Diabetes Friendly Fruit Desserts from US MED’s: The Dessert Diaries

Living with diabetes can make enjoying desserts difficult, but you can still enjoy the taste of something sweet while keeping your glucose levels under control! Here, we’ve collected several fruit desserts from US MED that have been created with diabetes in mind. 

Keto Key Lime Pie

Add a splash of citrus flavor to your life with this sugar-free pie! Our recipe includes some smart substitutions: almond flour in place of graham crackers, fresh avocados as a filling ingredient, and monk fruit extract instead of sugar. Best of all, it’s easy to make – no baking required! 

Lemon Poppy Seed Snack Cake 

Here’s another citrus-centric dessert option, in the form of a delectable snack cake. While this recipe includes lemon peel and lemon glaze, it also gets a good amount of flavor from low-fat lemon yogurt. 

Blueberry Danish With White Chocolate 

With this recipe, you’ll be able to get your day off to a sweet start. Thanks to their high fiber levels, berries are some of the healthiest fruits for people with diabetes – and these pastries prominently feature wild blueberry spread. 

Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Cookies 

These cookies are a fruit-flavored triple threat – they include cranberries, raisins, and orange zest. If you’re always on the go, this is a perfectly portable dessert for you! 

Strawberry Bread 

Made with both fresh strawberries and sugar-free strawberry gelatin, this recipe is similar to banana bread. (While it’s diabetes-friendly, this recipe isn’t low in carbs – you can still enjoy it, but stick to smaller portions!) 

Are Sugar-Free Desserts Okay For People With Diabetes?  

While some of these recipes include sugar substitutes, you’ll want to ensure the sugar substitute you’re using is right for you. In some cases, sugar substitutes can come with unexpected health risks if you aren’t careful. 

While artificial sweeteners (such as Nutrasweet, Sweet ‘N Low, and Splenda) have a sweet taste without the carbohydrates, these sweet treats could also contribute to weight gain, simply because they are not calorie free! Excess calories could lead to weight gain and it could become harder to manage your diabetes as a result. Research has found that artificial sweeteners are safe in limited quantities, so keep moderation in mind when using these sweeteners in recipes! 

Of course, you can also use natural sweeteners in your desserts. Some options in this category include stevia, monk fruit extract, and date sugar. Read our overview of sugar substitutes here.

Choose The Right Flour Variety 

Sugar substitutes are an important part of making desserts that are OK for people with diabetes, but flour also plays a surprisingly crucial role. If you have diabetes, refined flour can cause your blood glucose levels to spike – so you’ll want to put some thought into the type of flour you’re using. 

Alternative flour varieties like these boast high fiber and low carbohydrates: 

• Whole wheat flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)
• Spelt flour
• Almond flour
• Coconut flour
• Garbanzo bean (AKA chickpea) flour

What Should You Look For In Diabetes-Friendly Recipes? 

The experts at US MED have taken time to review the recipes listed here, but if you’ve found a delicious-sounding dessert recipe elsewhere, you may be wondering if it’s diabetes-friendly or not. These signs can indicate a recipe is likely to be safe for diabetes: 

• Fewer carbohydrates
• Liquid fats (where necessary)
• Low-fat dairy products
• Whole grains
• Fiber
• Minimal added sugar
• Safe sugar substitutes

Explore Our Dessert Recipes 

Want to find more dessert recipes that you can enjoy while managing your blood glucose levels? Get started by taking a look at US MED’s full collection of recipes! In case you missed it, check out our Dessert Diary diabetes-safe chocolate treats!