Healthy Summer Desserts

Take advantage of fresh, in-season produce and enjoy these healthy dessert recipes at your next barbecue, block party, or casual summer dinner. Plus, these summer desserts are so delicious and satisfying that you won't even notice they're lower in fat and calories!
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Dessert Pizza with Banana Ice Cream

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Banana "nice" cream (pureed frozen bananas mixed with a bit of milk to achieve an ice cream-like consistency) is the sauce on this crispy rice cereal-crusted fruit pizza. Tailor it to the season by loading it up with strawberries and mango slices come early summer or peaches and blackberries later in the season.

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Blueberry and Peach Slab Pie

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Stick with one crust instead of two for this summer fruit pie. Not only will you slash the calorie count nearly in half, but you'll also showcase nature's candy that makes up the pie filling.

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Banana Split Pie

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Can you believe this ice cream parlor-inspired slice has just 167 calories? It's true, thanks to lower-fat swaps for the graham cracker crumb crust, chocolate and vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, and whipped topping. Promise you won't be able to taste the difference in this banana split treat!

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Berry Tart with Lemon Cookie Crust

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Even with a homemade buttery crust, this stunning summer dessert is low in calories. The luscious lemon topping is made with fat-free cream cheese and Greek yogurt.

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Nectarine Shortcakes with Honeyed Yogurt Sauce

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Give the peaches and cream concept a healthy summer makeover! Two nutrition-boosting strategies make this shortcake a smart choice: the biscuits are made with half whole-wheat flour, while the decadent cream mixture is hiding a cup of protein-rich Greek yogurt.

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Rasberry Sorbet

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You're just five ingredients away from our most refreshing summer dessert. Fresh, in-season raspberries top the list, giving this sorbet its gorgeous color and sweet-tart flavor.

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Burrata and Stone Fruit

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Sometimes, simple is best. Like that time in summer when stone fruit is so naturally sweet, you don't need to add a hint of sugar! Stock up on nectarines, plums, peaches, apricots (or a mix) and combine with creamy burrata cheese, spicy chili oil, and refreshing fresh mint for a healthy summer dessert recipe that toes the sweet-heat line beautifully.

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Carrot and Zucchini Bars

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Move over, summer salads. Zucchini-carrot bars are a more scrumptious way to feature fresh summer produce. Top off the bars with a generous slather of our citrus-spiked cream cheese frosting.

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Gluten Free Sweet Ricotta and Strawberry Parfaits

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Ricotta, a rich and creamy Italian cheese, only needs a bit of agave or honey and a dash of vanilla to taste just like cheesecake. Layer with fresh berries and mint for a healthy summer dessert that tastes way more decadent than its 159 calories.

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Raspberry Fudge Greek Frozen Yogurt

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Swap out your usual ice cream for homemade frozen Greek yogurt. It's a protein-packed summer dessert that's refreshing and satisfying. And despite a dousing of raspberry preserves and chocolate syrup, one serving of this treat has only 115 calories.

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Berry-Banana Smoothie Bowls

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Freeze fresh cherries and blueberries to toss in this smoothie bowl recipe to highlight the summer produce all-stars in a refreshing way. Each 180-calorie bowl is sweet, yet surprisingly low in sugar, since you're using the fruit at its peak ripeness. For a desserty touch, garnish with sliced almonds and dark chocolate chips.

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Choco-Zucchini Cupcakes

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Moist, cocoa-loaded, and secretly healthy, these single-serving cakes get their summer style (and slimmed-down calorie tally) via two cups of shredded zucchini. Everyone will be so distracted by the peanut butter cup-like flavors that they won't even notice the veggies hiding inside the cupcake batter.

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Strawberry Sangria Ice Pops

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Chill out with an ice pop inspired by the crowd-pleasing cocktail. The strawberry dessert recipe calls for a cup of white wine (about one-third of a bottle). What you do with the other two-thirds is up to you—although we highly recommend sharing it with a friend while enjoying the weather on a patio!

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Dark Chocolate Fondue with Fruit Kabobs

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Whether you drizzle or dip, you'll love our dreamy (and low-cal) dark chocolate fondue. Served with summery fruit kabobs and a splash of coffee, it's the perfect summer dessert.

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Vanilla Bean Mascarpone with Fresh Fruit

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You probably know this Italian cream cheese from its starring role in tiramisu. We let it step into the spotlight in this three-ingredient stone fruit dessert.

Tip: For even more summer flair, sprinkle the mascarpone mixture with ribbons of fresh basil or mint.

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Lemon Balm and Blackberry Meringues

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Light and airy vanilla meringues make an ideal base for a healthy summer dessert—they look just like fluffy clouds in a sunny sky! Citrusy herbs and fresh blackberries take this warm-weather treat to new seasonal, fresh heights.

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Mexican Fruit Cups with Honey-Lime Syrup

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As we mentioned before, seasonal fruit doesn't need much to taste like dessert. Here we just add a nice amount of spice (see the cilantro and chile pepper?), plus zingy lime juice, and a drizzle of honey for a south of the border sweet course.

Tip: Tame the heat of the chile pepper by dunking the fruit in fat-free vanilla Greek yogurt before digging in.

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Strawberry Greek Frozen Yogurt

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You'll melt over this easy ice cream swap that requires just 15 minutes of prep time before freezing. Make the frozen dessert recipe your own by using different yogurt flavors and summer fruits.

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Berry Slab Pie

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Load a light, flaky crust with your favorite berries for the ultimate summer dessert. Frozen puff pastry simplifies the prep so you can enjoy your sweet treat sooner.

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Strawberry-Lemon Bars

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Topped with lemon-infused strawberry jelly and plump ripe strawberries, these gooey lemon bars are perfect for fruit-lovers. At 115 calories a pop, saying no is totally unnecessary.

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Watermelon-Kiwi Pops

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Bright and refreshing, these easy-to-make fruit pops are an ideal dessert recipe for warm summer days. Recruit the kids to help you make them, and watch them enjoy a delicious serving of fruit as they cool off.

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Triple-Berry Cobbler

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Raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries are topped with a crumb topping for an impressive dessert that comes right out of your slow cooker. Get it going in the morning, and a healthy dessert recipe will be ready whenever you are.

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Mocha Cream Shake

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For an ice cream treat that's all grown up, turn to this rich mocha shake. Made with low-fat frozen yogurt, strong brewed coffee, and dark chocolate, this dessert recipe is decadence at its best.

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Stovetop Peach-Blackberry Crisp

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Keep the oven off and "bake" this peach and berry crisp recipe right on your stove. Use your creativity  (and what looks best at the market) and make this 30-minute dessert recipe your own. Nectarines or plums make stellar peach stand-ins, while blueberries or raspberries work wonderfully in place of the blackberries.

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