22 Delicious and Tempting Sugar-Free Desserts

By
Colleen Graham
Photo of Colleen Graham
Colleen Graham
Freelance writer and cocktail book author Colleen Graham is a seasoned mixologist who loves sharing her knowledge of spirits and passion for preparing drinks.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 06/28/21

There's no need to skip dessert when you're trying to cut sugar out of your diet. All your sweet tooth needs is a wonderful sugar-free dessert recipe. From luscious cakes and pies to delicious cookies and an ice cream treat or two, these recipes are sure to please. They skip refined sugars completely, relying instead on ingredients like fruits and alternative sweeteners to give them a sweet, indulgent taste.

  • 01 of 22

    Lemon Cake

    Sugar-Free Lemon Cake

    The Spruce / Yana Karin

    Cake almost always contains sugar, but it is possible to make one without it. The sugar-free lemon cake recipe begins with a sugar-free yellow cake mix, and fresh lemon juice and zest give the mini cakes a wonderful flavor. The only sugars come from the fresh strawberries that are paired with sugar-free preserves in the sauce. Quick and simple, your family will love it.

  • 02 of 22

    Vegan Carrot Cake

    Sugar-free carrot cake with dates

    Alexandra Grablewski / Getty images

    Sweetened with dates, raisins, and a bit of orange juice, there's no need for sugar in this vegan carrot cake. The recipe uses whole wheat flour, a delicious combination of warming spices, and walnuts to create a carrot cake you won't forget anytime soon.

  • 03 of 22

    Cool Whip Yogurt Pie

    Cool whip pie recipe

    The Spruce / Emily Hawkes

    A no-bake recipe, it's hard to resist the Cool Whip yogurt pie. The yogurt you choose determines the pie's flavor, so you can pick up your favorite or do a custom blend. To keep the pie sugar-free, be sure to use sugar-free Cool Whip and yogurt. You will also want to make a sugar-free graham cracker crust.

  • 04 of 22

    Red Velvet Molten Lava Mug Cake

    Sugar-Free Red Velvet Moten Lava Mug Cake

    The Spruce / Brenda Bennett

    If you thought your diet meant that you can't enjoy a red velvet cake, think again! This tasty recipe for two is sweet, delicious, and has a gooey center made of sugar-free chocolate. Better yet, there's no need to heat the oven because the red velvet molten lava mug cake is made in the microwave.

    Continue to 5 of 22 below.
  • 05 of 22

    No-Bake Keto Cheesecake

    No-Bake Keto Cheesecake

    Kristina Vanni/Eric Kleinberg

    The keto diet restricts added sugar, and the diet's popularity has led to some amazing sugar-free desserts. Like the no-bake keto cheesecake, many recipes replicate favorite sweets using a sugar substitute. With its almond flour crust, lemon-kissed filling, and berry topping, it's deliciously simple.

  • 06 of 22

    Pumpkin Pie

    Sugar-Free Pumpkin Pie

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

    Pumpkin pie is a favorite for the autumn and winter holidays, but it's often loaded with sugar. It doesn't have to be that way, especially if you use this sugar-free pumpkin pie recipe. Like many no-sugar recipes, it replaces white sugar with an artificial sweetener, such as Splenda or Truvia. It has a wonderful spice blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves, so it tastes just like the original.

  • 07 of 22

    Keto Crème Brûlée

    How to Make Creme Brulee
    Alison Conklin

    Caramelized sugar is the signature of crème brûlée, but a quick swap to a keto sweetener brings this little dish into the sugar-free world. As you explore sugar-free recipes, you'll discover that some sugar alternatives work better than others in certain circumstances. For instance, you'll want to use an allulose sweetener in the keto crème brûlée recipe because xylitol doesn't caramelize well.

  • 08 of 22

    Vegan Oatmeal Fruit Cookies

    Low calorie vegan oatmeal cookies

    The Spruce

    Sugar is a key ingredient in the average cookie, so making cookies without it requires a bit of creativity. You won't miss a thing with a recipe like these vegan oatmeal fruit cookies. It uses dried fruit and sugar-free preserves along with a single banana for sweetness. The cookies are also low-fat and low-calorie, so they're virtually guilt-free, too.

    Continue to 9 of 22 below.
  • 09 of 22

    Date Macaroons

    Sugar-Free Date Macaroons
    Joff Lee / Getty Images

    You're just three ingredients and about 20 minutes away from a yummy little bite. Dates are the stars of this easy date macaroon recipe, which includes banana and coconut flakes. The recipe contains natural sugars from the fruits but no extra white sugar. Just be sure to use unsweetened coconut.

  • 10 of 22

    Keto Sugar Cookies

    Keto Sugar Cookies

    The Spruce / Leah Maroney

    You can make sugar cookies without sugar! These keto sugar cookies are a brilliant surprise, and they're easy to make. The low-carb recipe replaces wheat flour with a combination of almond and coconut flours, switches from sugar to stevia, and adds orange zest for a fun zing.

  • 11 of 22

    Vegan Cookie Dough Truffle

    Cookie Dough Truffle
    Jamie Grill / Getty Images

    Keep the ingredients for this recipe in your pantry, and you will always have dessert for last-minute guests. The vegan cookie dough truffles require no baking and combine butter, cashew butter, and coconut butter with vanilla and toffee-flavored stevia. Mix in some sugar-free chocolate chips, and dessert will be ready by the time dinner is over.

  • 12 of 22

    Keto Chocolate Cookies

    Keto chocolate cookies recipe

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

    Going keto doesn't have to mean avoiding chocolate. These keto chocolate cookies deliver just the right sweetness with chocolatey goodness in every bite. They're made with cocoa powder, almond flour, and sugar-free sweetener and are so good that your kids won't know the difference.

    Continue to 13 of 22 below.
  • 13 of 22

    Keto Peanut Butter Cookies

    Keto Peanut Butter Cookies

    The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

    Natural peanut butter can quickly become a staple in your sugar-free pantry. Some do contain sugar, so make your own peanut butter or read the labels carefully. Mix it with xylitol (a nonglycemic sweetener), and shredded coconut to make these soft keto peanut butter cookies. Gluten-free and dairy-free, they'll please everyone's diet.

  • 14 of 22

    Keto Fat Bombs

    Keto fat bombs

    The Spruce / Laurel Randolph

    Fat bombs don't sound like they're healthy, but this recipe creates sugar-free delights. The balls are made with just a few ingredients, including toasted almonds, almond butter, and confectioners' erythritol, then drizzled with melted sugar-free chocolate. There's no baking involved, and they're quick: Pop them in the freezer to set for 15 minutes and enjoy.

  • 15 of 22

    Sugar-Free Chocolate Mousse

    Sugar-Free Chocolate Mousse Recipe

     The Spruce

    Splenda and unsweetened cocoa powder are the secrets to a tempting sugar-free chocolate mousse. When served in fancy dessert dishes or martini glasses, it's the ultimate dessert that is sure to impress all of your dinner guests.

  • 16 of 22

    Gluten-Free Tapioca Crepes

    Gluten free tapioca flour crepes recipe

    The Spruce / Andrea Livingston

    When you're looking for a bit of a challenge in the kitchen, these gluten-free tapioca crepes are a perfect choice. They include everything that makes this classic French dessert great; they're simply gluten-free and sugar-free. The recipe uses tapioca flour and is finished with your favorite filling, which can be as sweet as you like.

    Continue to 17 of 22 below.
  • 17 of 22

    Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

    strawberries dipped in chocolate fondant

    mvrgasphoto / Twenty20

    You can even make chocolate-dipped strawberries that are sugar-free, and they're just as delicious. The key is to find sugar-free chocolate chips, which are melted with a bit of coconut oil. It's a fantastic indulgence and perfect for Valentine's Day or any special occasion.

  • 18 of 22

    Chocolate Nut Clusters

    The basic ingredients for chocolate nut clusters
    KathyDewar / Getty Images

    Ideal for a mid-day snack, you're going to want to keep these sugar-free chocolate nut clusters in stock. In this recipe, you'll simply cover your favorite chopped nuts in melted sugar-free chocolate. It's a tasty candy substitute.

  • 19 of 22

    Sugar-Free Orange Sorbet

    Sugar-Free Low-Carb Orange Sorbet

    The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

    Ice cream is filled with sugar, though you can enjoy a sweet frozen treat with this sugar-free orange sorbet recipe. It uses coconut milk, orange zest, lemon juice, and liquid stevia. Rather than orange juice, grab your favorite zero-calorie, orange-flavored water or electrolyte beverage.

  • 20 of 22

    Pumpkin Vanilla Milkshake

    Sugar-Free Vegan Vanilla Pumpkin Milkshake
    The Spruce / Brenda Bennett

    Sugar-free vanilla ice cream serves as the base for a healthy seasonal treat. Perfect for autumn, the pumpkin vanilla milkshake is vegan if your ice cream is also dairy-free. Blend it with pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice, and top it with sugar-free whipped cream and chocolate chips. It's sure to fix your fall cravings for something sweet.

    Continue to 21 of 22 below.
  • 21 of 22

    Vegan Grasshopper Milkshake

    Vegan Grasshopper Milkshake
    Jenner Images / Getty Images

    If you can't get enough mint chocolate in your life, you're going to love this vegan grasshopper milkshake recipe. It's more of a smoothie, and it does include spinach. Before you pass it up because of that, give it a try because it really is both healthy and yummy.

  • 22 of 22

    Keto Strawberry Cheesecake Popsicles

    Keto Cheesecake Popsicles Recipe

    The Spruce / Ariane Resnick 

    Get the sweet taste of a strawberry cheesecake in popsicle form. The fun recipe requires just four ingredients, including cream cheese, whipping cream, and strawberries. For the sweetener, use an allulose syrup. While you can buy it, keto simple syrup is easy to make with an allulose monk fruit sweetener.