30 Healthy Summer Desserts to Crush Cravings
With so many delicious and nutritious summer foods in season, there’s no excuse not to eat healthier than ever — especially when that means you can dive fork-first into a delicious homemade healthy summer dessert! That’s right, you can have your cake and eat it too, and this list of mouth-watering treats is proof!
If you’ve snagged our bestselling Fast & Furiously Fit ebook already, you know that eating for taste and eating for health are not mutually exclusive considerations. Our ebook features over 40 sumptuous recipes including ribs, tacos, burgers, stews and yes, desserts that are super healthy and super delicious. Eating healthy, after all, is not about eating all green food, or all raw food, or never enjoying treats: it’s about balance. That’s why this book has been selling like nummy hotcakes. It encourages proper nutrition, but no food restrictions. You can eat bread. You can eat red meat. You can eat ice cream. What we teach you to do is make it for yourself, and make it better. Drooling yet? Get our guide now!
Bring on the treats!
We hear you. Without further adieu, here are 30 amazing (and angelically healthful) summer treats to crush your cravings.
When most of us think about applesauce, we picture the overly sweet, baby-food texture stuff bought from the store. This recipe is anything but that, and it’s healthy to boot. Picture a hearty, rich apple pie filling type of applesauce, and we’re in business. In just 35 minutes, you could have yourself a delicious batch of warm, applesauce that is so versatile it’s not even funny. From a delicious snack, to topping your morning healthy pancakes, or even adding it to yogurt, this gluten-free applesauce goes the distance with less than five ingredients and maple syrup as the sweetener.
Thought you couldn’t eat crumble and stick to your fitness goals? You thought wrong. This gluten-free recipe uses very few ingredients to make a healthy, summer-fresh treat that’s bursting with flavour. With just maple syrup and pure vanilla extract (make sure your pure vanilla extract has no added sweeteners) to sweeten it and almond flour instead of white flour, this recipe is the perfect healthy treat and a great way to use up all those strawberries on sale.
A parfait can often be a sugar bomb, but this creamy, tart delicious variety is anything but. In fact, it’s the perfect fuel to your workout if you use protein-packed Greek yogurt (eat it on the go in a handy mason jar!). Sweetened with just honey, this parfait isn’t too sweet, and the combination of oven-roasted strawberry and rhubarb is deliciously sweet and sour. Layers of granola, yogurt, and fresh fruit topping is simply divine, and the perfect breakfast, treat, or snack—especially when you’re craving something much more sinful.
If you haven’t tried roasted fruits, it’s time to get your baking sheet out. This recipe is the epitome of roasted fruit deliciousness, thanks to tartness and creamy texture of peaches. This healthy treat is a great dessert for the family after dinner that doesn’t pack in the calories, and it’s super easy and quick to make if you’re in a pinch. Serve these warm, toasty peaches over top of yogurt and you’ve got something incredible.
Yes, you heard that right. You can eat fudge and it can still be part of a healthy diet. In fact, this recipe even hides a vegetable in its midst—beets, of all things. Their brilliant colour makes this gorgeous dark pink fudge that is sent straight from the heavens above (not to be dramatic or anything). This vegan, raw recipe calls for a few ingredients you might not have on hand, but they’re well worth hunting down if you’ve got a hankering for something sweet, creamy, and almost too pretty to eat. Almost.
Cake can be healthy too, with a few strategic substitutions. This recipe takes a traditionally heavy cake like pound cake and makes it refreshingly light, with a tart finish that’s perfect in the summer heat. Make sure you use pure vanilla extract, gluten-free flour, and freshly squeezed OJ to avoid any sneaky sugar or white flour, so that you can enjoy your slice (or two) of this cake without any guilt.
A baked apple a day keeps the doctor away. Or, at least it keeps the sweet tooth at bay. This recipe is so ridiculously easy compared to how incredibly good it is, that you’ll wish you’d had it your entire life. Not to mention, your house will smell so amazing you’ll make them every time company is coming over. Every ingredient packs a nutritious punch, so you can feel good about throwing these babies in a baking dish and waiting eagerly for the timer to go off. No bad apples in this bunch!
Hello Martha Stewart, welcome to your new favourite healthy dessert. This may just become your go-to healthy treat to bring to parties and functions, because it’s just so gosh dang gorgeous to look at. It’s pretty hard to believe it uses only four ingredients, half of which are fruit. You get a sweet and tangy tart that you could eat for breakfast if you wanted, it’s just that good for you. Plus, if you don’t love dates, you can use raisins or cranberries for the same effect.
Ahh, cheesecake on a diet. Now that’s the life. This raw cheesecake has everything nice, and nothing naughty, so you can stay on track for your goals. This recipe calls for a bit of prep time, but anything worth having is worth waiting for, wouldn’t you say? It’s easy to make, has no added sugars, it’s gluten-free, and packed full of fresh berry taste. Sign us up! Did we mention there’s no baking involved?
Just the alliteration you need on a hot summer day. These ice pops are homemade and chock full of the good stuff, so you can enjoy a refreshing treat without any of the guilt. This recipe is essentially a delicious peach protein shake, so it make the perfect cool-down treat after a gruelling workout—or, any other time you feel like a healthy treat is in the cards. All you need is a blender and some popsicle molds, and you’re ready to relax with a summery treat.
Panna cotta is the ultimate indulgence, but not with this healthy recipe. The creamy, sweet panna cotta is more than delicious all on its own, but the added strawberry and balsamic sauce take the cake. They give this traditional dessert a tangy and bittersweet taste that is incredibly refreshing, and if you mix everything into a mason jar you’ll get a gorgeous, Insta-worthy dessert that’s light on calories but absolutely not light on taste.
There’s just something about strawberry and rhubarb paired together. And when ice cream is involved? All bets are off. This recipe uses just five ingredients to create a healthy, delicious treat that’s actually dairy-free but still super creamy. All-natural ingredients make this healthy dessert a win, and we promise your whole family will love it. Pinky promise, with a cherry (er, strawberry) on top.
There’s nothing better than a delicious dessert in a cute jar. It feels so much more satisfying somehow. This recipe is the epitome of sweet, in both taste and aesthetic. It uses honey instead of sugar, almond flour to be gluten-free, and takes less than an hour to create six mouth-watering jars that make excellent gifts instead of the traditional cupcakes or brownies. Who needs a pie when you have a perfectly portioned jar instead?
Why not eat your fruit in sorbet form? It’s refreshing, delicious, and this recipe is completely raw. No added sugar, no dairy, just three whole ingredients for a fantastic homemade sorbet that your family will love. All you need are mangos, honey (or agave syrup), and lime juice and you’re set to make a batch of unbelievably fresh and addictive sorbet.
These tarts are insanely gorgeous. They deserve to be called sunrise tarts, thanks to the beautiful ombre hues that make it hard to want to eat them, but not that hard that you don’t anyway. They’re raw, gluten-free, dairy-free, but packed with goodness and taste incredible. They come with a bit of prep work, but they’re well worth the effort when you bite into the juicy, refreshing tart—beware of brain freeze!
Muffins can be healthy too, there’s no doubt about it. These sugar-free muffins hit the spot and your sweet tooth thanks to the honey and banana combination. They taste comforting, but with a modern twist in the form of coconut. These make excellent grab-and-go treats, and 35 minutes of work nets you a whopping 12 muffins so you’ll be set for days!
Forget the tired old, oatmeal raisin or chocolate chip cookies. These fresh raspberry oatmeal cookies are the glow up we didn’t know our cookies needed: they’re healthy versions that can be made gluten-free and have no added sugar. They’re delectably soft and melt in your mouth, and the raspberries add a tart but sweet taste that makes the perfect mid-afternoon pick-me-up (or mid-morning treat, because who can wait until after lunch?).
Date truffles are incredible. They’re a healthy alternative to chocolate, and they’re super healthy and nutrient-dense. This recipe combines crunchy almonds with sweet, creamy dates and adds some cocoa powder to balance out the flavours. They cure a sweet tooth instantly and they’re perfect for packing on the go so that you can avoid picking up an unhealthy pastry from Starbucks.
With just three ingredients, this no-bake fudge is the stuff of legends. It’s so creamy and it literally melts in your mouth, but you don’t have to feel an ounce of guilt thanks to the healthy ingredients. Just combine almond butter, maple syrup and coconut oil, and you’ve got yourself a vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free treat that makes eating healthy fudgetastic.
This parfait is a health food haven, with tons of fresh, superfood ingredients and packed with protein from the yogurt and spirulina. It feels like a dessert treat but is healthy enough for a breakfast, and you can make a few in advance since they last a few days in the fridge. Next time you get a craving, reach for one of these delectable parfaits and you’ll feel more than parfait (that’s French for perfect, and very aptly named!).
Mug cake is a brilliant invention in and of itself, but this recipe takes it even further with a healthy version that still tastes incredibly indulgent. Plus, it’s literally the easiest thing in the world to make. All you need is a mug and a microwave, and you’ve got a fabulous treat five minutes later. Don’t believe us? More mug cake for us, then.
Avocados are all the rage lately, and we’re seeing them being used in everything from toast to chocolate pudding, but this recipe brings in a whole new flavour palette that’s both delicate and robust. Plus, the bright green hue of this pudding looks so irresistible you might not want to share. But when it takes just a few minutes to make and refrigerate, sharing becomes a lot easier.
A vegetable for dessert? Unheard of! Well, until we found this recipe. It’s the perfect fall indulgence thanks to a caramelized taste and creamy texture, with almost no ingredients. This recipe is super simple to prepare, and it makes two perfect servings that you’ll love to share with your partner. Or yourself. No judgment.
Porridge might be healthy, but it doesn’t have to be bland. This recipe is anything but, with an interesting combination of pear and raspberries that’s both tart and deliciously sweet. This healthy recipe can be a breakfast but also a satisfying dessert, or a pre-workout fuel that gets you revved up like nothing else.
Pumpkin spice is everything nice, and now you can indulge without sacrificing your waist band. These delicious bites have the texture of light, fluffy cake but are so much better for you. These no-bake bites are vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free, plus you can choose the sweetener of your choice to make them completely customized to your diet. Freeze them for a handy, healthy snack whenever the urge to hit up the drive-thru for a pumpkin spice latte hits you!
Most granola bars are loaded with sugar and other unwanted ingredients. This recipe lets you have endless bars without stressing about the ingredients list, because there’s only three! With just peanut butter, the dry cereal and sweetener of your choice, you get fantastic ready-to-eat bars that you’ll want to keep handy. When you need a quick boost in energy, can’t make it to lunch, or need a post-workout healthy snack, these bars are perfect and ridiculously easy to make.
Well, not real ice cream. Sub in plain frozen yogurt to keep this recipe healthy, but otherwise enjoy it in all its beautiful, multi-coloured goodness. It takes a bit of advanced preparation, but you’ll get so many compliments on this dish—especially when they find out how nourishing it is.
Three words you don’t often hear together, but surprisingly they create absolute perfection. This ice-cream alternative is healthy, but also incredibly flavourful thanks to the combination of balsamic vinegar and buttermilk. The result is a not-too-sweet frozen treat with complex flavours and a light but creamy texture.
Creamsicles take us right back to backyard BBQs and summer nights, but these healthy adult versions are just as tasty. Deliciously creamy thanks to Greek yogurt, and a touch of honey sweetness to balance out the tartness of the blueberries, this recipe is exactly what you need to avoid that cookie jar late at night.
This summery recipe is exactly what you need to serve your guests a delicious but healthy dessert after dinner. Ditching the usual butter and sugar, this recipe lets the heartiness of the stone fruits shine through and play delicately on your palate. This recipe takes just 30 minutes total, so you can easily whip it up whenever you get a craving. And with this unbeatable healthy recipe? We’re betting that’s going to be often.
Remember, to get more treats like this for less, get our Fast & Furiously Fit ebook!