Often after eating a large meal, you might find yourself wanting a small bite of something sweet. Especially after a savory or rich meal, a lightly sweet dessert acts as a palate cleanser. Diabetics sadly cannot enjoy as many tasty desserts in the interest of keeping a low glycemic index.
If you are diabetic with an insatiable sweet tooth, here are 4 diabetic dessert recipes with a low glycemic index. Each recipe contains zero refined sugars, tons of heart-healthy ingredients, and whole fruits for nutrition. You’ll be shocked at how healthy, yet delicious these desserts are!
Neopolitan Banana Ice Cream
Did you know that you can make healthy soft-serve ice cream with just one ingredient? With just a blender and frozen bananas, you can make a fabulous banana ice cream that has the consistency and flavor of banana soft serve. The best part is that there is no added sugar in this recipe!
Neapolitan Banana Ice Cream combines layers of banana-strawberry ice cream, banana-chocolate ice cream, and banana-vanilla ice cream. By making a vanilla base and splitting it into three equal portions, you can create a trio of any flavors you like. This is a recipe for 3 ice cream flavors in one!
According to a study on green banana consumption, a banana’s effect on your blood sugar depends greatly on the ripeness of the banana. The more ripe, the more sugars have developed within the fruit. Firm, green bananas have less sugar and more starch. Therefore, less ripe bananas are better for diabetics. Use less ripe bananas for the best outcome.
Neapolitan Banana Ice Cream – The Recipe
Serves 8
Ingredients:
- 8 bananas, sliced into rounds and then frozen
- 1 tablespoon skim milk (optional)
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup (optional)
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
- 4 strawberries, chopped very fine
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions:
- Slice and freeze your banana slices for at least 4 hours to overnight. You want them frozen solid before blending.
- To your high-powered blender, add the frozen banana slices and blend for 4-5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the blender to incorporate all of the banana pieces. You can optionally add a tablespoon of milk to help the banana blend, but don’t add too much! Also, add the optional maple syrup here.
- Once the ice cream is totally smooth, divide it into three bowls, working quickly so the ice cream does not melt much. In one bowl, stir in the cocoa powder. In the next, stir in the strawberries. Finally, mix the vanilla into the last bowl.
- Pour each flavor into a loaf pan and cover with plastic wrap. Freeze at least 2 hours before serving.
Homestyle Baked Apples
Have you ever craved an apple pie without the crust? Homestyle Baked Apples are sweet, caramelized apples with a hint of cinnamon and spice. A sprinkling of toasted walnuts adds a bit of crunch to the cooked apples. You won’t even miss the pie shell!
Apples do contain sugar with much of the content deriving from fructose. When consumed from fruit, fructose has very little effect on blood sugar levels. Apples also contain fiber and polyphenols that slow down the absorption of sugar as it enters the bloodstream.
Diabetics regularly eating apples may help reduce insulin resistance. They also score low on the glycemic index. If you are eating apples for preventative care, you may be lowering your risk of type 2 diabetes.
Homestyle Baked Apples – The Recipe
Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 2-3 Honeycrisp apples, sliced
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons toasted walnut pieces
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of nutmeg
- Pinch of allspice
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
- In a dutch oven, combine the sliced apples, honey, lemon juice, walnuts, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice in the pot. Toss with your hands to coat the apples in spices. Add the butter on top.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 30-40 minutes or until the apples are sweet and tender.
- Serve with optional nonfat whipped topping.
Chocolate Brownie Hummus
Hummus is a dip made with chickpeas that can be served sweet or savory. This Chocolate Brownie Hummus tastes just like a pan of homemade chocolate brownies with none of the sugar or guilt. Dipping fresh fruit or digestive biscuits into this hummus is the perfect compliment.
Beans and legumes are considered extremely healthy for diabetics. They have been observed to help prevent diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Thanks to their omega-3 fatty acid content, they aid in lowering inflammation and blood pressure levels. You can find chickpea recipes for diabetics all over, with many of them savory.
In addition to the omega-3s in chickpeas, there are also healthy fats in olive oil, which add the perfect amount of fat to the dessert. This sweet hummus has no added sugar. Instead, pure maple syrup makes an appearance to sweeten with a richer, deeper flavor. Cocoa powder gives the dessert its brownie flavor with a pinch of sea salt to offset the sweetness.
Chocolate Brownie Hummus – The Recipe
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 15-oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions:
- Add all ingredients to your food processor or blender.
- Blend on high until smooth and very creamy. The consistency should be very thick.
- Serve with sliced fruit, digestive biscuits, or your favorite dipper.
Frozen Berry-Yogurt Delights
On a hot summer day, there is nothing like chilling with a popsicle in hand. Homemade popsicles are so easy to make, so try these low sugar Frozen Berry-Yogurt Delights! With just 3 ingredients, you can make the healthiest frozen treats ever!
Fresh summer berries sweeten and flavor the Greek yogurt. Honey is added to sweeten lightly before the contents are poured into paper cups or popsicle molds. These delights need only 2-4 hours to freeze before they can be enjoyed.
Low-fat or nonfat dairy is perfectly healthy for diabetics in moderation. Greek yogurt has fewer carbs and more protein than traditional yogurt, making it a healthy choice for diabetics. Because this recipe uses plain, unflavored yogurt, the sugar content goes way down.
Berries are also a heart-healthy food. These fruits contain sugar in the form of fructose, a sugar that does not require insulin for metabolization. This means they can add sweetness to your recipes without harming your blood sugar!
Frozen Berry-Yogurt Delights – The Recipe
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 cup fresh berries (blueberries, blackberries, or strawberries)
- 1 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 4 paper cups
- 4 popsicle sticks
Instructions:
- Add the berries, yogurt, and honey to a blender.
- Blend on high until the popsicles have your desired consistency. *Tip: Leave the berries more whole for a swirled effect.
- Place the paper cups on a small baking sheet or tray. Divide the yogurt contents between the cups. Place a layer of plastic wrap on top of each cup and push through a popsicle stick into the middle of each cup.
- Freeze for 2-4 hours before serving.
A Sweet Ending
Diabetics should be able to enjoy dessert without worry about their health. Each of these four diabetic desserts is an awesome cap to a healthy meal. By cutting out refined sugar and replacing it with fresh fruit and natural sugars like honey or maple syrup, you can have sweet and decadent desserts on a diabetic diet.
