9 Must-Try Healthy Desserts to Enjoy This Holiday Season

Making healthy desserts for this holiday is easier than you may think! Plenty of these recipes offer a healthy twist to your favorite recipes without sacrificing the flavor.

Try some of these healthy dessert alternatives this holiday season!

1. Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies became healthy just in time for the holiday season. These cookies are easy to make and only have eight ingredients. Plus, there’s no skimping on chocolate, either. 

All you need is some whole wheat flour, baking soda, butter, brown sugar, some apple sauce, an egg and vanilla extract, and some dark chocolate chips! 

The recipe also has a ton of modifications and substitution options to make sure you can accommodate treats for all dietary restrictions. Let us know if you try this lower calorie, fat, and sugar cookie recipe!

2. Molten Chocolate Cake

At just 320 calories, the molten chocolate cake is sure to be a hit at your next get-together. This recipe is simple to make and is a delight to eat.

The hardest part of making the molten chocolate cake is stopping yourself at just one. Feel free to eat the cake directly in the ramekins. But we recommend sliding them onto a plate to get the satisfying drip of chocolate inside.

3. Banana Nutella Crepes

As soon as we hear a recipe that includes Nutella, we already know it will be amazing, and these banana Nutella crepes are no different. This recipe is quick to whip together and cook, giving you more time to spend on everything else you need to do this holiday season.

You can also substitute the banana for any of your favorite fruits. Looking for an extra crunch in your treats? Add some walnuts!

This recipe is great as a dessert after a filling dinner since they’re sweet and light to eat. They’re also less than 300 calories per serving, letting you enjoy your treats without the guilt.

4. Pecan Pie Bars

Every holiday deserves a healthy and tasty bar. Thankfully, these pecan pie bars deliver. 

Most pecan pie bars have up to 40 grams of sugar, and these come in at just around 22 grams. While that’s still more sugar than you may want, it’s almost half of what you’d get from a regular recipe. These bars also have no corn syrup and cut the average amount of carbs from 65 to 37. 

So, while these aren’t the healthiest dessert option available, it’s still worth trying! Besides, it’s the holidays, and you deserve to treat yourself without overindulging.

5. Vegan Pumpkin Pie

Making a vegan pie has never been easier. This vegan pumpkin pie recipe is full of flavor and will leave you wishing you had more. It only takes 20 minutes to prep and about an hour in the oven for your home to smell great.

You can also make this ahead of time and freeze it! This way, you can have healthy dessert options for everyone without sacrificing oven time during the holiday.

6. Peppermint Meringue

These peppermint meringues look tough to make, but we promise they’re easy. Just be prepared since they do take quite a few hours to cook. Thankfully you can make them ahead of time and store them in an air-tight container until you’re ready to serve!

These are great to add to any dessert table and leave you feeling minty fresh after a day of eating snacks with the family. Plus, since you’re piping them, you get to decide on the end design. 

We recommend making these with your kids so everyone can create a unique design and have fun in the kitchen.

7. Chocolate Avocado Pudding Cups

We know the thought of avocado and chocolate might be offputting at first, but it’s so worth trying. This chocolate avocado pudding cup recipe is both dairy-free and gluten-free to help accommodate all types of diets.

The recipe is easily doubled if you’re baking for a large crowd. We definitely recommend making more of these than you need and storing them since there are not going to be any leftovers after your event.

Plus, they only take ten minutes to make. This is one of those recipes you will want to make over and over again.

8. Peanut Butter Balls

These peanut butter balls don’t just look amazing; they taste amazing too. These are perfect for the peanut butter and chocolate-loving crowd. In addition, they’re gluten-free and no-bake, making them perfect for the last-minute holiday party you were invited to. 

At just 130 calories and 9 grams of fat per serving, don’t feel bad when you eat a couple on the way to the party, too.

9. Cinnamon Apple Chips

These are perfect for a crunchy dessert that anyone can make and eat. These cinnamon apple chips have no added sugar, and you don’t need a dehydrator. To be honest, this is one of those desserts you’ll end up making all year round.

If you’re looking for some extra sugar on top of the cinnamon, you can feel free to sprinkle some on top. However, even if you don’t, these apple chips are amazing either way. Each serving is less than 50 calories, and at four chips per serving, you don’t have to feel guilty about eating a few more than one serving.

Try These Healthy Desserts This Holiday Season

Now that you know some of our favorite holiday desserts, it’s time for you to give them a try this year! Let us know in the comments if you end up making any of these, or have other recipes you want to share!

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