Healthy Pumpkin Dessert Recipes

Find healthy, delicious pumpkin dessert recipes, chocolate sauce and creme fraiche. Healthier recipes, from the food and nutrition experts at EatingWell.

Staff Picks

Vegan Flourless Chocolate Cake

This deeply dark chocolate vegan cake is not just for vegans. This fudge-like cake is also gluten-free, perfect for Valentine's Day and can even be made kosher to enjoy for Passover by making your own confectioners' sugar. The fresh berries on the side are a nice addition to the rich chocolate.
By Karen Rankin

Easy Pumpkin Dump Cake with Streusel Topping

Rating: Unrated
2
A dump cake recipe is exactly what it sounds like--you simply dump all of the ingredients into a pan and bake. There isn't a step where you stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture; instead, it goes into the baking pan in three stages and the result is a pudding-like cake with a streusel-like topping. The two parts together are delicious (and you'd be hard-pressed to find an easier fall dessert)!
By Sarah Epperson

Healthy Pumpkin-Oatmeal Cookies

Rating: Unrated
2
These tender pumpkin-oatmeal cookies have the perfect amount of sweetness from brown sugar and raisins and a slightly nutty flavor from almond butter. Enjoy them as an after-school snack or a healthy dessert. Several testers also said they'd love to eat them with a cup of coffee in the morning.
By Julia Levy

Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Rating: Unrated
1
Classic chocolate chip cookies get a fall update by mixing in pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice. Not only are these pumpkin cookies even more flavorful than regular chocolate chip cookies, they're also oh-so-soft and cakelike. Use chocolate chunks for big gooey bites of chocolate or opt for mini chocolate chips to ensure a bit of chocolate in each bite.
By Carolyn Casner

Glazed Chocolate-Pumpkin Bundt Cake

Rating: Unrated
9
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.
By Victoria Abbott Riccardi

Cream Cheese Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Streusel

Rating: Unrated
3
This riff on the Thanksgiving favorite combines a traditional pumpkin pie filling with swirls of sweetened cream cheese. And since it's only Thanksgiving once a year, we've topped it all off with a buttery spiced-pecan topping. This easy pie recipe will please anyone at your table this holiday.
By Hilary Meyer

Pumpkin Pie Nice Cream

Can't get enough pumpkin spice and pumpkin? Get those fall flavors you love in this dairy-free and vegan ice cream alternative made with bananas and pumpkin puree. This easy and healthy dessert contains no added sugar, unless you use the optional maple syrup--which is a delicious touch. Add some chopped pecans to make it really special.
By Carolyn Casner

Basic Crustless Pumpkin Pie

Rating: Unrated
1
This low-fat crustless pumpkin pie is a perfect dessert for the dieters at your holiday meal or people who are watching their carbs.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Pumpkin Cheesecake for Two

Single-serving pumpkin cheesecakes are the perfect way to finish off a Thanksgiving meal for two (or any other meal, given that they take just 15 minutes of active prep time!). You can make them a day or two ahead of time and keep them tucked away in the fridge in their sturdy ramekins until you're ready to enjoy them.
By Hilary Meyer

Walnut-Nutmeg Pumpkin Custards

Rating: Unrated
1
Planning any parties for fall? Don't overlook this custard recipe--it's easy to assemble and will have your guests doling out the compliments! They'll love how the creamy pumpkin custard contrasts with the crunchy walnut, brown sugar and oat topping.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Frozen Pumpkin Mousse Pie

Rating: Unrated
6
While pumpkin pie deserves respect as a Thanksgiving icon, it's fun to shake up tradition. Surprise your family and friends with a frozen pie this year--it just might become one of their holiday favorites. No need to let them know how easy it is.
By Kathy Farrell-Kingsley

No-Bake Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

Rating: Unrated
2
This luscious swirled cheesecake dessert is a no bake, mix-and-chill recipe. Plus, each slice is under 200 calories!
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Inspiration and Ideas

Healthy Pumpkin Cookies

Healthy Pumpkin Cookies

Cinnamon, ginger, allspice and nutmeg add lots of flavor to these rich pumpkin cookies.
Frozen Pumpkin Mousse Pie

Frozen Pumpkin Mousse Pie

While pumpkin pie deserves respect as a Thanksgiving icon, it's fun to shake up tradition.
Vegan Pumpkin Pie

Vegan Pumpkin Pie

24 Desserts That Use an Entire Can of Pumpkin Puree

24 Desserts That Use an Entire Can of Pumpkin Puree

10 Healthy Pumpkin Cookie Recipes to Make This Fall

10 Healthy Pumpkin Cookie Recipes to Make This Fall

Pumpkin Cookies

Pumpkin Cookies

Rating: Unrated
2

Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

Rating: Unrated
3

For bigger hits of chocolate goodness, use chopped bittersweet chocolate in place of the chips. Hold on to the leftover pumpkin puree--it's yummy stirred into your morning oatmeal or yogurt.

All Healthy Pumpkin Dessert Recipes

Pumpkin Spice Pudding

Rating: Unrated
1
The key to making this healthy, smooth pudding is constant slow whisking. A staff favorite, this recipe is one you'll want to pin for an easy make-ahead dessert.
By Stacy Fraser

Pumpkin Dump Cake

This pudding-like pumpkin cake has a luscious cream cheese swirl amid the spiced pumpkin layer. Organic cake mix is "dumped" on top, then the cake is smothered with butter. Once baked and cooled, the mix forms a sweet and crispy topping.
By Hilary Meyer

Light and Luscious Pumpkin Pie

If pumpkin pie is a must for the holidays, this version fulfills that holiday tradition without derailing your meal plan.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies

Rating: Unrated
2
Indulge your PSL obsession with these pumpkin spice cookies. Instant espresso powder gives these soft, cakey cookies a subtle yet recognizable coffee flavor. Spread with cream cheese frosting (with more pumpkin pie spice flavors) and sprinkle with cinnamon to finish. And, go ahead, drink a pumpkin spice latte while you eat them for the full PSL experience. After all, it's only fall for so long (though we'd eat these cookies year-round). To make these cookies kid-friendly, simply omit the espresso powder.
By Adam Dolge

Maple-Pumpkin Custards with Crystallized Ginger

Rating: Unrated
5
A Thanksgiving meal wouldn't be complete without pumpkin, and here in Vermont we wouldn't dream of excluding our beloved maple syrup. We've combined the two in these elegant custards, featuring the best part of a pumpkin pie and saving calories for a luscious finish of real whipped cream. If you can find it, use Grade B dark amber syrup to get the best maple flavor.
By Jim Romanoff

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake

This decadent, moist cake features a creamy pumpkin-spiced custard atop a shortbread-like crust. The cake mix is a convenient shortcut for making the buttery crust. Serve with whipped cream.
By Carolyn Casner

Carrot-Pumpkin Bars

This cookie recipe combines classic carrot cake and pumpkin bars--it's a favorite dessert for kids and grown-ups.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Vegan Pumpkin Cookies

Rating: Unrated
1
The pumpkin puree in these delicious vegan pumpkin cookies gives them a great orange color and fall flavor and also acts as the "egg" to help bind everything together. Coconut oil takes the place of butter in these cookies and should be solid when you use it--if it's not, stick it in the fridge for a few hours until it firms up. When we were developing this recipe, tasters said they wouldn't have known the cookies were vegan if they hadn't been told. We call that a win!
By Anna Theoktisto

Pumpkin Pie with Rum

Rating: Unrated
3
Dark molasses and dark rum put this pumpkin pie a cut above the rest. Nonfat evaporated milk, which stands in for heavy cream, does a fantastic job of cutting the fat in the filling. Add to that our blue ribbon butter-canola crust and you've dropped three-quarters of the fat and more than half the calories found in most similar pies. Don't use pumpkin-pie mix--buy canned pumpkin without added spices: the flavor will be superior.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Red Velvet Pumpkin Bars

These simple bars are lightened up with pumpkin and fat-free yogurt, but taste as decadent as red velvet cake.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Pumpkin Sugar Cookies

Rating: Unrated
4
These pumpkin sugar cookies are soft and moist with just the right amount of spice and a delicate pumpkin flavor topped off with a nice lightly spiced glaze. They're perfect for a fall after-school snack or light dessert.
By Pam Lolley

Spoonable Pumpkin Pie

Rating: Unrated
2
Eat this pumpkin pie with a bowl and spoon. Cream cheese makes the filling extra creamy, and chopped pecans add some crunch.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Pumpkin Roll Cake with Pecan-Cream Cheese Filling

Many pumpkin roll cakes have the starring ingredient only in the cake, which is a missed opportunity to enjoy all the flavor, plus you end up with leftover canned puree sitting in your fridge. Here, the remaining pumpkin is whipped with cream cheese, pecans and crystallized ginger for a tangy filling.
By Virginia Willis

Pumpkin-Chocolate Cream Cake

This healthy cake recipe is like a pumpkin-flavored version of Boston cream pie. Rather than the traditional round shape, we use a 9-by-13 pan to make a four-layer rectangular cake that looks fun and provides more layers of creamy goodness.
By Summer Miller

Pumpkin-Coconut Cheesecake with Dulce de Leche Glaze

Rating: Unrated
1
This sumptuous pumpkin-coconut cheesecake with a graham cracker crust and a caramelly topping is adapted from a recipe that chef Leticia Moreinos Schwartz, author of the cookbook Latin Superfoods, developed for her family's Thanksgiving dinner. The combination of coconut and pumpkin is a flavor profile that nods to Moreinos Schwartz's childhood in Brazil. We've cut down on the sugar and the calories in a traditional cheesecake for this version of the treat but left all of the flavor and silky texture of the original.
By Leticia Moreinos Schwartz

Pumpkin Tart with Pecan-Shortbread Crust

Rating: Unrated
3
A pleasant tang, courtesy of Greek yogurt in the filling, and a mascarpone cheese whipped cream topping take this healthy pumpkin dessert recipe above and beyond classic pumpkin pie.
By Lia Huber

Pumpkin-Pie Egg Rolls

Rating: Unrated
1
A delightful twist on classic pumpkin pie, these sweet, crispy egg rolls will be your new favorite spiced pumpkin treat. Don't be concerned about the quantity of oil used for frying: only about half of it is absorbed during the cooking process.
By Carolyn Casner

Pumpkin Coconut Tart

Rating: Unrated
2
Dark rum, coconut milk, cinnamon, ginger and cloves give this pumpkin tart a complex flavor that matches perfectly with a cup of chai laced with milk.
By Ellen Ecker Ogden

Pumpkin Cake with Dried Cranberries

Rating: Unrated
1
This pretty pumpkin-cranberry Bundt cake is a delicious alternative to holiday pumpkin pie.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Pecan, Date & Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Rating: Unrated
1
In this healthy pumpkin bread pudding recipe, whole-wheat bread, Vitamin A-rich pumpkin and toasted pecans come together for a praiseworthy dessert. To make individual bread puddings instead of one large pan, divide the batter among 12 small oiled individual baking dishes (about 8 ounces each). Cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes, uncover, sprinkle with pecans and bake for 20 to 25 minutes more.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Apple-Pumpkin Softies

These are so moist and tender, you'll think you're eating the tops of pumpkin muffins.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap-Walnut Crust

Rating: Unrated
1
We pulled out a few of our favorite EatingWell tricks to achieve plenty of creaminess in our pumpkin cheesecake without all the saturated fat of a typical recipe: nutrient-packed canned pumpkin and pureed nonfat cottage cheese replace some of the cream cheese. A touch of pumpkin pie spice warms up the flavor. For the crust, shop the natural-foods section for gingersnaps without any hydrogenated oil. Simple toasted walnuts are an elegant garnish. Or try making candied walnuts. Just be careful not to eat all of them before they make it to the cake!
By Katie Webster

Slow-Cooker Pumpkin Cheesecake

This easy slow-cooker pumpkin cheesecake with a gingersnap-and-walnut crust is full of all your favorite fall flavors. Cooking dessert in the slow cooker frees up oven space, making this healthy dessert perfect for entertaining. It might just bump your regular old pumpkin pie off the Thanksgiving menu. To make this recipe gluten-free, swap out the regular gingersnap cookies for gluten-free gingersnaps.
By Carolyn Casner

Pumpkin-Walnut Cake

A spice-rich autumn treat with a sweet, walnut glaze, this pumpkin cake travels well for potlucks or bake sales. Pumpkin is the secret to keeping our butterless version exceptionally moist and flavorful.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen
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