Healthy Italian Dessert Recipes

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

Staff Picks

Italian Hazelnut Cookies

Rating: Unrated
10
These crispy cookies are made with Piedmontese staples--hazelnuts and eggs--and called Brutti Ma Buoni: literally, “Ugly But Good.” But they are really more plain-looking than “ugly,” and pack a powerful, sweet, nutty burst of flavor, making them welcome at any table.
By Marialisa Calta

Pandoro Tiramisù

In this take on tiramisù, the Italian Christmas bread pandoro is used instead of ladyfingers to make this praiseworthy dessert. If you prefer ladyfingers, use 8 ounces in place of the pandoro.
By Domenica Marchetti

Creamy Chocolate Gelato

Rating: Unrated
9
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

Pignoli Cookies

This crispy-on-the-bottom-and-chewy-on-the-inside gluten-free cookie recipe is a twist on a traditional Italian holiday treat, pignoli, or pine nut cookies. Look for almond paste--a mixture of ground almonds and sugar (available in tubes or sometimes tubs)--near other baking supplies in well-stocked supermarkets or specialty stores. Sweeter marzipan doesn't work well in these cookies.
By Virginia Willis

Nut & Honey Biscotti

This crunchy Italian cookie recipe isn't traditionally very sweet, so just a touch of honey adds flavor along with mild sweetness. Dipping them in chocolate makes them extra special.
By Joanne Chang

Double-Chocolate Biscotti

Rating: Unrated
3
Dense and crunchy, these are the classic Italian dunking cookies. Although they are traditionally dipped in Vin Santo, a sweet Italian dessert wine, these chocolaty biscotti are ultra-satisfying with a cup of coffee or a glass of milk.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Rosemary-Pine Nut Biscotti

Rating: Unrated
5
These amazing olive oil biscotti are studded with rich, buttery-tasting pine nuts. Try them alongside fruit sorbet, cheese or summer peaches.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Coffee Panna Cotta

Rating: Unrated
2
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.
By Joyce Hendley

Chocolate-Hazelnut Cake

Rating: Unrated
3
Turn this moist, dense and truly chocolaty cake into an elegant dessert by garnishing each serving with a dollop of whipped cream, some fresh raspberries and a light dusting of cocoa. Note that this cake does not contain any leavening: beaten egg whites alone are used to lighten it.
By Patsy Jamieson

Almond Cookies

The Italian name of these almond cookies, Brutti-Buoni, roughly translates to “ugly but good.” These delicious cookies are traditionally dropped directly on a cookie sheet, but shaping them as directed here gives a more elegant look. Enjoy them for dessert with an espresso.
By Faith Willinger

Orange-Almond Slices

These twice-baked almond- and orange-flavored cookies are wonderful on cookie trays or served with fresh fruit or ice cream. Dip one edge of the crunchy slices into melted chocolate to dress them up for a special celebration.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Strawberries

This creamy Italian dessert is flavored with vanilla bean and topped with fresh strawberries. Feel free to mix it up and substitute blueberries or raspberries, or a combination of all three!
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Inspiration and Ideas

Polenta Biscotti

Polenta Biscotti

Rating: Unrated
1
Delightful with fruit, these crisp golden slices also make a charming partner for a morning caffe latte.
Mascarpone-Stuffed Figs

Mascarpone-Stuffed Figs

A creamy, honey-scented mascarpone filling makes this fresh fig recipe luxurious, yet still lets the fruit be the star. Serve these pretty stuffed figs to top off a special meal.
Almond Cannoli with Lemon-Basil Ricotta Cream Filling

Almond Cannoli with Lemon-Basil Ricotta Cream Filling

Cherries with Ricotta & Toasted Almonds

Cherries with Ricotta & Toasted Almonds

Rating: Unrated
6
Strawberry Bruschetta

Strawberry Bruschetta

Rating: Unrated
5
Mango Tiramisù

Mango Tiramisù

Almond Panna Cotta with Blueberry Sauce

Panna cotta means "cooked cream" in Italian. This version of the delicious Italian dessert is flavored with amaretto or almond extract and served with a luscious blueberry sauce.

All Healthy Italian Dessert Recipes

Sugarplum Biscotti

Rating: Unrated
4
Dunk these fruitcake-inspired whole-grain biscotti in a cup of hot tea or coffee.
By Jennifer Beckman

Berry-Ricotta Cheesecake

Here, low-fat ricotta blended with reduced-fat Neufchâtel cheese gives this lighter, Italian-inspired cheesecake a great texture and all of the good cheese flavor you would want. We garnish the cake with mixed berries brushed with a red currant jelly glaze. With only 258 calories per slice, this dessert really is a worthwhile indulgence.
By Marie Piraino

Tiramisù

Rating: Unrated
3
Here's how we make our luscious Tiramisù with about a third of the fat and half the calories of most versions: we layer coffee-and-brandy-soaked ladyfingers with an ultra-light egg-white custard combined with rich mascarpone cheese and lower-fat Neufchâtel cheese. This healthier version of the triflelike dessert would pass muster in any Italian café.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Marsala-Poached Figs over Ricotta

Rating: Unrated
2
Vanilla-infused ricotta cheese is the perfect foil for saucy poached figs.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Black Pepper Biscotti

Rating: Unrated
2
These savory black-pepper-and-fig-flecked biscotti are perfect for cocktail parties--just spread with softened goat cheese and serve with glasses of Sauvignon Blanc.
By Marie Piraino

Ginger-Orange Biscotti

Rating: Unrated
1
Authentic biscotti are low in fat and easy to make. To achieve the characteristic crisp texture, they are “twice-cooked,” first as a log, then again as slices. These fragrant spiced biscotti are excellent dipped in a steaming cup of tea or coffee.
By Ruth Cousineau

Neapolitan Frozen Mousse

Light whipped topping is the secret to this delicious mousse dessert. Portions of the whipped topping are sweetened and flavored with cocoa powder and strawberries and then layered and frozen to resemble Neapolitan-style ice cream.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Raspberry-Prosecco Pops

These pops are like a frozen Bellini, except the peach puree is swapped for raspberry in this frozen dessert recipe. Feel free to use leftover Prosecco here--the bubbles don't make it through the freezing process, but the flavor is delicious.
By Nancy Baggett

Vanilla-Kirsch Panna Cotta with Cherry Compote

These panna cottas (Italian for cooked cream) are smooth, light and mild molded desserts set off by a bright, intensely flavored cherry compote. The recipe calls for a vanilla bean, which yields the best flavor, but you can use extra vanilla extract instead; just be sure it's top quality. The compote is also delicious spooned over slices of angel food cake or scoops of vanilla frozen yogurt. Recipe by Nancy Baggett for EatingWell.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Pecan Biscotti

Drizzled with white white chocolate, these twice-baked cookies are an Italian-inspired classic.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Sicilian Fig Cookies

These Sicilian Christmas cookies are filled with dried fruit and almonds.
By Melanie Barnard

Cassata Siciliana

Angel food cake is layered with candied fruit and ricotta cheese in this traditional Sicilian Christmas cake.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Cannoli

Though cannoli might seem like an overly decadent treat for a healthy diet, these are filled with a mixture of reduced-fat cream cheese and nonfat ricotta for less fat with all the creaminess.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Dried Fruit Cake

A very thin slice of this dark fig and nut cake, redolent of orange zest, cinnamon and nutmeg, is all you need at the end of a meal.
By G. Franco Romagnoli

Maple-Oat Biscotti

Toasted oats, maple syrup, walnuts and dates are a great combination in these crisp biscotti.
By Marie Piraino

Tiramisu Shots

This health-conscious makeover of a classic Tiramisu dessert uses silken tofu instead of mascarpone cheese, contains no alcohol, and is served in shot glasses for smaller portions. It's a lower-fat dessert that's simple to make, tastes delicious, and wins big points for presentation.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Kahluaccino

Rating: Unrated
1
Coffee lovers will love the addition of Kahlua; Frangelico adds a lovely hazelnut note.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Anise Biscotti

Rating: Unrated
3
Lemon zest enlivens the anise biscotti.
By Marie Piraino

Haroset Cake with Zabaglione Sauce

Haroset is a fruit-and-wine concoction eaten during the Passover Seder and said to represent the mortar that the Israelites used to build Pharaoh's temples. Here's a flourless cake that uses those flavors to create a dessert perfect for Passover--and with a luscious, thick, Italian sauce (pronounced zah-bahl-YOH-nay).
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Poppy Seed-Orange Biscotti

Orange zest and poppy seeds make a tasty--and eye-catching--combination in these crunchy biscotti.
By Marie Piraino

Chocolate Sambuca Gelato

Rating: Unrated
1
This Italian-inspired dessert is velvety in texture. Milk powder added to the mix inhibits the formation of ice crystals.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Panna Cotta with Rhubarb Sauce

Buttermilk and half-and-half replace cream in this lighter Italian panna cotta recipe. If you like, garnish with curls of candied orange peel.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Lemon & Polenta Tart with Figs

Rating: Unrated
1
For this celebratory tart recipe, a smooth, creamy, lemon-scented Greek yogurt filling, adorned with a ring of dried figs, is layered on a bed of honey-sweetened polenta. Real, Italian-style polenta is made from medium- or coarse-ground whole-grain cornmeal. Products labeled polenta, medium-ground cornmeal and corn grits (not instant) can be used interchangeably in this recipe
By Maria Speck

Tangerine Biscotti

Biscotti are always sweetly welcome dippers for coffee or tea, but you can see how well they accompany cold favorites when you serve them with sorbet.
By Diabetic Living Magazine
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