The Best 10 Delicious Diabetic Smoothie Recipes
For a long time, people living with diabetes didn’t get to enjoy many delicious options due to diet restrictions.
But not anymore.
Today, I’m giving you my best 10 smoothie recipes especially crafted for diabetics. They are ideal for you, whether you are a type 1 or type 2 diabetic.
My parents are diabetic and most of my extended family has diabetes too.
We had to learn to live with it, and we've found smoothies to be a great solution - provided we chose the right ingredients, as I'll show you here.
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It’s important that through my experience, you’ll have a helpful new tool to live a wholesome life. You can now develop a meal plan with diabetic smoothies being a part of your everyday diet.
My mother used to complain that her meals were boring. She would skip meals everyday, which caused her agony, as her blood sugar levels would decrease so rapidly.
And now, with these smoothies, she’s always looking forward to her meal times. Her sugar levels are stable and she’s never been happier.
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How smoothies can be good for Diabetes
You may have thought that smoothies are laden with sugar. It’s true for many store-bought options, but at home you’re in perfect control. This is what prompted me to look up recipes to make low sugar, diabetic friendly smoothies.
The best part?
These are more than delicious treats. They are low calorie recipes for healthy smoothies to help you lose weight.
You’ll appreciate how quick they are to make, especially on those days you’re too busy to cook or too lazy. Other days, you just need a cold refreshing drink.
Nutrients found in the fruits and vegetables go a long way in balancing your glucose levels and help you control your weight at the same time.
You are advised to make whole fruit and vegetable smoothies, not juices, since your body needs a high fiber content that is not present in juices.
Ideal ingredients for diabetic smoothies
It’s important to remember that your smoothie is as healthy or unhealthy as the ingredients you include in it.
There are ingredients known to help regulate blood sugar levels, and smoothies provide a great opportunity to ensure you get them each and every day!
The American Diabetes Association has published a list of the ten foods that every diabetics should eat, to superpower your diet.
These foods have a low glycemic index (GI) and provide important nutrients that you don’t usually find in sufficient quantities in the typical western diet, such as: calcium, potassium, fiber, magnesium, vitamins A (as carotenoids), C, and E.
Out of the superfoods recommended by the ADA, here are the ones that we believe are ideal for diabetic smoothies:
- Dark Green Leafy Vegetables (spinach, collards, kale) - as they’re low in calories and carbs, they’re an ideal superfood to add to your smoothies.
- Citrus Fruit (grapefruit, oranges, lemons) - use a freshly squeezed juice for a good dose of vitamin C, or cut into cubes for an added soluble fiber. A juicer-blender combo appliance would be useful here.
- Sweet Potatoes - they add vitamin A and fiber, but also a creamy texture and sweetness to your smoothies!
- Berries - whichever type you choose, berries will enrich your smoothies with antioxidants, vitamins and fiber, while also adding great color and taste.
- Nuts and seeds - provide healthy fats and magnesium. Either use nut butters to add creaminess to your smoothies, or grind flaxseed for an added boost of omega-3 fatty acids.
- Fat-free Milk and Yogurt - if you’re non-vegetarian, this would be the base liquid of choice for your smoothies
The best Diabetic-friendly smoothie recipes
After comprehensive searches I found several really good recipes, and also brainstormed and tested my own ideas for diabetic friendly smoothies, so here they are.
In some of the recipes you’ll see I opt for berries instead of other fruits like melons. This is because berries are said to have lower content of carbohydrates per serving. This is ideal for diabetics as it keeps your glucose levels balanced.
It's not to say that you can't have other fruits. Absolutely not. Use other fruits of your choice but in a limited quantity.
Feel free to change an ingredient or two. Use what you have. I have tried using simple products easily available at your home or local stores.
#1 The Perfect Breakfast Diabetic Smoothie Recipe
There are always so many breakfast choices. I chose to go with almonds and cocoa smoothie. This is a perfect recipe because to begin with, it’s really tasty.
Secondly, cocoa is known for its cholesterol reducing properties, ideal as you try losing weight. If you have diabetes type 2, cocoa reduces your resistance to insulin which keeps your blood sugar in check.
I love almonds. You can extract almond milk, which is my preferred method or buy the ready made unsweetened almond milk.
Green tea powder combines with the other ingredients to create a superfood.
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon green tea
- A handful of frozen raspberries
Instructions
Blend all ingredients until smooth and enjoy this yummy chocolate drink.
#2 Lunch diabetic smoothie recipe
What I love most about this recipe is its simplicity.
It’s beyond delicious and there is no need for a sweetener. It was a big hit for my family.
The apple and carrot flavors hide the spinach taste really well. The thick creamy texture makes it ideal for lunch. It will help you avoid looking for snacks to fill up on before dinner.
Ingredients
- ½ apple, cored and pitted
- 1 medium carrot
- 1 cup spinach
- ½ cup almond milk, unsweetened
- ½ cup ice cubes
Instructions
Blend all the ingredients together until smooth and creamy.
#3 Dinner diabetic smoothie
I thought long and hard about this one. I needed a recipe that will ease your day’s fatigue and which is easy to digest.
Many a times my dad has woken up with soaring glucose levels just because he ate too much and it was not digested well in the stomach.
This is a non-dairy, light and refreshing smoothie you can enjoy after your dinner as dessert, or even as a substitute for dinner.
Ingredients
- ½ cup frozen raspberries
- 1 cup kale
- 1 cup soy milk
- 6 ice cubes
Instructions
Blend all the ingredients together until smooth.
#4 Diabetic smoothie with yogurt
Recipe and image via diabetes.org.uk
The muesli brings an interesting taste to the whole blend. Notice the low fat yogurt choice.
Instead of using an apple for the smoothie, you can opt for a fresh pear.
Servings: 1 smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped
- 2 tablespoon muesli
- 150g carton low-fat yogurt
- 150ml (¼ pint) cold skimmed milk
Instructions
- Simply place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
- Serve at once.
#5 Diabetic smoothie with almond milk
If you’re not in the mood for a sweet smoothie, here’s an amazing savory alternative, based on unsweetened almond milk.
Yes, cherries, berries and avocado work good together!
Servings: 1 smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup frozen unsweetened pitted dark sweet or sour cherries
- ½ cup fresh or frozen unsweetened blueberries
- ½ avocado
- 1 cup almond milk, unsweetened (optional: vanilla-flavored)
Instructions
Blend all the ingredients together until smooth.
#6 Diabetic strawberry smoothie
Strawberry smoothie was an easy pick. They are low in sugar and the smoothie colour is one to die for. I prefer recipes that don’t require a sweetener. This keeps the sugar content at minimum.
Ingredients
- ½ cup frozen strawberries
- 1 cup collard greens
- ½ cup unsweetened soy milk
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients in a blender.
- Blend until you reach your desired consistency.
- Serve chilled.
#7 Gestational diabetes smoothie recipe - chocolate and peanut butter
This recipe was inspired by one of my closest friends, who is expectant. I picked this particular recipe because you can have it on one of those days you are feeling blue.
Ideally, you’d go for ice cream or chocolate, but it has a high sugar content which would only result to a glucose spike in your body.
This one guarantees natural sweetness while still being a safe choice for you.
You will fall in love with how the ingredients come together to produce a sumptuous smoothie, which also looks great.
The berries add flavor and a dash of colour. I decided to change a few things to make it diabetic friendly.
Ingredients
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup unsweetened soy or almond milk
- 1 teaspoon natural peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- A handful of frozen berries of your choice
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients in a blender.
- Blend until creamy.
#8 Peach diabetics smoothie recipe
Recipe and image via diabetesselfmanagement
You can choose between fresh and frozen peaches. Both are fantastic and give you a tasty and healthy smoothie. The best part is, you don’t need any sweetener.
Servings: 1 smoothie
Ingredients
- ½ cup skim milk
- 1 can (15 ounces) peach slices in juice, drained (or 1 cup sliced fresh peaches)
- ¼ cup nonfat, artificially sweetened peach yogurt
- Artificial sweetener (optional)
- 1 cup ice cubes
Instructions
- Place milk, peaches, and yogurt in the blender and pulse on high until smooth.
- Add artificial sweetener to taste and blend again.
- Add ice cubes one at a time, blending in pulses on high until smooth after each addition.
- Serve immediately.
Leftovers can be frozen in a microwave-safe freezer container and thawed in the microwave in 10-second increments until slushy.
#9 Kiwi diabetics smoothie
Recipe and image via diabeticclubdiet
I absolutely enjoy when kiwis are in season, mostly because of their exotic flavor. They are one of the few creamy fruits we have.
This recipe gives you a thick smoothie that is ideal for dinner as kiwis help in digestion.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 3 kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced into chunks
- 2 medium bananas, cut into 4 pieces and frozen
- 1 cup fat-free plain yogurt
- 3 tablespoons honey
- ¼ teaspoons almond extract (optional)
- 1 ½ cups crushed ice
Instructions
- Combine the kiwi, banana, honey, yogurt and almond extract in a blender. Blend on the highest speed for at least 15 minutes or until a smooth puree forms.
- Add the ice and blend until you get a smooth, well-combined consistency.
- Pour into tall chilled glasses.
- Serve immediately.
#10 Greenie green diabetic smoothie recipe
This list would not be complete without us going all green. You probably have tried a variety of green smoothies by now.
They happen to be a fantastic choice.
With a few changes, I have made this the ultimate green smoothie for diabetics. It is low carb and so nutritious. The mint leaves add a bit of surprise flavor to the smoothie.
Ingredients
- ½ cup water
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 cup kale
- 1 tablespoon protein powder of your choice
- A handful of mint leaves
Instructions
Blend all ingredients and serve chilled. Enjoy.
I hope you will enjoy making these smoothies! Feel free to experiment with the ingredients to find your ultimate smoothie. Your mealtimes should not have to be so bland anymore!
Lets toast a smoothie to a healthy life!
What’s your favorite diabetic-friendly smoothie recipe? Let us know in the comments below:
