These diabetes dinner recipes take the guesswork out of meal planning without compromising any of your favorite flavors.
Diabetes is a condition characterized by higher-than-usual blood sugar (glucose) levels. In type 1 diabetes, this happens when your body doesn’t produce enough of the hormone insulin. In type 2 diabetes, high blood sugar develops because your body doesn’t use insulin effectively.
What you eat matters when you have diabetes. Food has a direct effect on your blood sugar, and some foods — like refined sugars and certain carbohydrates (carbs) — can rapidly spike glucose, making it more difficult to stay in your target glucose range or affecting the effectiveness of your diabetes medications.
Although you might have to cut back on some of your favorite foods, mealtime doesn’t have to be boring. These easy-to-make diabetes dinner recipes contain simple ingredients and big flavors that will have you looking forward to dinnertime.
What’s not to love about a restaurant-quality salmon dish you can make at home? Not only is salmon considered a diabetes “superfood” because it’s loaded with heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, but kale and avocado are also nutrient-dense foods that provide plenty of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Overall, this meal is “keto,” which is short for “ketogenic.” Keto dishes are high in fats and low in carbs, so they’re less likely to cause rapid spikes in your blood sugar.
Experts often recommend keto dishes in diabetes-friendly meal planning because fats offer a steady source of energy for your body without causing major blood sugar swings or crashes.
Chili glazed salmon and salad recipe
If you haven’t explored the versatility of cauliflower as an ingredient substitute, this is your chance to try it. You’ll be impressed at how rice-like finely chopped cauliflower can be — it also makes great low carb pizza dough and pasta — and it’s packed with lots of
Cauliflower is just the base for this flavorful dish, however. With shrimp, chorizo (a type of sausage), and a variety of seasonings, you’re getting the full jambalaya experience — and keeping it keto!
Jambalaya recipe
Chicken is a great place to start when you’re planning a diabetes-friendly meal. Chicken is a lean protein source that you can fix in a variety of ways. When paired with lemon and rosemary, it takes on a citrusy, piney flavor, reminiscent of eating at a café in the Italian countryside.
Chicken isn’t the only superstar in this diabetes dinner recipe. Broccolini, a hybrid cross between broccoli and the Chinese vegetable gai lan, makes a great, high fiber side dish.
Fiber is a type of carb
Lemon-rosemary chicken and broccolini recipe
If you have diabetes, you might want to consider adding soybean tofu to your meal plans. Not only does soybean tofu contain ample protein, moderate fat, and low carbs, but it
This diabetes-friendly dinner recipe calls for seasoned, crispy tofu served on a bed of leafy green broccoli rabe (also known as rapini), drizzled with a savory Spanish almond-pepper sauce called romesco. What’s not to love?
Tofu steak and broccoli rabe recipe
Stuffed eggplant makes for a hearty meal, and it also has great potential as part of a diabetes-friendly meal plan. Eggplant, the star of this diabetes dinner recipe, is rich in phytonutrients that help slow down how quickly your body converts starches into sugars, preventing rapid glucose spikes after you eat.
According to a
Inside that eggplant? Your spinach and feta salad, of course! Spinach — one of a variety of dark, green, leafy vegetables considered diabetes superfoods — brings plenty of vitamins and minerals to this dish, while feta cheese rounds it all out with some calcium, protein, and fat, plus lots of flavor.
Stuffed eggplant recipe
Remember what we said about the versatility of cauliflower? Here’s another great example of a diabetes dinner recipe using cauliflower as an ingredient substitute. This time, you’re making cauliflower “risotto” instead of classic risotto, which typically features short-grain rice in a cheesy herb dish.
While we love the pork chop in this recipe as a source of protein (lean protein, if you select a lean cut), it’s the walnut crust you don’t want to miss. Not only are walnuts the perfect blend of savory, sweet, and crunchy, but research suggests they have no significant effect on your glucose levels, meaning they won’t cause a blood sugar spike.
Porkchop and cauliflower risotto recipe
Managing your diet is important when you have diabetes, but that doesn’t mean mealtime has to be boring. You can still enjoy a variety of foods, including some that might have previously escaped your notice.
To learn more about meal planning with diabetes, consider these Healthline resources:
- Seven-day type 2 diabetes meal plan
- From brunch to barbeque: Type 2 diabetes-friendly swaps for your favorite meals
- A guide to healthy low carb eating with diabetes
- Healthy breakfast recipes for diabetes
- How to plan a diabetes-friendly grocery list
Because diabetes can affect everyone differently, speaking with your doctor and nutrition specialist about dietary choices can help you determine which diabetes dinner recipes are right for you.
