Looking to make desserts that are delicious and nutritious? Here are 10 simple guilt-free holiday recipes to make the season a little more joyful.
The holiday season is a joyful time for friends, family, and food – especially the temptingly delicious kind.
This year, what if you could have healthy Christmas treats instead of a triple-dose of refined sugar every night for two weeks straight? These easy Christmas treats make it possible. Even the kids will love them (no need to tell them you used less sugar and healthy fats)!
Low calorie baked goods, cake, and easy Christmas cookies are a lot easier to make than you’d think. And we’ve got them all listed in our healthy holiday dessert guide below. For a quick look at our healthy Christmas desserts, keep scrolling.
Here are 10 Healthy Dessert Recipes for the Holidays
The average chocolate truffle has 45 grams of carbs and isn’t gluten free or dairy free. And sure, ice cream and pecan pie taste great in the moment, but are they worth the extra calories?
With our recipes, you can indulge more and gain less! Many of the recipes below are paleo or gluten free – seriously! Who knows, maybe this will be your first gluten-free Christmas. Apple crisp will never be the same.
These deserts will make the perfect addition to your next Christmas dinner – or any holiday celebration, really:
- No-Regret Brownies
- Cinnamon Bakers Apples
- Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Banana Bites
- Homemade Raspberry Sorbet
- Maca Lemon Cheesecake Bites
- No-Bake Pumpkin Cookies
- One-Mug Blueberry Crumble
- Pumpkin Blondies
- Raspberry Chocolate Mousse
- White Chocolate Berry Bark
1. No-Regret Brownies
- Servings: 8
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Bake Time: 20 Minutes
- Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups canned black beans (drained and rinsed), 1/2 cup cocoa powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/4 cup coconut oil plus extra for greasing the pan, 1/2 cup maple syrup, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 2 eggs, a dash of salt, 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips.
- Directions: Preheat oven, grease baking dish, blend ingredients, fold in chocolate chips, bake, and cool.
2. Cinnamon Baked Apples
- Servings: 2
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking Time: 25-35 Minutes
- Ingredients: 1 lb apples peeled, cored, and sliced, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1 cup vanilla frozen yogurt.
- Directions: Preheat oven, combine ingredients, bake, stir, serve with yogurt.
3. Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Banana Bites
- Servings: 12
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Freeze Time: 1 hour
- Ingredients: 1 cup dark chocolate chips, 1/2 cup almond butter, 1 banana sliced into 1/2 inch rounds.
- Directions: Melt chocolate, layer ingredients, freeze, and serve.
4. Homemade Raspberry Sorbet
- Servings: 3-4
- Prep Time: 5-10 Minutes
- Cooking Time: 0 Minutes
- Ingredients: 3 cups frozen raspberries, 2 tbsp maple syrup, 3-4 tbsp water.
- Directions: Blend ingredients, serve immediately.
5. Maca Lemon Cheesecake Bites
- Servings: 12
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Bake Time: 20 Minutes
- Crust Ingredients: 1 cup pecan halves, 1 cup rolled oats, 3 tbsp maple syrup, 1/4 cup coconut oil, 1 egg white, Dash of salt.
- Cheesecake Filling ingredients: 1 cup cream cheese, 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp lemon zest plus more for garnish, 1 egg, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 2 tsp of organic maca powder. 12 cupcake liners.
- Directions: Preheat oven, blend crust ingredients, add liners, divide crust, blend filling, divide filling, bake, cool, refrigerate.
6. No-Bake Pumpkin Cookies
- Servings: 12-14
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Freeze Time: 30 Minutes
- Ingredients: 1.5 cups chickpea flour, 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 cup almond butter, 1/3 cup maple syrup, 1/3 cup pumpkin puree, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/3 cup white chocolate chips.
- Directions: Combine ingredients, form cookies, refrigerate, and serve.
7. One-Mug Blueberry Crumble
- Servings: 1
- Prep Time: 4 Minutes
- Cooking Time: 0-5 Minutes
- Ingredients: 3/4 cup blueberries, 1/2 tsp cornstarch, 1/4 cup quick oats, 1 tbsp ghee.
- Directions: Combine ingredients in a mug, microwave or bake, and serve.
8. Pumpkin Blondies
- Servings: 8-10
- Prep Time: 15 Minutes
- Cooking Time: 12-15 Minutes
- Ingredients: 1/2 cup pure pumpkin puree, 3 eggs, 1/4 cup almond butter, 1/4 cup maple syrup (more for a sweeter taste), 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 cup almond flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp pumpkin spice, 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips, Coconut oil (for greasing muffin tins).
- Directions: Preheat oven, mix ingredients, fold in chips, bake, and serve.
9. Raspberry Chocolate Mousse
- Servings: 4-6
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking Time: 0 Minutes (Store in Refrigerator)
- Ingredients: 1 cup silken or soft tofu, 1 cup dark chocolate chips, 2 tbsp maple syrup, 1/2 cup raspberries.
- Directions: Blend ingredients, fill cups, top with raspberries, refrigerate, and serve.
10. White Chocolate Berry Bark
- Servings: 4
- Prep Time: 5 Minutes
- Freeze Time: 3-4 hours
- Ingredients: 2 cups Greek yogurt, 1 tbsp honey, 1/4 cup strawberries, 1/4 cup blueberries, 2 tbsp white chocolate chips.
- Directions: Combine yogurt and honey, spread on parchment, sprinkle toppings, freeze, chop, and serve.
We hope you enjoy these healthy holiday dessert recipes for Christmas this year. Happy Holidays! And by the way, we have more helpful guides to get you through the season too like our holiday eating tips and this handy holiday mocktail guide.