Diabetes-Friendly Thanksgiving Recipes

Having diabetes doesn't mean you have to skip out on all the tasty treats of Thanksgiving. From Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes to Miniature Apple Galettes, these classic Thanksgiving recipes make for a decadent diabetes-friendly holiday. Recipes with our Diabetes-Appropriate tag are low in calories and are consistent with recommendations for average carbohydrate intake (about 3-4 carbohydrate servings per meal). They also meet our heart-healthy criteria for saturated fat and sodium. See our Diabetes Nutrition Parameters.

Editors' Picks

Crustless Pistachio-Topped Sweet Potato Pie

This no-crust sweet potato pie is a great addition to your holiday dessert table. Sweetened with honey and flavored with warm spices, it's topped with crunchy cereal and pistachios. Any leftover topping can be stored for up to a week and is delicious added on top of your breakfast yogurt.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

Make this classic comfort food side dish in an electric pressure cooker, like the Instant Pot, to get the potatoes soft and tender in a jiff! This easy, 5-ingredient recipe is perfect for the holidays because it's all done in one pot and doesn't take up any extra oven or stove space.

Miniature Apple Galettes

There's no need to peel the apples for this easy apple galette recipe--the skins lend a touch of color and texture.
By Lauren Grant

Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast with Garlic

Bone-in, skin-on turkey breasts, also called split breasts, are inexpensive, flavorful, and nice for (just enough) leftovers. Try this any time of year!

Persian-Style Butternut Squash Soup

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Swap out your basic butternut squash soup for this fragrant version that includes sweet potato and a medley of spices like cinnamon, cumin, coriander and saffron. A drizzle of maple syrup and a few drops of orange water brighten the flavors, while a sprinkle of sumac adds a pop of color and a tangy edge. This healthy butternut squash soup would be a wonderful starter for your Thanksgiving meal.

Roasted Honeynut Squash

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Honeynut squash looks just like mini butternut squash, but on the inside you'll find an even sweeter, deeper orange flesh. This winter squash has only been available at farmers' markets and in select grocery stores for a few years. If you see it, grab a few to try! This simple roasting method enhances the natural flavor of the squash with butter and spices.
By Carolyn Casner

Spiced Maple Cranberry Sauce

Most homemade cranberry sauces are made with sugar, but this one-- flavored with unsweetened applesauce and spices-- gets its sweetness from the maple syrup that's added in after cooking.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Fresh Green Bean Casserole

A slimmed-down white sauce makes this creamy green bean casserole side dish recipe low fat.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Our Best Traditional Pumpkin Pie

Get the classic creamy pumpkin taste but less saturated fat and sugar with this lightened-up recipe.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Chile-Lime Peanuts

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These spicy nuts were inspired by ones sold by street vendors across Mexico. If you can only find salted peanuts, omit the added salt. Add the maximum amount of cayenne pepper if you want an extra hit of spice.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon & Onions

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Fresh herbs, onion and bacon sauté alongside Brussels sprouts in this easy vegetable side dish recipe. This savory dish is delicious in the fall and winter months, when Brussels sprouts are in season. If you can find them still attached to the stalk, don't be intimidated--buy them, as they're likely more fresh. Recipe adapted from The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Diabetic Carrot Cake

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With this luscious take on an all-time favorite, you can fit this low-sugar cake into a diabetic meal plan with style.
By Diabetic Living Magazine
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Inspiration and Ideas

17 Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Desserts for Diabetes
Ease some of the Thanksgiving cooking stress with these make-ahead dessert recipes. You can make components of these desserts a few days in advance (or even the entire dessert!). Desserts like Spiced Pumpkin Walnut Cookies and Hasselback Pear Cake are low in calories, saturated fat and sodium, which is perfect if you're looking for a dessert that's diabetes-friendly.
27 Low-Carb, Diabetes-Friendly Thanksgiving Sides
Get ready for the holiday with these low-carb Thanksgiving side dish recipes. In addition to having no more than 15 grams of carbohydrates per serving, these side dishes are also appropriate for a diabetes-friendly diet. Each side dish is low in calories, saturated fat and sodium, so eating healthy on the holiday is easily doable. Recipes like Rustic Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Goat Cheese & Pomegranate are healthy and delicious.
Lattice-Topped Apple Pie
12 Diabetes-Friendly Thanksgiving Casseroles That the Whole Family Will Love
Our 20 Best Diabetes-Friendly Thanksgiving Recipes
Dill Mustard Sauce
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Steamed Butternut Squash
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Butternut squash steams quickly, making this a great cooking technique to enjoy this fall vegetable as a weeknight side dish. For extra flavor, toss the steamed butternut squash with salt, pepper and a little bit of olive oil, butter or Parmesan cheese after cooking.

All Diabetes-Friendly Thanksgiving Recipes

Cranberry Crumble Bars

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These cranberry-orange bars freeze well. Make a batch on a free afternoon and pop them in the freezer so you'll always have a healthy dessert on hand when company calls.
By Summer Miller

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Smoky Aioli

The delicious dipping sauce makes this easy Brussels sprouts recipe an irresistible appetizer or side dish. If you want to double the recipe, use two large rimmed baking sheets and swap their spots in the oven halfway through cooking.
By Carolyn Casner

Mississippi Spiced Pecans

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Make plenty of these mildly sweet and salty nuts--they are great to have on hand over the holidays.
By Peggy Knickerbocker

Cranberry-Orange Fruit Bars

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These sweet-tart cranberry-orange bars are a great addition to a holiday cookie tray or cool weather grab-and-go treat.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Overnight Oatmeal

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Here is an easy way to serve a crowd a hearty breakfast before facing the elements for a day of winter sports. You can assemble it in the slow cooker in the evening and wake up to a bowl of hot, nourishing oatmeal. The slow cooker eliminates the need for constant stirring and ensures an exceptionally creamy consistency. It is important to use steel-cut oats; old-fashioned oats become too soft during slow-cooking.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Pear & Camembert Crostini

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Up your appetizer game with this fruit-topped cheese crostini recipe. Warm preserves give the pears a shiny glaze and prevent them from browning.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Oven-Roasted Squash with Garlic & Parsley

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Learn how to roast squash in this healthy recipe adapted from Alice Waters. Look for squash varieties, including buttercup, kabocha or hubbard, at your farmers' market and try them in this tasty side dish.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Brown Sugar-Glazed Beets

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Try a sweet glaze on beets or other root vegetables to help balance their earthy flavor. This easy recipe will work with steamed carrots, turnips or rutabaga too.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Slow-Cooker Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows

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The genius hack in this recipe: topping sweet potatoes with marshmallows while they're still piping hot from the slow cooker yields a baked marshmallow topping that's typical with baked sweet potato casseroles.
By Carolyn Casner

Herb-Roasted Turkey

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This easy method produces all the good looks and moist flavor you dream of in an oven-roasted turkey. Make sure you show this beauty off at the table before you carve it. Garnish your serving platter with fresh herb sprigs and citrus wedges for a show-stopping Thanksgiving turkey.
By Jessie Price

Garlic-Rosemary Roast Beef with Horseradish Sauce

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The eye of round is a lean, boneless cut of beef that's less expensive than a tenderloin or rib roast but just as delicious. It's best served medium-rare--when cooked to higher temperatures it can become tough. Topping it with a finger-licking-good horseradish sauce makes this roast beef holiday-worthy.
By Lauren Grant

Curried Cashews

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These curried cashews are impossibly addictive--every time we made them in the Test Kitchen they disappeared in a flash. If you use salted cashews, omit the added salt.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Apple-Cinnamon Fruit Bars

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These easy apple-cinnamon fruit bars make a big batch--perfect for fall potlucks and parties.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Steamed Green Beans with Rosemary-Garlic Vinaigrette & Fried Shallots

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Here's a new way to delight your green-bean-loving guests. The genius of this easy green bean recipe is in the dressing, which is made with savory oil that has also been used to fry shallots and garlic.
By Breana Killeen

Cinnamon Baked Pumpkin

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Baked pumpkin is a fun twist on tradition. A sprinkle of cinnamon is a delicious nod to the usual pie and transforms the squash into an enchanting side dish recipe.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Apricot Canapes

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These sweet and savory bites are like a cheese course in a bite.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Wilted Kale with Warm Shallot Dressing

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Vinegar is the key to making this sautéed kale recipe special. Look for vinegar that's cloudy--it likely still has some of the mother in the bottle and will give you a sweet acidity rather than a harsh bite. Organic apple cider vinegar is usually your best bet. For the most eye-catching version of this side, use different colored varieties of kale.
By Summer Miller

Slow-Cooker Garlic Mashed Potatoes

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This simple slow-cooker mashed potatoes recipe skips tedious peeling and boiling and helps save precious stovetop space by letting the slow cooker do the work. It's a great timesaving set-it-and-forget-it side dish recipe to round out any hearty meal. Buttermilk makes the mashed potatoes creamy while garlic and shallots add flavor.
By Carolyn Casner

Fresh Apple Squares

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One batch of dough does double duty as both the crust and streusel topping to make one of the easiest desserts around.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Cranberry Pancakes

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Start your day off right with these easy pancakes, packed with cranberry's sour spike. One of you can make the coffee and heat the maple syrup while the other makes the pancakes. It's instant relationship bliss.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Apple Cider Chicken

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Fresh apples and apple cider add fall flavor to this quick chicken sauté.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Caramelized Spiced Pears

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Serve these caramelized pear slices over ice cream, stir into plain yogurt or enjoy as a topping for pancakes or waffles. Brown-skinned Bosc pears hold their shape during cooking, but any variety of pears tastes delicious.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Scandinavian Pickled Herring Bites

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This Scandinavian-style appetizer is a good way to try pickled herring if you've never had it. The potent flavor of the herring is balanced by a dollop of sour cream and the potato slice it's served on.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Sweet Potato & Turnip Mash with Sage Butter

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This sweet potato and turnip mash is fragrant with fresh sage.
By Raghavan Iyer
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