45 Light Summer Desserts That are Kind to Your Waistline

Read Time: 16 mins

45 Light Summer Desserts That are Kind to Your Waistline2/45 Star-Spangled Parfaits 2 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Star-Spangled Parfaits Recipe photo by Taste of Home Total Time 15 min Servings 4 servings Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: The best time for this dessert is midsummer, when the blueberries are thick in our northern woods. Red raspberries can be added to the mixed berries, too, to brighten the patriotic colors. —Anne Theriault, Wellesley, Massachusetts Try some of our favorite Memorial Day desserts! 3/45 Summer Squash Pound Cake 5 Reviews Contest Winner Test Kitchen Approved Total Time 1 hour 10

It’s not overly sweet, so it appeals to everyone

min Servings 12 servings Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: This golden brown, tender pound cake is the perfect light summer dessert to make when you have an abundance of summer squash in your garden. It’s not overly sweet, so it appeals to everyone. —Lisa Brockwell, Necedah, Wisconsin. Eating healthier doesn’t have to mean giving up sweets entirely. Try these delicious skinny desserts. 4/45 Peach Melba Trifle 3 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Taste of Home Total Time 20 min Servings 12 servings Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: This light summer dessert tastes extra good on a busy

day, because you can make it ahead of time!

day, because you can make it ahead of time! If you don’t have fresh peaches handy, subbing three cups of the canned ones works, too. —Christina Moore, Casar, North Carolina 5/45 Mango Sorbet 3 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Mango Sorbet Recipe photo by Eric Kleinberg for Taste of Home Total Time 25 min Servings 6 servings Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: You’ll love the sunny color and fruity flavor of this light dessert. If you can’t find mangoes, substitute fresh peaches. To peal peaches, drop them into boiling water for a few seconds. Then you can easily slip

the skins right off

the skins right off. —Test Kitchen 6/45 Blueberry Pie with Graham Cracker Crust 28 Reviews Contest Winner Test Kitchen Approved Blueberry Pie with Graham Cracker Crust Recipe photo by Taste of Home Total Time 20 min Servings 8 servings Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: We live in blueberry country and this pie is a perfect way to showcase the luscious berries. A neighbor made this pie for us when we had a death in the family several years ago. Our whole family enjoys it. —R. Ricks, Kalamazoo, Michigan 7/45 Ricotta Cheesecake 5 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Old-World Ricotta

Cheesecake Recipe photo by Kristina Vanni for Taste of Home Total Time 1 hour 20 min Servings 12 servings Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: I reconstructed this dessert based on an old recipe that had been in the family for years but was never written down. The subtle cinnamon flavor of the zwieback crust and the dense texture of the ricotta cheese are reminiscent of the cheesecake I enjoyed as a child. —Mary Beth Jung, Hendersonville, North Carolina 8/45 Very Blueberry Clafoutis 6 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Very Blueberry Clafoutis Recipe photo by Taste of Home Total Time

Wrong season for fresh berries?

40 min Servings 8 servings Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: This blueberry clafoutis is somewhere between a fruit-filled pancake and a fruity egg custard. Wrong season for fresh berries? Use frozen berries thawed in a colander and discard the juice. —Ken Hulme, Venice, Florida 9/45 Roasted Grape and Sweet Cheese Phyllo Galette 2 Reviews Contest Winner Test Kitchen Approved MARK DERSE FOR TASTE OF HOME Total Time 1 hour Servings 10 servings Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: Faced with an abundant grape crop, I created this easy, impressive-looking dessert. I like to add a drizzle of

honey and a sprinkle of coarse sugar to finish it off

honey and a sprinkle of coarse sugar to finish it off. —Kallee Krong-McCreery, Escondido, California 10/45 Healthy Blackberry Cobbler 5 Reviews Contest Winner Test Kitchen Approved Total Time 1 hour Servings 10 servings Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: This tasty treat has helped my family stay healthy, lose weight and still be able to enjoy dessert! Other kinds of berries or even fresh peaches are just as delicious in this cobbler. —Leslie Browning of Lebanon, Kentucky 11/45 Lemon Strawberry Trifle 5 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Strawberry Lemon Trifle Recipe photo by Taste of Home Total Time 20 min

The secret is starting with a purchased angel food cake

Servings 14 servings Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: This refreshingly fruity dessert is one of our favorites. It looks so beautiful layered in a glass bowl that people will think it took ages to make. The secret is starting with a purchased angel food cake. —Lynn Marie Frucci, Pullman, Washington 12/45 Peach Cobbler Recipe 65 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Total Time 1 hour Servings 12 servings Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: My mother received this peach cobbler recipe from a friend of hers many years ago, and fortunately she shared it with me. Boise is situated

—Cheryl Wilt, Eglon, West Virginia 14/45 Peach Upside-Down Cake 43 Reviews

right between two large fruit-producing areas in our state, so peaches are plentiful in the summer. —Ruby Ewart, Boise, Idaho 13/45 Lemonade Icebox Pie 79 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Taste of Home Total Time 15 min Servings 8 servings Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: You will detect a definite lemonade flavor in this refreshing lemon icebox pie. High and fluffy, this dessert has a creamy smooth consistency that we really appreciate. It’s the dessert that came to mind immediately when I put together my favorite summer meal. —Cheryl Wilt, Eglon, West Virginia 14/45 Peach Upside-Down Cake 43 Reviews

Folks have been flipping over this peach upside-down cake for generations

Test Kitchen Approved Peach Upside-Down Cake Recipe photo by Sarah Tramonte for Taste of Home Total Time 1 hour Servings 8 servings Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: Folks have been flipping over this peach upside-down cake for generations. This dessert is very popular with my family and guests. —Terri Kirschner, Carlisle, Indiana 15/45 Mocha-Hazelnut Glazed Angel Food Cake 2 Reviews Contest Winner Test Kitchen Approved Mocha-Hazelnut Glazed Angel Food Cake Recipe photo by Taste of Home Total Time 55 min Servings 16 servings Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: I love this recipe because it combines three

of my favorite flavors: coffee, hazelnuts and cherries

of my favorite flavors: coffee, hazelnuts and cherries. It’s the perfect light summer dessert! —Joan Pecsek, Chesapeake, Virginia 16/45 Banana Pudding 67 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Banana Pudding Recipe photo by Taste of Home Total Time 35 min Servings 9 servings Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: I didn’t see my son, Lance Corporal Eric Harris, for more than two years after he enlisted in the Marines after high school. And when I saw him arrive at the airport, I just grabbed hold of him and burst out crying. When we got home, the first thing he ate was

two bowls of my easy banana pudding recipe

two bowls of my easy banana pudding recipe. He’s a true southern boy! It’s a light dessert, but you can have it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. —Stephanie Harris, Montpelier, Virginia 17/45 Fudge Sundae Pie 3 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Fudge Sundae Pie Recipe photo by Taste of Home Total Time 20 min Servings 8 servings Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: My son always asks for this guilt-free frozen yogurt pie for his birthday. Complete with peanut butter, fudge topping and nuts, it tastes ice cream parlor–good … but it’s healthier. —Margaret Hanson-Maddox, Montpelier, Indiana 18/45 Bread Pudding

This unique dessert is a bread pudding-pie combo

Pie 9 Reviews Contest Winner Test Kitchen Approved Total Time 1 hour 10 min Servings 8 servings Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: This unique dessert is a bread pudding-pie combo. It was created by my paternal grandmother’s family. They had a farm and made their own bread, which made this a low-cost dessert. — Kelly Barnes, Lexington, Indiana 19/45 Fluffy Key Lime Pie 150 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Fluffy Key Lime Pie Recipe photo by Taste of Home Total Time 20 min Servings 8 servings Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: For a taste of paradise, try

this no-bake Key lime pie recipe

this no-bake Key lime pie recipe. It’s low in fat, sugar and fuss. It truly is the best light summer dessert! —Frances VanFossan, Warren, Michigan 20/45 Cherry Plum Slab Pie with Walnut Streusel 1 Review Contest Winner Test Kitchen Approved Total Time 1 hour 15 min Servings 20 servings Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: I love to make desserts with fruit all summer! You can use store-bought crusts or make your own. I recommend stacking your two pie crusts on top of each other and then rolling them to the correct size. —Elisabeth Larsen, Pleasant Grove, Utah 21/45

My mother’s family owned peach orchards in Missouri

Buttermilk Peach Ice Cream 1 Review Contest Winner Buttermilk Peach Ice Cream Recipe photo by Taste of Home Total Time 45 min Servings 16 servings (2 quarts) Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: My mother’s family owned peach orchards in Missouri. I currently live in Tennessee, a top consumer of buttermilk. This summery ice cream combines my past and present. —Kim Higginbotham, Knoxville, Tennessee 22/45 Cherry Cobbler 5 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Simple Cherry Cobbler Recipe photo by Laura Scherb for Taste of Home Total Time 40 min Servings 3 servings Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: Berries,

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