!
Try this Baked Apples recipe! It’s like a short-cut apple crumble, but lighter, easier and tastier. Stuff the sweet tart fruit with oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger and allspice, then bake until sweet and tender. The tart tang of the apple against the spiced crumbles is a bit of a revelation!
These cottage cheese brownies are rich and chocolaty, using the trendy ingredient to stand in for butter or oil! This tasty treat is simple to make and comes out intensely fudgy.
Try these No Bake Energy Bites! They taste like dessert, but they’re a simple combination of peanut butter, oats and honey. Of course, there’s a teeny hint of chocolate thrown in too! Compare them to store-bought energy bites, and there’s no comparison. The homemade version is extraordinarily delicious!
This fun and simple healthy dessert hits all those dessert craving notes! This simple combination of sweetened yogurt, almonds and apple slices is so refreshing and delicious, it’s hard to stop sneaking bites. To add a hint of extra decadence, try a drizzle of melted chocolate or add mini chocolate chips.
Here’s an easy dessert that’s impressively irresistible every time: Chocolate Covered Strawberries! It might seem easier to buy this popular treat. But they’re so simple to make at home! This recipe shows you how to make perfectly chocolate dipped strawberries, where the crunch of the crisp chocolate yields to the sweet tart tender fruit inside.
This chocolate zucchini cake recipe comes out so rich and chocolaty! It’s an inventive way to eat real, whole foods in dessert form, featuring almond butter, maple syrup, and zucchini! The zucchini makes it ultra moist, and it’s gooey and just sweet enough. It's gluten-free and dairy-free to boot.
Here’s a simple healthy dessert that’s easy but impressive: Strawberry Sorbet! The flavor is like taking a bite of 100 strawberries at once: sweet, pure, and tangy. The frosty texture is like an Italian strawberry gelato: cold and creamy, with just the right robust vibrancy to each bite.
Want an easy healthy dessert? Look no further than sauteed apples! There’s no baking necessary, and no advanced preparation. Just slice up some apples, saute them in butter and spices, and bam! Eat it warm topped with a hint of vanilla ice cream or a hint of whipped cream, and there’s really not much better.
This fudgy olive oil brownies recipe is surprisingly easy and delivers rich, chocolaty goodness – minus the butter! Everyone will love this simple treat.
Here’s how to make frozen yogurt! This homemade frozen yogurt recipe is so simple and comes out tangy and creamy with just 3 ingredients. Essentially a Greek yogurt ice cream, it hits the spot in any season—add your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Imagine: a cookie that’s made of all good-for-you ingredients, but still tastes like a treat. Yes, it’s possible with these Healthy Oatmeal Cookies! The dough for these cookies has no butter, no refined sugar, and no flour. But they taste deliciously satisfying for kids and adults. The magic? Medjool dates bring sweetness, nut butter adds richness, and toasted coconut and mini chocolate chips add nuance and flavor.
Here's one of our favorite new ways to make a quick fruit dessert: roasted peaches! Throw these sweet, juicy fruits into the broiler to get soft and caramelized. Then top them with vanilla ice cream and fresh mint, and it’s one of the best treats on the planet. This is a healthy dessert that everyone raves about. Make sure to use the ripest peaches.
Imagine: creamy, tropical-scented ice cream that requires no ice cream maker or ingredients other than the blackening fruit on your countertop. When you’ve got ripe bananas, this is one of the best ways to use them! It’s a fun recipe that tastes like a treat: with just one ingredient!
What's a healthy dessert list without straight up dark chocolate? This chocolate bark recipe pairs dark chocolate with pistachios, coconut, and dried cranberries for a nutrient dense, healthy treat. It's delicious yet full of whole foods. Grab a modest-sized piece for a tasty treat.
Want a healthy cake recipe? Try this easy applesauce cake! You don’t even need a bowl: just mix it up right in the pan. Moist and scented with cinnamon, it’s perfectly fluffy and a little gooey. It’s got a lighter spin with olive oil and Greek yogurt, and instead of icing there’s a sprinkle of powdered sugar.
Here’s a fun, nostalgic recipe that’s 100% more delicious to make homemade: Orange Sherbet! This creamy, citrusy puree is frosty and pure, with none of the sickly sweet or artificial flavor the purchased variety can have. Its zesty Creamsicle flavor tastes like so much more than the sum of its parts: and yet it’s beyond simple to make at home.
Also try: Lime Sherbet
Want a fun healthy dessert idea? This Berry & Yogurt Parfait hits all those dessert craving notes using healthy ingredients. Layer Greek yogurt, berries and peanut butter granola in a glass, and looks loads fancier than it actually is. For a little more decadence, add a few chocolate chips to the mix. Or make this Berry Brownie Yogurt Parfait.
A few more healthy dessert ideas
We’ve got lots more ideas where these came from! Here are a few more dessert recipe runners-up:
- These No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies are delicious and relatively low calorie
- Mix up a batch of Blueberry Banana Ice Cream
- Browse all our Vegan Desserts or Gluten Free Desserts
- Go for Fruit Desserts like Apple Desserts or Strawberry Desserts
Healthy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
Pin Recipe
Print RecipeThese peanut butter oatmeal bars are the best trick! They’re no bake, easy and healthy; and the flavor is out of this world.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 20 bars (or 40 small bars)
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter (no sugar added, or sunflower butter for nut free)
- ½ cup honey (or ½ cup agave syrup* for vegan)
- 4 cups Old Fashioned rolled oats
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 ounce dark chocolate (2 large squares)
Instructions
- Mix together the peanut butter, honey, oats, salt and cinnamon in a bowl. Add a sheet of parchment paper to a 9 x 9 pan. Place the ingredients in the pan and press it into an even layer. Use a small glass to roll over the top to get it smooth.
- Freeze the bars for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the freezer and use the parchment to lift it out of the pan. Cut into 20 rectangles (4 x 5 inches) or 40 small rectangles.
- In the microwave with short intervals or over a double boiler, melt the chocolate, stirring until it comes together into a glossy chocolate. If using the microwave, use short bursts of 10 seconds or so and stir after each: be careful not to overheat the chocolate or get any water in the chocolate, which will cause it to seize up. When melted, drizzle over the bars and allow to cool. You can eat right away, or refrigerate for about 1 hour for a more solid texture. Store refrigerated for up to 2 weeks (or frozen for several months, placing wax paper between the layers).
Notes
*Maple syrup is generally our sweetener of choice, but the flavor and texture of honey really make these bars. Since maple syrup is not as sticky as honey, for vegan substitute we recommend agave syrup.
More dessert collections
Want to indulge? We’ve got those too. Here are a few more places to browse:
- Genius Dessert Recipes
- Decadent Chocolate Dessert Recipes
- Summer Desserts Everyone Should Try
- Fruit Desserts to Try Now
- Dessert Drinks for After Dinner
from A Couple Cooks https://ift.tt/2pyr8Us
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