36 Fall Treats That Are Perfect When The Temps Drop
We pinky promise—these healthy fall treats definitely don't taste healthy. And when "healthy" can mean so many different things, we prioritized major flavor in all of these fall dessert recipes, whether you're gluten-free, keto, vegan, or simply just trying to add a bit of healthy variety to your diet. Best of all, all of these lightened up treats are perfect for bringing along to your next holiday potluck, Halloween party, or Thanksgiving dinner.
If you really want to dazzle a whole group, look no further than our flourless chocolate coconut cake. This supremely rich gluten-free cake is not only an amazing last-minute, easy dessert, but you don't even need any fancy flour alternatives to make a rich cake that's friendly for everyone. And if you love that recipe, try our flourless peanut butter chocolate cake for an even more decadent upgrade on the classic.
Planning your Thanksgiving spread? We're here to say that gathering around the holiday table while keeping special diets in mind doesn't have to feel like rocket science. Our recipes for vegan sweet potato pie, keto pumpkin cheesecake, and crustless pumpkin pie are just as good (if not better!) than the originals. You can even freestyle your own pie filling with our easy keto pie crust or use it for our amazing keto pumpkin pie. If you're heading out to a cookie swap, our gluten-free almond thumbprint cookies are always a hit too!
For more recipes to help you celebrate fall (arguably the best season, TBH), check out our favorite easy fall dinners, apple recipes, and pumpkin recipes.
(Erik bernstein)
This gluten-free cake is a perfect last-minute dessert to whip up that is so gorgeous, people will think it took you days to make. The flourless cake is made out of butter, semisweet chocolate, and eggs, PLUS fragrant toasted coconut in the batter and on top. The signature cracked topping dusted with cocoa powder makes this easy dessert into a stunning centerpiece.
Get the Flourless Chocolate Coconut Cake recipe.
This sweet potato pie is extremely good, thanks to an oat pecan crust and a creamy, spiced filling. Look for vegan marshmallows to top it, or keep it simple with your own vegan whipped topping using coconut cream.
Get the Vegan Sweet Potato Pie recipe.
The buttery, gluten-free base to these versatile cookies pairs well with just about any filling. Pair them with raspberry, blackberry, strawberry—the world is your oyster when it comes to these adorable, bite-size treats.
Get the Gluten-Free Almond Thumbprints recipe.
This homemade chocolate bark couldn't be easier (ready in under 30 minutes!) and also is so sweet and crunchy that no store-bought bar could compare. We love the sharp taste of dark chocolate and crunchy almonds in this recipe, but feel free to experiment with your favorite combos!
Get the Chocolate Almond Bark recipe.
For most people, pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving is non-negotiable. We agree! This version is every bit as good as the classic, bursting with fall flavors and dolloped with ultra-silky coconut whipped cream. Word to the vegans: This pie is so good, you might want to stash a slice to yourself before the whole fam gets to it. 😉
Get the Vegan Pumpkin Pie recipe.
There’s a whole world of delicious keto sweets out there. Since we tend to turn to cream cheese for our fat bombs, creating a classic keto cheesecake recipe just made sense. Our version is creamy, rich, and tangy, just like the cheesecakes you know and love. With just a few easy swaps—almond and coconut flour in the crust, keto-friendly sweetener instead of sugar in the cheesecake mixture—you'll be transported to keto heaven.
Get the Keto Cheesecake recipe.
We might have dubbed these guys healthy, but they sure don't taste like it! We love them fresh from the oven, or days later toasted in a skillet with butter. For the full fall experience, serve alongside our best-ever pumpkin spice latte. 😉
Get the Healthy Pumpkin Muffins recipe.
Anyone can make a good apple crisp, even if they "hate to bake." Follow our top tips, and you'll be making this stunner of a recipe all fall long.
Get the Best Apple Crisp recipe.
Out of all the amazing pumpkin desserts in the world (even the ones with carbs!), this is a keto MVP. So from the months of September to December, we eat the cinnamon-kissed, chocolate chip-studded loaf like it’s our job.
Get the Keto Pumpkin Bread recipe.
We gave the classic flourless chocolate cake an upgrade in the form of LOTS of peanut butter. The chocolate and PB combo make it even richer than the original, while being just as easy to make. The fancy stripes are optional—but who doesn't love a little extra peanut butter?!
Get the Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake recipe.
These "energy balls" are exactly what they sound like: perfect little bites of energy that will help you satisfy your sweet tooth without a sugar crash. Made with oats, coconut, almond butter, and pumpkin puree, they're totally healthy and satisfying.
Get the Pumpkin Pie Energy Balls recipe.
You need to try this hasselback trick with apples ASAP. It tastes like a cross between a homemade apple pie and a warm apple crumble. The best part: You don't need to deal with rolling out and chilling pie dough.
Get the Crustless Apple Pies recipe.
For those who can't have gluten or think the pie crust is just a vessel to get the best part of the pie, this pumpkin pie is for you. Made without the crust, this pie takes less than half the time and WAY less effort. No making pie crusts, no chilling, and no blind baking. It's a Thanksgiving miracle.
Get the Crustless Pumpkin Pie recipe.
Poaching slightly underripe pears makes them tender and sweetens them while allowing them to maintain their structure. Once poached, they can be served warm or cold, garnished with a caramel reduction of the cooking liquid, and accompanied with everything from ice cream to whipped cream to yogurt.
Get the Poached Pears recipe.
A very carb-filled, non-keto version of snickerdoodle cookies will always have a special place in our hearts. And while it doesn’t taste quite like the original, we love it just the same. Baking the batch into bars is easier than scooping out a couple dozen individual cookies. They maintain just the right amount of chewiness, and blanketed with the sparkly cinnamon-sweetener mix, each square is every bit as beautiful.
Get the Keto Snickerdoodles recipe.
Going on the keto diet doesn't mean you have to miss out on your favorite holiday dessert. With a few modifications and a gluten-free crust, our easy pumpkin cheesecake becomes keto-friendly! Pumpkin spice season can resume as normal.
Get the Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe.
Fudge never gets enough credit around the holidays. Everyone is fixated on the dang cookies. We love cookies, please don’t get us wrong, but come December, we’re already a little tired of baking. Fudge is simpler, chocolatey-er, and just as festive. Plus, it makes a better DIY food gift.
Get the Keto Fudge recipe.
This cake is downright magic. A vegan cheesecake that tastes shockingly smooth, creamy, and rich. The secret? Soaked cashews! Cashews are an amazing ingredient that can be used across a variety of recipes, in anything ranging from a sweet & sour stir-fry to super-creamy vegan mac & cheese, and it's no exception here.
Get the Vegan Cheesecake recipe.
This hummus really walks the line between sweet and savory; it even tastes just as good with churro chips as it does with bell peppers! If you're digging the sweet hummus trend, you gotta try our chocolate peanut butter hummus next.
Get the Pumpkin Hummus recipe.
Typically a cheesecake crust is made out of crushed graham crackers. You can look for gluten-free grahams—or make a crust with almond flour like ours, which is so delicious. We also like to add a little bit of flour to our cheesecake batter so that it holds together. Here, we add a gluten-free flour, but you can sub in almond flour if you don't mind a nuttier flavor and texture.
Get the Gluten-Free Cheesecake recipe.
We're big fans of “grandma” cookies like Fig Newtons: There’s an undeniable allure to the dark jammy filling surrounded by a soft, seemingly wholesome cake. Follow our tips too to make sure yours turn out just like store-bought (but without all the mystery ingredients!).
Get the Fig Bar recipe.
Making your hot chocolate with heavy cream instead of milk doesn't just make it keto-friendly, it also makes it so much better. Not ready to kick cold drinks yet? Try our keto Frosty!
Get the Keto Hot Chocolate recipe.
We took inspo from the ever popular bloomin' onion and made a just as fun, easy dessert. Because apples can turn brown really quickly, you'll want to brush them with butter and get them in the oven pretty quickly after slicing them. These are also so fun to make in the air fryer!
Get the Bloomin' Apples recipe.
These healthy individual baked pears will satisfy all your sweet cravings. Be sure to round these out with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Get the Cinnamon Baked Pears recipe.
Just because you're vegan doesn't mean you have to miss out on rich, decadent brownies. If you're a fan of fudgy brownies and dark chocolate, these plant-based brownies will win over everyone, vegan or not.
Get the Vegan Brownies recipe.
Pumpkin dream bars are a creamy, custardy, cheesecake-like pumpkin dessert everyone will swoon over. For this recipe, we used crushed Cheerios for the crust (to accommodate our gluten-free friends), but feel free to sub in graham crackers or Nilla Wafers if you prefer.
Get the Pumpkin Dream Bars recipe.
Caramel apples are one of fall's greatest pleasures, and they're also super-fun to personalize. We love toasted chopped peanuts, but you could dip your apples in pretty much anything: crushed cinnamon cereal, chopped Reese's Pieces, multicolored sprinkles, chopped Oreos... the list goes on and on.
Get the Caramel Apples recipe.
Want to freestyle your own keto pie? By now, you probably get it: Mozzarella cheese is a key keto pastry ingredient. (Don't believe us? Try our keto cinnamon rolls.) Embrace the weirdness, friends. Your pies, including this year's keto pumpkin pie, will thank you. This recipe makes two discs for single-crust pies or one disc for a perfect lattice-topped pie.
Get the Keto Pie Crust recipe.
Just because you have to avoid gluten doesn't mean you have to avoid pumpkin bread. Oats are the secret to this sweet treat, and we highly recommend toasting up a slice ASAP with plenty of butter.
Get the Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread recipe.
Donuts...that are delicious and vegan?! Believe it. We dipped these in cinnamon sugar, but feel free to substitute your favorite vegan toppings.
Get the Cinnamon Sugar Vegan Donuts recipe.
(Parker Feierbach)
Pumpkins are pretty amazing. You can carve them, roast them, serve them savory or sweet. One of their best (and often overlooked) attributes is their seeds! They're great prepared super simply, roasted with salt and melted butter, but the variations are completely endless. We love ranch seasoning, taco seasoning, or cinnamon sugar for an added pop of flavor.
Get the Roasted Pumpkin Seeds recipe.
When Thanksgiving rolls around, we can't get roasted turkey and stuffing off our minds; however, what we really want, especially the day after Turkey Day, is pumpkin pie. And if you are wanting to keep it low-carb, this keto pumpkin pie will make it easy.
Get the Keto Pumpkin Pie recipe.
Apple pie, it was nice meeting you, but pie crust-covered pears (drizzled with caramel!) are where it's at.
Get the Baked Pear Pies recipe.
Healthy doesn't have to be synonymous with boring, and this pumpkin bread is proof! Made with whole wheat flour, maple syrup, and some Greek yogurt for tenderness, this fall-flavored loaf is as good for breakfast as it is for dessert. Looking for more healthy fall baked goods? Try our healthy pumpkin muffins next!
Get the Healthy Pumpkin Bread recipe.
Baked apples kind of feel like a shortcut way to eat apple pie... you'll never hear us complaining!
Get the Baked Cinnamon Apples recipe.
We know, we know. Dessert hummus sounds weird AF. But we promise you this one is seriously delish. Try it with pretzels, crackers, or even fresh fruit. (Strawberries are our fave!)
Get the Chocolate Peanut Butter Hummus recipe.
Got gluten-free, keto, or vegan guests coming over this fall? Try all these incredibly delicious and healthy fall treats that everyone will love.