20 Fruit Desserts That Are Delicious and Just a Little Healthy
It’s time to bake some lemon-pistachio bars.
Victor Protasio
While we love a perfectly frosted cake and a batch of brownies fresh from the oven, sometimes we’re craving a dessert that’s a tad lighter and fruit-filled. And even though fruit-forward desserts aren’t necessarily any healthier than, say, cupcakes or a slice of pie, you’re still getting a serving of fruit (and all the vitamins and nutrients that come with it) with your sweet treat. So, whether you love strawberries, grapefruit, cherries, or apples, we’ve got you covered with this roundup of delicious fruit desserts. Keep reading for dishes such as Cherry-Vanilla Bundt Cake, Lemon-Pistachio Bars, and so much more!
Related: 20 Easy Desserts You Can Make in Under an Hour
Winter Citrus Pavlova
Greg DuPree
Stock up on citrus fruits if you want to whip up this colorful pavlova, which is made with navel oranges, tangerines, and grapefruit. The fruit rests on a meringue base with a homemade lime curd inside, and is joined by plenty of whipped cream and finely chopped pistachios, which add a pleasant crunch. This dessert is also gluten-free, which is ideal for those who are gluten intolerant.
Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
Victor Protasio
These pastel cheesecake bars get their pretty pink hue from a combination of a pound of strawberries and freeze-dried strawberry powder. The fresh berries are roasted, while the freeze-dried strawberries provide a pleasant tartness that works beautifully with the cream cheese swirl and salty pretzel crust.
Tropical Fruit Salad
If you can’t take a tropical vacation right now, try this tropical fruit-forward salad instead. Fresh pineapple, papaya, mango, and kiwi steal the show in a lime juice-based dressing, and everything sits atop a bed of creamy coconut yogurt. Finish with a dusting of coconut flakes, for another fruity boost. It’s not as good as a beach vacation, but it’s close!
Cherry-Vanilla Bundt Cake
Antonis Achilleos
While this might look like a classic bundt cake from the outside, this treat has a major wow factor—a cascade of cherries hidden inside the sweet, tender crumb. To create this showstopper, you’ll add a cake batter enhanced with yogurt to the pan in two batches, with a store-bought cherry pie filling sandwiched between. If you’re a cherry fan, you’ll love this fruit-filled treat.
Sheet-Pan Apple Crisp
This apple-filled dessert is sweet, crispy, and downright delicious. To get those perfectly golden corners, use a sheet pan instead of the typical glass baking dish to bake this treat in. And while this recipe calls for Gala apples, feel free to use Braeburns, Honeycrisps, or Pink Ladies. It’s time to put all of those fresh apples to work!
White Chocolate Pomegranate Cheesecake
Victor Protasio
There are many ways to riff on a classic cheesecake recipe, but we’re fans of this photo-worthy rendition that’s made with a gingersnap cookie base and a white chocolate and pistachio topping. You don’t have to look hard for the fruit, either, as this dessert also features lime zest, and pomegranate arils, as well as a pomegranate sauce to serve alongside.
Lemon-Blueberry Cake
Greg DuPree
Take vanilla sandwich cookies, lemon sorbet, and blueberry jam, and layer them all for a delicious start to a no-bake cake that requires just 25 minutes of hands-on-work. Once you’ve built the layers, simply top the cake with homemade whipped cream and pop it in the freezer for a few hours. When you’re ready to serve, decorate this dessert with fresh blueberries, lemon slices, and mint, and dig in!
Pumpkin Bread Trifle With Pepita Streusel
Antonis Achilleos
Believe it or not, pumpkin is a fruit, which means this treat is perfect for a roundup of fruit desserts. You’ll start by baking a simple loaf of pumpkin bread. Then, bake a crumbly and sweet streusel made with flour, sugar, butter, pumpkin pie spice, and pepitas for some delightful crunch. Lastly, don’t forget the sweetened cream cheese, which is the glue that holds this tasty confection together.
No-Churn Chocolate-Cherry Ice Cream
Fred Hardy
This sweet and tart no-churn ice cream is a cheesecake lover’s dream that gets its pink hue from fruit. You’ll start by cooking frozen cherries with sugar to make a simple jam that gets swirled throughout for pockets of deep flavor. Then, make the ice cream base with cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, and whipped cream. Lastly, go ahead and fold chunks of dark chocolate in before freezing everything, for a culinary decision you will not regret.
Related: How to Make Homemade Ice Cream—and 5 Recipes to Try
Lemon-Pistachio Bars
Antonis Achilleos
Not only are these lemony confections bright and cheerful, they happen to be naturally gluten-free, thanks to a base made primarily of shelled pistachios. The egg-based custard has a flavor similar to Key lime pie, but the spike of lemon zest and juice makes these bars slightly more tart. If you like zesty, tart fruits, this is the treat for you.
Nectarine Olive Oil Cake
For an elevated take on a popular dessert, try this recipe. The cake batter is made doubly tender with a complex flavor, thanks to olive oil and plenty of puréed nectarines, as well as a topping of sea salt-flecked fruit that adds even more deliciousness to each bite. When buying olive oil for this treat, splurge on something nice that has grassy or peppery undertones.
Ginger Apple Tarte Tatin
A standard tarte tatin is a French upside-down apple tart, but this fruity take is a tad different. In this recipe, you'll infuse caramel with fresh ginger. Then, you’ll drape thawed puff pastry on top and let it turn flaky and golden in the oven. Flip the entire thing over for the big reveal table-side, and expect your guests to be impressed.
Peach Cobbler Trifle
Peaches and cream? Yes. please! Here, juicy peaches are bathed in sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon before being paired with heavy whipping cream and a store-bought pound cake. Pop this baby in the freezer so it gets a nice, refreshing chill just in time for dessert.
Pluot Crumble
Pluots are stone fruit hybrids with the crimson color of plums and the tart sweetness of apricots. If you can find pluots for this fruit dessert, use a mix of fresh apricots and plums instead. Whatever stone fruit you use will pair well with the nutty and fragrant streusel topping made with pistachios and cinnamon. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and you’re all set!
Sheet Pan Pavlova With Berries and Mangoes
For a fruit dessert that delivers on the promise of, well, fruit, whip up this sheet pan pavlova topped with fresh seasonal picks. This recipe uses summer favorites like mixed berries and mango, but pineapple and kiwifruit also work well.
Apricot Almond Cake
This plant-based treat tastes like marzipan and looks like an elegant fruit tart. The almond flour, almond milk, and almond extract used here accentuates the floral notes in the apricots, while baking draws out the jammy richness of the fruit. Opt for canned apricots in heavy syrup for the moistest, tastiest final product.
Summer Berry Trifle With Elderflower Cream
Keep this elderflower liqueur-spiked trifle on the adults-only table for your next dinner party or backyard BBQ. The boozy cream is layered between crushed cookies and lots of fresh berries, including strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries. It's a dessert that takes a little effort to put together, but it will absolutely wow your guests.
Chocolate Banana Bites
For a fruit dessert that calls for just five minutes of your time, give these frozen banana bites a whirl. Each one includes two banana slices with almond butter slathered in between them, as well as a rich dark chocolate coating and a sprinkling of flaky sea salt, for contrast. Feel free to switch things up and use a different nut butter, or opt for milk chocolate for a sweeter treat.
Related: 40 Romantic Desserts for Anniversaries, Date Night, and More
No-Churn Papaya Ice Cream
To make this no-churn ice cream, all you have to do is whip up heavy cream with sweetened condensed milk, then fold in some bright papaya chunks. Easy enough, right? Level up this dessert by topping each scoop with coconut flakes, chopped pecans, or even a drizzle of melted dark chocolate. The choice is yours!
Spicy Watermelon Margarita Ice Pops
This dessert, which is reserved for the over-21 crowd, calls for pureed watermelon mixed with sugar, lime juice, tequila, and a pinch of cayenne pepper. That white stripe, which gives this treat a photo-worthy color palette, occurs on its own when the fruit separates during freezing.
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