Simple Whole Food Dessert Recipes With 6 Ingredients or Less

Here are 12 options for whole food dessert recipes that are truly easy – some take just minutes of hands-on time – and have no more than six ingredients.

Believe it or not, there are many options for delicious desserts that don’t have a lot of ingredients, take just minutes of your time to make, and are made with real, whole foods. In my book (and now that I think about it, my actual, literal book!) eating healthy doesn’t have to mean denying the range of delicious foods that are available. It does mean not eating the whole plate, though.

And while I’m not sure I’d go so far as to label desserts “healthy” – they do usually have added sugars and fats, no matter if those are real foods – I wouldn’t say they are unhealthy, either. I like to add whole grains to cookies and sometimes sweeten brownies honey – we’re going to eat them, so why not up the food value?

Ideally desserts should be only weekly or special occasion treats, and as that can be a part of a healthy lifestyle. Maybe while we’re at it we can get out of the “good food-bad food” thought processes. While we may not want certain foods in our homes for whatever reason, it is all food (well, most of it, anyway…). I’ve found that setting up certain foods (or ingredients as the media likes to do) as “bad” or “good” just gives food overall way too much power in our lives.

Choosing quality, whole ingredients is the best way to make treats fit in with your family’s health goals – and having a repertoire of easy, quick recipes never hurts either, does it?