50 Easy Healthy Dessert Recipes

Trying to eat healthier? These healthy dessert recipes (like the homemade Snickers below) will satisfy your sweet tooth without sacrificing your healthy eating efforts!

Whether it’s the New Year and you’re determined to stick to your new resolution to eat healthier or you’re trying to overhaul your diet, you’re probably on the lookout for healthier recipes. But what about dessert? The two don’t usually go hand-in-hand, but these 50 healthy dessert recipes will help you stick with your plan.

What Are Healthy Desserts?

I primarily eat desserts made with refined sugar and all-purpose flour and butter. But, I also like healthy desserts and I’ve found that you can make desserts that are just as delicious without sugar, butter, or your standard flour. There are some bloggers who specialize in creating incredible easy healthy dessert recipes. I’ve tried my hand at a few and developed the Key Lime Cheesecake Bars and these Vegan Blackberry Cheesecake Bites, both of which you’ll find in the healthy dessert recipes below.

When selecting the recipes for this healthy dessert recipes collection, I tried to choose recipes that were lower in refined sugar and/or those had healthy ingredients like fruits, veggies, or fiber-rich grains in them. I guarantee that not all of the healthy baking recipes in the list below will match with your vision of what a healthy dessert is to you, but I do believe that you’ll find at least few that you’ll want to make!

What Is Healthy Eating?

Before sharing the list of healthy dessert recipes, I wanted to take a moment and talk about this. I know that by even posing this question I’m treading into piranha-infested waters. HEY BITEY! CUT IT OUT!

All kidding aside, that’s because healthy eating means something different to everyone. To some, that means no refined sugar, dairy, or grain. To others, it means eating vegan, Paleo, gluten-free, low-carb, low-fat, low-sodium, or Whole 30. Not to mention to those whom it means simply sticking to, above, or below a certain calorie threshold. I’m not going to tell you what eating healthy means to you. I’m going to tell you what it means to me.

To me, healthy eating means eating the right amount of nutrient-rich calories to fuel my body for what I want it to do. When I’m training — like I was from July through October — I was working out six days a week and eating a ton of fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, and lean proteins. My diet was about 30-35% protein, 35-40% carbs, and 30% fat. I loved the results I got and now that the holidays are over, plan to return to this tomorrow. Because this morning I started the year with Bacon Mac and Cheese and it was glorious.

But even when training, I still ate desserts. And drank whole milk lattes. And went out for drinks with friends. Because, for me, healthy eating for me is also about balance. Training on not, I’m gonna eat that donut.

But for when you do want a healthy dessert, I wanted to pull together a list of healthy dessert recipes you could bookmark! So from healthy cookies and brownies to ice cream and cake, these 50 healthy desserts will keep you inspired all year long!

50 Healthy Dessert Recipes to Try

Healthy Cookie Recipes

Healthy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Averie Cooks proves that healthy chocolate chip cookies can be a thing with this recipe. Vegan, gluten-free, and prepped in 5 minutes.

Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies
Yup, sold. You’ll want to check with the blogger behind Occasionally Eggs, but if you must swap the peanut butter for almond butter or cashew butter that’s probably ok too.

Healthy Oreos
I love Oreos, but even though they’re vegan, I generally wouldn’t put them in the “healthy dessert recipes” category. Sorry, Oreo. However, Chocolate Covered Katie’s homemade Oreos made with spelt flour and coconut oil give these classic cookies a healthier spin.

These gluten-free Ginger Cookies use coconut sugar in place of regular sugar, swap in almond flour for white flour, but still have serious flavor!

Healthy Brownies and Bars

I could eat s’mores all year round. My full-time job is overseeing the Beachbody Blog, and I was delighted when we were able to develop this recipe for healthy s’mores bars for the site!

 

Vegan Cookie Dough Bars

If you also used to love eating raw cookie dough out of the Pillsbury tubes as a kid, then you’re going to love this healthy take on Cookie Dough!

 

Raspberry Gingerbread Bars

These gluten-free gingerbread bars mix together a few gluten-free flours (like tapioca and brown rice flour) with coconut sugar and a smidgen of molasses to create a rich, festive flavor.

Healthy Cake and Cupcake Recipes

These were the first vegan dessert recipe I made for Let’s Eat Cake and I still love them! They’re creamy, tart, and delicious and have a tender walnut date base.

Tahini Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

These vegan cupcakes get a boost of added sesame-flavored richness from the addition of tahini. Heart-shaped bake optional… but perfect for Valentine’s Day.

 

 

No-Bake Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake

I’m an unabashed peanut butter fan, and the only thing that I love more than peanut butter is the combo of peanut butter and chocolate. Doesn’t this no-bake peanut butter cheesecake look incredible?

Spiced Apple Bundt Cake with Apple Almond Butter Frosting
Paleo, gluten-free, and full of flavor, this healthy dessert will prove 2017 wasn’t the only year that was all about the bundt cake.

Chocolate Orange Cake

I’m not personally a fan of chocolate and orange together (I’m a monster), but this one might change my mind.

Carrot Cake is one of the most deceiving cakes out there. It sounds healthy. It looks healthy. It is not healthy. Which is fine, unless you actually want a healthy dessert. These mini versions, on the other hand, are a healthier take on that sneaky carrot cake.

Other Healthy Baking Recipes

I am in awe of this rose tart. Not only is it strikingly beautiful, it’s also super low in added sugar so the apple flavor is front and center.

 

Apple and Butternut Squash Pie with Buckwheat Crust

This moist and hearty healthy baking recipe integrates apples, butternut squash, buckwheat, and more into a gluten-free dessert!

 

Chocolate Avocado Pie

In 2017, chocolate avocado pudding became a thing, but Delightful Vegans took it a step further and poured the combo into a vegan pie crust.

 

Baked Chocolate Donuts with White Chocolate Glaze

One please. Or two. This healthy dessert is a yummy gluten-free take on the baked donut.

Healthy Ice Cream and Popsicle Recipes

Healthy Creamsicles

Popsicles are surprisingly easy to make with healthy ingredients. For instance, these creamsicles have a touch of honey, but get most of their flavor from yogurt and oranges!

 

Paleo Chocolate Avocado Pudding Popsicles

Remember that combo of chocolate and avocado? The Things We’ll Make took that idea and used it to make pudding pops! Love this as a healthy dessert for the warm months!

 

Lime and Basil Popsicles

These healthy popsicles were inspired by a spicy tequila-based cocktail I had at the Brixton in Santa Monica. They taste almost the same, but without the booze!

 

Chocolate-Covered Ice Cream Bites

I love full fat ice cream, but sometimes I also want the texture of ice cream without the calories. I used Top Cow ice cream (it’s a high-protein, low-calorie ice cream) to make these chocolate-dipped ice cream bon bons.

 

Date-Sweetened Vegan Fudgesicles

These healthy popsicles are sweetened with dates, have hemp for extra fiber, and taste like fudgesicles!

 

Strawberry Dragon Fruit Popsicles

Pin this one for summer when strawberries are in season! The strawberry and pitaya (dragon fruit) layers are easy to make – simply freeze the pops before you add the next layer. Or, swirl them together if you want to eat them sooner!

Healthy Candy Recipes

Homemade Snickers Bars

As a blogger, you come across recipes that you wish you had come up with. This homemade snickers bar is one of them. Gluten free, vegan, high in protein, and made at home? All the yes.

 

Frozen Greek Yogurt Bark

 

Vegan Chocolate Turtles

These vegan turtles are delicious bites of vegan caramel, chocolate, and nuts. I think they’d also make a great Super Bowl snack!

 

Vegan Chocolate Mango Coconut Candy Bites

The combo of bitter chocolate and sweet mango combined with the texture of shredded coconut make this healthy dessert simply divine.

Healthy Pudding and Parfait Recipes

Raspberry Cherry Yogurt Parfait

Parfaits can be a great way to enjoy dessert without blowing your calories for the day. This one layers raspberry, cherry, and yogurt to create a naturally sweet healthy dessert!

 

Vegan Chocolate Pudding Pots

These chocolate puddings have just five ingredients and are less than 100 calories a piece. I think I’ll make a batch and just pop them in my fridge so they’re ready when I want one.

 

Chocolate Raspberry Chia Pudding

Chai Coconut Jelly

This healthy dessert isn’t too sweet and it combines the warming flavors of cardamom, cinnamon, and ginger.

Healthy Energy Bites Recipes

I love the combination of apple and cinnamon in the fall. If you do too or you’re looking for more no-bake energy ball recipe ideas, there are 25 in this post!

More Healthy Dessert Recipes

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough

These recipes didn’t quite fit anywhere else, but I wanted to add them because I think you’ll enjoy them… like this peanut butter cookie dough made with healthy ingredients like flaxseed and chickpeas. Perfect for spreading on apple slices or just eating with a spoon.

 

Vegan Caramel Sauce

Pinch of Yum is known for their tried-and-tested recipes and this 4-ingredient vegan caramel sauce is a must-make so you can drizzle it on top of nice cream.

 

Mini Fruit Pizzas

When farmers markets are bursting at the seams with fresh fruit (oh hey there summer), you’ll want to have this healthy dessert recipe for fruit pizza on hand.

 

Raspberry Dark Chocolate Almonds

These dark chocolate almonds dusted with freeze-dried raspberries are a genius, easy healthy snack!

 

Brownie Batter Dip

Last, but definitely not least, this brownie batter dip just tastes decadent but is really a healthy dessert recipe. It’s sweetened with dates and has cottage cheese and black beans for protein!

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Rebecca Swanner

Pleased to meet you. I'm the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Let's Eat Cake: The world's first smart, funny lifestyle site for women.

My background is in publishing (I've worked at Parade, Men's Journal, Us Weekly, Stuff, Blender, Beachbody, and more), mostly with a focus in health, fitness, and entertainment. I've also run my own baking company and competed on Cupcake Wars, so hit me up with your baking questions!

For more details, check out my full bio or follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn.

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