You don’t need to eliminate dessert to lose weight or adopt a healthier lifestyle. There are plenty of healthy desserts you can make with a few simple ingredients. We have put together some healthy recipes that will satisfy your cravings while helping you reach your weight loss goals.
The problem with eating dessert is that a lot of desserts are rich in sugar and fat. In the case of store-bought snacks and baked goods, processed sugars are often present. Processed sugars are an issue since they can lead to high blood pressure and weight gain.
Dessert in itself might not be unhealthy, but combining a slice of pie with other unhealthy snacks you eat throughout the day can result in high sugar and fat intake.
You also have to be mindful of the quantities you eat. It takes around twenty minutes for you to experience satiety once your stomach is full. You might be tempted to eat a large dessert if you don’t wait long enough for the main course and end up overeating.
You shouldn’t avoid dessert but should look for healthier choices, limit sugar and fat intake, watch your portions, and avoid snacking between meals if you eat a dessert.
In fact, there are benefits associated with eating dessert. Chocolate is rich in antioxidant; sugar will give you the energy you need to get through the rest of your day, and satisfying a craving for sweets will make you less likely to choose an unhealthy snack later in the day.
These five healthy dessert recipes are easy to make and only require a few simple ingredients. Try them, or use our baking tips to create healthier versions of your favorite desserts!
This banana bread is a healthier alternative to most baked goods because it replaces refined sugar with fruits, and honey or maple syrup. This is a trick you can use to make your favorite baked goods healthier.
You can reduce your sugar intake by replacing refined sugar with substitutes like honey, maple syrup, applesauce, raisins, cocoa powder, cinnamon, dates, lime, bananas, apricots, oranges, or molasses. Maple syrup is rich in antioxidants and molasses will make baked goods taste sweet while increasing their iron and calcium content.
Start by preheating your oven to 350°F. Use a mixing bowl to combine the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon if you decided to use it.
You can then incorporate the mashed bananas, the milk, and the yogurt. Add the honey or maple syrup and the vanilla extract.
Bake this mixture for 30 minutes. Open the oven and use a toothpick to see if the center of the banana bread has the right consistency.
You can top this banana bread with raisins, maple syrup or unsweetened chocolate chips to add more flavor.
These healthy desserts only take a few minutes to make. You can make individual fruit tarts or use a larger cake pan to make this healthy dessert instead of a pie.
Pies are not a healthy dessert because of the butter used to make the crust. The sugar from the fruit puree can also be an issue.
You can make a lot of recipes healthier by replacing butter with a substitute. This recipe uses dates, but you can also use applesauce, yogurt, pumpkin puree, or nut butter. Even though nut butter contains fat, it has a higher nutritional value compared to regular butter.
You should start by making the crust. You will need ten pitted dates and two cups of walnuts. Crush the walnuts and mash the dates. Combine these two ingredients to obtain a mixture you can use as a crust. You might need to soak the dates in warm water to soften them before you crush them.
Place this crust at the bottom of a cake pan or cupcake pan if you are making individual fruit tarts.
If you decide to use tofu, you will have to press and drain it. You can then mix the three ingredients until you get a creamy mixture.
Fill the tart crusts with this creamy mixture, and add fresh fruits to top your tarts. Berries will work well, but you can also use kiwi or banana slices. Add some chocolate chips, nuts, and seeds if you want.
You can prepare the crusts and filling for these tarts and freeze them. All you have to do is add some fresh fruits and other toppings when you want a quick and easy snack.
Ice cream is rich in fat. If you find yourself craving ice cream, you can make a healthier alternative by using bananas. All you need is a blender.
Banana soft serve is a healthy and refreshing treat that you can use as a substitute for the traditional cake and ice cream. You can also add different ingredients to create a wide range of flavors.
You will need:
Cut the bananas into slices and freeze them. Blend them with the milk until you obtain a mixture that has the creamy consistency of soft serve.
You can add other fruits but make sure to cut and freeze them first. If you add other fruits, add more milk in the blender or use only one banana.
You need to use bananas to obtain a consistency that is similar to soft serve ice cream. However, you can use other ingredients to create different flavors.
Here are a few ideas:
You can create many healthy desserts with this recipe. Have some fun with it, and add some toppings like nuts or berries if you would like!
Fudge is probably one of the worst desserts you could eat. Fudge calls for lots of refined sugar and heavy cream, but this healthy recipe uses coconut to get this same creamy texture.
If you like baked goods with cream fillings or want a butter or oil substitute for cooking and baking, use coconut oil instead.
You need a food processor for this recipe. Use it to process the shredded coconut until you get a mixture that has the consistency of butter.
Melt the coconut oil, mix it with the peanut butter, and incorporate it into the shredded coconut mixture. You should get a preparation with a creamy consistency.
You can then add the maple syrup. Add one tablespoon at a time to make sure the preparation remains creamy. It might get too thick if you add too much maple syrup.
You can add a pinch of sea salt for flavor or some vanilla extract for a sweeter taste.
Spread the mixture in a cake pan and freeze it for 15 minutes. You can top your healthy peanut butter fudge with nuts, almonds, chocolate chips, or other toppings of your choice.
Cookies aren’t a healthy snack because of their flour and sugar content. In this recipe, flour and refined sugar are replaced with oats, coconut, and pureed fruits.
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Mix the flour, cinnamon, and oats in a mixing bowl. Use a small saucepan to melt the butter and the honey together.
Add the melted butter and honey to your dry ingredients, and add the shredded coconut and pureed cranberries or dates.
You can then add other ingredients such as nuts, seeds, chocolate chips, or dried fruits depending on what you like. Bake the cookies for 15 minutes. Don’t hesitate to bake more cookies so you can freeze them and have healthy snacks!
These are a few examples of healthy desserts you can make easily at home with ingredients you probably already have. Don’t hesitate to add or remove ingredients to make desserts your family will love, or look for substitutes you can use to make your favorite recipes healthier.
