Anti-inflammatory desserts: 10 recipes, ranked by how much sugar you add
Most "anti-inflammatory dessert" lists are regular desserts with turmeric sprinkled on top. Turmeric does not cancel a quarter cup of sugar. What makes a dessert fit this diet is mostly one number: how much sweetener goes into each serving.
So that is how these are ranked. All ten are recipes from our library, with the sweetener per serving worked out from the ingredient list. Below them: the swaps that matter, a formula for inventing your own, and the store-bought desserts that score worst.
The 10 desserts, least added sweetener first
Tablespoons of honey, maple or similar per serving. Calories and fiber are per serving, from each recipe's nutrition panel.
| # | Dessert | Sweetener | Tbsp / serving | Kcal | Fiber |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Turmeric Ginger Banana Nice Cream | None (frozen banana) | 0 | 210 | 6g |
| 2 | Cinnamon Date Squares | None (whole dates) | 0 | 250 | 7g |
| 3 | Mixed Berry Anti-Inflammatory Sorbet | Honey or maple, optional | 0 to 0.5 | 120 | 6g |
| 4 | Tropical Chia Seed Pudding | Maple syrup | 0.5 | 310 | 14g |
| 5 | Anti-Inflammatory Chia Pudding with Mango | Honey | 0.5 | 285 | 8g |
| 6 | Berry Coconut Crumble | Maple syrup | 0.5 | 315 | 6g |
| 7 | Coconut Mango Sorbet | Honey | 0.5 | 150 | 3g |
| 8 | Baked Cinnamon Apples | Maple syrup, plus raisins | 1 | 295 | 6g |
| 9 | Turmeric Golden Ice Cream | Honey | 1 | 315 | 0.5g |
| 10 | Dark Chocolate Avocado Mousse | Maple or honey | 1.5 | 320 | 12g |
What each one is good for
#1 · 10 min prep
Turmeric Ginger Banana Nice Cream
The only one with nothing added. Ripe banana does all the sweetening.
#2 · 15 min prep
Cinnamon Date Squares
Sweet from dates, with the fiber still attached, plus walnuts and flax.
#3 · 15 min prep
Mixed Berry Anti-Inflammatory Sorbet
Lowest calories on the list. Skip the honey if the berries are ripe.
#4 · 10 min prep
Tropical Chia Seed Pudding
Highest fiber of the ten. Chia brings omega-3 (ALA).
#5 · 15 min prep
Anti-Inflammatory Chia Pudding with Mango
Turmeric and ginger stirred in. Same base as above, less fat.
#6 · 10 min prep + 25 min
Berry Coconut Crumble
Almond flour and walnut topping instead of white flour and butter.
#7 · 15 min prep
Coconut Mango Sorbet
Light, but the lowest fiber of the fruit desserts.
#8 · 10 min prep + 25 min
Baked Cinnamon Apples
Cut the syrup in half. The raisins already add plenty of sugar.
#9 · 10 min prep
Turmeric Golden Ice Cream
Mostly coconut milk fat. Nearly no fiber. An occasional one.
#10 · 10 min prep
Dark Chocolate Avocado Mousse
Most sweetener, but 12 g of fiber per serving from avocado.
The swaps that actually move the score
Inflammation scores on our 1 to 10 scale (1 strongly anti-inflammatory, 10 highly inflammatory). Sweeteners and fats are where desserts gain or lose most of their points.
| Swap out | Score | Swap in | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| White sugar | 10/10 | Dates | 4/10 |
| White sugar | 10/10 | Raw honey | 4/10 |
| Maple syrup | 5/10 | Ripe banana | 4/10 |
| Milk chocolate | 6/10 | Dark chocolate | 3/10 |
| Margarine | 8/10 | Extra virgin olive oil | 1/10 |
| Butter | 6/10 | Walnuts (in crumbles and crusts) | 2/10 |
| Ice cream | 8/10 | Chia seeds (as pudding) | 2/10 |
Two caveats. Honey and maple syrup score better than white sugar, but they are still sugar: about 17 g per tablespoon for honey and 12 g for maple. The improvement comes from using less. And dates score 4 because they come with fiber, which only holds if you use them whole, not as date syrup.
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Build your own: a 5-part formula
Every recipe above follows the same pattern. Pick one from each row and you have a new dessert.
Base: Berries, cherries, apple, mango or banana
Fruit brings the sweetness and the fiber. Berries and cherries score 1 to 2.
Body: Chia, avocado, Greek yogurt, almond flour or oats
Gives a pudding, mousse or crumble texture without white flour.
Fat: Walnuts, almonds, coconut milk, olive oil
Replaces butter and margarine. Walnuts add omega-3.
Sweetener: Dates, honey or maple, 1 tbsp per serving at most
Every recipe above stays at or under 1.5 tbsp. Most are at 0.5.
Spice: Cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, vanilla, cocoa
Adds flavor that reads as sweet, so you can use less sugar.
Example: frozen cherries, blended with Greek yogurt, a few walnuts, half a tablespoon of honey and cinnamon. That is a dessert built entirely from foods scoring 4 or lower. For more fruit-first ideas, see our smoothie recipes and anti-inflammatory snacks.
Store-bought sweets that score worst
These are the dessert ingredients and products at the bottom of our scale. Each links to the full breakdown.
The pattern is the same in all six: added sugar, refined flour or industrial fats, usually two of the three. A homemade dessert avoids them by design. A packaged one rarely does, whatever the front of the box says.
Anti-inflammatory desserts: common questions
What desserts are anti-inflammatory?
Desserts built on fruit, nuts, seeds and dark chocolate with little added sugar: chia pudding, berry sorbet, banana nice cream, baked apples with walnuts, dark chocolate avocado mousse and date squares. The ingredient that decides it is the sweetener. A dessert with whole fruit and half a tablespoon of honey per serving is a different food from one built on white sugar and flour.
Is dark chocolate anti-inflammatory?
It scores 3 out of 10 on our scale, against 6 for milk chocolate. The cocoa flavanols are the reason, and they rise with cocoa percentage, so pick 70% or higher and keep it to a square or two.
Is honey better than sugar for inflammation?
Somewhat. Raw honey scores 4 on our scale and white sugar 10, because honey carries small amounts of antioxidants. It is still mostly sugar, about 17 g per tablespoon, so the gain comes from using less, not from switching and pouring the same amount.
How much sugar is OK on an anti-inflammatory diet?
The American Heart Association recommends no more than 25 g of added sugar a day for women and 36 g for men. A tablespoon of maple syrup has about 12 g. Every recipe on this page stays at or under 1.5 tablespoons of sweetener per serving, and seven of the ten use half a tablespoon or less.
Is ice cream inflammatory?
Regular ice cream scores 8 out of 10: added sugar plus saturated fat from cream. Banana nice cream (no added sugar) or a berry sorbet gives you the frozen dessert without most of that.
Can I eat dessert every day on an anti-inflammatory diet?
A fruit-based dessert with half a tablespoon of sweetener fits most days. What the diet limits is added sugar and refined flour across the whole day, so a daily dessert works if the rest of the day is not also full of them.
Where to go from here
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