Best Diet Dessert Recipes

August 27, 2019
You don’t need to deprive your sweet tooth when you’re watching your weight. Our best diet dessert recipes, including low-calorie cake recipes, low-calorie brownie recipes, low-calorie mousse recipes and more diet desserts, are low-calorie desserts to end your meal on a sweet note. Our best low-calorie desserts are the perfect way to keep you feeling satisfied when you’re dieting.
Start Slideshow

1 of 20

Lemon Pound Cake

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

This wonderful rich, sweet lemon pound cake is downright zingy and the candied lemon slices are a beautiful bittersweet topping that's better than frosting. The best part, though: when you taste it you won't miss all the butter we cut out compared with a traditional pound cake recipe.

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 20

Rocky Road Brownies

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

These super-rich brownies made chocolaty with plenty of cocoa powder have less fat than other brownies, but stay extra gooey and good with marshmallows, nuts and chocolate chunks on top.

3 of 20

Glazed Chocolate-Pumpkin Bundt Cake

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

You don't have to have pumpkin pie to still enjoy pumpkin and spice in a Thanksgiving dessert. Pumpkin helps keep this cake tender and moist while, delicate spices add the classic Thanksgiving flavors.

Advertisement

4 of 20

Strawberry Pandowdy

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

A truly old-fashioned dessert, “pandowdy” is said to refer to the cutting up of the flaky crust, or “dowdy-ing,” toward the end of the baking time. Once the crust is cut, the bubbly fruit cooks up around the crust. This dessert is good with whichever berries are ripe at the moment. In early summer go for strawberries. Serve with ice cream or frozen yogurt.

5 of 20

Cherry Sorbet

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Try this cherry sorbet recipe with a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream or some more chopped cherries on top.

6 of 20

Warm Chocolate Pudding

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

This warm pudding has a marvelous deep chocolaty flavor, but it's low in fat and super-quick to make. Don't skimp on the quality of cocoa with this one--treat yourself to the good stuff.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 20

Frozen Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Retro, creamy and delicious, this cake is the frozen version of the beloved classic. This takes a bit of extra time to make--but it's worth it.

8 of 20

Kahlua & Chocolate Souffle

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Don't be intimidated by its tall, dark beauty; this decadent (yet calorie-smart) Kahlua and chocolate soufflé recipe is easy to make at home.

9 of 20

Peach & Blueberry Cobbler

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

This is a healthier version of a traditional cobbler, with canola oil in place of some of the butter and whole-wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour. Unlike more classic biscuit-topped cobblers, the peaches and blueberries are nestled into a tender batter that swells around the fruit as it bakes. Other fruits may be substituted. It's especially beautiful when baked in and served right from a cast-iron skillet.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 20

Coffee Panna Cotta

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Panna cotta (“cooked cream” in Italian) is a silky-smooth dessert that works beautifully with the flavor of coffee. The sauce was inspired by café brûlot, the New Orleans classic coffee drink spiked with flamed brandy. Cooking for teetotalers? Use brandy extract in the panna ­cottas and omit brandy (and flambéing) from the sauce. Garnish with chocolate-covered espresso beans, if desired. Recipe by Joyce Hendley for EatingWell.

11 of 20

Chocolate Decadence

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Inspired by the old-school, ultra-rich, mousselike chocolate cake that usually called for a whole pound of chocolate, half a dozen eggs and lots of butter, this enlightened rendition has deep bittersweet chocolate flavor and dense melt-in-your-mouth texture. No one will guess it's healthier. The secret is excellent natural cocoa powder and good-quality bittersweet chocolate, preferably with 70% cacao. Although the cake can be eaten once it's completely cool, it comes out of the pan much easier and even tastes better if it has been chilled at least overnight.

12 of 20

Chilled Key Lime Mousse

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

This refreshing chilled Key lime mousse is a perfect union of cream and foam, tangy lime and soft sweet custard. The method is simple but a little unusual--you make a custard with fresh Key lime juice rather than milk or cream. Key limes, which are about the size of a Ping-Pong ball, are wonderfully fragrant and more acidic than regular limes. They are available all year at well-stocked supermarkets. If you can't find them, by all means use regular limes.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 20

Vanilla-Pomegranate Parfaits

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Rich, creamy, vanilla bean-flecked pudding tempers the tart-sweet pomegranate compote. Pick out small, festive glass dessert dishes for this pretty parfait.

14 of 20

Lemon Poppy-Seed Cake

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

We love that Bundt cakes don't demand frosting--just let a sweet lemon glaze run over the poppy-seed cake and you've got perfection.

15 of 20

Creamy Chocolate Gelato

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

This ultra-chocolaty, dairy-free Sicilian-style gelato--made without eggs or cream--is relatively lean but still creamy-smooth and flavorful. The coconut milk used for the base gives it a silky, rich mouthfeel and a subtle coconut flavor.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

16 of 20

Blueberry Tart with Walnut Crust

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

For this tart a few tablespoons of maple syrup sweeten the blueberry topping and round out the flavor of the cream filling.

17 of 20

Lemon Pudding Cakes

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

These magical little desserts start out as one batter and separate during baking into fluffy cake hiding a creamy layer of lemon pudding.

18 of 20

Sweet Potato Pie with Cream Cheese Swirl

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

This creamy sweet potato pie recipe is seasoned like a pumpkin pie with plenty of cinnamon and nutmeg and gets nice ginger flavor from the gingersnap crust. For the best results, roast sweet potatoes in the oven; in a pinch, microwave them instead.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

19 of 20

Chocolate-Fudge Pudding Cake

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

When you have a craving for a comforting dessert, try this pudding cake, which forms its own rich-tasting sauce as it bakes. The coffee flavor is subtle, but it adds complex depth to the cake's flavor.

20 of 20

Red Chile-Spiked Chocolate Mousse

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

The idea of chile with chocolate still surprises most people, but the duo pairs beautifully in many chocolate desserts. In this silky, luxurious mousse the chile adds a light but bright accent.

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Up Next