Healthy Recipes Health Conditions Diabetes-Friendly Diabetic Lunch Recipes 23 Diabetes-Friendly Lunches You'll Want to Make Forever By Camryn Alexa Wimberly Camryn Alexa Wimberly Camryn Wimberly is EatingWell's Editorial Fellow. As a food and mental health blogger, Camryn explores how food and cooking can help improve mental health and also be an avenue to connect with one's culture and heritage. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Published on November 1, 2024 Close Photo: Photography: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Lauren McAnelly, Prop stylist: Gabriel Greco Whip up one of these delicious lunches, each rated with four and five stars. Whether you're in the mood for a refreshing salad or zesty grain bowl, there's a fan-favorite recipe in this list for you. Each dish focuses on complex carbs like legumes and whole grains as well as limiting the saturated fat and sodium, allowing them to fit seamlessly into a diabetes-friendly eating pattern. Once you try them, you'll be making recipes like our Roasted Sweet Potato & Beet Sandwiches or Curried Cauliflower Salad Sandwiches on repeat. 01 of 23 Roasted Sweet Potato & Beet Sandwiches Photography: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Lauren McAnelly, Prop stylist: Gabriel Greco These hearty sandwiches are piled high with veggies—including earthy roasted beets and sweet potatoes, lemony arugula and quick-pickled onions—for a satisfying lunch or dinner. We use a whole-wheat baguette, but whole-wheat buns would work as well, if you prefer. Any color of beet would be delicious—try golden or Chioggia if you want to avoid the stains that red beets can leave. View Recipe 02 of 23 Green Goddess Tuna Salad Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Lauren McAnelly, Prop stylist: Gabriel Greco Canned tuna makes this recipe convenient and pantry-friendly while also offering an impressive punch of protein and omega-3 fatty acids. This recipe is easily doubled to make a big batch to meal-prep for the week. Serve on bread or in a wrap, over a bed of greens or scooped up with your favorite chips, crackers or cucumber slices. View Recipe 03 of 23 Curried Cauliflower Salad Sandwiches Photographer: Jake Sternquist, Food stylist: Annie Probst, Prop stylist: Gabriel Greco The creamy cauliflower mixture in this vegetarian sandwich was inspired by the flavors of Indian raita. A combination of yogurt, cashews and mustard round out the spices in the curry powder, with pomegranate arils adding a juicy pop of sweetness. Buy cauliflower florets in a bag instead of the whole head and look for containers of pomegranate arils to keep prep simple. View Recipe 04 of 23 High-Protein Mason Jar Salad Ali Redmond Mason jar salads make for a convenient lunch that can easily be taken on the go or enjoyed at home. With just a few ingredients, you have a well-rounded lunch packed with fiber, protein and micronutrients that won’t spike your blood sugars. This nutritious Mason jar salad allows plenty of room for customization based on your taste preferences. View Recipe 05 of 23 Lemon-Dill Tuna Salad Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Styling: Lindsey Lower This lemon-dill tuna salad packs plenty of protein and gets a boost of flavor from sumac—a spice used in Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and North African cooking that adds a citrusy touch, enhancing the lemon flavor without overshadowing the other ingredients. Serve this between two pieces of whole-wheat bread as a sandwich or by itself with tender Bibb lettuce or crunchy celery sticks. View Recipe 06 of 23 Chicken & Cabbage Soup with Pesto Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely This one-pot chicken and cabbage soup is topped with flavor-boosting store-bought pesto. Big, fiber-rich butter beans add a creamy bite, but you can easily swap them out for cannellini beans or navy beans if you prefer. This soup works well with leftover chicken—simply shred or chop cooked chicken and add it to the soup to reheat once the cabbage is tender. View Recipe 07 of 23 Green Goddess Wrap Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf A soft and silky green goddess dressing blends with crunchy fresh cucumber and tender greens in this easy wrap. If you prefer, you can ditch the wrap and enjoy the filling as a salad instead. View Recipe 08 of 23 Elote-Inspired Pasta Salad Photographer: Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Anna Kelly, Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman This zesty pasta salad draws inspiration from the flavors of elote—Mexican grilled corn on the cob that's smothered in a creamy mayo-based sauce and sprinkled with chili powder, cotija cheese and lime. Corn kernels blister in the hot pan and a sprinkle of smoked paprika brings out the flavor. View Recipe 09 of 23 Tuna Salad & Tomato Sandwich Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Phoebe Hauser This classic deli-style tuna sandwich is packed with protein and topped with a juicy slice of fresh tomato. This recipe makes one sandwich, but you can easily double or quadruple the recipe to make more. Sweet pickle relish adds a contrast of flavors to the mix, but if you prefer something less sweet, dill pickle relish can be used in its place. View Recipe 10 of 23 High-Protein Greek Salad Omelet Wrap Sara Haas Would you rather have a salad or a wrap for dinner? Wait, why not both! This protein-packed meal features Greek salad tucked into an egg-white wrap. It also makes for a delicious breakfast. View Recipe 11 of 23 Cucumber Sandwich with Cotija & Lime Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman This easy vegetarian cucumber sandwich draws flavor inspiration from elote, the Mexican street corn dish. Instead of corn, we flavor cucumber slices with cotija cheese, lime and cilantro for a tasty filling. Cotija cheese, a salty, crumbly Mexican cheese, is similar in flavor and texture to feta cheese, which can be used as a substitute. Arugula adds a peppery flavor, but any tender greens will work well here. View Recipe 12 of 23 Shrimp Salad with Peanut Dressing Using applesauce in the peanut dressing lends a sweet, tart flavor that pairs wonderfully with shrimp. View Recipe 13 of 23 10-Minute Tuna Melt Joy Howard This variation of a classic sandwich uses mayonnaise, but not where you think! Mayo is brushed on the outside of the sandwich in place of butter to make the sandwich golden and crispy as it heats in a skillet. Plain Greek yogurt takes mayo's place in the salad—along with crunchy celery, roasted red bell peppers and scallions—for a satisfying lunch with less saturated fat. View Recipe 14 of 23 Open-Face Goat Cheese Sandwich with Tomato & Avocado Salad This simple lunch comes together in just 10 minutes, making it a great option for busy days. View Recipe 15 of 23 Salmon & Quinoa Bowls with Green Beans, Olives & Feta This flavorful and easy salmon quinoa bowl is a meal that keeps on giving. Pack up any leftovers for a next-day lunch, or make the entire recipe ahead and pack it into individual serving containers for ready-to-go meals. View Recipe 16 of 23 Broccoli & Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Salad We've loaded this healthy pasta salad with vegetables and bright flavors. Sun-dried tomatoes and a touch of lemon zest jazz up the dressing, while tender-crisp broccoli florets cook alongside the pasta, making assembly (and cleanup!) a breeze. View Recipe 17 of 23 Chickpea & Roasted Red Pepper Lettuce Wraps with Tahini Dressing A tangy, nutty tahini dressing brings together no-cook ingredients like canned chickpeas and roasted red peppers for these easy meal-prep lettuce wraps. Make these wraps ahead of time for a grab-and-go lunch or dinner. A few wedges of warm pita finish off the meal perfectly. View Recipe 18 of 23 Chile-Garlic Salmon Bento Box with Avocado Charlotte and Johnny Autry Keeping salmon in your freezer means you always have something on hand for dinner, and—bonus!—you can cook it from frozen as we do here. View Recipe 19 of 23 Farro Salad with Arugula, Artichokes & Pistachios Precooked farro makes this dish come together in no time. And you can make it in the same bowl you serve it in, minimizing cleanup! View Recipe 20 of 23 Veggie & Hummus Sandwich Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey This mile-high vegetable and hummus sandwich makes the perfect heart-healthy vegetarian lunch to go. Mix it up with different flavors of hummus and different types of vegetables depending on your mood. View Recipe 21 of 23 Charred Vegetable & Bean Tostadas with Lime Crema Pile vegetables and black beans onto crisp tostadas and top them off with lime crema for a vegetarian dinner the whole family will love. Charring the vegetables under the broiler infuses them with smoky flavor while cooking them quickly. View Recipe 22 of 23 Vegan Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Bowl with Creamy Green Sauce In a vegan riff on green goddess dressing, cashews provide a creamy base with tons of flavor from herbs and apple-cider vinegar. Drizzle it all over this bowl of quinoa and roasted vegetables to make a satisfying vegan dinner or easy packable lunch that is ready in just 30 minutes. View Recipe 23 of 23 Tomato, Cucumber & White-Bean Salad with Basil Vinaigrette This no-cook bean salad is a delicious way to use cherry or grape tomatoes and juicy cucumbers for a light dinner or lunch. Fresh basil elevates an easy vinaigrette recipe that dresses up this simple salad into something extraordinary. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit