Enjoy a Diabetic-Friendly, Tasty, Low-Carb Holiday

When you think of the holiday season, family get-togethers, and Christmas parties, any number of sweet treats pop into your mind. But if you’re diabetic, pre-diabetic, or watching your weight, this time of year can pile on the stress. And while many people shrug it off and say, “Well, it’s just that time of year,” it doesn’t have to be.

What if you could be the change agent? What if you could participate in the festivities without damaging your health (and other people’s)? Because let’s face it, the holiday sugar train lasts far longer than just a day or two. You’re looking at over a month of indulgence and sugary temptations.

We’ve compiled a list of delectable, low-carb Christmas treats to satisfy you and the company you keep. Low-sugar, low-carb treats don’t have to be boring. Try these recipes for a healthier, diabetic-friendly holiday season.

Change Your Thinking About Holiday Treats

When our holiday traditions began, most of United States and the world were far less affluent. And not too long ago in the U.S., kids were ecstatic to find nuts and oranges in their stockings on Christmas morning, because for many, these were rare delicacies. Imagine your seven-year-old grandson waking to such “healthy stuff” today? You’re more likely to see a scrunched nose and a scowl.

Our definition of “treat” has changed a lot in the last fifty years. Sugary indulgences are readily accessible to everyone and not reserved for special occasions. Christmastime means breaking out grandma’s cookie recipes and filling the house with cleverly marketed candies. Not to mention that social events are flooded with assorted pies, cakes, and chocolate-dipped everything.

But you can decide to be part of the solution. And while you may not want to bring oranges and nuts to your next holiday event, you can participate while protecting your health and everyone else’s. The internet is flooded with low-sugar, low-carb holiday treats, allowing you to splurge with fewer consequences and less guilt.

Tips for Low-Carb Holiday Baking and Treat Making

1. Almond flour is your friend—but learn how to use it!

Almond flour is made from finely ground, skinned, blanched almonds and often replaces wheat flour in low-carb recipes. But beware of altering a recipe yourself, because it’s not a one-to-one conversion and often requires other alterations. Instead, search for a recipe that’s been developed to use almond flour. This will give you the tastiest results!

2. Replace dairy milk with unsweetened almond or coconut milk.

This tip might seem out of place, because it’s easy to forget that dairy milk contains carbs (famously known as lactose). If you want to minimize baking carbs, it’s easy to swap the cow’s milk in your recipe for unsweetened almond or unsweetened coconut milk. Both options are lower in carbs and won’t affect most recipes.

3. Don’t skimp on baking powder or baking soda.

Low-carb baked goods need extra leavening help to maintain structure. This is because most gluten-free flours like almond, coconut, rice, and others are denser than their wheat-containing counterparts. Don’t be shocked if your low-carb recipe calls for higher amounts of baking powder or baking soda: it needs it!

4. Low-carb batters are more prone to sticking, so grease the pan well!

When working with almond or other low-carb flour batters, expect them to be stickier than batters made with wheat flour. Be sure to prep your pan well, greasing it with butter. And for heavier low-carb batters (like brownie batter), it’s probably best to both butter the pan and line it with parchment paper.

5. Don’t alter recipes yourself until you’ve gained sufficient low-carb baking experience.

Consider that flour is the foundation of most baked goods, so altering that foundation can have many unintended consequences. It’s best to use recipes that were developed for use with low-carb or gluten-free flour to avoid disappointment. With some experience, you might learn how to alter recipes to accommodate low-carb substitutions and can then alter some of your favorite recipes.

6. Gluten-free flour is not synonymous with low-carb.

Some gluten-free flours are low-carb—and some aren’t. When you buy gluten-free flour mixes at the store, you’re usually getting a combination that consists mostly of rice flour, potato starch, and sorghum flour, all of which are higher in carbs. Your best gluten-free, low-carb flours are almond, hazelnut, golden flax meal, soy, and coconut. Almond flour is probably the most easily accessible and easy to work with low-carb flour.

Low-Carb Holiday Treats to Try This Year

Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Bites

This recipe uses coconut flour, coconut milk, low-carb sweetener (stevia, monk fruit), and vanilla liquid stevia to recreate a classic. They’re stored in the refrigerator in lieu of baking, which makes them super easy to make. And since the recipe is eggless, the cookie dough is completely safe to eat.

Low Carb Holiday Cookies

These cookies are a bit of a splurge in calories and fat, but that’s mostly due to the ricotta cheese in the cookie and the cream cheese and heavy cream in the frosting. Feel free to leave some cookies unfrosted for those who are watching the scales this season. They’re made with almond flour and low-carb sweetener and are sure to be a hit at any family gathering or holiday party.

Low Carb Scones with Cranberry and Orange

Scone lovers will fall hard for this holiday version of a British classic. The recipe uses almond flour and low-carb sweetener to give you a festive treat without the sugar and carbs. It even calls for two ounces of fresh cranberries and orange zest to make it zing. But to avoid sticking, the site recommends using a silicone mat during baking.

Keto Gingerbread Men

This holiday favorite will make your grandkids smile. The recipe relies on almond and coconut flours, low-carb sweeteners, and the traditional gingerbread spices we all love. But keep in mind that the recipe makes about 50 cookies or 25 servings, so feel free to halve the recipe if it produces more cookies than you want.

No Bake Sugar-Free Peppermint Cheesecake Pie

Topped with crushed sugar-free candy canes, this low-carb holiday dessert looks as festive as its name sounds. The no-bake crust is made from almond meal, cocoa powder, peppermint liquid stevia, and peppermint extract to ensure it lives up to its name. Be sure to use almond meal instead of almond flour, because the two are very different. Almond meal is coarser and darker, which is more suitable for the no-bake crust.

Low-Carb Cinnamon Chips

This makes perfect, simple, low-carb dipping chips and pairs well with our next recipe—cranberry and cream cheese dip. Select the low-carb tortilla of your choosing and be sure to have some sugar-free confectioner’s sugar on hand.

Cranberry and Cream Cheese Dip

Plenty of fresh cranberries, cream cheese, and low-carb sweetener make this a diabetic-friendly dip for holiday parties. Enjoy with the low-carb cinnamon chips above or try it with your own low-carb dipping treat. Feel free to skip the jalapenos and cilantro if they don’t suit your taste.

Chocolate Yule Log

This classic dessert has been transformed into a low-carb holiday treat, relying on a half dozen eggs and almond flour to form the base of the sponge cake. Whisk together some heavy whipping cream and sugar-free jam for the filling and top it with a chocolate cream cheese frosting sweetened with a sugar substitute.

Low-Carb Brie and Cranberry Bombs

The low carb “fat head” dough used in this recipe calls for 1 ½ cups of shredded mozzarella, almond flour, a touch of cream cheese, and one egg. Fill each square of dough with a cube of brie, low-carb cranberry sauce (see below) then wrap and bake for a unique holiday treat that won’t spike your blood sugar. It only takes 4 oz of brie for the entire recipe.

Low-Carb Cranberry Sauce

You can ditch the canned cranberry sauce this year and avoid its sugary alternatives. This recipe guides you in preparing fresh cranberry sauce with sugar-free sweeteners like stevia and monk fruit. A little orange extract gives it some zing. It’s perfect for filling your Low-Carb Brie and Cranberry Bombs too!

Choosing Your Sweeteners

It’s best to use natural sugar substitutes like stevia and monk fruit. They contain no calories and no carbs but are naturally sweeter than sugar. Some studies have shown both to have a positive impact on blood sugar levels.

When you buy monk fruit extract be sure to read labels, because it’s sometimes mixed with sugar, molasses, or other sweeteners. Monk fruit is 100-250 times sweeter than sugar, so the purer it is the less you’ll need to replace sugar in recipes.

You can purchase stevia in liquid and powdered form. It works great for sweetening drinks as well as baked goods. For each cup of sugar, plan to substitute just a teaspoon of powdered stevia. Stevia is readily available in most grocery stores. As with monk fruit, check the label before you buy in case it contains other sweeteners or sugar.

It’s best to avoid sucralose (Splenda) when baking, because some studies have shown that it can produce harmful compounds when exposed to high temperatures. But it works well for sweetening drinks or foods that don’t require longer periods of heating.

Don’t Let Uncontrolled Diabetes Affect Your Bladder and Your Holiday

When blood sugar levels aren’t well managed, you can have bladder symptoms like frequency and urgency because your body is trying to flush the excess glucose from your system. This can put a damper on your holidays and even trigger bladder infections.

Over time, uncontrolled diabetes can damage bladder nerves and cause incontinence. But you can use these tips and recipes to keep your holiday healthy while enjoying some Christmas treats.

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