Our Best Healthy Dessert Recipes

You should never feel guilty about indulging (Rach herself always says she doesn't have guilty pleasures, because she has "no guilt about pleasure whatsoever") — but sometimes you crave the best of both worlds. And yes, say it with us — eating healthy CAN be delish. 

Our best healthy dessert recipes are here to prove it. 

From healthy brownie batter (YEP, brownie batter) and a metabolism-boosting mug cake to pistachio "nice" cream and avocado chocolate mousse, we're confident we'll make you a believer if you're not totally on board yet.

1. Healthy, Raw PB Brownie Batter (made with protein powder + almond flour)

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Wellness guru Keri Glassman shares a healthy, protein-packed alternative to cookie dough. Watch her make it in the video above!

GET THE RECIPE: Healthy, Raw PB Brownie Batter (made with protein powder + almond flour)

2. Apple Nachos

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An apple a day is best eaten with drizzles of chocolate and caramel sauces, right? 

GET THE RECIPE: Apple Nachos

3. Healthy, Raw, Protein Cookie Dough

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A dairy-free cookie dough? Count us in!

GET THE RECIPE: Healthy, Raw, Protein Cookie Dough

4. Pistachio Nice Cream

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Senior Culinary Producer Jeanette Donnarumma uses a food processor to churn out a healthy and dairy-free sub for ice cream.

GET THE RECIPE: Pistachio Nice Cream

5. Better-For-You Brownie Bites With Black Beans & Sweet Potato

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Black beans are the unsung hero of these extra fudgy brownies, and they happen to be good for you while replacing the need for all-purpose flour entirely.

GET THE RECIPE: Better-For-You Brownie Bites With Black Beans & Sweet Potato

6. 2-Ingredient Piña Colada Ice Cream

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When the "cream" is coconut milk and it still tastes delicious, you know you're doing something right. 

GET THE RECIPE: 2-Ingredient Piña Colada Ice Cream

7. Chocolate Walnut Drops

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These sweet bites also have some fat, so they are satisfying to every part of the brain. 

GET THE RECIPE: Chocolate Walnut Drops

8. Metabolism-Boosting Mug Cake With Cacao

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"When you're eating this, you want to think about what it's doing for your hormones," celebrity nutritionist and Metabolism Revolution author Haylie Pomroy says. "This lowers stress hormones [and] burns belly fat."

GET THE RECIPE: Metabolism-Boosting Mug Cake With Cacao

9. Healthy Banana Bread

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With coconut sugar, buckwheat flour and almond flour as substitutions, this healthy banana bread is sure to be a favorite of even the most disciplined of healthy eaters.

GET THE RECIPE: Healthy Banana Bread

10. Maple Roasted Pears

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A perfect fruit-based dessert that can double as breakfast the next day.

GET THE RECIPE: Maple Roasted Pears

11. Pumpkin Pie Protein Bites

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Your favorite fall dessert AND a protein boost all in one. 

GET THE RECIPE: Pumpkin Pie Protein Bites

12. Cucumber Granita With Watermelon

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Why have watermelon on its own when you can top it with cucumber granita and call it dessert?  

GET THE RECIPE: Cucumber Granita With Watermelon

13. Avocado Ice Cream

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The good fat from avocados makes this twist on the frozen treat better for you — and you don't even need an ice cream maker!

GET THE RECIPE: Avocado Ice Cream

14. Crustless Pumpkin Pie

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The filling has all the good stuff anyway, right? 

GET THE RECIPE: Crustless Pumpkin Pie

15. Avocado Chocolate Mousse

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Chef Richard Blais says First Lady Michelle Obama is a big fan of this spin on chocolate mousse. Enough said.

GET THE RECIPE: Avocado Chocolate Mousse

16. Banana Boats With Whole Grain Cereal

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Fruit, nuts and whole grain cereal — that's literally all this recipe takes. And yet it tastes like a treat. 

GET THE RECIPE: Banana Boats With Whole Grain Cereal

17. Cinnamon-Dusted Apple Chips

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We don't know about you, but if you turn anything into a chip, we'll eat it. And you can even dip these in peanut butter or almond butter for your healthy fat fill.

GET THE RECIPE: Cinnamon-Dusted Apple Chips

18. Baked Stuffed Apples

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Call us crazy, but: this baked stuffed apple > ice cream cone. 

GET THE RECIPE: Baked Stuffed Apples

19. Bruleed Bananas with Frozen Yogurt

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We have Culinary Producer Grant Melton to thank for this healthier take on a banana split.

GET THE RECIPE: Bruleed Bananas with Frozen Yogurt

20. Chocolate-Caramel Microwave Mug Cake

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There's no worrying about portion control with a single-portion mug cake. 

GET THE RECIPE: Chocolate-Caramel Microwave Mug Cake

21. Pumpkin Pudding Cupcakes

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You'd never, ever guess that these lightened-up pumpkin cupcakes only have 108 calories and only 2 grams of fat.

GET THE RECIPE: Pumpkin Pudding Cupcakes

22. Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter Protein Bars

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Aside from the protein boost, celeb trainer Bob Harper says oats are good for your cholesterol and chia seeds are really high in fiber — so, yep, we're making a big batch of these. 

GET THE RECIPE: Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter Protein Bars

23. Chocolate-Coconut-Almond Protein Bites

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Senior Culinary Producer Jeanette Donnarumma's "skinny" take on her favorite candy bar disappeared before our very eyes. 

GET THE RECIPE: Chocolate-Coconut-Almond Protein Bites

24. Gluten-Free, Low-Sugar Angel Food Cake (Strawberry-Shortcake Style)

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This angel food cake is made without flour or sugar (no, really) — and yet, it's still really tasty. 

GET THE RECIPE: Gluten-Free, Low-Sugar Angel Food Cake (Strawberry-Shortcake Style)