Guilt-Free Desserts To Start the New Year

Meyer Lemon-Cheesecake Bars

Recipe: Meyer Lemon-Cheesecake Bars

These lemony bars are a great make-ahead treat. Use fresh orange juice and zest instead of lemon for a different flavor profile. Top with blueberries for additional healthy sweetness (and a pop of contrasting color).

Brown Sugar Baked Pears

Recipe: Brown Sugar Baked Pears

No crust, no cake, and if you want to lighten it up further, just reduce the amount of butter, sugar, and ice cream that you use. A baked pear with just a little cinnamon is guaranteed to be sweet and delicious.

Raspberry Crumble Bars

Recipe: Raspberry Crumble Bars

Who can resist a fruit crumble? And this version, packed with raspberries, rolled oats, and almonds, it's almost like breakfast in a bar. To make them even lighter, cut down on the sugar in the filling, or swap it with a different sweetener.

Banana Pudding

Recipe: Banana Pudding

This pudding delivers a velvety rich custard, ripe banana flavor, vanilla wafers so soft they melt in your mouth, and an irresistible golden-baked meringue topping. All this, and it's lower in fat and calories than traditional versions. These make great individual party desserts or make the pudding in an 8-inch square pan. We love it with extra wafers.

Rainbow Fruit Pizza

Recipe: Rainbow Fruit Pizza

Use whatever fruit is in season—pomegranates, bananas, oranges, and pineapple all make for a stunning presentation. You might want to save it all for yourself, but your kids or grandkids will love making and eating this sweet pizza too.

Spiced Plum Compote

Recipe: Spiced Plum Compote

Just because the holidays are over, it doesn't mean you have to give up cozy flavors. Simmer plums with warm spices like cinnamon and cloves, and you have a festive topping for healthy, protein-rich Greek yogurt.

Tip

Lightened Hummingbird Cake

Recipe: Lightened Hummingbird Cake

While we love the classic, this lightened version is equally good. All you have to do is sub in applesauce in place of some of the oil, and scale back on the butter, sugar, and eggs. As for that creamy frosting, use a light cream cheese instead.

Chocolate-Pecan Tassies

Recipe: Chocolate-Pecan Tassies

Healthy isn't just about ingredients. It's also about portion sizes. Whip up these little tassies and they're a satisfying, bite-sized treat after dinner. You get the richness of a slice of pecan pie in a healthier (and cuter) size.

Mini Berry Cobblers

Recipe: Mini Berry Cobblers

These mini cobblers are packed with juicy berries and topped with a simple biscuit. Just one will serve up the satisfying sweetness needed to finish off a meal without going overboard on the sugar and fat.

Carrot-Pineapple Mini Bundt Cakes with Buttermilk-Vanilla Glaze

Recipe: Carrot-Pineapple Mini Bundt Cakes with Buttermilk-Vanilla Glaze

Get your year off to a vibrant start with these tiny Bundt cakes, which are perfect individual servings and also packed with carrots. Serve with or without the glaze. Everyone loves mini-Bundts, so they're perfect for entertaining too.

Instant Pot Applesauce

Recipe: Instant Pot Applesauce

It's a dessert, snack, breakfast, and baking substitute all in one. You'll definitely want to keep some in your fridge, and with an easy recipe like this one, it won't be hard. Make sure to enjoy a cupful warm, too.

Mini Red Velvet Cakes

Recipe: Mini Red Velvet Cakes

Another individual dessert that helps control portion size but doesn't skimp on ingredients. And that frosting—mascarpone and cream cheese? Oh, yes.

Apple Butter Cobbler with Drop Biscuits

Recipe: Apple Butter Cobbler with Drop Biscuits

Even if you're eating healthier, some winter nights just call for a cozy dessert. It's easy to lighten this one up: When preparing the apples, you can moderate the amount of sugar or sub it out for something like honey, maple syrup, or agave.

Roasted Pears

Recipe: Roasted Pears

Aside from snacking on one straight from the fruit bowl, this might be one of the healthiest ways to enjoy a pear. The recipe uses honey as a sweetener and just a dab of butter for richness.

Chocolate Pudding

Recipe: Chocolate Pudding

It's childhood nostalgia in a bowl, and with this recipe, you can enjoy this classic dessert in a healthier way. At just 300 calories and 3 grams of fat, you'll get a lot of chocolate happiness without abandoning your healthy resolutions.

Winter Blackberry Cobbler

Recipe: Winter Blackberry Cobbler

Frozen berries make this recipe a possibility in the cold months. The minimal pastry allows the fruit to shine and limits the amount of sugar and butter you'll consume.

Summer Fruit Skewers

Recipe: Summer Fruit Skewers

Sub the summer fruits for winter ones, like persimmons, oranges, bananas, and pineapple. It'll be bright, vibrant, simple, and good for you.

Gluten-Free Peach Cobbler

Recipe: Gluten-Free Peach Cobbler

Peaches in January? Yes, thanks to the frozen section. And, making it gluten-free ensures all can enjoy.

Simplest Pear Tart

Recipe: Simplest Pear Tart

There's not much to this tart, but that's the beauty of it, as the pears are allowed to shine. The presentation is simply beautiful too.

Orange Cream Granita

Recipe: Orange Cream Granita

Make it a bright and fresh start for the new year with this zesty frozen dessert. These shaved ice treats are fun for a party and can be made into slushy cocktails with the addition of your favorite spirit.

Sweet Potato Cobbler

Recipe: Sweet Potato Cobbler

The hearty, healthy sweet potato shines in this cobbler, which uses just a bit of brown sugar and cinnamon to flavor.

Fresh Fruit Salad

Recipe: Fresh Fruit Salad

This is the one instance in which salad can be a dessert. Choose your favorite fruit medley and garnish it with fresh mint leaves and a drizzle of honey.

Key "Light" Pie

Recipe: Key "Light" Pie

Fat-free condensed milk, egg substitute, reduced-fat graham cracker crust, and fat-free whipped topping considerably lighten the traditional key lime pie.