DECADENT & INDULGENT Top 3 Diabetic-Friendly Dessert Recipes

For those of us living with diabetes, desserts are often what we miss out on most. Sure there are ways to satisfy your sweet tooth without sugary confections — we love frozen grapes and grilled peaches to elevate your average fruit — but on special occasions creating decadent and diabetic-friendly desserts can be well-worth the effort!

The format is simple — stick with low-carb and little to no added sugar. Then pack in as many nutrient-dense ingredients as you can to extend your digestion time and help keep blood sugar levels steady. Whole grains, fruit, dark chocolate, avocado,  low-fat dairy, nuts and nut butters are all great options to add some extra nutrition to your indulgences. 

Here are our top 3 favorite diabetic-friendly dessert recipes that look and taste sinfully delicious:

Frozen Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Serve up a slice of this scrumptious pie when you’re craving the classic chocolate peanut combination. Plus the addition of nut butter adds healthy fats and protein so this dessert satisfies your sweet tooth and your appetite! 

Ingredients

8 chocolate wafer cookies 

3 ½ cups cups of your favorite diabetic-friendly ice cream or frozen yogurt

⅓ cup reduced-fat creamy peanut butter (or crunchy, if you prefer the added texture)

2 Tbsp sugar-free caramel or chocolate syrup

Directions

Place the cookies in a small zip-top plastic bag and seal tightly. Using a meat mallet, rolling pin, or the back of a large spoon, coarsely crush the cookies and set aside.

Choose your low-sugar filling — we love Halo Top ice cream for this recipe for its added protein — and let it melt slightly. 

Microwave the peanut butter for 15-30 seconds to soften. Then using a fork, stir together the peanut butter and ½ cup of your ice cream or frozen yogurt in a medium bowl until well blended.

Spread the remaining unflavored ice cream or yogurt into an 8-inch pie pan in one even layer. Then drop spoonfuls of the peanut butter mixture evenly over the top.

Sprinkle the cookie crumbs evenly over the top of your frozen dessert, and drizzle your preferred syrup over the cookie crumbs. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or foil and freeze until firm — at least 4 hours.

Notes

Nutrition information will vary depending on the ice cream or frozen yogurt you choose for this recipe. 

NUTRITION INFORMATION

Yields: 8 servings

Calories: 190

Carbohydrates: 29g

Protein: 7g

Fat: 5g

Fiber: 1g

Cholesterol: 10mg

Sodium: 140mg

Potassium: 240mg

Raspberry Banana Mousse

This sweet, fruity, and refreshing mousse is light, creamy, and easy to make — and with over 11 grams of protein it’s satisfying too! When you’re looking for a simple, single-serve dessert, bust out the blender and whip up this mousse. 

Ingredients

2 egg whites (90g liquid egg white)

1 Tbsp Stevia

2 oz. frozen banana

1 ¾ oz. frozen raspberry

Fresh berries & sugar-free whipped topping for serving (optional)

Directions

In a high speed blender, whip the egg whites and Stevia until the egg whites are firm and stiff peaks form (1-2 minutes). You should be able to hold the blender upside down without the egg whites falling out.

Add the frozen banana and raspberries. Blend until the consistency is smooth and the mixture has turned a tempting shade of pink!

Serve immediately garnished with a few fresh berries and sugar-free whipped topping, if desired.

Notes

Whipping the egg whites to stiff peaks is essential to the success of this recipe. If your blender isn’t powerful enough to achieve the desired consistency, use a hand-mixer to beat your egg whites and then transfer to a blender to add the fruit.

Substitute the raspberries with any fruit of your choice to change up the flavor. However, the banana is essential to the texture of this mousse — so don’t skip it!

NUTRITION INFORMATION

Yields: 1 serving

Calories: 122

Carbohydrates: 20g

Protein: 11g

Fat: 0.2g

Fiber: 5g

Cholesterol: 0mg

Sodium: 153mg

Potassium: 287mg

Vitamin A 30IU

Vitamin C 28.1mg

Calcium 28mg

Iron 0.2mg

Low-Carb Cheesecake

Cheesecake is a classic for a reason — everyone loves this rich, luscious, and silky dessert. That’s why this is the perfect recipe to bring to a party — you’ll get to indulge with everyone else and no one will be able to tell this low-carb cake is virtually sugar free!

Ingredients

Crust:

1 ⅕ cups almond flour

⅔ cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)

3 ⅕ tbsp butter or margarine, melted

6 – 9 drops liquid Stevia

pinch of salt

Filling:

32 oz cream cheese

3 eggs

1 ¼ cups powdered Erythritol (you can use any 1:1 sugar replacing sweetener here)

1 Tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

Crust:

Preheat your oven to 350F (180°C) and line a springform pan with aluminum foil. Wrap the outside of your pan in a double layer of foil as well. 

In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, shredded coconut, and salt and mix well.

Add melted butter or margarine and liquid stevia to the dry ingredients. Stir until well-combined. The mixture will be crumbly, but should almost hold its shape when pressed together.

Transfer the crust mixture to the springform pan and press down in an even layer. 

Bake for 10 – 15 minutes until the crust starts to turn golden and brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. 

Filling:

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and powdered sweetener.

Mix in the eggs one at a time until just incorporated. 

Best in the remaining ingredients, being careful not to overmix to avoid big air bubbles. 

Pour the cheesecake filling into the springform pan over the cooled crust. Gently but firmly tap the pan against the counter to remove bubbles.

Fill a large roasting pan with around 2 inches hot water and set your cheesecake inside the pan of water to create a Bain Marie. The water should come to about halfway up the side of your springform pan. 

Bake in this hot water bath for about 50 minutes until the top has browned and the center of the cheesecake jiggles slightly. 

To help keep the cheesecake from cracking, slow cooling is key. Open the door to your oven and allow everything to cool to room temperature.

Once the cheesecake has cooled to room temperature, it’s imperative to cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. If you try to skip this step and cut your cheesecake, it will collapse! 

To remove the cheesecake from the pan, wrap a hot towel around the sides for one minute before running a hot knife around the edge of your cake. 

NUTRITION INFORMATION

Yields: 8 servings

Calories: 354

Carbohydrates: 8g

Protein: 9.4g

Fat: 32g

Fiber: 3.2g

Cholesterol: 114mg

Sodium: 147mg

Potassium: 104mg

Vitamin A 169IU

Vitamin C 1.2mg

Calcium 47mg

Iron 6mg

Are you drooling yet? We hope we’ve inspired you to try sneaking added nutritional value into your sweet treats! Fiber, protein, and slowly digested whole grains are your secret superstar ingredients to make any dessert friendlier to your blood sugar levels. Let us know what other recipes you’d like to see featured on our blog!