Healthy Fruit Dessert Recipes

Try these recipe makeovers for guilt-free fruit goodies.

By Elaine Magee, MPH, RD
WebMD Weight Loss Clinic - Expert Column

What's not to like about fruit for dessert? You've got "something sweet" and at the same time you're getting a serving of fruit, complete with fiber and health-promoting vitamins and phytochemicals. But how often do we sit down to just a bowl of fruit for dessert?

Think of our favorite fruit desserts, like strawberry shortcake, fruit crisps and cobblers, fruit pies and tarts, upside down cake -- they're anything but low-calorie. Yes, we do like our fruit, but we love it dipped in chocolate, topped with ice cream or whipped cream, or layered with pastry crust or cake.

The good news is that there are some easy ways to instantly make your favorite fruit dessert recipes healthier. Check out some of these ingredient switches:

Make your dessert "a la mode" with a cookie scoop (1/4 cup) of light or low-fat ice cream instead of a 1/2-cup scoop of full-fat ice cream. You'll save 130 calories, 10.5 grams fat, 6.6 grams saturated fat, 59 milligrams cholesterol, and 8 grams carbohydrate.
Add a small dollop (1/8 cup) of light whipped cream instead of a big plop of heavy whipping cream (1/2 cup). You'll save 162 calories, 17.5 grams fat, 11 grams saturated fat, and 65 milligrams cholesterol.
Serve your fresh fruit atop a slice of angel food cake (weighing 50 grams per slice) instead of buttery pound cake (85 grams per slice). You'll save 95 calories, 14 grams fat, 3.5 grams saturated fat, 80 milligrams cholesterol, and 16 grams carbohydrate.
When your pie recipe calls for dotting butter or margarine on top of the filling or on top of the crust, just skip this step. You'll save 100 calories, 11.5 grams fat, 7 grams saturated fat, and 30 milligrams cholesterol for every tablespoon of butter you leave out.
Reduce the sugar called for in any fruit dessert recipe by 25%. Sometimes you can cut the sugar even further, by 1/3 or half, depending on the recipe. You'll save 49 calories and 12.5 grams carbohydrate for every tablespoon of sugar you cut.
Don't add oil or melted butter to cake mixes. There's already about 4 grams of fat per serving of dry mix. Add something liquid but low in calories instead, like fat-free sour cream, applesauce, strong coffee, or light yogurt. You'll save 54 calories, 6 grams fat, 0.5 grams saturated fat per serving (if the cake mix calls for 1/3 cup of oil and makes 12 servings).
Instead of a two-crust pie, opt for a fruit crisp topped with an oatmeal crumb mixture. (For even more calorie savings, use a healthier crumb topping recipe with more fiber and less sugar.) You'll save 100 calories, 10 grams fat, 2.5 grams saturated fat (if you enjoy a serving of our Apple Pie Crisp (see below) instead of a small slice of apple pie.)

To demonstrate these makeover tips, here are four recipes for healthy (or at least healthier) fruit desserts.