The festive season is about bliss and generosity, but you don’t have to eat unhealthy food to find it enjoyable. You can still eat a regular healthy meal and a scrumptious dessert that won’t leave you overwhelmed at the end of a celebratory feast.
All that’s needed is to strike a balance between eating something delicious or indulging in a healthy meal that doesn’t leave you with a tummy ache.
With the right guidance, you can leave your guests impressed, so here are a few festive dessert ideas that will make your special meal lighter and healthier.
Easy, healthy, no-bake dessert options
Dairy-free coconut and blueberry swirl ice cream with coconut crumble is a tasty and refreshing dessert that combines seasonal berries and tropical coconut flavours. Topped with a toasty coconut crumble, this dessert ticks all the major boxes for a pudding without being too heavy.
Simple and healthy bakes
Baking doesn’t have to be complicated to get the desired results. This holiday season you can, for instance, opt for light cakes rather than spiced pies and dense fruitcakes. Why not try an easy Christmas cake recipe, something that incorporates flavours such as rooibos and citrus peel. It’s a simple, light and tasty take on the ordinary fruitcake cake that is destined to be a hit.
Add healthy fruit for dessert
In the southern hemisphere, we have the luxury of the festive season overlapping with summer. This means summer seasonal produce is at its best. Fresh seasonal fruit and nuts are a great way to lighten up desserts and make them more nutritious. Pair your homemade golden pancakes with fresh strawberries and toasted flaked almonds for an extra unique twist that won’t have too much impact on your waistline.
Salt can be sweet too
Not every recipe has to be laden with sugar to make a yummy after-dinner snack, instead this one has a salty twist. Our malva pudding with salted caramel sauce is the perfect example of a dessert that is less sweet thanks to the added punch of salt. Enjoy it with a cup of your favourite beverage when you’re preparing eats for tea-time, or as a show-stopping dessert to put on the mealtime pedestal.
Using a healthy margarine as an ingredient can help to turn your desserts into a nutritious and flavourful treat. For these dessert recipes and other sweet treats take a look at our tasty recipes section.
