18 Healthy Summer Desserts Made with In-Season Fruit

Whip up a warm-weather dessert using fresh berries, peaches, and more.

Sour Cherry Sorbet
Photo: Blaine Moats

Take advantage of fresh, in-season produce and enjoy our best healthy summer desserts at your next gathering or after a weeknight dinner. These light treats are so delicious and satisfying you won't even notice they're under 300 calories with beneficial nutrients from fruit, whole grains, and naturally sweet ingredients.

01 of 18

Dessert Pizza with Banana Ice Cream

Dessert Pizza with Banana Ice Cream
Blaine Moats

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. Cool and crispy, it's a must-make healthy summer dessert for hot weather. Tailor it to the season by loading it up with strawberries andmango slices in early summer or peaches and blackberries later in the season.

02 of 18

Blueberry and Peach Slab Pie

metal baking sheet of Peach and Blueberry Slab Pie
Andy Lyons

Stick with one crust instead of two for this summer fruit pie to keep each slice under 300 calories. Not only does that save calories, but it also allows the summer fruits—blueberries and peaches—to shine. Because there's no need to keep this recipe cold or hot for serving, it's one of our go-to healthy summer desserts when we want a sweet that's not too rich.

03 of 18

Fresh Berry Bruschetta

Fresh Berry Bruschetta
Karla Conrad

Nope, there are no tomatoes in this bruschetta recipe; we're going all sweet with this under-250-calorie healthy summer dessert. Sprinkle bread slices with cinnamon and sugar, stir in fresh mint to your cream cheese spread, and top with fresh, slightly mashed summer berries for a fast sweet that fits your healthy eating plan.

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Sour Cherry Sorbet

Sour Cherry Sorbet
Blaine Moats

Three ingredients and 10 minutes of prep are all it takes to get this make-ahead, healthy summer dessert in the freezer. Serve by the scoop for one of our best light summer desserts (only 70 calories!), in a glass with your favorite cola for a soda-shop treat, or make it a boozy dessert with sparkling wine.

05 of 18

Carrot and Zucchini Bars

Carrot and Zucchini Bars
Andy Lyons

Move over, summer salads. Zucchini-carrot bars are a more fun way to feature fresh summer produce. Top off the bars with a generous slather of our citrus-spiked cream cheese frosting, all while keeping dessert under 150 calories.

06 of 18

Peach-Berry Slump

Peach-Berry Slump
Blain Moats

The cobbler mixture in this healthy summer dessert only requires two tablespoons of butter keeping the 245-calorie sweet at just four grams of fat. With a full pound of peaches and two cups of berries as the base, this is a fruit-forward dessert that won't weigh you down.

07 of 18

Choco-Zucchini Cupcakes

Choco-Zucchini Cupcakes
Jay Wilde

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

08 of 18

Berry Slab Pie

Berry Slab Pie
Andy Lyons

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 (116-calorie) treat sooner.

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Triple-Berry Cobbler

Triple Berry Cobbler
Jason Donnelly

Raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries are topped with a crumb mixture for an impressive after-dinner sweet from your slow cooker. Get it going in the morning, and this healthy dessert recipe will be ready whenever you are.

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Stovetop Peach-Blackberry Crisp

Stove-Top Peach-Blackberry Crisp
Blaine Moats

Leave the oven off and cook this peach and berry crisp recipe on your stove. Use your creativity (and whatever looks best at the market) to make this 30-minute dessert recipe your own. Nectarines or plums make stellar peach stand-ins, while blueberries or raspberries work wonderfully instead of blackberries.

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Peach Crisp with Cornbread Topper

Peach Crisp with Cornbread Topper
Jason Donnelly

Grab a package of corn muffin mix, and you're halfway to making this delicious and healthy summer dessert idea. Make a bubbly brown sugar peach mixture and top it with spoonfuls of corn batter. Drizzle it with honey right out of the oven and serve it warm with vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt.

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Blueberry Lemonade Poke Cake

Blueberry Lemonade Poke Cake
Jacob Fox

A homemade blueberry sauce infuses this summer cake recipe with sweet berry flavor. Before you spread it over the cake, drizzle on lemonade concentrate to echo the flavor of the classic warm weather drink. Finish with a fluffy lemon curd whipped cream.

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Schaum Torte

Schaum Torte

Jason Donnelly

If you've never had Schaum Torte before, you're in for a treat! The cake is very similar to a meringue with a crisp exterior and marshmallow-like center. Pile on whipped cream and fresh raspberries or strawberries and serve immediately.

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Roasted Strawberry Frozen Yogurt

Roasted Strawberry Frozen Yogurt
Carson Downing

Roasting the strawberries first helps intensify their flavor. Our recipe testers also adored the jammy strawberry pieces throughout the frozen yogurt. Each serving clocks in at 157 calories and 3 grams of fat.

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Confetti Cake and Ice Cream Pops

confetti-cake-ice-cream-pops-RU359750
Carson Downing

Give ice cream cake a remix by making it into easy-to-eat pops. Here, confetti cake is layered with sorbet and finished with sprinkles. One reviewer raved, "Delicious! We just ate it as an ice cream cake."

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Raspberry-Peach Clafouti

Raspberry-Peach Clafouti in white bowl
Karla Conrad

Clafoutis is a French dessert made with fresh fruit and a custardy batter. Here, we're using fresh raspberries and peaches. Top the finished dessert with a light sprinkle of powdered sugar and fresh basil.

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Mini Blueberry Pies

Mini Blueberry Pies
Blaine Moats

Each of these individual pies is under 300 calories. The filling is made with fresh blueberries, water, cornstarch, and sugar. Top the finished summer dessert with more fresh berries, lemon zest, and whipped cream or yogurt.

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Coconut-Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

Coconut-Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
Blaine Moats

This big-batch dessert recipe makes 32 servings. To make, layer a homemade coconut crust with cheesecake filling and fresh blueberries. Cool completely before slicing and serving.

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