26 Diabetes-Friendly Snacks for Better Blood Sugar (2024)

The next time you feel a craving happening, reach for one of these diabetes-friendly snack recipes. These sweet and savory snacks are low in calories and saturated fat and are made with sodium-conscious ingredients to make managing your blood sugar easy and delicious. Recipes like Peanut Butter Energy Balls and Roasted Buffalo Chickpeas will satisfy any snack craving in a healthy and flavorful way.

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Air-Fryer Crispy Chickpeas

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26 Diabetes-Friendly Snacks for Better Blood Sugar (1)

Air-fried chickpea snacks are intensely flavored and incredibly crunchy. Drying the chickpeas is essential to a good crunch, so don't skip this step. If you have time, leave them out on the counter to dry for an hour or two before frying.

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Avocado Hummus

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This vibrant green hummus recipe couldn't be easier--just toss a few ingredients in the food processor and whir away! Aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas) and avocado make this healthy dip extra smooth and creamy. Serve with veggie chips, pita chips or crudités.

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Chocolate-Hazelnut Energy Balls

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26 Diabetes-Friendly Snacks for Better Blood Sugar (3)

These energy balls marry the flavors of nutty hazelnuts with rich chocolate. They're chewy with a slight crunch and have just enough sweetness to curb a midday or post-dinner sweet tooth.

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Strawberry-Chocolate Greek Yogurt Bark

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Lightly sweetened Greek yogurt gets studded with fresh strawberries and chocolate chips then frozen so you can break it into chunks just like chocolate bark (but healthier!). This colorful snack or healthy dessert is perfect for kids and adults alike. Use full-fat yogurt to ensure the creamiest bark possible.

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Apricot-Ginger Energy Balls

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26 Diabetes-Friendly Snacks for Better Blood Sugar (5)

This easy energy ball uses natural ingredients to give you a quick bite of energy when you need it. Dried apricots and honey hold together the coconut and oats, while ginger and tahini deepen the sweet flavors. Ready in just 25 minutes, you can have these as a grab-and-go breakfast, afternoon snack or sweet treat after dinner.

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Peanut Butter Energy Balls

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26 Diabetes-Friendly Snacks for Better Blood Sugar (6)

These healthy peanut butter and chocolate energy balls deliver a mixture of simple and complex carbohydrates to help fuel you up whenever you need a little boost. They're no-bake and easy to make with ingredients you probably have on hand, like oats and nut butter. Feel free to experiment with different mix-ins--for example, dried fruit or chopped nuts--in place of the chocolate chips and coconut.

Berry-Mint Kefir Smoothies

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26 Diabetes-Friendly Snacks for Better Blood Sugar (7)

Kefir is similar to yogurt, full of gut-friendly probiotics. But it has fewer carbs and a more drinkable consistency--perfect for smoothies.

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Roasted Buffalo Chickpeas

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Soaking chickpeas in vinegary hot sauce gives them a mouthwatering tang before they crisp up in the oven. The result? An addictively crunchy snack that's actually good for you.

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Easy Black Bean Dip

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26 Diabetes-Friendly Snacks for Better Blood Sugar (9)

This creamy bean dip is great for a party or picnic. Smoked paprika and ground chipotles add a robust, earthy flavor, but you can also use regular paprika and cayenne if you don't have the other spices on hand.

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Cucumber Sandwich

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26 Diabetes-Friendly Snacks for Better Blood Sugar (10)

The English cucumber sandwich gets a healthy fiber bump with sprouted whole-grain bread. This easy open-face sandwich recipe is a great healthy snack or packable lunch idea.

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Super-Seed Snack Bars

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Thanks to a mix of pumpkin, sunflower, hemp and chia seeds, these healthy snack bars are packed with protein, fiber, minerals and healthy fats. Because these bars pack well, they're great for taking along on all-day adventures.

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Blueberry-Cashew Granola Bars

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Coconut extract gives these homemade granola bars tropical-inspired flavor. Feel free to swap the blueberries, cashews and flaxseeds for any combination of your favorite dried fruit, nuts or seeds. We tested several sticky sweeteners, including maple syrup and honey, but found brown rice syrup held the bars together the best.

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Garlic Hummus

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This garlic hummus recipe couldn't be easier—just toss a few ingredients in the food processor and whir away!

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Tuna Salad Spread

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This tuna spread recipe is a healthy twist on tuna salad and uses avocado and Greek yogurt in place of mayonnaise. Serve it on cucumber slices, butter lettuce leaves or whole-grain crackers.

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Yogurt with Blueberries & Honey

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A simple combination of Greek yogurt and blueberries gets an extra touch of sweetness from golden honey. It's the perfect balance of protein and fiber to keep you energized.

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Savory Date & Pistachio Bites

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A touch of sweetness from the dates and raisins paired with crunch and nuttiness from the pistachios make these bites perfect for an on-the-go snack or as an accompaniment on a cheese board.

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Pineapple Smoothie

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A touch of pineapple-orange juice concentrate adds even more pineapple flavor to this refreshing smoothie.

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Breakfast Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cakes

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Peanut butter is the star ingredient in these oatmeal cakes, providing not only flavor, but a boost of plant-based protein too. Hiding a bit in the center of each muffin is a fun way to ensure that peanut butter makes it into every bite.

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Homemade Trail Mix

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Try this with portable mix with any combination of dried fruits and nuts.

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Cherry-Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

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Skip the granola bar options at the grocery store--they're easy to make at home! You can vary the add-ins to your taste, swapping 2 cups of any combination of small (or chopped) dried fruit, nuts and/or seeds for the chocolate, cherries and coconut in this version. We tested several sticky sweeteners, including maple syrup and honey, but found brown rice syrup held the bars together the best.

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Hard-Boiled Egg & Almonds

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This small snack packs a nutrient punch--it's loaded with protein, heart-healthy fats, vitamins and minerals to make eating healthy easy and yummy.

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Kale Chips

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Not a fan of kale? These crispy baked kale chips will convert you! For the best result, don't overcrowd the baking pans.

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Cinnamon-Sugar Microwave Popcorn

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This easy cinnamon-sugar microwave popcorn recipe serves up a hint of something sweet in a whole-grain snack you can feel good about enjoying.

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Green Tea-Fruit Smoothie

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Start your day with a burst of antioxidants in this energizing healthy smoothie recipe.

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Chocolate-Cherry Snack Bars

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These cereal bars are chewy, crunchy and delicious with good-for-you seeds, nuts, fruit and little explosions of chocolate. We like the flavor of dried cherries or cranberries, but any coarsely chopped dried fruit will work.

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Tahini-Yogurt Dip

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Serve this creamy yogurt dip with baby carrots, sliced radishes or whole-wheat pita triangles.

26 Diabetes-Friendly Snacks for Better Blood Sugar (2024)

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