7,151 light recipes

Cranberry star mold: a retro raspberry gelatin dessert folded with whipped cream, pineapple, and orange sections, chilled in a star mold. A classic holiday side or light dessert.

Garlic half-sour dill pickles: classic New York deli-style fermented cucumbers with garlic, dill, and pickling spice. Just 2 weeks to crisp, lightly sour pickles at home.

A delicate Asian-style steamed seafood custard (chawanmushi) with whole clams, fresh ginger, scallions, and umami-rich fish sauce. Light, savory, silky, and ready in under an hour.

Seafood cocktail salad with shrimp, avocado, honeydew, cantaloupe, orange, and strawberries on lettuce, dressed with a tangy cocktail-sauce-and-salad-dressing mix. A light summer main course.

Thai pla preeo wan, broiled flounder topped with a fresh sweet-and-sour sauce of diced pineapple, cucumber, tomato, ginger, and cilantro. Light, bright, and healthy weeknight fish.

Old-fashioned milk-and-egg enriched white bread makes two soft, tender loaves with a light crumb and golden crust. A forgiving family recipe for beginner bread bakers.

Lemon cloud dessert with a light baked soufflé top and chilled strawberry-mint compote. An elegant Easter or spring dinner-party dessert with bright citrus and fresh fruit.

Cinnamon sugar crusted sweet bread: a lightly sweet yeast bread flavored with anise and wrapped in a buttery cinnamon-sugar crust. Sliced thin and buttered for coffee time.

Apricots in brandy, an 1831 American recipe: fresh apricots blanched in light syrup, bottled, and covered with equal parts syrup and French brandy. A heritage spirit-preserved fruit.

Light ricotta cheesecake swaps cream cheese for ricotta and buttermilk, finished with fresh orange zest. The crust is graham crackers spiced with ground ginger. Italian-leaning, lighter version.

Lemonade wafers: crisp, egg-free drop cookies bright with fresh lemon zest and juice, optional coconut topping. Light, sunny cookie that tastes like summer in a single bite.

Chocolate angel food layer cake baked in heart-shape pans. Fat-free, cloud-light, cocoa-scented sponge made with egg whites and cake flour. No butter, no yolks.

Israeli-style crustless cheesecake with tangy leben, whipped egg whites, and a vanilla pudding topping. A light, airy baked cheese cake that's tall, fluffy, and not overly sweet.

Plum tomato tart on crisp phyllo layers with Dijon mustard, Parmesan, and fresh thyme-parsley-garlic oil. A shatteringly light French-style appetizer with dramatic tomato mosaic presentation.

Chocolate banana pie sets sliced bananas under chocolate pudding on a peanut butter rice cereal crust. A no-bake light dessert with three pantry-staple flavors stacked tall.

San Francisco vegetable soup, a light ginger-sesame broth with bok choy, snow peas, carrot, and red pepper. Vegan, quick, and built to keep every vegetable crisp-tender.