Healthy Diabetes-Friendly Recipes

Find healthy, delicious recipes for diabetes including main dishes, drinks, snacks and desserts from the food and nutrition experts at EatingWell.

Most Popular

Baked Banana-Nut Oatmeal Cups

Rating: Unrated
15
Muffins meet oatmeal in these moist and tasty grab-and-go oatmeal cups. Feel free to swap out the pecans for any other nut--walnuts would be great--or omit them altogether. Make a batch on the weekend and keep them in your fridge or freezer for quick and easy breakfasts all week. Reheat in the microwave for about 40 seconds.
By Carolyn Casner

Vegetable Weight-Loss Soup

Rating: Unrated
21
A big bowl of this veggie-packed minestrone will leave you satisfied for hours without consuming a lot of calories--plus it's an easy way to boost your vegetable servings for the day. Top with a dollop of pesto before devouring this delicious skinny vegetable soup.
By Hilary Meyer

Chicken & Spinach Skillet Pasta with Lemon & Parmesan

Rating: Unrated
21
This one-pan pasta that combines lean chicken breast and sautéed spinach for a one-bowl meal is garlicky, lemony and best served with a little Parm on top. I call it "Mom's Skillet Pasta" and she called it "Devon's Favorite Pasta." Either way it's a quick and easy weeknight dinner we created together and scribbled on a little recipe card more than a decade ago, and it remains in my weekly dinner rotation to this day. It's a simple dinner the whole family will love.
By Devon O'Brien

One-Pot Garlicky Shrimp & Spinach

Rating: Unrated
5
Shrimp, spinach and garlic brown and cook quickly for a simple one-pot weeknight dinner. A fast pan sauce gets life from zesty lemon juice, warm crushed red pepper and herby parsley. Serve with a slice of whole-wheat baguette to swipe up every last drop of sauce.
By Carolyn Casner

Veggie & Hummus Sandwich

Rating: Unrated
11
This mile-high vegetable and hummus sandwich makes the perfect heart-healthy vegetarian lunch to go. Mix it up with different flavors of hummus and different types of vegetables depending on your mood.
By Katie Webster

Skillet Lemon Chicken & Potatoes with Kale

Rating: Unrated
7
This easy one-pan skillet-roasted lemon chicken is perfect for weeknight dinners. Juicy chicken thighs are cooked in the same pan as baby potatoes and kale for a satisfying meal with the added bonus of minimal cleanup.
By Carolyn Casner

Sheet-Pan Salmon with Sweet Potatoes & Broccoli

Rating: Unrated
6
The vibrant combo of cheese, cilantro, chili, and lime--inspired by Mexican street corn--makes this salmon sheet-pan dinner burst with flavor.
By Sara Haas, R.D.N., L.D.N.

One-Pan Chicken & Asparagus Bake

Rating: Unrated
4
In this chicken and asparagus recipe, we use one baking sheet to whip up dinner quickly, veggies included. Pounding the chicken thin helps it cook quickly alongside the carrots and potatoes, with asparagus rounding out the meal. This is one quick dinner recipe you'll be returning to again and again.
By Karen Rankin

Mediterranean Breakfast Sandwiches

Rating: Unrated
2
This veggie-packed breakfast sandwich delivers a healthy serving of protein plus fresh vegetables on low-carbohydrate sandwich bread.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Slow-Cooker Mushroom Soup with Sherry

Rating: Unrated
12
This comforting and creamy slow-cooker soup is loaded with earthy, umami flavor from the mushrooms and soy sauce.  Puréeing only some of the slow-cooker mushroom soup gives the dish complex texture and eye appeal. Garnish with additional black pepper and chopped fresh thyme, if desired.
By Cooking Light

Charred Shrimp & Pesto Buddha Bowls

Rating: Unrated
8
These shrimp and pesto Buddha bowls are delicious, healthy, pretty and take less than 30 minutes to prep. In other words, they're basically the ultimate easy weeknight dinner. Feel free to add additional vegetables and swap the shrimp for chicken, steak, tofu or edamame.
By Carolyn Casner

Lemon-Garlic Chicken Penne with Pesto and Spinach

Fresh pesto brilliantly compliments the lemon and garlic flavors of this juicy chicken dinner.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Inspiration and Ideas

The Best 7-Day Diabetes Diet Plan

The Best 7-Day Diabetes Diet Plan

This healthy 1,200-calorie weight loss meal plan makes it easy to balance your blood sugar.
12 Ways to Lower Your Blood Sugar

12 Ways to Lower Your Blood Sugar

Make these simple lifestyle tweaks to minimize blood sugar swings and control your sugar levels.
Balsamic Berry Vinaigrette Winter Salad

Balsamic Berry Vinaigrette Winter Salad

The Best 30-Day Diabetes Diet Plan

The Best 30-Day Diabetes Diet Plan

26 Easy Diabetes-Friendly Breakfast Recipes to Make for Busy Mornings

26 Easy Diabetes-Friendly Breakfast Recipes to Make for Busy Mornings

20 Healthy Diabetes-Friendly Dinners You Can Make in 20 Minutes

20 Healthy Diabetes-Friendly Dinners You Can Make in 20 Minutes

Kung Pao Chicken with Bell Peppers

Here's an easy chicken recipe you'll definitely want to add to your dinner repertoire. A quick marinade tenderizes the chicken and infuses flavor in this healthy version of a take-out favorite. Adding a little oil to finish the marinade coats the chicken and helps keep it from sticking to the pan.

All Healthy Diabetes-Friendly Recipes

Sweet Potato-Black Bean Burgers

Rating: Unrated
8
These vegan sweet potato-black bean burgers spiced with curry powder are easy to make. Blending the mixture with your hands gives you a soft, uniform texture then the outside gets crispy by cooking in a cast-iron pan. To make this recipe gluten-free too, use gluten-free oats and serve the patty in a lettuce wrap, omitting the bun.
By Robin Bashinsky

Pasta Puttanesca with Beef

Rating: Unrated
1
This easy slow cooker ground beef and pasta recipe makes a great meal any night of the week.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Roasted Root Veggies & Greens over Spiced Lentils

Rating: Unrated
2
This earthy bowl of lentils bursting with Middle Eastern flavors is topped with leftover roasted root veggies from a large batch for an easy weeknight dinner. Keep it vegan or add a drizzle of plain yogurt for extra richness.
By Sylvia Fountaine

Sheet-Pan Chicken Fajita Bowls

Rating: Unrated
3
Skip the tortillas in favor of this warm fajita salad, which features a nutritious medley of chicken with roasted kale, bell peppers and black beans. The chicken, beans and vegetables are all cooked on the same pan, so this healthy dinner is easy to make and the cleanup is easy too.
By Sara Haas, R.D.N., L.D.N.

Chicken Enchilada Skillet Casserole

This simplified take on cheesy chicken enchiladas only requires one pan for cooking and eliminates the need to stuff and roll corn tortillas. Charring the veggies in a cast-iron skillet adds depth of flavor. Don’t worry if you don’t have one, because you can use any oven-safe skillet instead.
By Andrea Kirkland

Creamy Chicken, Brussels Sprouts & Mushrooms One-Pot Pasta

Rating: Unrated
19
You'll only have to dirty one pot in this easy pasta recipe that cooks chicken and vegetables right along with the noodles. Plus, by using the exact amount of water you need to cook the pasta, the starch that usually gets drained off with your pasta water stays in the pot, giving you delectably creamy results.
By Breana Killeen

Cinnamon Roll Overnight Oats

Rating: Unrated
2
It takes just minutes to assemble this healthy no-cook breakfast and you'll have meal-prepped grab-and-go breakfasts on hand for the rest of the week. Top these delicious vegan oats--inspired by classic cinnamon bun flavors--with fresh or frozen fruit and your favorite nuts and seeds.
By Carolyn Casner

Vegan Superfood Buddha Bowls

Rating: Unrated
3
This nutrient-packed vegan Buddha bowl recipe comes together in 15 minutes with the help of a few convenience-food shortcuts like prewashed baby kale, microwavable quinoa and precooked beets. Pack these ahead to keep on hand for easy meal-prep lunches or dinners on busy nights.
By Carolyn A. Hodges, R.D.

Mediterranean Chicken with Orzo Salad

Rating: Unrated
6
Baked chicken breasts cook in the oven while you mix together a Mediterranean salad--packed with veggies, whole-wheat orzo and an easy homemade Greek vinaigrette--for a weekend-worthy dinner on the table in under an hour. The leftovers from this healthy 400-calorie meal make a delicious packable lunch for the next day.
By Carolyn Casner

Walnut-Rosemary Crusted Salmon

Rating: Unrated
17
Salmon and walnuts are both great sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Pair this easy salmon recipe with a simple salad and a side of roasted potatoes or quinoa.
By Andrea Kirkland M.S., RD

Hearty Chickpea & Spinach Stew

Rating: Unrated
10
This satisfying stew comes together in a snap. Mashed chickpeas add body to the broth, and tomato paste adds a savory note without piling on the sodium. To simplify the prep, look for chopped fresh onion and shredded carrot or a soup starter mix in the produce section.
By Patsy Jamieson

Roast Chicken & Sweet Potatoes

Rating: Unrated
33
Caramelized sweet potatoes and red onion are the bed for chicken thighs that cook up fast in a very hot oven--perfect for a quick healthy chicken dinner. Serve with a fall salad of mixed greens, sliced apples and blue cheese.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Skillet Steak with Mushroom Sauce

Rating: Unrated
2
This steak, broccoli rabe and pea dinner is a one-skillet meal that will be on your table in just 25 minutes! The pan drippings combine with mushroom, broth and grainy mustard to make a thick and delicious sauce.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Mason Jar Power Salad with Chickpeas & Tuna

Rating: Unrated
1
This power salad will keep you fueled for hours, thanks to 26 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber. Tossing the dressing and kale, and then letting it stand in the jar, softens it enough so you don't need to massage or cook it to make it tender.
By Katie Webster

Strawberry-Chocolate Greek Yogurt Bark

Rating: Unrated
7
Lightly sweetened Greek yogurt gets studded with fresh strawberries and chocolate chips then frozen so you can break it into chunks just like chocolate bark (but healthier!). This colorful snack or healthy dessert is perfect for kids and adults alike. Use full-fat yogurt to ensure the creamiest bark possible.
By Carolyn Casner

Maple-Roasted Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potato Wedges and Brussels Sprouts

Rating: Unrated
2
This easy sheet-pan recipe brings together many fall favorites into a hearty dinner.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

25 Diabetes-Friendly Recipes to Help Keep Your Blood Sugar in Check

Whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner, these diabetes-friendly recipes can help keep your blood sugar in check

Curried Shrimp with Cauliflower and Chickpeas

Rating: Unrated
1
In this delicious main dish, cauliflower is slow-cooked with curry powder and aromatic vegetables, and shrimp and chickpeas are added in towards the end of the cooking time. Served over brown basmati rice and sprinkled with cilantro and peanuts, this dish will get a thumbs up from anyone eating it!
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Morning Glory Muffins

Rating: Unrated
6
These Morning Glory muffins are full of everything you'd expect in the bakery favorite-carrots, apple and raisins, topped with nuts and toasted wheat germ. If raisins aren't your favorite, substitute an equal amount of the dried fruit of your choice.
By Patsy Jamieson

Everything Bagel Avocado Toast

Rating: Unrated
2
Get all the flavor of an everything bagel married with the creaminess of avocado toast in one healthy breakfast. Just toast, top, sprinkle and go for this quick morning meal when you need to get out the door fast. Want to take it up a notch? Top with a poached or fried egg.
By Devon O'Brien

Spinach & Egg Scramble with Raspberries

Rating: Unrated
1
This quick egg scramble with hearty bread is one of the best breakfasts for weight loss. It combines weight-loss power foods, eggs and raspberries, with filling whole-grain toast and nutrient-packed spinach. The protein and fiber help fill you up and the whole meal clocks in at just under 300 calories.
By Robin Bashinsky

Two-Ingredient Banana Pancakes

Rating: Unrated
1
These delicious and unbelievably simple pancakes are best enjoyed right after cooking. With just eggs and a banana, you can have healthy grain-free pancakes with no added sugar. Serve with maple syrup and yogurt or ricotta cheese to add in some protein.
By Carolyn Casner

Roasted Salmon with Smoky Chickpeas & Greens

Rating: Unrated
9
In this healthy salmon dinner, you'll get a dose of greens and green dressing! Chowing down on 6 or more servings of dark leafy greens a week can help keep your brain in top shape. This dish features the Test Kitchen's current go-to method for doctoring a can of chickpeas: spice them up and roast until crispy.
By Breana Killeen

Chipotle-Lime Cauliflower Taco Bowls

Rating: Unrated
2
A bold, smoky marinade elevates roasted cauliflower in this meal-prep version of our popular Chipotle-Lime Cauliflower Tacos (see Associated Recipes). To cut down on prep time, look for precut cauliflower in the produce department. You can also save time by using microwaveable quinoa pouches (you'll need one 8-ounce pouch for this recipe) instead of cooking quinoa.
By Carolyn A. Hodges, R.D.
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