Burgers: check! Pasta salad and frozen drinks: check and check! Now all you need to round out your Memorial Day menu are some fresh and fun desserts.
We’ve got 20 sweet treats for your holiday in bright shades of red, white and blue. And the best part: they’re healthy, too! All of these desserts can fit right into your Nutrisystem weight loss plan.
Check out these 20 Memorial Day desserts for your cookout.
Ring in the unofficial start of summer with this chilled cheesecake that’s light and oh so fluffy. All you need is graham crackers (with a little butter) to make the crust, cream cheese and whipped topping for the white filling, and your pick of red and blue berries to add a healthy dose of vitamins and minerals to this festive sweet.
Get the 5-Ingredient Patriotic Cheesecake recipe.
The name says it all: if you love strawberries, this sweet pie is a most certainly a must-try. Beneath the fresh berry top is strawberry gelatin filling for a double-dose of your favorite flavor. A graham-cracker crust adds some crunch, and a dollop of fat free whipped topping provides a creamy finish.
Get the Strawberry Pie recipe.
Light and airy angel food cake serves as the perfect sweet end to your Memorial Day meal. This version is made with whole-wheat pastry flour to bump up the health factor. The three-ingredient blueberry sauce adds a beautiful drizzle of fruity flavor. For a splash of red, add a few fresh raspberries or sliced strawberry on this side. And to enjoy a larger slice—and still save calories—sub out the sugar with an alternative like monk fruit (a more natural option than other zero-calorie sweeteners).
Get the Angel Food Cake recipe.
It tastes like the real deal, but it’s much easier to make and a whole lot healthier. Create the crust with graham crackers, unsweetened almond milk and melted light butter. The creamy pie part comes together with egg yolks, fat-free sweetened condensed milk, low-fat cream cheese, nonfat plain Greek yogurt, key lime juice and key lime zest. The combination is both delicious and diet-friendly, at only 143 calories per heavenly slice.
Why just peel and eat ’em when you can transform these sweet nutrient-rich fruits into a creamy pudding for your whole family. Puree a banana, milk, cinnamon, vanilla extract, corn starch and stevia, then simmer on the stove until thick. Toss it in the fridge to chill. Once it sets, top with whipped cream and dive in spoon first.
Get the Banana Pudding recipe.
Nope, the title isn’t a typo: instead of the classic pineapple, this upside-down dessert is made with the tasty pairing of strawberry and rhubarb for a twist on the springtime sweet. Enjoy a square for only 120 calories. And next time you make the cake, try another creative tweak: swap the red berries for black or even raspberries to get a different but just as delicious flavor.
Get the Strawberry Rhubarb Upside Down Cake recipe.
Salt meets sweet in this light and airy summertime pie. The crust—made from a combo of crushed pretzels, melted light butter and coconut sugar—is filled with whipped topping, and slices of peaches and plums. A drizzle of lime juice and sprinkle of zest completes the fresh flavor. For a more patriotic take, feel free to sub in the fruits for red cherries and blue berries.
Get the Pretzel Crust Fruit Pie recipe.
Three ingredients is all you need to whip up a batch of this party-friendly treat. Just heat a little honey, stir in some peanut butter and mix with crisp rice cereal. Then press into a square pan, give it a little time to cool and voila—24 crunchy bars that are ready to share (or, stash in your fridge for future sweet snack attacks).
Get the Peanut Butter Rice Krispies recipe.
A funnel cake made on the boardwalk should stay on the boardwalk. This beachside staple can weigh in at up to 700 calories per deep-fried treat. Enter the air fryer! With the handy kitchen tool, you can enjoy that same crisp and crunch for far, far fewer calories and fat. Top with a dusting of powdered sugar to follow tradition, or try it a little different with a drizzle of chocolate syrup, honey or whipped topping. (Just be sure to log them as Extras in your NuMi app food journal).
Get the Air Fryer Funnel Cake recipe.
This might take the win for best presentation! Arrange a mix of red, white and blue fruits and sweets to create a patriotic edible display for your Memorial Day buffet. The stars are blueberries; the red stripes are a mix of strawberries, raspberries and watermelon; and the white provides the bite of sweet – marshmallows line up for one stripe, and the other is represented by bananas slices dipped in none other than white chocolate.
Get the Flag Fruit Tray recipe.
The citrus makes it perfect for spring, and the smart ingredient swaps, excellent for your diet. This lightened-up recipe calls for whole wheat and almond flour instead of regular; nonfat plain Greek yogurt in place of sour cream; and honey—not sugar—for sweetness. Fresh juiced and zested lemons plus unsweetened applesauce help to create this moist and flavorful loaf. But wait, there’s more: melted coconut oil, lemon juice and honey mix to make the icing that’s sure to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Get the Lemon Loaf Cake recipe.
Yes, you can have cannoli cream and still lose weight when you make it our lower-calorie way. Combine part-skim ricotta cream, stevia and vanilla extract, then stuff it into scooped out, super-healthy strawberries. Add a sprinkle of mini chocolate chips for a bite that’s as pretty as it is delicious.
Get the Cannoli Stuffed Strawberry recipe.
If you’re tasked with bringing ‘something sweet’ to a friend’s party, this pie is perfect. It’ll impress with its bakery-window look and seasonal flavor. Plus, it’s healthy and seriously simple to make. Quick oats help form the dough, while beautiful super-food blueberries and chia seeds combine in the center. Those tiny but mighty seeds add extra fiber, protein and antioxidants while creating a jelly-like texture to help hold each tasty slice together.
Get the Blueberry Pie Crumble recipe.
It’s got the rich chocolate, sweet whipped cream and tart cherries you’d expect—not just on top, but inside, too! One bite into the moist mini cake reveals a surprise cherry center for the full black-forest effect. Each perfectly-portioned treat weighs in at only 137 calories. Use monk fruit sweetener instead of sugar and the calorie count reduces to 89.
Get the Black Forest Cupcake recipe.
When peach season is in full swing, take advantage of the super healthy fruit to make this summer favorite. Peaches are loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Their sweetness eliminates the need for sugar while baking.
There’s something about the creamy goodness of pudding that feeds the soul—and one spoonful of this sweet and fruity version is sure to lift your spirits, too! To make the tasty, low-calorie treat, all you need is a blender and a handful of ingredients, including strawberries, of course, plus cottage and cream cheese, vanilla extract and stevia. Simply puree and serve.
Get the Strawberry Cheesecake Pudding recipe.
Nothing is more Americana than a slice of good, old-fashioned apple pie. This is one you can indulge in guilt free. That’s because unlike traditional pies that drown the apples in sugar, this recipe only adds cinnamon and lemon juice to the filling to allow the fruits’ natural sweetness to shine through. And by replacing regular flour and butter with whole wheat and light versions, the crust is still flaky in texture, delicious in flavor, and provides extra fiber for fewer calories and fat.
Your party guests will marvel at the sight of these beautiful bites. But here’s a little secret: four ingredients and a few minutes of work is all you need to make these fancy-looking sweets. Just slice off the berry tops and scoop out the center with a little spoon. The citrusy fluff is made from a combo of cream cheese, whipped topping, and lime juice and zest. And the tiny slice of lime is the finishing bow on the berry.
A standard icebox is made with chocolate wafers and whipped cream. This version pays homage, but in a much healthier way. Crunchy graham crackers, thick yogurt and fresh strawberry slices recreate the cool layers, while the combo of berry, lemon and vanilla flavors offer fresh, summertime flavor. Prep this pretty icebox cake for your Memorial Day barbecue—each slice is only 152 calories.
Get the Strawberry Icebox Cake recipe.
Some of the ingredients in this pie may surprise you. While you expect the chocolate chips and cocoa powder, you may not expect that walnuts and Medjool dates make the crust and a blend of tofu, soy milk and cashew butter are the creamy filling. But don’t let that deter you. One bite of this dreamy dessert will satisfy that chocolate craving without derailing your weight loss.
