Top List of Diabetes-Friendly Frozen Meals

A trip to the frozen section at your local grocery store may be overwhelming with choices. Here are key things to look for when it comes to diabetes-friendly frozen meal options!

We live in a fast paced culture, and all need to rely on quick frozen meal options occasionally. And, there are a lot of great diabetes-friendly frozen meals at your local store!

Personally, as a dietitian living with diabetes myself, I love knowing there’s quick and easy meal options out there that make life easier for me and my family. Even though I have diabetes, I’m a busy working parent just like many other people and sometimes cooking a full meal just isn’t an option. Frozen meals are very helpful for me. And, the dietitian in me loves that there’s so many healthy options these days that I can enjoy myself and recommend to you!

Can people with diabetes eat frozen meals?

Absolutely! People with diabetes can eat lots of different types of frozen meals. Some frozen meal options are marketed specifically to people with diabetes and labeled as diabetes-friendly frozen meals, while other frozen meals for diabetes Iare a bit harder to spot. But, that’s why you’re here! 

Convenient frozen foods for people with diabetes

Nearly everyone relies on frozen food at some point or another. And people with diabetes are no different. Convenient blood sugar friendly frozen meals for diabetes do exist!

What to look for in diabetes friendly frozen meals

When we’re looking at frozen meals and which ones to choose for diabetes, we want to look for as many of the following characteristics as we can:

New Diabetes Friendly Frozen Meals in 2023

I originally wrote this post back in 2021, so it was time for a 2023 update! These are some new products I’ve tried this year and have been included in the lists below!

• Real Good Foods Lasagna Bowl
• Frontera Chicken Fajita Bowl
• Don Lee Farms Crispy Shredded Chicken Tacos
• Lean Cuisine Balance Bowls

What are the best frozen meals for diabetes?

Are Amy’s frozen dinners healthy? Are Lean Cuisines better? Or what about Stouffer’s? Is that one ok?

I’ve been asked all of these questions and more. So, let’s dive in. What are the best frozen meals for diabetes? I tried to pick at least 4-5 options for each of the categories below. Some have more and some have less. And these are not the only great diabetes-friendly frozen meals available. There’s no way I could cover every great option out there. These are some of my favorites!

Categories for Frozen Meals

Interested in a particular type of frozen meal that is diabetes-friendly? Jump to one of the sections below:

• Best diabetes-friendly frozen dinners
• High protein frozen meals
• Frozen pizzas
• Frozen meals with pasta
• Frozen low carb meals
• Frozen burritos
• Meatless frozen dinners
• Freezer meals for kids
• Frozen lunches
• Frozen breakfast meals

List of best diabetes-friendly frozen meals

*Some of the meals below are great quality options, but the portion provided is quite small. Remember, you’re allowed to be satisfied when you eat. If a portion seems too small or you’re still hungry, it’s ok to eat more food to feel satisfied. Just remember to adjust medication dosages accordingly if needed.*

1. Frontera Taco Bowls
2. Lean Cuisine Cauli Bowls
3. Saffron Road Lemongrass Basil Chicken
4. Blake’s Chicken Pot Pie
5. Real Good Foods Lasagna Bowl
6. Frontera Chicken Fajita Bowl
7. Don Lee Farms Crispy Shredded Chicken Tacos
8. Mikey’s Pizza Pockets
9. Cappello’s Grain Free Pizzas
10. Smart Flour Foods Ancient Grains Pizza Crusts
11. Urban Pie Pizza Co. Spinach & Roasted Mushrooms Thin Hemp Seed Crust Pizza
12. Lean Cuisine Favorites Spaghetti and Meatballs
13. Evol Butternut Squash & Sage Ravioli
14. Performance Kitchen Stroganoff Pasta with Chicken Meatballs
15. Real Good Foods Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Chicken Three Cheese
16. Healthy Choice Zero Bowls
17. Lean Cuisine Balance Bowls
18. Red’s Organic Chicken, Cilantro & Lime Burrito
19. Amy’s Greek Spanakopita Wrap
20. Evol Chicken Bean & Rice Burrito
21. Amy’s Black Bean Veggie Burgers
22. Evol Veggie Burrito Bowl
23. Applegate Chicken Nuggets
24. KidFresh Spaghetti Loops with Meat Sauce
25. Dr. Praeger’s Sweet Potato Dinosaurs
26. Healthy Choice Power Bowls
27. Hilary’s Eat Well Veggie Burgers
28. Feel Good Foods Vegetable Egg Rolls
29. Jimmy Dean Delights Turkey Sausage Breakfast Bowl
30. Soozy’s Grain Free Muffins and Donuts
31. Real Good Foods Sausage Breakfast Sandwiches
32. Good Food Made Simple Tomatillo Salsa Verde Scramble Breakfast Burrito
33. Start Right Waffle Sliders
34. Kashi Go Protein Waffles

Best diabetes friendly frozen dinners

The following frozen meal options are great for any situation and can be found at most grocery stores! They offer quality carbohydrates and protein and make a great blood sugar friendly meal.

1. Blake’s Chicken Pot Pie: I love chicken pot pie! This option has 12g protein and only 33g carbohydrate.
2. Frontera Mexican Dinners: Frontera offers delicious dinners that range 17-25g protein and all have 30-40g carbohydrate.
3. Lean Cuisine Cauli Bowls: Lean Cuisine Cauli Bowls come in several different varieties and and pack a ton of fiber thanks to all that cauliflower!
4. Saffron Road Lemongrass Basil Chicken: Saffron Road offers a ton of different dinner options for a variety of dietary needs, including diabetes!

Best high protein frozen meals

All of the meals below have 20g protein or more. Higher protein meals can help stabilize blood sugars and keep you full and satisfied.

1. Real Good Foods Lasagna Bowl: I’m a big fan of Real Good Foods frozen entrees, and especially love this new low carb lasagana bowl.
2. Frontera Chicken Fajita Bowl: This chicken fajita bowl from Frontera is delicious! And, with 20g protein it won’t leave you hungry afterwards.
3. Don Lee Farms Crispy Shredded Chicken Tacos: I first discovered these frozen tacos at Costco and they are a staple in our house now. I usually eat 3-4 for dinner which totals 23-30g protein!

Best diabetes friendly frozen pizzas

These frozen pizzas and pizza crusts are lower in carbohydrates and higher in protein and fiber than most options on the market.

1. Mikey’s Pizza Pockets: Imagine a blood sugar friendly hot pocket option, and that’s what you have with Mikey’s pizza pockets!
2. Cappello’s Grain Free Pizzas: Cappello’s offers a delicious pizza crust option made from almond flour. It crisps up well in the oven and can handle lots of toppings unlike some other grain free crusts I’ve tried.
3. Smart Flour Foods Ancient Grains Pizza Crusts: Smart Flour Foods is hands down my favorite blood sugar friendly pizza crust option. It is lower in carbohydrate than standard pizza crusts and tastes delicious!
4. Urban Pie Pizza Co. Spinach & Roasted Mushrooms Thin Hemp Seed Crust Pizza: Urban Pie offers some amazing ready to cook frozen pizza options. They add nuts and seeds to their crusts and pile on the veggies too.

Best diabetes friendly frozen meals with pasta

Remember, pasta is never off limits just because you have diabetes! These meals do a good job of offering moderate portion sizes and combining pasta with protein sources and veggies.

1. Lean Cuisine Favorites Spaghetti and Meatballs: Lean Cuisine’s spaghetti entree is delicious though smaller in portion size. It’s ideal for a smaller meal situation but still packs 17g protein.
2. Evol Butternut Squash & Sage Ravioli: For ravioli, this is my top pick! Pair it with some veggies and you’ve got a great well rounded meal!
3. Performance Kitchen Stroganoff Pasta with Chicken Meatballs: Performance Kitchen offers some truly high quality frozen meals that are higher in protein and fiber. This particular meal has 9g fiber!

Best low carb frozen meals

These low carb frozen meals all have <20g carbohydrate. You may want to pair an additional carbohydrate source with them if needed, or enjoy them on their own!

1. Real Good Foods Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Chicken Three Cheese: These stuffed chicken breasts from Real Good Foods are another staple in my house! I pair them with some sort of starchy vegetable usually and that’s dinner!
2. Healthy Choice Zero Bowls: These bowls are great for a small lunch since they’re smaller serving size. But, they pack a ton of flavor and have no added sugar.
3. Lean Cuisine Balance Bowls: This is a fairly new offering from Lean Cuisine. They’ve earned the new American Diabetes Association Better Choices for Life seal (the first frozen meal to do so)!

Best frozen burritos for diabetes

The following frozen burritos offer moderate carbohydrate amounts from veggies and complex carbohydrate tortillas and 12-17g protein per burrito.

1. Red’s Organic Chicken, Cilantro & Lime Burrito: The cilantro and lime flavor combo in this burrito is amazing! Each burrito has 12g protein.
2. Amy’s Greek Spanakopita Wrap: Amy’s is known for their delicious meals and frozen burritos, and this is one of my favorite flavors! It also has 12g protein.
3. Evol Chicken Bean & Rice Burrito: The flavors in this burrito are a bit milder than the other options, but still equally delicious! My kids love these, and with 17g protein, they’re always satisfied.

Best meatless frozen dinners for diabetes

If you’re looking for a plant-based diabetes-friendly frozen meal, these meals offer a great option. They’re loaded with plant-based sources of protein and complex carbohydrates.

1. Amy’s Black Bean Veggie Burgers: For frozen veggie burgers, Amy’s has always been my favorite for flavor. Each burger has 6g protein, 3g fiber, and 18g carbohydrate.
2. Evol Veggie Burrito Bowl: If you’re looking for a higher fiber meatless meal, this one from Evol has 8g fiber/meal!

Best diabetes friendly freezer meals for kids

We can’t forget about the kids! These meals are more kid-friendly but offer ample amounts of protein and fiber!

1. Applegate Chicken Nuggets: Every person needs a good do to frozen chicken nugget! These are my pick for quality and flavor.
2. KidFresh Spaghetti Loops with Meat Sauce: KidFresh meals incorporate more veggies than other alternative which means they usually have more fiber.
3. Dr. Praeger’s Sweet Potato Dinosaurs: These adorable little dinosaurs are a great way to get kids excited about eating more veggies.

Best healthy frozen lunches for diabetes

For lunchtime, we want to focus on high quality fiber and protein rich options. I like these meals because they can be paired well with other foods too.

1. Healthy Choice Power Bowls: This line of meals from Healthy Choice is big on veggies. They run ~15g carbohydrate in each meal, with 5-7g fiber.
2. Hilary’s Eat Well Veggie Burgers: Hilary’s is another delicious veggie burger option. I prefer them cooked on the stovetop but you can also heat them up in the microwave.
3. Feel Good Foods Vegetable Egg Rolls: I discovered Feel Good Foods a few years ago and they’ve been a staple in my freezer for gluten free and blood sugar friendly frozen entree options. These vegetable rolls are delicious and super filling.

Best diabetes friendly frozen breakfast meals

All of these frozen breakfast options are rich in protein and will help keep you satisfied without spiking blood sugar levels. And, more additional breakfast options, check out this post on quick and easy breakfasts!

1. Jimmy Dean Delights Turkey Sausage Breakfast Bowl: Jimmy Dean may be better known for their sausage and breakfast sandwiches, but they nailed the egg white bowl category too with this product! This is a hearty breakfast option with 22g carbohydrate and 19g protein.
2. Soozy’s Grain Free Muffins and Donuts: Soozy’s muffins have always been my favorite blood sugar friendly muffin option. You can find them in the frozen gluten free section at most grocery stores.
3. Real Good Foods Sausage Breakfast Sandwiches: Real Good Foods has mastered the low carb breakfast sandwich. The “bread” is made from cauliflower and trust me when I say, you’d never know! I love the sausage variety!
4. Good Food Made Simple Tomatillo Salsa Verde Scramble Breakfast Burrito: If you’re in the mood for a breakfast burrito, this one will give you a breakfast with 12g protein and 35g carbohydrate.
5. Start Right Waffle Sliders: Start Right makes another delicious breakfast sandwich option that’s blood sugar friendly!
6. Kashi Go Protein Waffles: Each Kashi Go Protein waffle has only 11g carbohydrate but 6.5g protein!

Keto frozen meals

Many of the frozen meals listed above could be labeled as a keto frozen meal. There may be times when you want a lower carb option. But, you don’t have to look for ket frozen meals specifically if you’re living with diabetes.

My go-to brand when my blood sugar is running higher and I want something lower carbohydrate is Real Good Foods. Their product line includes everything from chicken nuggets, to breakfast sandwiches, to enchiladas. And, all are very low in carbohydrate and offer large amounts of protein.

Make your own diabetes-friendly frozen meals

If you’re feeling up for a day of freezer cooking, make sure to check out my e-book “Freezer Cooking“… it walks you step by step through a day of meal prepping and stocking your freezer with yummy diabetic frozen meals!

This post was updated from it’s original post date in June 2021.