Delicious and Nutritious: High-Protein Dessert Recipes

Packing protein and needed nutrients into a treat you love to eat is an excellent way to meet your dietary needs. While you don't need to make dessert anything but a sweet treat, it is a clever way to hit your protein intake. The recommended daily intake is 0.36 grams for every pound of body weight or 46 grams for women and 56 grams for men according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If you don't naturally have a high-protein diet you may find yourself scratching your head trying to figure out how to get in those extra grams. That's where healthy high-protein, low-calorie desserts come in. These recipes will also pack in a blend of healthy fat and fiber — the key to getting that 'I'm pleasantly full' feeling.

If you're not one to track your macros but you're concerned you may not be getting enough protein, there are some signs to watch for. Brittle hair and nails, mood changes, fatigue, and worse performance (for those who regularly work out) are a few of them.

Let's face it, sometimes even the tastiest protein bars and most savory bone broth are not how you want to sneak in additional grams of protein. Ahead, we've curated 17 high-protein, low-calorie desserts so good you'll want to nosh on them before dinner.

You'll never guess that one serving of this healthy cookie dough is packed with 11 grams of protein — and from chickpeas. This sweet treat tastes like the raw cookie dough your parents would never let you have — but now, you can grab a spoon and dive in!

Yes, fudge can be healthy: This recipe blends good-for-you fat from coconut oil with 10 grams of protein to create a fudge you can indulge in anytime. This recipe is easy-peasy with no food processors or other fancy kitchen equipment necessary.

Low-fat cream cheese, Greek yogurt, and vanilla protein powder are the secret ingredients that fill this healthy protein dessert with 15 grams of creamy protein goodness per slice. (There are plenty of protein powders to pick from to use in this recipe.)

Made with just five ingredients, this is an easy recipe that is down-right delish. These simple protein peanut butter cups pack almost 13 grams of melt-in-your-mouth protein. Go ahead, have two!

Make any night feel like your birthday with a cake-flavored smoothie that tastes almost as good as the real thing. Bonus: thanks to the staying power that comes via a scoop of protein powder, you'll avoid the sugar rush (and subsequent crash) after enjoying this healthy high-protein, low-calorie dessert.

Craving something crunchy? This yogurt bark will take care of that! And at 7 grams of protein, it's perfectly satiating.

These cookies are chocolaty enough to satisfy any chocoholic's craving, while packing in tons of fiber and 11 grams of protein. The best part? There's no baking required to bring this protein dessert to life.

You never need to leave the house to satisfy your need for froyo again once you have this healthy high-protein, low-calorie dessert in your arsenal. This DIY frozen Greek yogurt is an icy treat that offers 10 grams of protein.

Almonds, dried cranberries, and coconut flakes make this a delicious, natural treat. These are just sweet enough to be your late-night sugar fix, but the healthy fats and 7 grams of nutty protein make the bars a good snack any time of day.

Not only are these brownies simple to make, but they are also Paleo- and vegan-friendly. And somehow this protein dessert recipe is perfectly moist without adding any butter at all — for real.

This gooey cinnamon roll slash granola bar mash-up packs 11 grams of protein and even more decadent bakery-like flavor. So much better than store-bought!

This pumpkin pie pudding is so good you'll be tempted to permanently swap traditional pumpkin pie for this high-protein, low-calorie dessert. Plus, 11 grams of protein give you a reason to eat it whenever your sweet tooth comes calling.

These gluten-free donuts are totally customizable. You can use coconut sugar, maple syrup, or honey for a touch of sweetness, and swap blueberries for raspberries if you're into a more tart protein dessert (or breakfast — do you!).

Can anyone ever say no to a warm chocolate chip cookie? With 5 grams of protein added in via coconut flour, these are sure to be your new fave late-night snack.

Nut butter is the secret to this vegan treat, but a chocolate drizzle is what makes you wonder how something that tastes so good can be so good for you. Try cashew, almond, or peanut butter — whichever you prefer — they will work just the same (and taste just as good!) in this healthy protein dessert.

At 8 grams of protein, these rich, gooey, peanut-buttery flavored cookies sound like a fairytale. But make a batch for yourself, take a bite of the high-protein dessert, and you'll realize dreams really do come true.

Despite being free of gluten and dairy, somehow each bite of this healthy high-protein, low-calorie dessert is still moist and rich. (Could it be the avocado? Or the banana? Or maybe the coconut butter?) When you combine mint chocolate chip with fudge and call it a brownie, though, no other explanation is even necessary.