Whether you’re looking for something sweet after a meal or need a tasty dessert for a celebration, these ideas are great ones to try! Each recipe features complex carbs to support stable blood sugar levels and they have lower levels of sodium and saturated fat for a diabetes-friendly bite. Plus, these dishes are easy to make, requiring no more than 5 ingredients. You’ll want to try options like our Chocolate Strawberry Nice Cream or our Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies for a delicious and healthy way to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Chocolate-Strawberry Nice Cream
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Priscilla Montiel
This dairy-free nice cream uses just four simple ingredients to create a tasty dessert. The chocolate-strawberry combination is perfectly balanced with ripe banana for a dessert without added sugars. A sprinkle of flaky sea salt takes the flavor to the next level, but it’s delicious even without it.
Dark Chocolate Almond Clusters
Photographer: Grant Webster, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Joseph Wanek
These bite-sized dark chocolate almond clusters blend dark chocolate with nutty almonds for an easy snack or dessert. Stick to the three ingredients we list here, or add your own twist by including dried cherries or toasted coconut for a little variety.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
These gluten-free peanut butter chocolate chip cookies are soft and chewy and, with only five simple ingredients, they can easily be whipped up by young chefs and enjoyed as an after-school treat. They’re also perfect for a holiday party or for a cookie swap.
Pineapple Nice Cream
All-fruit, dairy-free and with no added sugar–these are the hallmarks of nice cream, a healthy alternative to ice cream. This pineapple nice cream has tropical flavors, thanks to a hit of mango and lime. It takes just minutes to make this naturally sweet frozen dessert in the food processor or a blender. Enjoy it alone, or top with fresh fruit and toasted coconut.
Vegan Chocolate-Dipped Frozen Banana Bites
These bite-sized frosty morsels of frozen banana, peanut butter and vegan chocolate make a perfect easy dessert. These banana bites store well in the freezer, so make some ahead and keep them on hand for those moments you want a taste of something sweet.
Cottage Cheese–Berry Bowl
Photographer: Grant Webster, Food Stylist: Lauren McAnelly, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco
This no-sugar-added berry bowl highlights the natural sweetness of thawed mixed berries with a hint of vanilla for extra flavor. It’s a simple dessert you can prepare in advance, but add the cereal just before serving so it stays crunchy.
Berry-Lemon Ice Pops
Fresh-squeezed lemons blended with sweet berries create a perfectly refreshing taste..
Peanut Butter Stuffed Energy Balls
Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Melissa Gray, Prop Stylist: Joshua Hoggle
Peanuts do double duty in this easy snack recipe: peanut butter makes a creamy center while chopped roasted peanuts add a welcome crunch to the exterior. Dates add a natural sweetness to this healthy snack.
No-Bake Vegan Date Brownies
Sweetened with dates, these whole-grain bars provide energy and protein, thanks to nut butter. With just 5 ingredients you probably already have in your pantry, you can make these delicious, chewy brownies with no added sugar. Whip up a batch as a healthy dessert or for grab-and-go energy bars for a healthy snack.
Strawberry-Mango Nice Cream
This creamy strawberry-mango nice cream is a delicious healthy ice cream alternative. It’s all fruit, dairy-free, vegan and contains no added sugar. And this three-ingredient dessert is super-fast and easy to prep. Serve it as a snack or light dessert on the hottest days of the summer. Or anytime you want a refreshing sweet taste.
Chocolate-Hazelnut Energy Balls
These energy balls marry the flavors of nutty hazelnuts with rich chocolate. They’re chewy with a slight crunch and have just enough sweetness to curb a midday or post-dinner sweet tooth.
Pink Lemonade Nice Cream
Sweet, tangy and so refreshing, this is a recipe you could enjoy on repeat all summer long. The bananas make it ultra creamy, so it tastes like a cross between sorbet and ice cream. It’s perfect for dessert or a midafternoon snack on a hot day.
Crispy Peanut Butter Balls
All you need are four simple ingredients to make crispy peanut butter balls for a healthy spin on a classic dessert that everyone will love.
Dark Chocolate Cashew Clusters
Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Sue Mitchell, Prop stylist: Skylar Myers,
These 3-ingredient sweet bites are a breeze to make and, because dark chocolate clusters take just 15 minutes to prepare, they can be made on short notice to feed a crowd.
4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookie
This irresistible diabetes-friendly peanut butter cookie contains no flour. For special occasions, imprint them with cookie cutters to fit the season instead of the star-shaped cutter.
Raspberry-Pistachio Greek Yogurt Bark
Mix strained (Greek-style) yogurt with sweet jam and crunchy pistachios and freeze so you can break into chunks, just like chocolate bark.
Tart Cherry Nice Cream
Andrea Mathis
This easy vegan tart cherry nice cream—made from only a few simple ingredients—is guaranteed to satisfy your sweet tooth and also deliver a boost of melatonin that may help you get a more restful night’s sleep.
Strawberry-Chocolate Greek Yogurt Bark
Strained (Greek-style) yogurt is studded with fresh strawberries and chocolate chips and then frozen so you can break it into chunks just like chocolate bark (but healthier!). This colorful snack is perfect for kids and adults alike.
Quick Strawberry “Cheesecake”
Get cheesecake flavor without having to bake with this healthy dessert recipe. To make it gluten-free, look for gluten-free graham crackers.
Berry-Orange Chia Pudding
Jason Donnelly
Chia seeds, a good source of healthy omega-3 fatty acids, are combined with creamy coconut milk, berries and orange juice that adds subtle sweetness and tang.
