Healthy 4th of July Dessert Recipes

Find healthy, delicious 4th of July dessert recipes including blueberry pies, strawberry shortcakes and all patriotic red, white and blue desserts. Healthier recipes, from the food and nutrition experts at EatingWell.

Most Popular

Easy Peach Cobbler Dump Cake

Rating: 4.5 stars 2
This peach dump cake serves up a fluffy, tender vanilla cake that's studded with juicy, sweet peaches. This peach cake is so simple it's sure to become a favorite summertime dessert. Using a box of organic cake mix makes the recipe prep even easier.
By Ivy Odom

No-Bake Berry Cheesecake Bars

Rating: 4 stars 2
As if no-bake weren't tempting enough, consider that the graham cracker crust for these berry cheesecake bars has pecans in it. Ooh la la! In the filling, nonfat Greek yogurt and reduced-fat cream cheese cut the calories and saturated fat.
By Carolyn Malcoun

Watermelon Fruit Pizza

Rating: 5 stars 1
This refreshing fruit dessert pizza recipe swaps classic cookie crust with a healthier watermelon crust. Topped with yogurt sauce, your favorite berries and mint, this fresh dessert can easily be doubled for a party or halved for every day.
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By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Cherry Sorbet

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

Peach Custard Pie

Rating: 5 stars 4
We use low-fat milk along with nonfat Greek yogurt in the creamy custard for this peach pie. The yogurt gives the custard a smooth texture without using cream or too many egg yolks. A slice is just as delicious served warm from the oven as it is chilled. For an added treat, serve topped with fresh blueberries.
By Jim Romanoff

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

Rating: 5 stars 5
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.
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By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Peach & Blueberry Cobbler

Rating: 3.5 stars 19
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.
Virginia Willis
By Virginia Willis

Chunky Peach Popsicles

Rating: 5 stars 8
Make sure to reserve a portion of the peaches as you puree the mixture so the pops will be packed with icy cold, chunky bits of fruit. For a grown-up twist, try adding 1 to 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh mint, lemon verbena or basil.
Virginia Willis
By Virginia Willis

No-Bake Cherry Cheesecake

Rating: 4 stars 4
This no-bake cherry cheesecake is an easy summertime treat. This no-bake cheesecake recipe has omega-3-rich walnuts in the graham cracker crust and uses nonfat Greek yogurt and reduced-fat cream cheese in the filling to keep saturated fat in check. If you want a bright red topping, use sour cherries. Sweet cherries give it a more purple hue. To make gluten-free no-bake cherry cheesecake, use gluten-free graham crackers.
By Carolyn Malcoun

Mini Blueberry-Lemon Cheesecakes

Rating: 5 stars 1
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.
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By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Creamy Chocolate Gelato

Rating: 4.5 stars 7
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.
By Alice Medrich

Dried-Fruit Bars

Rating: 5 stars 2
Make a batch of these easy homemade dried-fruit bars to tuck into your kid's lunchbox all week.
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By EatingWell Test Kitchen
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Inspiration and Ideas

11 No-Bake Desserts to Cool Down Your 4th of July
Whether it's popsicles, cheesecake or fruit kebabs, these desserts pair perfectly with fireworks.
Easy Peach Cobbler
Rating: Unrated 1
This easy peach cobbler uses canned peaches to speed up prep time. A fluffy, tender cake envelops the tender peaches, creating an incredibly simple fruit dessert you can enjoy year-round.
Lemon Squares
Rating: 4 stars 2

Lemon squares are so delicious, but classic lemon square recipes tip the scales with their calories and saturated fat. Our healthy lemon squares recipe shaves almost 200 calories and more than 5 grams of saturated fat per lemon square. For a variation, use lime juice in place of the lemon juice.