Just because you’re trying to eat less added sugar doesn’t mean dessert has to be a total no-go. You read that right: It’s totally possible to make your favorite sweet treats taste satisfying with way less added sugar—or even none at all. The key is replacing commonly used ingredients like table sugar, honey, or maple syrup with a delicious substitute. And there are plenty to choose from, whether you’re trying to eat healthier, lose weight, or manage a condition like diabetes. Here, Lori Zanini, RD, CDE, creator of For The Love of Diabetes shares five of her faves, plus tips for how to use ‘em.
Harness the power of fruit
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Fruit’s sweetness comes from naturally occurring sugars that are worlds better for you than the added stuff. “Fruit delivers natural sugars as a package that also contains vitamins, minerals, and fiber,” Zanini explains. That extra roughage is key since it can lessen a dessert’s impact on your blood sugar and make it feel more satisfying—so you’re less tempted to go back for a second helping.
How to use it: One option is to replace all or part of the sugar in your favorite recipe with mashed banana, unsweetened applesauce, or date puree. Worried the extra liquid might mess with your dessert’s texture? You could also cut back on the added sugar and fold in pieces of chopped fresh or dried fruit to create little pockets of extra sweetness. Try apples, pears, dates, or unsweetened dried cherries.
Swap in a delicious no-cal sugar alternative
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Truvia Natural Sweetener is a natural, calorie-free sweetener made from simple ingredients like the stevia leaf and erythritol (a fruit-based sweetener produced by a fermentation process). “It can be used to provide a sweet flavor without adding calories as regular table sugar would,” Zanini says. That makes it a great choice if you have diabetes or are just trying to keep your carb or sugar intake low.
How to use it: Even though it’s calorie-free, Truvia Natural Sweetener tastes sweeter than sugar, so you don’t need to swap it one-for-one in recipes. You’ll actually get the yummiest results by using the brand’s super-easy conversion chart, which tells you exactly how much to use in place of sugar.
Use dark chocolate instead of milk
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The sugar content varies from one chocolate bar to the next. But in general, you can always count on dark chocolate to be significantly lower in added sugar than milk chocolate, Zanini says. (A typical one-ounce serving of dark chocolate has around 6 grams of sugar, while a one-ounce serving of milk chocolate can have 13 grams or more, per the USDA.) So you’ll automatically slash the sugar content in your favorite chocolate-packed recipe just by making the swap. The dark chocolate will also load your dessert up with beneficial compounds like flavonols and polyphenols thought to help protect your heart, promote healthy brain function, and even boost your mood.
How to use it: Swap in dark for milk (using the same amount works just fine!), and make sure the chocolate truly counts as dark. Look for at least 70 percent cacao, Zanini says. That’ll ensure the sugar content is on the lower side—and the antioxidants are on the higher side.
Incorporate a veggie
We’re not talking about, like, broccoli brownies here. But similar to fruit, starchy veggies like sweet potatoes, carrots, and beets are rich in naturally occurring sugars that can make desserts sweeter with less added sugar, Zanini points out. (They serve up plenty of beneficial nutrients and fiber, too.)
How to use it: Try swapping all or part of the sugar in your recipe for mashed, baked sweet potato, pureed beet, or grated carrots or parsnips. The earthy flavor of beets tends to work especially well in chocolate recipes; sweet potatoes, carrots, or parsnips are especially yummy in baked goods with dried fruit or warm spices (think: cinnamon or ginger).
Add no-cal flavors that seem sweet
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The cinnamon in snickerdoodles, the peppermint in mint hot chocolate, the vanilla in chocolate chip cookies, or the cloves in pumpkin pie—all of these ingredients register as sweet because they’re often used in desserts, despite the fact that they contain zero actual sugar, Zanini points out. So make ‘em work to your advantage!
How to use it: When you cut back on a recipe’s added sugar, try upping some of non-sugar flavorings—or throw some new ones into the mix. A teaspoon or two of ground cinnamon or almond or vanilla extract will make practically any dessert feel sweeter and more delicious overall, Zanini says. Another idea? Try folding in a handful or two of unsweetened shredded coconut or poppy seeds. Both have a subtle sweetness that can also add extra flavor to your dessert.
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