21 Healthy Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Recipes to Beat the Heat (2024)

Banana Ice Cream with Peanut Butter, Chocolate, or Berries

Because you're already here looking for healthy ice cream recipes, you likely know about healthy banana ice cream as a lighter alternative to traditional ice cream. But if you'd rather have a bit more flavor variety than plain banana ice cream, you need to try all the variations of this dessert. Get your bananas in the freezer now so you can make your chosen version as quickly as possible.

Raspberry Sorbet

Transform a carton of market-fresh raspberries into a slushy-smooth sorbet. The refreshing summer dessert recipe calls for only five ingredients and has zero grams of fat. The only topping this raspberry sorbet recipe needs is a few more fresh berries, though if your eating plan has wiggle room, just a bit of whipped cream or melted chocolate would be a yummy indulgence.

Test Kitchen Tip: Love mangoes? Substitute the blushing island fruit for raspberries.

Banana Ice Cream

You don't need milk, cream, or sugar to make ice cream. In fact, for this healthy banana ice cream, you need only three ingredients. Grab a bunch of ripe bananas and blend them together with unsweetened coconut milk and a splash of vanilla, then freeze and enjoy (maybe with a few extra banana slices on top).

Rainbow Fruit Pops

If you're on the hunt for low-calorie frozen desserts with zero added sugar that actually tastes good, this fruity ice pop recipe with only 35 calories will end your search. Fresh fruits are the only ingredients, so there's not a darn thing to feel guilty about when eating these healthy frozen desserts to cool off.

Dessert Pizza with Banana Ice Cream

Turn pizza into a yummy frozen dessert with a chocolate crispy cereal crust and healthy banana ice cream. Finish off your dessert pizza (and make it even healthier) with fresh fruit and chopped nuts. This dessert is also easy to tweak to satisfy different tastes—if everyone in your family has a different favorite, they can each top their own slices for one of our most customizable healthy frozen treats.

Kiwi-Strawberry Rooibos Ice Pops

These pretty ice pops get their gorgeous pattern (and yummy flavor) from slices of fresh fruit frozen in the center. But rather than using just juice to make up the rest of these healthy ice pops, we gave them a twist by using a mix of apple juice and freshly brewed vanilla rooibos tea. It's a much cooler way to enjoy the taste of tea in the summer than a steaming mug.

Lemon-Avocado Sherbet

Avocado might sound like an unusual addition to this healthy sherbet, but trust us: It's delicious. It makes each bite extra creamy and helps balance the light, citrusy lemon flavor. This homemade sherbet recipe will prove to you once and for all that avocados are good for much more than just topping toast.

Berry-Yogurt Rocket Pops

With only 2 tablespoons of added sugar for eight servings (that's less than 1 tsp. per serving), most of the sweetness in these under-100-calorie pops comes from fresh fruit and Greek yogurt. The mix of fruit and creamy yogurt offers refreshing indulgence all summer long.

Shortcut Pumpkin Ice Cream

This fall-spiced frozen treat made the cut for our list of healthy ice cream options thanks to a generous dose of vitamin A-rich canned pumpkin in the mix. (See, veggies and dessert can totally go together.) Cut calories and fat further by substituting frozen yogurt for the ice cream or using reduced-fat ice cream. Or, if you're avoiding dairy, start with a nondairy or vegan ice cream for the base. The options are as limitless as the frozen aisle.

Lemondrop Melon and Chile Granita

Chile-lime seasoning is the perfect topper for this serrano-spiced granita recipe. If you can't find lemondrop melons in your local store, honeydew makes a great substitute.

Citrus Granita

Whether it's orange, lemon, lime, or all three, sun-kissed citrus makes a totally tart (and refreshing) summer treat. Freeze the mix in a pan, then scrape a metal spoon across the surface to create the signature shaved-ice texture of this healthy frozen dessert.

Chile-Mango Pops

This sweet and smoky treat is the perfect ending to a summer grill out. Simply toss the five ingredients into a blender (here's a refresher on cutting mangoes, if you need it), spoon the blended mixture into ice pop molds, and freeze overnight. You'll have DIY healthy ice pops on hand for days.

Watermelon-Kiwi Pops

Sweet watermelon and tangy kiwifruit are pureed into a smooth texture then frozen in paper cups for a simple yet gorgeous 70-calorie dessert. (No ice pop molds required!) The sweet-tangy flavors make it one of our best-loved low-cal frozen desserts.

Test Kitchen Tip: This ice pop recipe is easy to make with almost any fruit you have on hand. Try our pineapple-blueberry and mango-raspberry variations to discover your favorite.

Strawberry Granita

A granita is a flavored ice often made with berries, melons, or stone fruit. Here, we've blended fresh strawberries with lemon and a touch of sugar. If you're berries are extra sweet, you can adjust the amount of sugar you add. Serve it up with a homemade lemon cream.

Mint Greek Frozen Yogurt

You love Greek yogurt for breakfast, but have you tried it as a healthy homemade ice cream? A few summery mix-ins, like vanilla and fresh mint, a spin in an ice cream maker, and two hours of freeze time will turn plain yogurt into a protein-packed dessert .If you want to make this healthy frozen yogurt recipe a little more indulgent, try topping with a drizzle of chocolate sauce.

Dark Chocolate Banana Nut Pops

Take bananas from breakfast food to healthy frozen treat in under an hour. A layer of almond butter hides beneath a layer of chocolate, and a quick dip in chopped almonds adds satisfying crunch.

Chocolate Sherbet

Get your chocolate fix without blowing your healthy eating plan. This decadent, easy sherbet recipe has just six ingredients, including rich dark chocolate, so you can mix it up in a flash. Just be sure to allow a few hours for freezing.

Roasted Strawberry Frozen Yogurt

For the most intense strawberry flavor, roast the berries before adding them to a creamy mix of whole milk yogurt, vanilla, and honey. Add freeze-dried strawberries and crushed pretzels for crunch.

Sour Cherry Sorbet

You'll need just 10 minutes of hands-on time to whip up this healthy frozen dessert recipe. Look for frozen tart red cherries alongside the other frozen fruit in your grocery store. The juicy red fruit ensures this sorbet recipe is equal parts tart and sweet.

Stone Fruit Granita

Customize this healthy summer dessert recipe with your favorite stone fruit. We recommend either peaches, nectarines, plums, or dark sweet cherries. Flavor the mix with either vanilla or almond extract and fresh lemon juice.

Blackberry Icebox Cake

Plump, juicy blackberries star in this freezer dessert recipe. Stash this layered icebox cake in the freezer up to 24 hours before you plan to serve it. Garnish the cut slices with fresh blackberries, lemon zest, and mint.