You don’t need to give up dessert to eat less sugar. Desserts are only one source of sugar, alongside sweet drinks, snacks, cereals and sauces, and small changes to how you make, serve and choose desserts can cut their sugar by a third or more. The NHS advises adults to have no more than 30 g of free sugars a day, about seven sugar cubes, and the World Health Organization recommends keeping free sugars under 10% of daily energy, ideally under 5%. Smaller portions, less sugar in home baking, fruit-based desserts, spices and darker chocolate all help, and your taste for sweetness tends to adjust as you cut back.
How much sugar is in common desserts?
Total sugars per typical portion, calculated from USDA FoodData Central:
| Dessert | Portion | Total sugars | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chocolate cake with frosting | A large slice (100 g) | 40 g | 389 |
| Milk chocolate | A 45 g bar | 23 g | 241 |
| Cheesecake | A slice (100 g) | 22 g | 321 |
| Vanilla ice cream | 2 scoops (100 g) | 21 g | 207 |
| Apple pie | A slice (125 g) | 20 g | 296 |
| Chocolate chip cookies | 2 cookies (30 g) | 10 g | 148 |
| Greek yogurt with strawberries | 150 g yogurt, 100 g berries | 11 g | 178 |
| Dark chocolate (70 to 85%) | 2 squares (20 g) | 5 g | 120 |
Total sugars include the natural sugars in milk and whole fruit, which don’t count toward the free sugars limit. Most of the sugar in the yogurt and berries is natural, while most of the sugar in cake, chocolate and ice cream is added. One large slice of cake can contain more than a whole day’s limit of free sugars.
Ways to cut sugar and keep dessert
1. Serve smaller portions
The simplest change. Use small bowls and plates, cut cakes into more slices, buy ice cream in single portions, or share a restaurant dessert. Halving a portion halves the sugar, and the first few bites usually taste the best anyway.
2. Reduce sugar in home baking
Most cake, muffin, cookie and crumble recipes still work with a quarter to a third less sugar. Sugar does more than sweeten: it keeps baked goods moist and tender and helps them brown. If you cut it, a few changes help:
- Add moisture with grated apple, mashed banana, yogurt or a little more milk. Our apple oat muffins use grated apple to keep them soft with only 6 g of sugar each.
- Boost flavor with vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, citrus zest or a pinch of salt, which make food taste sweeter than it is.
- Use ripe fruit: very ripe bananas, roasted pears or baked apples are naturally sweet.
- Keep sugar where it matters: meringues, caramel and jams rely on sugar for their structure or to keep them safe, so they don’t adapt well. Our guide to sugar in jam explains why.
3. Make fruit the star
Fruit-based desserts bring fiber, vitamins and sweetness with little or no added sugar: baked apples with cinnamon, poached pears, roasted peaches with yogurt, berries with a spoonful of cream, or a fruit crumble with an oat and nut topping and half the usual sugar. Try our fruit salad or Greek yogurt parfait.
4. Choose darker chocolate
Dark chocolate with 70% cocoa or more has about half the sugar of milk chocolate in USDA data, and its stronger flavor means a couple of squares are often enough. Our guide to whether dark chocolate is healthy has more.
5. Use dairy and spices
Plain yogurt, ricotta, cottage cheese and milk puddings sweetened lightly with fruit and spice make satisfying desserts. A rice pudding made with milk, cinnamon and a little sugar, like our rice pudding, is lower in sugar than most shop-bought versions. Chia puddings, such as our mango coconut chia pudding, work too.
6. Make dessert a planned treat
Having dessert on certain days, or after the main meal rather than as a snack between meals, helps keep the total down. It’s also kinder to teeth: the World Health Organization names free sugars as a main cause of tooth decay, and sugar eaten with meals is less harmful than frequent sweet snacks. Eating slowly and paying attention to each bite makes a smaller portion more satisfying. Our guide to mindful eating explains how.
Your taste for sugar can change
Many people find that once they eat less sugar, very sweet foods start to taste too sweet. In a Monell Chemical Senses Center experiment, adults who cut their intake of simple sugars for three months rated puddings as about 40% sweeter than a comparison group did, while still enjoying them just as much. Cutting back gradually, for example using a little less sugar in each batch of baking, makes the change easier to notice and keep.
What about sweeteners?
Sweeteners can replace some sugar in desserts and drinks. The NHS says that all sweeteners approved for use are considered safe alternatives to sugar, within the acceptable daily intake set for each. Some, known as polyols, such as sorbitol, xylitol and erythritol, can cause a laxative effect in large amounts. The World Health Organization advises against using non-sugar sweeteners as a way to control weight, as they haven’t been shown to help in the long term. Learning to enjoy less sweet food is the more lasting change.
Sugar swaps that look healthier than they are
- Honey, maple syrup, agave and coconut sugar all count as free sugars, just like table sugar.
- “No added sugar” desserts may be sweetened with fruit juice concentrate, which also counts as free sugar.
- Dried fruit and date-sweetened bars are high in sugar, though they bring fiber. Our guide to whether dried fruit is healthy covers portion sizes.
- Low-fat desserts sometimes contain more sugar to make up for the flavor.
Common questions
Is fruit sugar bad for you?
The sugars inside whole fruit aren’t counted as free sugars, because they come with fiber, water and nutrients. Fruit juices, smoothies and purées do count.
How do I stop craving dessert after dinner?
Make sure your meals have enough protein and fiber, finish with a cup of tea or a piece of fruit, and cut back gradually rather than all at once. Our guide to how much sugar to eat per day has more tips.
Can people with diabetes eat dessert?
Yes, in planned portions as part of a balanced diet. Desserts with fruit, nuts, yogurt or whole grains raise blood sugar more gently. Ask your diabetes team how desserts fit with your medicines.
This article is general information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian before making big changes to how you eat, especially if you have a health condition, take regular medication, or are pregnant or breastfeeding.
