These top healthy desserts are deliciously wholesome and easy to make. Fool everyone with healthy recipes that taste indulgent!
Want a sweet treat that’s not overly indulgent? You’ve come to the right place. For years we’ve been working to crack the code on healthy desserts that are deliciously wholesome. It’s harder than it sounds, actually! A dessert is meant as a treat. You can only eat so many tasteless avocado pudding recipes before you want to shelf the idea entirely.
Here’s a list of our top healthy dessert recipes that are lighter than the standard and still taste great! Our criteria for a “healthy” treat? It’s a sweet recipe that uses wholesome ingredients like oats, nut butters, yogurts, and even vegetables. Most of the recipes below are gluten free, and many are vegan. If the recipe uses sugar, it’s less than the standard — but still enough so that it tastes good.
And now…10 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.
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 vanilla ice cream or a hint of whipped cream, and there’s really not much better. In fact, why even make apple crisp or apple pie at all?
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
They’re fudgy, chewy, chocolaty, and one of the favorite things to come out of our kitchen to date. Try these Sweet Potato Brownies! Why hide vegetables in desserts when you can proudly proclaim them? These brownies could not be more thrilled by their sweet potato interior. It makes the best chewy texture and loads them with nutrients. They’re irresistibly delicious, with a rich nuance in flavor that makes them taste even better than a standard brownie.
Say hello to these delicious healthy cookies: vegan no bake cookies with tahini! Turns out, tahini is perfect for making chocolate no bake cookies without peanut butter. These babies are delightfully chewy, with a dark chocolaty flavor and sweetened with maple syrup.
A few more healthy dessert recipes…
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
- “Bliss Bites” are plant-based and one of our most popular recipes
- This Easy Applesauce Cake is fast and easy
- Mix up a batch of Blueberry Banana Ice Cream or Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream
- Browse all our Vegan Desserts or Gluten Free Desserts
- Go for Apple Desserts or Strawberry Desserts
10 Healthy Dessert Recipes: Peanut Butter Bars & More!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 20 bars (or 40 small bars) 1x
Description
These peanut butter oatmeal bars are the best trick! They’re no bake, easy and healthy; and the flavor is out of this world.
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.
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Diet: Vegetarian
Keywords: Healthy dessert recipes
More dessert collections
Want to indulge? We’ve got those too. Here are a few more places to browse:
Would love for you to share more healthy deserts that would be of interest to myself and others. I’m sure😊
This advice is great but the only thing I don’t like is the most options are almost pure sugar
★★★★