7 Sweet Low Calorie Desserts (Under 200 Calories!)

Article posted in: Diet & Nutrition
Chocolate covered bananas and chocolate covered kiwis

If you love sweets, cutting them out completely when you’re trying to lose weight is a recipe for failure: You’ll always feel deprived, and even if you make your goal, you’re likely to dive back into sweets-eating without having learned about controlling portions or your cravings.

There’s always a way to enjoy something sweet and stay on track. These seven low-calorie dessert recipes are all 200 calories or less per serving—and they’re easy to make.

The trick, as with any treat, is to make it a treat and make it satisfying. To help with this, try eating any of these desserts mindfully: Sit down away from distraction, and concentrate on the sensations and flavors as you eat it. In numerous studies, eating in this way has been shown to increase feelings of satisfaction and fullness.

1. Make your own chocolate candies with bananas and dark chocolate.

A banana dipped in chocolate is a classic dessert, but cutting the banana into coins does it one better—they’re easy to portion control, you can stash some for later, and it increases the chocolate-to-banana ratio.

Servings: 2

On Nutrisystem, counts as: ½ SmartCarb and 2 Extras. (Enjoy with a half cup of fresh strawberries, and you’ve got yourself 1 full SmartCarb).

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium banana
  • Two ½-ounce squares of dark baking chocolate (or equivalent amount of dark chocolate)

Directions:

  1. Slice the banana into ½- to 1-inch-thick coins.
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  3. Using a metal bowl on top of a pot with a small amount of water (or, if you have it, a double-boiler), melt the chocolate squares.
  4. Place a dollop of chocolate onto the parchment paper, just smaller than a banana coin.
  5. Top the dollop with the banana coin.
  6. Dollop more chocolate on top to cover the coin. Repeat for the remaining banana pieces.
  7. Put in the refrigerator until the “candies” cool and the chocolate hardens. Store the leftover serving in the freezer.
  8. Optional: Stick toothpicks into your “candies” for a fun and mess-free way to enjoy them!

Tasty Tip #1: Kiwis taste delicious coated in chocolate as well! Two kiwis count as one SmartCarb on Nutrisystem.

Tasty Tip #2: Roll your chocolate bananas in crushed peanuts for an added crunch. Two tablespoons of peanuts count as one PowerFuel on Nutrisystem.

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2. Wake up wanting something sweet? Try this filling chocolate-coconut toast.

You like something sweet in the morning? No judgment here: That’s why donut shops have flourished for a zillion years. But your start-your-day dessert can do more than just spike your blood sugar: With this simple chocolate-coconut-peanut butter toast, it can fill you with some whole grain fiber and healthy fats.

To make it, find a multigrain (or, better yet, whole grain) bread that has about 80 calories per slice Put it in the toaster. Once it’s toasted to your liking, top it with one tablespoon of a dark chocolate-flavored peanut butter (like the incredible “Dark Chocolate Dreams” from Peanut Butter and Company). Sprinkle on one tablespoon of unsweetened flaked coconut, and enjoy.

Servings: 1

On Nutrisystem, counts as: 1 SmartCarb, 1 PowerFuel and 1 Extra

Ingredients:

  • 1 slice whole grain bread
  • 1 Tbsp. dark chocolate-flavored peanut butter
  • 1 Tbsp. unsweetened coconut flakes

Directions:

  1. Toast the bread in a toaster.
  2. Top toast with dark chocolate-flavored peanut butter and coconut flakes.

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3. Make cookies with light whipped topping.

Light whipped topping (like Cool Whip Lite) is already a low-calorie miracle: The entire eight-ounce tub has just 500 calories, so pairing 1/5 of the package (or about a half cup) with one cup of fresh strawberries or blueberries is an easy, low-calorie dessert.

But you can also use it to make light, fluffy cookies that cut way back on calories. Oh, and there are only three ingredients, meaning they’re crazy easy.

Servings: 18 (1 serving = 1 cookie)

On Nutrisystem, counts as: 1 SmartCarb

Ingredients:

  • 8 ounces of light whipped topping thawed but not melted
  • 1 18.25-ounce box of lemon or other fruit-flavored cake mix
  • 2 large eggs

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Mix the whipped topping and the eggs in a bowl.
  3. Once combined, add in the cake mix little by little, and keep stirring until you get a thick dough.
  4. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, dole out 18 teaspoons of dough.
  5. Bake for 8 minutes.

4. Make the world’s easiest peanut butter cookies.

Here’s another three-ingredient cookie that’s nothing but peanut butter, sugar and egg—all real stuff that can only come out delicious.

Servings: 12 (1 serving = 1 cookie)

On Nutrisystem, counts as: 1 cookie counts as 1 PowerFuel and 2 Extras

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup natural creamy peanut butter
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Mix the three ingredients in a bowl until smooth.
  3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  4. Place 12 dollops of the dough onto the baking sheet, then press each down with the tines of a fork to make those fancy-looking peanut butter cookie lines.
  5. Bake for 6-8 minutes, or until they’re just brown on the bottom. Each cookie is less than 200 calories.

5. Make peanut butter banana pops—the perfect summer treat.

Yes, more peanut butter: It’s sweet, has protein, and the natural kind has healthy fats that studies have shown may help decrease belly fat. The recipe is below, or check out this video to see how they’re made.

Servings: 4

On Nutrisystem, counts as: 1 PowerFuel, ½ SmartCarb (pair with ½ cup of fruit for a full SmartCarb) and 1 Extra

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 2 medium bananas
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1 Tbsp. honey
  • Popsicle molds

Directions:

  1. Put all the ingredients in a blender. Blend until you get a nice, creamy texture.
  2. Pour the mixture into 4 popsicle molds. Freeze overnight. Each popsicle is less than 200 calories!

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6. Try a skinny spin on a childhood favorite.

If you’ve ever paid a visit to the “Happiest Place on Earth,” you know just how delicious Pineapple Whip can be. Make your own healthy version of this sweet treat with this simple (and delicious!) recipe that’s under 200 calories:

Servings: 4

On Nutrisystem, counts as: 1 SmartCarb

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups frozen, unsweetened pineapple
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk

Directions:

  1. Combine ingredients in a high-speed blender.
  2. Blend until the mixture achieves a sorbet-like consistency.
  3. *Note: if saving for later, just re-blend when you’re ready to eat.

7. Make your own healthy ice cream.

Bananas, fruit and liquid. It’s all you need to create a mouthwatering treat that’s fewer than 200 calories and packed with indulgent flavor. Click here to learn how to become an ice cream-making superstar!