Three Autism-Friendly Dessert Ideas

Everyone loves a good sweet treat every now and then, kids most of all. Parents know very well how appealing desserts filled with sugar, gluten, and dairy can be to their child. For parents with children on the autism spectrum, however, this can present a particular challenge. Sugar, gluten, and dairy are some of the most commonly used ingredients for many desserts, and they often cause a lot of problems for children on and off the autism spectrum.

Even though you prioritize preparing healthy foods for your child with autism, it’s still nice to be able to prepare a tasty dessert they can enjoy. Luckily, it’s still very possible to make delicious desserts that don’t include ingredients that are harmful. Here are three dessert ideas your child with autism will love that are all low in sugar, gluten-free, and dairy-free.

Rainbow Whole Fruit Popsicles

Here’s a dessert idea that is incredibly simple to make, and possibly fun to make with your child. The end result with the striped pattern of different fruits looks super cool as well. All you need is a small food processor, your preferred fruits, a small mold, and popsicle sticks. Simply fill the mold with pureed fruits and popsicle sticks, then freeze. Get the full recipe here.

Flourless Sweet Potato Brownies

Sweet potatoes and chocolate? Oh yes. While these brownies won’t be exactly like what you’re used to with traditional brownies, they manage to get pretty close. The sweet potatoes add the natural sweetness and effectively fill the role that the flour normally takes. You can also add some vanilla extract or honey for natural sweetness as well. Get the full recipe here.

Sugar-Free Coconut Flour Muffins

The key here is the use of coconut flour instead of gluten-laden refined wheat flour. Not only do you need to use less of it to achieve the thickening effect in your recipes, it adds a sweet flavor with no fructose. Coconut has many other health benefits as well, including lauric acid, which supports the immune system, and manganese, which supports healthy thyroid. These muffins deliver a satisfying taste and texture, sure to satisfy your child’s sweet tooth while giving them a nutritional boost as well. Get the full recipe here.


Give these autism-friendly dessert recipes a try, perhaps even to teach your child with autism cooking, and you’ll likely discover that you love them just as much as your child does.