Looking for diabetic Thanksgiving foods? You’ve come to the right place! Thanksgiving is a great time to enjoy sugary and carb-rich foods, but this is not the case for diabetic patients.
Everyone wants to enjoy the feast, but it’s even more difficult to maintain a diabetes-friendly diet when everyone around you is munching on one sweet thing or the other.
So managing blood sugar levels can be challenging during this period, but don’t worry!
Here are some diabetes-friendly foods you’ll love and even get the whole family asking for more.
Let’s check it out!
1. Pumpkin Pie Greek Yogurt Parfait
This artistically created and festive parfait, which also offers a healthier substitute for pumpkin pie, is made with real pumpkin puree, Greek yogurt, maple syrup, lemon juice, and pumpkin pie spice.
Granola and nuts can be sprinkled on each cup for a satisfying crunch.
2. Sweet and Spicy Pecans
This pre-dinner snack will be a huge hit if you’re hosting Thanksgiving. Lightly sweetened with corn syrup and brown sugar, these spiced nuts will keep your visitors entertained while the turkey cooks!
3. Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
This is also among diabetic Thanksgiving foods. You won’t have to worry about overindulging in this wonderfully balanced delicacy; it will satisfy your yearning for pumpkin pie.
The cream cheese icing includes touches of vanilla and cinnamon, while the pumpkin cookies are prepared with actual pumpkin puree, oats, and cashew meals.
This recipe’s advantage is that it has no processed sugar. However, since honey is required, you should only use a small amount to maintain healthy blood sugar levels.
4. Rosemary Roasted Root Vegetable
This vibrant meal contains beets, carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, and other vegetables.
Don’t overcrowd the sheet pan to ensure the vegetables cook to a lovely, crisp state.
5. Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese with Kale
This Thanksgiving dish has a lot of nutritional boost from sweet potatoes, whole-wheat pasta, and kale.
This recipe asks for panko breading and fresh sage instead of normal bread crumbs, which gives the dish a great crunch.
6. Toasted Pine Nut Herb Pumpkin Muffins
This dish is also among the diabetic Thanksgiving foods. Replace your blood sugar-spiking dinner rolls with these gluten-free pumpkin muffins made with cashew meal, tapioca flour, and coconut flour.
They stay nicely moist thanks to real pumpkin puree, a great fiber source, and vitamin A.
Their delicious flavor is unmatched and comes from chopped sage and rosemary.
7. Mushroom & Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash
This delicious side dish contains quinoa, a plant-based protein source, and a nutty flavor. Mushrooms add a meaty texture and a healthy dose of vitamin D.
To increase flavor and nutrition, you can top flavor and nutrition with pomegranate seeds for a flash of color and nutritional yeast.
8. Caramelized Brussels Sprouts with Maple Orange Glaze
If you’re looking for diabetic Thanksgiving foods, try this. These small cabbages are lightly sweetened with pure maple syrup and orange juice, so your blood sugar levels won’t rise.
In addition, they enable the oven to crisp the Brussels sprouts without using a lot of oil.
9. Maple Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Given how popular sweet potato casserole is at Thanksgiving, here is another option to make this traditional dish diabetic-friendly: Combine plain yogurt and sweet potato mash.
This creamy side dish’s delicious fall tastes come from a small amount of maple syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
10. Spiced-Up Squash Salad
This salad contains nutrients and will look great on your holiday table.
A dressing composed of dates, organic apple cider vinegar, and seasoning is drizzled over roasted butternut squash, fresh greens, chopped dates, pomegranate seeds, and goat cheese.
11. Low-carb Cornbread
Who says you can’t have bread for Thanksgiving? For a lower-calorie cornbread to accompany your meal, use almond flour. For even more sweetness, add 1/8 teaspoon of Stevia.
12. Sweet Potato Mash with Pecan Topping
This is also among diabetic Thanksgiving foods. This delicacy uses pumpkin and cauliflower as a lower-carb substitute for sweet potato casserole, and candied nuts are sprinkled on top for some crunch and sweetness.
We promise you won’t taste the cauliflower; it’s mostly there to bulk up the mixture.
Plus, you’ll feel even better with only 235 calories per serving.
13. Cauliflower Stuffing
Of course, one of the most popular and high-carb Thanksgiving foods is stuffing.
To reduce the number of carbs, substitute bite-sized chunks of cauliflower for the bread.
You won’t even notice the lack of bread in this warm, delicious stuffing, cooked with crunchy celery, onion, garlic, and various spices and herbs.
14. Pumpkin Maple Cheesecake
This wonderful low-calorie pumpkin maple cheesecake will help you welcome autumn.
This cheesecake will please you because it contains only 150 calories and 21 grams of carbohydrates.
15. Turkey with Herb Gravy
Herb-roasted turkeys are a must-have for each Thanksgiving feast.
Adding garlic, fresh thyme, parsley, sage, and low-sodium chicken broth enhances the flavor and richness of this dish.
To reduce fat and cholesterol, take the skin off the turkey.
16. Cranberry and Apricot Compote
This is also among diabetic Thanksgiving foods. Even though cranberry sauce isn’t normally your favorite, you should try this recipe.
This naturally sweet dish contains a secret component for extra antioxidants and minerals: dried apricots.
This recipe does not contain additional sugar grams. A little thicker than your typical sauce, this cranberry-apricot compote will provide extra flavor to your turkey.
17. Butternut Squash Soup
Start with this flavorful, vitamin-rich soup to control portions and curb hunger.
This butternut squash soup is spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and fresh tarragon to give it a delicious flavor.
Instead of using full-fat buttermilk, use low-fat buttermilk, and add a small amount of light molasses for sweetness.
18. Brussels Sprout Salad with Toppings
This is another diabetic Thanksgiving food. Sliced Brussels sprouts are combined with chives, parsley, and Pecorino Romano before being topped with hazelnuts and lemon slices.
There is no excuse not to serve this dish, given that each serving contains 4 grams of fiber and 9 grams of protein.
19. Cornbread, Apple, and Sausage Stuffing
This high-carb side dish is given a diabetes-friendly twist by including sausage.
This protein, along with fiber-rich apples and fennel, helps maintain stable blood sugar levels by taking longer to digest.
20. Green Beans With Almond Gremolata
Green bean casserole usually contains lots of breadcrumbs. With this recipe, you can enjoy the popular Thanksgiving vegetable more healthily.
It is crispy, delicious, and nutrient-rich, with just 9 grams of carbohydrates per serving.
21. Ginger Pumpkin Pie
Ginger pumpkin pie is also among diabetic Thanksgiving foods. The best part of this pumpkin pie recipe is that it only calls for 1/2 cup of brown sugar for the entire pie.
Ginger and pumpkin, both naturally sweet, provide the remaining sweetness.
22. Sweet Potatoes with Shredded Salad
Sweet potatoes are a Thanksgiving staple that is packed with vitamins and minerals.
This sweet and savory sweet potato excludes added sugar and uses the potato’s inherent sweetness and two tablespoons of maple syrup to create a delectable side dish.
23. Apple Cranberry Compote
This tart version uses maple syrup for sweetness. It includes an unusual apricot, giving ordinary cranberry sauce a lift, an extra serving of fiber, and much less sugar.
Conclusion
There you have it—23 diabetic Thanksgiving foods. These dishes are ideal additions to your holiday menu and will fit with any Thanksgiving feast.
You can eat and party while maintaining a healthy blood sugar level. Thanks for reading!
