If you have a sweet tooth, you know how hard it is to resist a delicious dessert at the end of a meal. Or before a meal since we’re adults and can eat dessert anytime. There’s nothing wrong with indulging every once in a while, but before you dive into that chocolate cake, you should know about the worst desserts for your health. (Click to read about the most iconic dessert in every state.)
To compile this list of the unhealthiest desserts, 24/7 Tempo consulted numerous health sources including Harvard Health, the National Institutes of Health, and Medical News Today. Here are the 10 worst desserts for your health.
Chocolate Cake
- Nutrition Facts: One slice of chocolate cake has 424 calories and 44 grams of sugar
Chocolate cake is a classic dessert. It’s the go-to for birthday parties, graduation parties, or any celebration. Even though dark chocolate does have some health benefits, decadent chocolate cake with rich chocolate frosting doesn’t count. As delicious as it is, chocolate cake is one of the desserts to avoid due to the high amount of calories and sugar.
Brownie Sundae
Chocolate Fudgy Brownie with Vanilla Ice Cream and Chocolate Syrup on Wood Background. Selective focus, toning.
- Nutrition Facts: One brownie sundae has 914 calories and 84 grams of sugar
The only thing more comforting than a warm chocolate brownie is one topped with vanilla ice cream. This dessert may seem innocent enough, especially if shared with a friend. But considering the amount of calories and sugar in just one of these desserts, sharing with one friend isn’t enough. The combination of brownie with creamy ice cream makes a brownie sundae one of the most fattening desserts.
Banana Split
- Nutrition Facts: One banana split has 852 calories and 71 grams of sugar
Don’t let the fruit on top fool you–a banana split is one of the most unhealthy choices for dessert. Even though they’re often meant to be shared, even half of a banana split is an enormous amount of sugar. This dessert has three different kinds of ice cream and every topping you can imagine, each one adding more sugar and calories.
Molten Lava Cake
Delicious molten chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream on table with coffee and second dessert in background
- Nutrition Facts: One molten lava cake has 660 calories and 47 grams of sugar
When it comes to the unhealthiest restaurant desserts, the molten lava takes the cake, no pun intended. This is a popular dessert, especially at many chain restaurants like Chilis. But the combination of chocolate cake and warm fudge makes this dessert one of the worst. If you plan on ordering one of these calorie-packed desserts after dinner, be sure to ask for a few extra spoons to share with the table.
Fudge
- Nutrition Facts: One square of fudge has 130 calories and 12 grams of sugar
Whether you make fudge at home or order it from a local bakery, it’s a rich and tasty dessert. The calories and sugar in one square make fudge seem like a healthier choice than other desserts, but it’s important to keep in mind that one square is a pretty small portion. Unless you specifically measure how much fudge you’re eating, you’re likely going to eat several servings without realizing it.
Cheesecake
- Nutrition Facts: One slice of cheesecake has 400 calories and 27 grams of sugar
A plain slice of cheesecake isn’t as bad as some other desserts, but when you order a cheesecake swirled with cookies or candy, it can end up being over 1,000 calories for one slice. A slice of Chocolate Caramelicious Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory, for example, has 1,370 calories.
Chocolate Cream Pie
Chocolate cream pie slice and sliced strawberries on a plate.
- Nutrition Facts: One slice of chocolate cream pie has 399 calories and 31 grams of sugar
Chocolate cream pie is one of the tastiest and well-loved pies. The chocolate and cream in the name make it pretty clear that it will be full of sugar and fat, but many people don’t realize just how bad one slice is. Cream-based pies are some of the worst because they’re made from a base of milk, cream, sugar, and eggs. Add in an unhealthy serving of chocolate and other fillings, and you’ve got one of the desserts you should avoid.
Ice Cream
- Nutrition Facts: One ice cream cone has 274 calories and 27 grams of sugar
Ice cream is one of the most popular desserts and it’s no wonder why most love this tasty treat. It comes in hundreds of flavors, it’s perfect for cooling down on a hot day, and it’s sweet as can be. But ice cream is one of the worst desserts because of the sheer amount of fat and sugar. The calories and sugar in ice cream can vary widely depending on the flavor, but even one scoop of ice cream can have over 300 calories.
Carrot Cake
- Nutrition Fact: One slice of carrot cake has 577 calories and 51 grams of sugar
When you hear carrot cake, you might think it’s similar to zucchini bread or other healthy dessert alternatives. As tasty as this type of cake is, it’s far from healthy. Carrot cake is often the most unhealthy type of cake. While there are shredded carrots in the recipe, it’s also incredibly high in calories and topped with cream cheese frosting, which is one of the richest, fattiest kinds. As delicious as it is, carrot cake is unfortunately one of the worst desserts in America for your health.
Pecan Pie
- Nutrition Facts: One slice of pecan pie has 503 calories and 30 grams of sugar
While the pecans themselves may be beneficial to your health, the rest of the ingredients in the pie are not. In fact, pecan pie is one of the worst types of pie since it’s made up entirely of pecans, corn syrup, and sugar. Aside from the pecans, there’s little nutritional benefit to this incredibly high-calorie and sugar dessert. (Speaking of pie, check out the best pie shops in America.)