The 9 Most Unhealthy Desserts (Some with More than 2,000 Calories!)

If you look forward to eating dessert after your meal, you’re not alone. Whether you have an uncontrollable sweet tooth or you’re craving a specific sweet, there are plenty of options for dessert out there. However, before you dive into a slice of cake or a donut, consider the amount of calories and sugar in some of the most unhealthy desserts.

Most people don’t eat dessert to try to stay healthy, but you might not know just how unhealthy some of the most popular desserts really are. Here are some of the most unhealthy desserts, as well as some healthy alternatives you can try at home.

This post was updated in March 2026 to include updated nutrition information about high-calorie desserts and additional editorial enhancements.

Who could resist the tastiness of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies? Although this dessert may be a favorite dessert for the whole family, you can’t eat just one. With dough made from sugar, flour, butter, and chocolate chips, it’s no surprise that your favorite cookie isn’t a healthy snack. One chocolate chip cookie typically has about 100 calories, but if you eat two, or three, or more, the calories and sugar can quickly add up.

This tasty Italian treat is a popular dessert, especially for coffee lovers. Made with whipped cream, mascarpone, and ladyfingers soaked in espresso, this indulgent treat is rich, creamy, and delicious. The cream and sugar are mainly what make it an unhealthy choice, even if you eat a small portion. One serving of tiramisu has about 400 calories, 17 grams of fat, and 14 grams of sugar.

There’s something about desserts with nuts that fools us into thinking they’re healthy. However, pecan pie is one of the most unhealthy types of pies. With nothing but pecans, sugar, and a heavy dose of corn syrup, there’s little nutritional value to this dessert. Depending on the recipe and portion size, one slice of pecan pie can be anywhere from 400-600 calories and contain 29-35 grams of sugar. 

The only thing that can make a chocolate brownie more delicious is a scoop of ice cream on top. A brownie sundae is a chocolate brownie topped with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and chocolate syrup. As you can imagine, the brownie itself is already unhealthy, and the addition of the sundae part makes it even worse. A brownie sundae can have 800-900 calories, around 40-45 grams of fat, and 80-100 grams of sugar, depending on size and toppings.

For all the ice-cream lovers out there, a banana split has every delicious topping you could imagine. With a mix of strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla ice cream, a traditional banana split is topped with chocolate and strawberry syrup, maraschino cherries, nuts, and a whole banana split right down the middle. Even though it’s topped with fruit, the banana alone has about 100 calories. A whole banana split has about 900-1,000 calories, 30-35 grams of fat, and over 100 grams of sugar.

Lava cakes are often the go-to dessert when you’re celebrating a special occasion at a restaurant. With moist, chocolatey cake on the outside and warm, delicious fudge on the inside, chocolate lava cakes are tasty and yet incredibly unhealthy. If you’re a fan of the lava cake, you might be familiar with the Molten Cake from Chili's. This dessert has a total of 1,170 calories, 59 grams of fat, and 155 grams of carbohydrates (most of which is sugar). If you’re going to indulge in this dessert, make sure you share it with the whole table.

Cheesecake is another popular dessert, whether you order it at a restaurant like the Cheesecake Factory or make your own tasty cheesecake at home. As you can imagine, one of the main ingredients of this dessert is cream cheese. Every cheesecake recipe also has a good amount of sugar and other fillings, depending on the flavor. The nutritional value will depend on the flavor and portion size. At the Cheesecake Factory, their highest-calorie cheesecake is the Chocolate Caramelicious Cheesecake Made With Snickers. One slice of this dessert has 1,370 calories and 96 grams of sugar.

Don’t let the carrot in the name fool you–as delicious as it is, carrot cake is not a healthy food. The cake is made similarly to many other types of cake, but with the addition of shredded carrots, nuts, and spices. The best part of the cake, though, is the rich cream cheese frosting. Believe it or not, a slice of carrot cake is more unhealthy than a slice of cheesecake. Although you are getting the benefit of eating carrots, one slice of carrot cake can range from 400 to 1,200 calories, depending on size and frosting.

When you eat ice cream in a cone or a cup, you’re probably keenly aware of how much ice cream you’re consuming. But blending it up and drinking it with a straw in the form of a milkshake is a dangerous game. Take a shake at Sonic, for instance. Their Peanut Butter Fudge Shake is no doubt a tasty treat–but if you order a large, you’ll essentially consume your entire day’s worth of calories. A large Sonic Peanut Butter Fudge Shake contains about 1,940 calories, which is close to or exceeds the recommended daily intake for many adults.

If you’ve got a major sweet tooth, it can be challenging to say no to some of your favorite desserts. This is especially true when you’re eating out or you’re looking for something sweet at home without making a huge mess in the kitchen. Even though desserts are not usually meant to be healthy, there are ways to make your favorite treats a bit healthier by swapping out some of the ingredients. There are also many healthy alternatives to some of the highest-calorie desserts.

You don’t have to completely give up desserts if you’re looking to live a healthier life. Consider these sweet treats that aren’t as high in calories, fat, and sugar:

yogurt with honey and fruit, baked apples, baked oatmeal, and chocolate zucchini bread

There is truly no limit to the amount of sweet, healthy snacks out there. These types of treats can satisfy your sweet tooth without adding 1,000 calories to your daily intake.