When you try to be a consistently healthy eater, the holidays can be stressful. Even someone with the strongest willpower will be tempted at some point… all that Halloween candy rolls right into Thanksgiving feasts and holiday party desserts.
Instead of storing up your sugar intake for one day only and putting yourself into a total sugar coma on Turkey Day, just have these healthy, Thanksgiving desserts on hand this season. You can bring them to potlucks, parties, and work events, and you won’t feel as deprived as if you went cold turkey (sorry, had to!) throughout November. They’ll bring the Thanksgiving spirit wherever you go and require way less work than making a pie.
1. Paleo Pecan Pie Bars
If your go-to Turkey Day dessert is pecan pie, you’ll love these delicious squares—and would never guess they’re Paleo. To make the first layer, simply mix coconut oil with maple syrup and coconut flour (pretty much the Paleo trifecta when it comes to dessert). Then mix up flax, water, pecans, coconut oil and sugar, and maple syrup to make the filling. We bet these will rival grandma’s classic recipe.
2. Healthy Apple Crisp
Pregame your Thanksgiving apple pie with this healthy apple crisp. You don’t have to worry about making a crust or cutting out strips for the top, making it way more low maintenance than a pie. Instead, just pour a crumb mixture made from oats, almond flour, nuts, and cinnamon on top, and then pop it in the oven. Top it with a dollop of ice cream if you’d like… we know we will.
3. Paleo Caramel Cheesecake Bars
Cheesecake is always a good idea. Especially when it happens to be Paleo, which is kind of a miracle. The caramel will give you candy apple vibes without all the mess, while the pecans give off 100 percent Thanksgiving vibes. Make sure to soak the cashews overnight to make crust-prep simpler.
4. Apple Pie Snickerdoodles
There’s nothing quite like a classic apple pie, but these snickerdoodles give it a run for its money. Finely diced apples make the cookies super juicy, and cinnamon and coconut sugar make them sweet but not too sweet. You’ll want to take these to every holiday party: They’re a serious crowd-pleaser.
5. Flourless Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
It’s not Thanksgiving without something pumpkin, hence why these flourless cookies will be in our kitchen all month. The main ingredient is canned pumpkin, so you know you’re off to a good start. From there it’s mostly spices and chocolate chips—lots of chocolate chips.
6. Paleo Cherry Crisp
Tart cherry pie just might be our second-favorite pie—after pumpkin, of course. This crisp gives you a similar taste, without all the hard work, plus it’s Paleo and vegan. Easy and healthy? Must be some kinda Thanksgiving miracle.
7. No-Bake Pumpkin Energy Balls
When you want just a little something sweet to snack on, these pumpkin spice energy balls are the move. They’re filled with tons of good-for-you ingredients, such as dates, chia seeds, and pecans, yet they still taste just like a bite of pumpkin pie. If anything can curb our PSL craving, these will be it. We’ll be making them for breakfast while we wait for the turkey to do its thing.
