10 Healthy and Delicious Alternatives to Candy :)

Fresh fruit is naturally sweet and packed with nutrients like fiber, vitamins, and minerals. It may also provide anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties (2Trusted Source).

Unlike candy, fruits are usually low in calories and high in fiber (3Trusted Source).

For example, 1 cup (144 grams) of strawberries provides only 46 calories but 3 grams of fiber and 94% of the Daily Value (DV) for vitamin C (4).

Because it’s dehydrated, dried fruit is highly concentrated in nutrients and sugar, making it even sweeter and calorie-denser than fresh fruit — so be mindful of your portions.

Still, studies suggest that people who eat dried fruit have good diet quality and nutrient intake, two factors associated with lower body weight (5Trusted Source).

You can find almost any fruit dried, but make sure your product doesn’t contain added sugars.

Homemade popsicles give you all the benefits of fruit without the extra sugar and artificial ingredients of packaged varieties.

To prepare them, simply blend your choice of fruit with water, juice, or milk. Pour the mixture into popsicle molds or plastic cups, place a popsicle stick in the center of each, and freeze overnight.

If you prefer a creamy texture, blend with yogurt instead — or simply insert a popsicle stick straight into a yogurt cup and freeze for a quick dessert.

“Nice cream” refers to fruit-based ice cream, which you can make by blending frozen fruit with optional add-ins — like peanut butter, honey, or coconut milk — and freezing the mix.

Here’s an easy recipe to get you started:

Strawberry-banana ‘nice cream’

Ingredients:

• 1 large, peeled, frozen banana
• 1 cup (144 grams) of frozen strawberries

Directions:

Cut the banana into slices and the strawberries into halves. Pulse in a food processor until smooth, scraping the sides when necessary.

Contrary to popular belief, frozen fruit preserves the nutrients of fresh fruit because it’s fully ripened before being frozen (6).

At home, you can freeze fruit with yogurt for a quick, simple snack.

Frozen-yogurt-covered blueberries

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (148 grams) of blueberries
• 1/2 cup (200 grams) of low-fat Greek yogurt

Directions:

1. Cover a baking tray with parchment paper.
2. Stab a blueberry with a toothpick and dip it into the yogurt, making sure it gets fully coated.
3. Place the yogurt-covered blueberry on the baking sheet.
4. Repeat with the rest of the berries and freeze overnight.

Fruit and veggie chips are cut into thin slices before being baked, which gives them their characteristic crunchy texture.

These chips boost your daily fruit and vegetable intake, which may help lower your risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and certain cancers (7Trusted Source, 8Trusted Source).

Instead of choosing store-bought options that may harbor added sugar and preservatives, make your own fruit and veggie chips by following one of these recipes.

Homemade fruit leather is a sweet and chewy treat loaded with nutrients.

You can use any fruit you want — but choosing high-sugar options, such as mangoes, means you won’t have to add too much sweetener.

Mango fruit leather

Ingredients:

• 2–3 cups (330–495 grams) of mangoes
• 2–3 tablespoons (15–30 ml) of honey
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of lemon juice

Directions:

1. Blend the mangoes in a blender or food processor until smooth.
2. Add honey and lemon juice and blend a little more.
3. Pour the mixture into a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and spread to 1/8–1/4-inch (0.3–0.6-cm) thickness.
4. Bake at 140–170°F (60–77°C) or the lowest temperature on your oven for 4–6 hours.
5. Allow to cool, then remove from the tray.
6. Cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) strips and wrap with parchment paper before rolling them up.

Energy balls are typically made with wholesome ingredients that provide enough fiber, protein, and healthy fats to keep you feeling full (9Trusted Source, 10Trusted Source).

Oats, nut butter, flax seeds, and dried fruits are the most common ingredients. However, you can mix in almost anything you want, from protein powder to chocolate chips.

Nevertheless, they pack a lot of calories, so try to limit yourself to one or two at a time.

Coconut-dusted energy balls

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (72 grams) of raw almonds
• 1/2 cup (58 grams) of raw walnuts
• 1 cup (73 grams) of raisins
• 3 pitted dates
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 cup (93 grams) of shredded coconut

Finely chop the almonds and walnuts in a food processor, then add the rest of the ingredients — except the coconut — and pulse until you get a sticky mixture.

Form 1-inch (2.5-cm) balls with your hands, then roll them in shredded coconut until fully coated.

Nuts are packed with unsaturated fatty acids, which may promote heart health by reducing heart disease risk factors. In fact, research suggests that eating nuts may lower LDL (bad) cholesterol by 3–19% (11Trusted Source).

They’re also high in fiber, high-quality protein, and beneficial plant compounds (12Trusted Source).

Roasting nuts with honey makes a perfect sweet-and-salty treat. Try this recipe for your next candy replacement.

Dark chocolate is known for its high levels of antioxidants, which may improve heart health, brain function, and insulin sensitivity (13Trusted Source, 14Trusted Source, 15Trusted Source, 16Trusted Source).

Meanwhile, coconut is an excellent source of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), a type of fat that may boost weight loss, fat metabolism, and gut health (17Trusted Source).

The sweetness of coconut chips masks the slight bitterness of dark chocolate, making a crunchy treat that can be eaten alone or used as a topping for yogurt.

You can make dark-chocolate-covered coconut chips at home by following this recipe, or you can purchase them pre-made — in which case you should check the ingredient list to avoid added sugars.