Discover how to cook using an air-fryer to keep your blood sugar balanced, with advice for the best air fryer recipes for diabetics from Katie Caldesi’s new title The Diabetes Air Fryer Cookbook
I used to think that using an air-fryer wasn’t for me, as I am always telling people to avoid eating beige, fried food; but there I was, looking at a gadget that fries… or so I thought. Fried foods are often full of sugar, starch and poor-quality fats, so I was worried. However, I now know that air-fryers can cook a huge array of wonderfully colourful meals in minutes, as well as healthy versions of classics such as fried chicken and chips.
How can an air-fryer help control type 2 diabetes?
If air-fryers get you cooking simple meals from scratch that are lower in carbohydrates, rather than ordering fried foods from a delivery app or buying ultra-processed foods, they can help you to become healthier.
My husband, Giancarlo, is in his 12th year of remission from type 2 diabetes; all of his success has been from his change in food choices; he has never been on medication. He is an Italian chef who loved pasta, sugary cappuccinos and pastries a little too much, and his health suffered. Now he follows a low-carb lifestyle. He has kept off four stone of weight, got rid of his arthritis, gout, constant hunger and exhaustion, and his eyesight and mobility have both improved. In fact, he runs around like an energetic young man and yet he is 73 years old.
Our principle is to cook low-carb meals, which broadly follows the pre-1950s Mediterranean diet: plenty of fresh seasonal vegetables, extra-virgin olive oil, meat, fish, eggs and dairy. Air-fryers came out when low-fat cooking was still fashionable, whereas I often preserve good fats to enrich flavour and provide satiety. With type 2 diabetes in mind, the recipes in this book are all about avoiding sugar and swapping out starchy foods that easily break down into sugar for healthy alternatives to lessen blood sugar spikes – and that will help keep diabetes under control.
Getting confident with air fryer recipes for diabetics
Air-fryers make cooking simple. If you are new to them, start by cooking a piece of bacon and a tomato or salmon with a selection of roasted Mediterranean vegetables. You will be making meals in no time. At first you can check the food regularly, so you avoid any mistakes.
No waste
By cooking one or two portions of food you are less likely to make more than you need. Air-fryers are great
for cooking food from frozen, which means you can simply pull out one fish fillet or piece of chicken at a time. Do make swaps for something you already have in the refrigerator. Because I cook small amounts of food in an air-fryer, I don’t have so many leftovers, so there are no second helpings to be tempted by. If you do happen to have any leftovers, save them in containers in the refrigerator and use the handy ‘reheat’ setting to warm them thoroughly.
Budget air fryer recipes for diabetics
The recipes I have chosen are a great way to make delicious, healthy food on a budget. There are so many ways to save money when cooking, including buying own brands from supermarkets, using frozen options for meat, fish, vegetables and berries, shopping at markets and buying in bulk. It’s also a good idea to freeze leftover seeds and nuts to stop them going rancid.
Other tips are to keep a pot of rosemary and thyme on a windowsill outdoors to use regularly rather than buying packets each time, freezing leftover cheeses such as mozzarella and feta from a block for re-use, and to use vegetables that are in season and limit more expensive, out-of-season ones.
These are the best air fryer recipes for diabetics
Granola
Serves: 10
25g unsalted butter or coconut oil
20g honey or erythritol
1 egg white, lightly beaten
150g mixed nuts (such as almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts and pecans)
75g mixed seeds (pumpkin, flax, sunflower, sesame)
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp ground cinnamon
Finely grated zest of 1 small orange
Method
- Melt the butter and honey together in a small heatproof bowl in the air-fryer or in a microwave.
- Put the remaining ingredients in a larger bowl, pour in the melted butter and honey, then stir thoroughly.
- Spread out the mixture on a crisper in the drawer, or use a silicone liner or ovenproof dish. If you use a crisper, this will help to ensure that the granola is crunchy; if the seeds fall through, you can pick them up later after baking.
- Bake the granola at 200°C for 7-8 minutes until browned and dry, tossing gently with a spatula every 2 minutes or so to ensure even browning.
- Tip the granola on to a plate and allow to cool. Stored in a jar at room temperature for up to four days or in the refrigerator for up to a week. Nuts are great for filling us up, providing insoluble fibre for our gut health, and providing vitamins and healthy fats.
TIP: This recipe makes a large amount, which is ideal to store in a jar so you can measure out portions as you need. Making your own granola is much better than buying the sugar-laden ones in the shops. Even if they don’t contain added sugar, they often have raisins or dates in the mix. If you don’t have time for breakfast, take a serving of the dry granola to work and have it with a coffee. Otherwise, top Greek yoghurt with the granola, add a few berries or a berry compote, and finish with some finely grated orange zest. To weigh out the honey, hold a spoon in hot water briefly before spooning it out, so it will easily slip off.
Bob’s curried Basa fillets
Serves 2
1 onion, finely sliced
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
30g full-fat Greek yoghurt
2 tsp your favourite curry powder, or more
to taste
¹/8-¼ tsp chilli powder or chilli flakes, or more to taste
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 fat garlic clove, grated or finely chopped
2 skinless basa, tilapia, sea bass or sea bream fillets (250g total weight)
Salt
Lemon wedges, to serve
Method
- Mix the onion with 2 teaspoons of the olive oil in a bowl and a pinch of salt until coated. Transfer into the bottom of the air-fryer drawer. Cook at 200°C for 5 minutes.
- In the same bowl, mix the yoghurt with the spices, tomato purée, garlic and salt. Taste and adjust the flavour according to your preference by adding more curry powder, chilli and/or salt as necessary.
- Place a rack over the onion. Put the fish fillets on a plate and coat one side with the yoghurt mixture using a spoon. Spread the yoghurt evenly over the fish and repeat on the other side, ensuring that both fillets are well covered.
- Spray or drizzle the top of the fish with the remaining teaspoon of olive oil and place the fillets on the rack above the onion. Air-fry the fish at 200°C for 10 minutes. By this time, the fish should have just started to brown and the onion softened. If not, turn the air-fryer up to 240°C or as high as it will go, and give it another 2 minutes to achieve a tandoori-baked appearance.
- Serve the fish warm with lemon wedges on the side.
Stuffed courgettes with ricotta and mint
Serves 2
2 courgettes (approx. 400g), halved lengthways
150g ricotta cheese
1 egg, beaten
20g Cheddar or other hard cheese,
finely grated
15–20 mint leaves, chopped, or 1 heaped
tsp dried mint, plus extra chopped leaves
to garnish
25g pinenuts or other nuts, roughly chopped
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 small onion, finely chopped
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
Salt and pepper
Method
- Use a spoon to carefully scoop out the insides of the courgettes (keep the insides for use later on) leaving a boat-shaped shell of just under 1cm thick. Be careful not to make any holes in the courgette skin. Put the courgette halves on a crisper in the drawer and air-fry at 200°C for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix the ricotta, egg, cheese, mint and some seasoning together in a bowl. When the courgettes are just tender and starting to lightly brown, remove them from the drawer and divide the filling between the two of them.
- Put the crisper into the drawer and place the courgettes on top, packed together. Drop the pine nuts evenly on top. Brush with 2 teaspoons of oil. Air-fry for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned, then set the stuffed courgettes aside and keep warm.
- Finely chop the courgette insides and mix these in a bowl with the remaining teaspoon of the oil, the onion, tomatoes and some seasoning. Remove the crisper from the air fryer, then tip the mixture into the drawer or into an ovenproof dish, and air-fry at 200°C for 10 minutes until soft. Toss twice during the cooking time.
- Divide the chopped courgette mixture between 2 plates, or place onto 1 large serving plate, and arrange the stuffed courgette halves on top. Garnish with the mint leaves and a swirl of olive oil.
