Weight-Loss & Diet Dessert Recipes

No need to give up dessert if you're trying to lose weight! Find healthy, delicious dessert recipes with fewer than 225 calories and at least 3 grams of filling fiber from the food and nutrition experts at Eating Well.

Staff Picks

No-Sugar-Added Oatmeal Cookies

Rating: Unrated
1
Classic oatmeal cookies without all the sugar, these better-for-you gluten-free treats get their sweetness from ripe bananas and chopped dates.
By Carolyn Casner

Banana-Bran Muffins

Rating: Unrated
36
By the end of the week, any bananas left in the fruit bowl are past their prime--just right for these moist bran muffins. Add a handful of dark chocolate chips to entice children to enjoy a fiber-rich treat.
By Patsy Jamieson

Strawberry Nice Cream

This luscious strawberry nice cream is a wonderful healthy ice cream alternative. It's all fruit, dairy-free, vegan and contains no added sugar, but is bursting with sweet berry flavor. And it takes just minutes to whip up this easy healthy dessert in a food processor if you freeze the fruit ahead. While you'll get the best flavor from fresh berries, if you don't have them on hand, feel free to use store-bought frozen fruit in this recipe. Serve the nice cream on its own or top it with more fresh berries for a refreshing summer treat.
By Karen Rankin

No-Bake Vegan Date Brownies

Sweetened with dates, these whole-grain bars provide energy and protein, thanks to nut butter. With just 5 ingredients you probably already have in your pantry, you can make these delicious, chewy brownies with no added sugar. Whip up a batch as a healthy dessert or for grab-and-go energy bars for a healthy snack.
By Carolyn Casner

No-Sugar-Added Vegan Oatmeal Cookies

Rating: Unrated
1
Soft, chewy and no added sugar! Sweeten these classic oatmeal cookies with ripe bananas and raisins or dates. Plus, a touch of nut butter adds lots of flavor and holds the cookies together while keeping them vegan and gluten-free.
By Carolyn Casner

Fresh Fruit Salad

Rating: Unrated
2
This refreshing fruit salad is a classic combination that will be the favorite at any potluck or cookout. Serve with a creamy yogurt dressing to take this side (or dessert) to the next level.
By Carolyn Casner

All-American Apple Pies

Rating: Unrated
4
Little apple pies are baked in hollowed out shells of apples, topped with a pie crust lattice, and baked until golden brown and filling is bubbly.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Strawberry & Yogurt Parfait

Rating: Unrated
2
This healthy yogurt parfait recipe combines fresh fruit, Greek yogurt and crunchy granola for an easy breakfast. Pack the parfait in a mason jar for a healthy breakfast on the go.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Warm Chocolate Pudding

Rating: Unrated
9
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.
By Kathy Farrell-Kingsley

Peach & Blueberry Cobbler

Rating: Unrated
14
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.
By Virginia Willis

Cinnamon-Sugar Microwave Popcorn

This easy cinnamon-sugar microwave popcorn recipe serves up a hint of something sweet in a whole-grain snack you can feel good about enjoying.
By Devon O'Brien

Apple Mini Fruit Pizzas

Rating: Unrated
1
Round apple slices make a sweet, crisp, no-bake crust for these easy fruit pizzas topped with almond butter, chocolate chips and crunchy pistachios. This fun snack or healthy dessert cuts carbs from a classic cookie-crust fruit pizza.
By Hilary Meyer

Inspiration and Ideas

Strawberries Dipped in Chocolate

Strawberries Dipped in Chocolate

Rating: Unrated
1
This healthy dessert recipe is a quick and healthy way to satisfy your chocolate craving.
Blackberry-Banana Lemon Trifles

Blackberry-Banana Lemon Trifles

These trifles are ready in just 10-minutes, making them the perfect weeknight treat.
Dairy-Free Banana Rice Pudding

Dairy-Free Banana Rice Pudding

Rating: Unrated
2
Bunny Fruit Salad

Bunny Fruit Salad

Rating: Unrated
3
Chocolate Banana Oatmeal

Chocolate Banana Oatmeal

Rating: Unrated
2
Cinnamon Oranges

Cinnamon Oranges

Rating: Unrated
6

Fried Apple Pie Rolls

Rating: Unrated
10

In this healthy take on apple pie, wonton wrappers stand in for pie crust, saving you calories and the headache of rolling out dough. We like to use Granny Smith apples because they hold their shape and provide tart balance to the sweet filling. Try dipping these handheld crispy treats in whipped cream.

All Weight-Loss & Diet Dessert Recipes

Grilled Dark Chocolate Sandwich

Rating: Unrated
2
Both simpler and more decadent than a chocolate croissant, a grilled chocolate sandwich is a marriage of bread and chocolate in which the two components are evenly matched.
By Kathy Farrell-Kingsley

Strawberry Pandowdy

Rating: Unrated
1
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.
By Marie Simmons

Apple Crumble with Oats

Leaving the skins on the apples provides fiber and vitamins, so this diabetic-friendly dessert is not only good tasting but also good for you.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Orange-Cinnamon Figs

Ready in just 10 minutes, these figs in an orange-cinnamon sauce are a refreshing treat.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Coconut-Dark Chocolate Truffles

Rating: Unrated
4
Coconut macaroons meet dark chocolate truffles in these little treats. Inside the snap of the dark chocolate shell lies the tender coconut-cocoa filling: a mix of naturally sweet dates, cocoa and coconut flour. Coconut flour is a healthy way to add decadent coconut flavor to this coconut-dark chocolate truffle recipe and other baked goods. It packs a whopping 5 grams of fiber per 2 tablespoons (with only 2 grams of total and saturated fat). Look for coconut flour near other gluten-free flours.
By Katie Webster

Buttermilk Oatcakes with Raspberry Compote

Rating: Unrated
3
These high-fiber oatcakes are made with 100% whole grains and no butter. A quick raspberry compote is a nice change from maple syrup.
By Jan Ellen Spiegel

Apricot Grunt

Rating: Unrated
1
Grunts, also known as slumps, are cousins to the cobbler--they too feature a biscuit topping, but unlike the cobbler, which is baked in the oven, a grunt is cooked on the stovetop. In this easy summertime dessert, apricots simmer in a skillet with honey and a touch of cloves. Then whole-grain buttermilk biscuits are steamed on top of the bubbling fruit until set. Serve warm with a little heavy cream, a dollop of yogurt or vanilla ice cream. Try it with any type of fruit or combination of fruit--frozen fruit works well too.
By Marie Simmons

Roasted Pears

Roasted pears are a simple dessert on their own, or top with lightly sweetened mascarpone for a more decadent treat.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Caramelized Spiced Pears

Rating: Unrated
1
Serve these caramelized pear slices over ice cream, stir into plain yogurt or enjoy as a topping for pancakes or waffles. Brown-skinned Bosc pears hold their shape during cooking, but any variety of pears tastes delicious.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Mango & Kiwi with Fresh Lime Zest

Kiwi and mango get a burst of citrus flavor in this easy fruit salad recipe.
By Sara Haas, R.D.N., L.D.N.

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

Apple-Crisp-Stuffed Baked Apples

This apple dessert marries the best parts of apple crisp with a baked apple to make an adorable and tasty sweet treat. Cooking an apple crisp inside an apple is a wonderful treat in summer with a scoop of ice cream, or in fall after an apple-picking trip.
By Carolyn Casner

Carrot Cake Smoothie

Have your cake and eat it too--this smoothie recipe is bursting with flavor, including everything from pineapple to pumpkin pie spice to vanilla. A healthy and delicious treat for any time of day.
By Breana Killeen

Fresh Berries with Warm Tequila-Lime Foam

You don't need any fancy molecular gastronomy equipment to make the foam that tops berries in this light summer dessert. Sort of a cross between French mousse and the Italian custard zabaglione, tequila, lime and orange give the foam zing. Its airiness doesn't hold, so make it just before you're ready for dessert.
By Rick Bayless

Drunken Prunes

The oaky taste of Armagnac, a French brandy made in Gascony, has long been paired with prunes. While Armagnac is available in vintage bottlings, nothing so extravagant is needed for this recipe. Use waterproof markers to decorate the outside of glass jars with flowers, abstract designs or a favorite line from a poem.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Wheat Berry Pudding

Rating: Unrated
2
Here, wheat berries are cooked with maple-sweetened, spiced milk to make a homey pudding. Try it for dessert or even breakfast--adjusting the maple syrup to your preference.
By Marie Simmons

Blueberry-Cashew Granola Bars

Coconut extract gives these homemade granola bars tropical-inspired flavor. Feel free to swap the blueberries, cashews and flaxseeds for any combination of your favorite dried fruit, nuts or seeds. We tested several sticky sweeteners, including maple syrup and honey, but found brown rice syrup held the bars together the best.
By Breana Killeen

Avocado Ice Cream

Rating: Unrated
3
This is a creamy, refreshing dairy-free dessert Rick Bayless has served in his restaurant Frontera Grill for years.
By Rick Bayless

Frozen Raspberry Pie

Rating: Unrated
2
This creamy, luscious pie is made by combining a fluffy cooked meringue with a raspberry puree, then pouring the mixture into a chocolate-cookie crust.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Spiralized Apple Crisp

Rating: Unrated
1
Use a spiralizer to skip the peeling and slicing in this easy apple crisp recipe. Plus the noodly texture of this gluten-free fruit dessert is a fun adaptation of traditional versions.
By Breana Killeen

Nectarine Blueberry Crisp

In this tasty, easy-to-prepare dessert, nectarines and blueberries are sweetened with brown sugar and topped with a crunchy pistachio-oat topping.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Healthy Dark Chocolate "Puppy Chow"

Rating: Unrated
1
Crunchy, sweet, salty ... healthy?! Yes, indeed. We gave this classic sweet treat, also called muddy buddies, a grown-up makeover using whole-grain cereal and dark chocolate. Dig in!
By Hilary Meyer

Raspberry Squares

Rating: Unrated
1
Inspired by our love of lemon squares, we developed this healthy raspberry squares recipe using the juice of fresh raspberries in the filling. We slashed the butter in the shortbread crust for these raspberry bars, but kept the crust light and crisp with heart-healthy canola oil and a little cornstarch. A judicious amount of sugar in the filling lets the natural sweetness of the fruit shine and keeps calories in check.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Chocolate Crunch

Rating: Unrated
1
Crunchy wheat cereal, pretzels and almonds coated in bittersweet chocolate makes an addictive sweet-salty snack.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen
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