Low Carb Soups Best for Diabetics

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Low carb soups for diabetes are the perfect easy and healthy option for this time of year. I’m sharing a roundup of recipes from Registered Dietitians to inspire you to get in the kitchen and start making some delicious low carb soups!

In addition to recipes, I’ll also share some tips and tricks when making soup as well as my recommendations for blood sugar friendly canned soups.

What kind of soup is best for diabetes? Are all soups diabetes friendly??

Low carb soups are diabetes friendly- they are typically full of vegetables, provide a whole grain carbohydrate, and protein. They can be easily customized to be more diabetes friendly by increasing the veggies, choosing a lean protein, making the grains whole, and more- I’ll share some tips and tricks for low carb soups later in this post. 

Soups provide comfort and provide a ton of flavor while still being packed with nutrition. Satisfy cravings for a heavier dish with a hearty soup that provides more volume which will help keep you satiated. Protein and fiber will help manage blood sugar levels and prevent a spike. 

Are canned soups healthy for diabetics? 

Most canned soups do not contain complex high fiber carbs and tend to be higher in sodium,  higher in saturated fats, and sometimes higher in added sugars. Plus soups can be made very easily and inexpensively at home so I don’t generally recommend them, however we all start somewhere and you can’t beat the convenience of canned. 

• The most diabetes friendly canned soups should contain a whole grain that is low on the glycemic index such as barley, beans, or quinoa. Finding one that features non-starchy vegetables as the star of the show is also a great option. So skip the traditional chicken noodle soup. 
• Don’t forget to look for the terms “low sodium” or “no salt added.” Alternatively trying to select options where the serving size has less than 500g of sodium, is also a great way to keep salt more minimized. 
• Buying the freshly made grocery store soups are generally healthier than canned so that can work in a pinch as well. Whole Foods has some pretty tasty options to go. 

Diabetes Friendly Canned Soup

Amy’s Organic Soups

Campbell’s Well Yes Lightly Salted 

Pacific Foods

Rao’s

Kettle and Fire 

Tips and Tricks for Low Carb Soups

Soup is a well balanced meal providing protein, veggie, and carbohydrate. So many soups are easily customizable and make ahead meals that can suit any diet or palate. Carbs can be minimized or other ingredients like vegetables or protein can be increased to provide more nutrition. You can also skip out on some ingredients such as topping the soup with croutons, tortilla chips, etc. 

• Double the recipe any time you make a soup that is tried and true to help your future out with a meal. Most soups can be frozen and easily reheated without losing taste or much texture. 
• Add herbs for extra flavor without adding salt or sugar, plus they make the soup look tasty. Make soup creamier by blending part of it or even the whole soup. 
• Increase simple ingredients like the mirepoix (carrots, celery, and onions) and add leafy greens like spinach for an extra nutrition boost. If you are worried about a complete makeover do something small and simple like making half of the soup grains whole grains. For example if the recipe calls for white rice, make half brown rice. Or you can sub half of the rice with quinoa or farro. 
• Soups can often be made slow cooker or instant pot friendly by altering the liquid and time. Make sure you don’t use frozen ingredients with a slow cooker and also consider adjusting the order of ingredients. (Luckily most recipes will have specifications). 

Blood sugar friendly soups

Slow Cooker Greek Chicken Stew

Vegetarian White Chili

Instant Pot Low Carb Cauliflower Soup 

Squash Soup

Thai Coconut Pumpkin Soup 

Healthy Mushroom Soup

Lemon Ginger Chicken Soup

Creamy Pistachio Soup

Broccoli Spinach Soup

Fall Veggie Soup

 

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Curry Coconut Cauliflower Soup

Summary

Soups can be a healthy and balanced for diabetics, but we do want to follow a few guidelines to make the best choices whether we are cooking from scratch or buying canned. Overall a homemade soup with lean protein, complex carbohydrates, and lots of vegetables will be the best option for diabetes.

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