10 Healthy Dessert Recipes to Try at Home

Healthy desserts generally incorporate ingredients that take nutrients, fat content, type of fat, and calorie count into consideration. However, the term “healthy” is subjective. For example, dairy might be perfectly fine for some but harmful to others with a dairy intolerance.

Some desserts start out healthy, while others do not. Here are a few easy swaps that can make desserts healthier:

1. 1. Opt for dark chocolate. Milk chocolate is a combination of dairy and cacao. Compared to dark chocolate—which has more health benefits—milk chocolate is sweeter because it contains more sugar. You can use dark chocolate chunks in chocolate chip cookies and oatmeal cookies. You can also melt them for chocolate pudding or chocolate truffles. For chocolatey fudgy brownies or chocolate cake, use unsweetened cocoa powder.
2. 2. Replace the butter. Many recipes that don’t use butter call for a type of oil substitute or vegan butter, which is mostly oil. While you can choose a healthier oil—coconut oil, olive oil, or avocado oil, for example—you can also go in an entirely different direction and use apple sauce, Greek yogurt, mashed bananas, or pumpkin purée. Since some of the swaps add sweetness, you should adjust the sugar or other sweeteners accordingly.
3. 3. Substitute dairy with nondairy milk. Going dairy-free doesn’t mean forgoing creamy sauces, ice cream, whipped cream, cheesecake, or frozen yogurt. Coconut milk, cashew milk, and oat milk provide a similar creaminess to cow’s milk but without the fat content. Dairy isn’t unhealthy for everyone, but nut milks and other alternative milks might have more protein and other vital nutrients that cow’s milk doesn’t have. Many dairy-free desserts are no-bake, which means they are egg-free as well.
4. 4. Switch up the sweeteners. Refined sugar, like white sugar and brown sugar, isn’t the only way to sweeten desserts. Try using fruit, like mashed bananas or applesauce, to naturally sweeten desserts. Alternatively, you can use honey or maple syrup for a unique flavor.
5. 5. Use Greek yogurt. Many cake recipes call for buttermilk, sour cream, and sometimes even mayonnaise. These ingredients help cakes stay moist while adding a tangy flavor. You can achieve the same results with Greek yogurt, which has a healthier ratio of fats and sugars to protein.
6. 6. Use gluten-free flour. Swap out all-purpose flour for almond flour, oat flour, quinoa flour, or buckwheat flour. If you aren’t necessarily worried about the carbs but want a healthier alternative to white all-purpose flour, opt for a whole wheat or ancient grain flour for a more nutrient-dense flour.

Here are several healthy dessert recipes you can try at home, as well as some tips for making them healthier:

1. 1. Three-ingredient peanut butter cookies: You can use butter to make peanut butter cookies, or you can omit it altogether. This recipe calls for three ingredients: peanut butter, eggs, and sugar. You can also swap out the sugar in this peanut butter cookie recipe for another sweetener to make it healthier.
2. 2. Applesauce: Healthier versions of traditional desserts, such as apple pie or apple crisp, include homemade applesauce. While sugar is a main ingredient in this dish, you can sometimes skip it if the apples are sweet enough.
3. 3. Avocado ice cream: Eggs and cream make ice cream a treat with high-fat content, but you can use avocados and a cream substitute to cut down on fats. This avocado ice cream recipe makes the low-carb fruit the star.
4. 4. Baked apples: Fresh fruit, like apples, get sweeter when cooked. Try this baked apples recipe, which you can also add to yogurt parfaits or energy bites.
5. 5. Chia seed pudding: Chia pudding relies on chia seeds to create thickness normally achieved by making a custard of milk, eggs, and sugar. The nutrient-packed chia seeds also add crunch to the pudding. Flavor the chia pudding with various mix-ins, such as fruit jam or chocolate.
6. 6. Chocolate zucchini bread: Chocolate zucchini bread is a quick bread made with grated zucchini and chocolate. You can use dark chocolate or cacao powder and gluten-free or whole-wheat flour to amp up the health factor of this recipe.
7. 7. Flourless chocolate espresso cake: Flourless cake is naturally gluten-free and low-carb. This sweet treat relies on high-quality chocolate, preferably dark chocolate and whipped eggs for structure. Serve flourless chocolate espresso cake with coconut whipped cream.
8. 8. Yogurt pound cake: Unlike traditional pound cake, which features buttermilk or sour cream, this recipe uses yogurt for tanginess. For a variety of flavors, add chocolate chunks, dried fruit, or pumpkin spice to your yogurt pound cake.
9. 9. Oat milk ice cream: Oat milk is creamy, neutral in flavor, and freezes well, making it a good alternative to traditional dairy ice cream. Add mix-ins like vegan cookie dough, peanut butter, or crunchy nuts to your oat milk ice cream.
10. 10. Vegan fudgy brownies: There are several alternative brownie recipes, including avocado brownies, sweet potato brownies, and zucchini brownies. Or you can opt for this vegan fudgy brownie that calls for flaxseed and cacao powder.

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