16 Simple Whole Food Dessert Recipes With 6 Ingredients or Less

These easy-to-follow whole food dessert recipes using just 6 ingredients or less will have you whipping up mouth-watering treats using real food ingredients in no time. From classic favorites to unique combinations, these no-fuss desserts are tried-and-true recipes that everyone loves. You won’t believe how simple, yet delicious desserts can be!

Happily, 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 most 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 weekly or special occasion treats, and moderated this way can easily be a part of a healthy lifestyle.

Soapbox…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. Hopping down…

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? I hope this list of seventeen dessert recipes that don’t have long lists of ingredients hits the better-for-you spot!

16 Whole Food Dessert Recipes – 6 Ingredients or Less

1. Easy Real Food Homemade Butter Mints

Mix up the ingredients, shape and then let them air dry for days (yes!). Crispy on the outside, soft in the center. You will never buy butter mints again!

2. Peanut Butter Chocolate Truffles

Once you see how effortless it is to make these delicious truffles, you will not pay the expensive prices again. Easily made with any nut butter.

3. Refreshing Berry Parfaits with Honey Sweetened Cream

To me these are the perfect warm weather ending to a meal eaten outside – easily made ahead with the season’s perfect berries and cream only slightly sweetened with honey.

4. Individual Berry Crisps with Big-Crumb Topping

A long-time family favorite, I make these all year around with fresh berries in the summer and frozen in the winter. You can make it in a 8×8 pan, but serving and eating in individual ramekins is SO easy.

5. Classic Cream Cheese Mints Dipped in Chocolate

What’s better than the classic 3-ingredient cream cheese mint candies? Dipping them in chocolate!

6. Healthier Chocolate Crispy Peanut Butter Balls

The healthier part is the honey-sweetened centers without any powdered sugar and the best part is that they taste amazing and you won’t miss it!

7. Incredible, No-Churn Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

This was such a revelation when I discovered how easy it was to make homemade ice cream without any machine. This is a my husband’s favorite ice cream flavor (and I found the secret for easy-to-eat chocolate chips, too).

8. Amazing No-Churn Chocolate Ice Cream

So of course I needed to make my favorite ice cream flavor – and when you make it yourself, you can make it as dark as you want.

9. Quick & Easy Chocolate Lava Cakes

This never fails to impress and everyone LOVES it. They will never guess how easy it is to prep ahead and make so that it comes out perfect.

10. Low Sugar, Dark Chocolate Coconut Clusters

Using dark chocolate and unsweetened coconut makes these too-easy candies actually good for you. Modeled off an expensive candy store offering, these will also save you money vs. buying them!

11. 10-Minute Whole Wheat Skillet Blackberry Cobbler

This is such a great way to enjoy the season’s berries (any type will work) – the whole wheat crust is just lightly sweetened with a crisp edge that’s a perfect contrast to the softened berries.

12. Healthy Chocolate Pecans with Homemade Maple Sweetened Chocolate

These are a revelation! Stir up your own easy chocolate sweetened with maple syrup, coat the nuts and then toss them in cocoa powder. Good for you and so yummy.

13. Caramel Dip for Apples Recipe (+ Lower Sugar Option and Easy Microwave Method)

This is a fall tradition in our house – so much so that I came up with a microwave version to make it that much easier!

14. Quick & Easy Coconut Macaroons (No Condensed Milk, No Flour)

This is one of my husband’s favorite cookies, so I came up with a quick way to make them that doesn’t use a can of condensed milk so they can be made at any time!

15. Quick & Rich Mini Chocolate Truffle Cakes

These are so rich with a crispy, brownie like top and fudgey interior that you can only eat one or two – which makes them perfect in my book!

16. Healthy No Bake Fudge Oatmeal Bars (Gluten-Free)

I’m squeezing this in even though the vanilla puts it at 7 ingredients…mainly because they are so easy and so delicious that you’d never guess they are healthier, too. They are perfect for kids lunches and picnic potlucks!

Hopefully, this gives you a great start to finding easy whole food dessert recipes for the months ahead that may find you needing to bring something special to picnics, BBQ’s, and parties. Of course you can always find more in the dessert recipe index – most are easy, too, though they require a few more ingredients, so didn’t make this list.