Healthy Summer Dessert Recipes

Find healthy, delicious summer dessert recipes, from the food and nutrition experts at EatingWell.

Staff Picks

Peach & Blueberry Cobbler

Rating: 3.64 stars
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

Oatmeal Cookie Fruit Pizza

Rating: 5 stars
1
This classic fruit pizza recipe starts with a giant oatmeal cookie that's topped with a cream cheese-yogurt sauce plus berry and kiwi slices for a fun, colorful dessert pizza. The crowd-pleasing lightened-up dessert will be the first to go at your next potluck or barbecue.
By Hilary Meyer

Pineapple Nice Cream

Rating: 5 stars
3
All-fruit, dairy-free and with no added sugar--these are the hallmarks of nice cream, a healthy alternative to ice cream. This pineapple nice cream has tropical flavors, thanks to a hit of mango and lime. It takes just minutes to make this naturally sweet frozen dessert in the food processor or a blender. Enjoy it alone, or top with fresh fruit and toasted coconut.
By Carolyn Casner

Campfire Banana S'mores

Rating: 5 stars
1
You'll never go camping again without this fun twist on classic s'mores made inside a split banana. Plus, it's easy to make gluten-free or to cut some carbs--just ditch the graham crackers and scoop this gooey treat up with a spoon instead.
By Carolyn Casner

Blueberry-Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake

Rating: 4.39 stars
30
This healthy pound cake recipe isn't just delicious--it also only requires one bowl to make. For the best cake texture, be sure to beat the sugar and butter together long enough in Step 2 to look creamy--the time it takes to get there varies according to the type of electric mixer you have. Serve with brunch or alongside a cup of coffee in the afternoon.
By Stacy Fraser

Strawberry-Chocolate Greek Yogurt Bark

Rating: 4.5 stars
7
Lightly sweetened Greek yogurt gets studded with fresh strawberries and chocolate chips then frozen so you can break it into chunks just like chocolate bark (but healthier!). This colorful snack or healthy dessert is perfect for kids and adults alike. Use full-fat yogurt to ensure the creamiest bark possible.
By Carolyn Casner

Breakfast Blueberry-Oatmeal Cakes

Rating: 4 stars
20
This oatmeal-meets-muffin-tin cake recipe is perfect for having a healthy breakfast available on busy weekdays. Make a batch on the weekend and keep them in your freezer. For a grab-and-go breakfast, reheat the oatmeal cakes in the microwave for about 40 seconds.
By Hilary Meyer

One-Bowl Monster Cookies

Rating: 4.33 stars
3
If you thought it wasn't possible to make healthier monster cookies, think again. These peanut butter, oatmeal, chocolate chip and M&M cookies have less butter and sugar than traditional recipes, but they have just as much flavor and tenderness, thanks to more peanut butter. Even better, they're made in one bowl for easy cleanup.
By Carolyn Casner

Fresh Fruit Salad

Rating: 5 stars
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

Healthy Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Cookies

Rating: 4 stars
1
Here's your new cookie jar staple. This recipe for classic oatmeal chocolate chip cookies gets a healthy boost with whole-wheat flour and uses less sugar and butter than traditional recipes. Don't hesitate to make a double batch--they're so satisfying they'll be gone fast.
By Carolyn Casner

Cinnamon-Raisin Oatmeal Cookies

Rating: 4.57 stars
5
This recipe takes oatmeal cookies up a notch with its cinnamony, buttery, delicious take on a much-loved classic dessert.
By Carolyn Casner

Pineapple Oatmeal Upside-Down Cake

Rating: 1 stars
1
Adding whole-grain oatmeal to this upside-down cake and topping it with fresh pineapple makes this diabetic-friendly dessert right-side-up.
By Diabetic Living Magazine
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Inspiration and Ideas

Chocolate-Covered Banana Ice Cream Bars

Chocolate-Covered Banana Ice Cream Bars
Vegan chocolate forms a shell around creamy peanut butter and banana nice cream garnished with your favorite toppings, like chopped peanuts or shredded coconut.
4 secrets to the best homemade ice cream

4 secrets to the best homemade ice cream
There are a few tricks to making ice cream taste good, including an unexpected secret ingredient that makes it taste almost as rich as the full-fat stuff.
Strawberry Shortcake Cake

Strawberry Shortcake Cake
Tasty No-Cook Summer Desserts for Diabetes

Tasty No-Cook Summer Desserts for Diabetes
Mini Angel Food Strawberry Shortcakes

Mini Angel Food Strawberry Shortcakes
Rating: Unrated
1
2-Ingredient Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream

2-Ingredient Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream
Rating: Unrated
5

Mini Blueberry-Lemon Cheesecakes

This muffin-tin mini cheesecake recipe is an adorable, healthy dessert that's the perfect cute size. If making 2 dozen seems like overkill, the recipe can easily be cut in half. If you avoid gluten, use gluten-free graham crackers to make the crust.

All Healthy Summer Dessert Recipes

No-Sugar-Added Oatmeal Cookies

Rating: 4 stars
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

Strawberry & Yogurt Parfait

Rating: 4.5 stars
2
This strawberry 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

No-Sugar-Added Vegan Oatmeal Cookies

Rating: 4.5 stars
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

Strawberry Shortcake Cake

Rating: 4.67 stars
3
Sweet strawberries are nestled between layers of sponge cake and a cream filling in this easy cake. We add nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt to whipped cream to lighten up the filling and give it a little tang.
By Hilary Meyer

Ricotta & Yogurt Parfait

Rating: 5 stars
2
Reminiscent of a lemon cheesecake, this healthy breakfast recipe is easy to throw together in the morning. Or stir together the filling in a jar the night before and top with the fruit, nuts and seeds when you get to work.
By Sara Haas, R.D.N., L.D.N.

Chocolate Zucchini Brownies

Rating: 4.25 stars
3
The batter for this healthy one-bowl brownie recipe is stirred together right in the saucepan used to melt the butter and chocolate--no mixing bowl needed and less cleanup for you. Using shredded zucchini in this healthy dessert recipe creates a tender, moist brownie with about half the amount of butter and sugar found in a classic recipe--and it's virtually undetectable in the baked brownies.
By Stacy Fraser

Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake Ice Pops

Cheesecake mix, graham crackers, and strawberries make this truly a cheesecake popsicle.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

Rating: 4.27 stars
4
Here's a simple recipe for low-fat vanilla ice cream. Our version has all the richness you'll need but about 90 fewer calories than store-bought premium ice cream and a whopping 15 grams less total fat and 10 grams less saturated fat per serving.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Carrot Cake

Rating: 4.3 stars
14
Carrots give carrot cake a health-halo effect--people think it's health food, but it's usually very high in fat and calories. But our version has about 40 percent less calories and 50 percent less fat than most. First, we use less oil in our batter. Then we skip the butter in the frosting (don't worry, it's still light and smooth). To ensure the cake is moist, we add nonfat buttermilk and crushed pineapple.
By Patsy Jamieson

Blueberry-Swirl Buttermilk Ice Cream

This gorgeous homemade ice cream is a showstopper, thanks to bold swirls of blueberry syrup that cut through tart buttermilk-yogurt cream.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Apple “Donuts”

Rating: 5 stars
1
This so-simple 3-ingredient recipe turns apple slices into “donuts.” Topped with nut butter and coconut, they make a satisfying no-added-sugar dessert or healthy snack.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

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

Purple Fruit Salad

Rating: 5 stars
2
Serve this refreshing fruit salad featuring juicy plums, grapes and berries on its own or with other colorblock fruit salads (like red, green and orange) for a fun, crowd-pleasing rainbow side dish.
By Carolyn Casner

Summer Berry Pie

Highway 61 is Minnesota's unofficial pie trail, and a stop for a slice is a must on a road trip. This summer pie recipe is adapted from Rustic Inn Café in Two Harbors.
By Betsy Andrews

Cranberry-Almond Granola Bars

There are plenty of granola bar options at the grocery store, but they're also easy (and often healthier) to make at home. Feel free to vary the add-ins to your taste, swapping 2 cups of any combination of small (or chopped) dried fruit, nuts, seeds and/or chocolate chips for the dried cranberries and nuts in this version. We tested several sticky sweeteners, including maple syrup and honey, but found brown rice syrup held the bars together the best.
By Breana Killeen

Lemon Poppy Seed Snack Cake

This Lemon Poppy Seed Snack Cake is just what you need to zest up your dessert game. This diabetic-friendly cake has poppy seeds to add color and crunch to this light dessert and they also add to the calcium and zinc content of this recipe.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Cherry-Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

Skip the granola bar options at the grocery store--they're easy to make at home! You can vary the add-ins to your taste, swapping 2 cups of any combination of small (or chopped) dried fruit, nuts and/or seeds for the chocolate, cherries and coconut in this version. We tested several sticky sweeteners, including maple syrup and honey, but found brown rice syrup held the bars together the best.
By Breana Killeen

Strawberry Fruit Salad

Rating: 5 stars
1
This summer berry fruit salad recipe makes enough for a crowd. Serve with granola and yogurt at brunch, as a healthy potluck side, or halve the recipe to serve 4.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Easy Lemon Soufflés

A pinch of cream of tartar will help your egg whites stabilize in this refreshingly lemon-y soufflé recipe.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Soft Sugar Cookies

Rating: 5 stars
1
These easy and classic cookies incorporate mild-tasting white whole-wheat flour for extra fiber and nutrients.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Mocha Coffee Cake

A sweet topping of cocoa powder and cinnamon is baked right into this delicious mocha coffee cake.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Rhubarb-Raspberry Crumble

Rating: 5 stars
1
Rhubarb is a tangy counterpart for sweet raspberries in this fruit crumble recipe. For a nutty flavor and a boost of nutrition, this healthy dessert uses whole-grain rye flour and toasted pecans. Serve the crumble with your favorite vanilla frozen yogurt or a dollop of whipped cream.
By April McGreger

Broiled Mango

Rating: 4 stars
1
Broiling fruit brings out its inherent sweetness. A squeeze of tart lime juice balances it out. Try this technique with pineapple as well.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Skillet Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp

Rating: 5 stars
1
Fresh strawberries and rhubarb meld together under a crisp oat crumble in this gluten-free dessert recipe made in just one skillet. If you're not gluten-sensitive, regular rolled oats will work too. Top with a dollop of whipped cream for an extra-special treat.
By Breana Killeen
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