Updated : 15-11-2025 ; Author : Hetal Mehta ( Senior Dietitian)
Breakfast plays an important role in deciding your health condition while you are dealing with global diabetes.
Diabetic patients need to have better control over stress and cravings, along with controlling blood sugar levels.
Various varieties of Indian breakfasts appear to be the best option for diabetic patients.
Here, we will explore some healthy options for breakfast foods to help you stay healthy while managing diabetes.
Indian breakfast for type 2 diabetes
These are some wholesome and nutritious vegetarian breakfasts, rich in fibre and protein. These are ideal breakfast options for diabetics, which you can enjoy mindfully.
Please note – Below are Recipes for Diabetics Patients are advised to use pink Himalayan salt and cold-pressed or filtered oils only in limited quantities.
Avoid any kind of processed/ refined oil, salt, or flour to control sugar levels.
1) Wholegrain Adai
Nutrition Info: Whole food carbohydrates (like brown rice, red rice, lentils, etc.) are considered complex carbohydrates because, due to their molecular structure, they take longer to digest, which can be better for controlling blood sugar spikes and keeping you satisfied longer.
Ingredients
- Brown/Red Rice – 1 cup
- Toor dal – 1/2 cup
- Channa dal – 1/2 cup
- Moong dal – 2 tsp
- Urad dal – 2 tsp
- Salt – to taste
- Dry red chillies – 4
- Ginger – 1 piece
- Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
- 3 tbsp Oil
- Onion – 1 (chopped)
- Grated coconut – 2 tsp
- Cilantro – handful (finely chopped)
Cooking Method
- Soak the Brown rice and dals for 2-3 hours.
- Grind them together along with dry red chillies, ginger, cumin seeds, salt, and required water to a coarse texture.
- To the batter add Onion, Cilantro & coconut and mix together.
- Take a ladle of the batter and pour it on a Tawa.
- Spread the batter using a circular motion, and pour some oil into the centre of the adai.
- Cook until both sides are done. Now Adai is Ready!
2. Moringa Paratha Recipe
Nutritional info – Moringa Leaves or Drumstick Leaves Paratha is a protein-rich source of beta-carotene, Vitamin C, iron, and Potassium. It also helps in reducing high blood pressure & treating diabetes.
Ingredients
- Moringa Leaves (chopped) – 1cup
- Whole wheat flour (Atta) – 2cups
- Gram Flour (Besan) – ¼ cup
- Green chilli chopped – 1tsp
- Onion chopped – 3tbsp
- Ginger chopped – 1tsp
- Coriander seeds (pounded) – 2tbsp
- Cumin seeds – 2tsp
- Salt – to taste
- Turmeric – ½ tsp
- Water – as required
- Oil – a dash
- Ghee – as required
- For Garlic Chutney:
- Oil – 4tbsp
- Hing – ½ tsp
- Cumin – 2tsp
- Curry leaves – a sprig
- Garlic cloves – 15nos
- Dry Red Chilli (soaked) – 5nos
- Water – ¾ cup
- Jaggery – optional
- Lemon – 1no
- Salt – to taste
Cooking method
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, mix well and knead into a soft dough, using enough water.
- Knead Soft Dough: Divide the dough into small, equal portions.
- Keep a griddle or tava to heat while you roll the paratha.
- Take one portion of the dough and roll it between your palms.
- Press to flatten and then roll into a small circle about 4” in diameter.
- Roll this into a medium-sized paratha.
- Now cook the paratha using ghee till golden brown spots appear on both sides.
- Serve cooked Moringa Paratha
3. Broccoli Rasam
To be served with semi-polished white/ brown rice.
Broccoli is a true superfood. It is low in calories but contains a large number of nutrients and antioxidants, and fibre to control sugar levels.
Ingredients
- 1 cup broccoli
- 1 tomato (chopped)
- 2 tsp tamarind paste (or as required)
- 3-4 curry leaves
- 2 red chili
- 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/4 tsp jeera
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- a pinch asafoetida
- 1 1/2 tsp rasam powder
- 1 tsp coriander leaves
- to taste salt
- 2 tsp oil
- 1 tsp jeera
- 7-8 kernels of black pepper
- 3-4 garlic cloves
Cooking method
- In a mixie jar, add 1 tsp of peppercorns and cumin seeds.
- Add red chilli, it’s optional.
- Add 4-5 garlic cloves with skin and washed well.
- Add a few curry leaves. You can also add coriander leaves. Grind to a coarse powder.
- Add 2 chopped tomatoes and grind again.
- Rasam mixture is ready.
- Clean and cut broccoli. Wash with turmeric powder and water.
- Add oil to a Kadai. Add cumin seeds and rasam mixture.
- Keep on a low flame and saute. Add Hing and turmeric as required
- Soak a small lemon-sized tamarind in water.
- Add cut broccoli. Add salt for the veg to cook
- Add tamarind and black pepper powder. Boil and serve.
4. Jowar Upma Recipe for Diabetes Patients
Nutritional info: Jowar or Sorghum has, in recent times, become the ‘new quinoa’ due to its gluten-free property and the innumerable health benefits that it provides, such as improving digestion, fighting against free radicals, boosting immunity, improving heart health, being a rich source of protein, and controlling blood sugar levels.
Ingredients
- Vegetables like peas, beans, and carrots.
- 1 cup of whole jowar kernels.
- Half a cup of onions.
- Two green chillies
- 3-4 curry leaves
- Half a tsp of mustard seeds
- Half a tsp of cumin seeds
- Hing powder
- Turmeric powder
- Salt to taste
Cooking Method
- Rinse the jowar kernels.
- Add 2 cups of water and soak the jowar for 8 hours.
- Transfer the jowar to a pressure cooker and strain out the soaked water. Add one cup of water, a spoonful of salt, and cook for seven whistles.
- In a pan, heat some oil. Add half a teaspoon each of mustard seeds and cumin seeds until they splutter.
- Then add hing powder, chillies, curry leaves, chopped onions, and saute well.
- Add vegetables of your choice along with salt and turmeric powder.
- Cover with a lid and cook for a few minutes.
- Finally, add the cooked jowar and mix well.
5. Bajra Dosa Recipe – Pearl Millet Dosa
Nutritional info– Bajra has fibre content, which tends to digest slowly and release glucose, which helps in maintaining healthy blood sugar levels.
Ingredients-
- 1/2 cup brown rice
- 1/2 tsp Himalayan pink Salt
- 1/2 cups urad dal
- 1 Cup Pearl Millet (Bajra)
- 1/2 tbsp cooking oil
- 1/2 tsp fresh green chilli paste
- 1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste
- Water as required
Cooking method
- Soak the urad dal in a container and the brown rice and bajra together in a separate container.
- Now, let both the mixtures soak in water for at least 4 hours.
- Grind urad dal to make a smooth paste. Then grind bajra and rice together.
- Mix the dal paste and the bajra-brown rice mixture.
- Then, add some salt, green chilli paste, ginger garlic paste, and water to make a smooth batter.
- Let the batter ferment for 4-5 hours or overnight.
- Then, grease the hot pan with some oil, wipe it off, and then sprinkle some water to make dosa with the batter as usual.
- Flip the dosa on each side till it turns golden brown and serves.
6. Broken wheat dhaliya with spicy chutney
Nutritional info-Low glycemic index foods are the best for controlling blood sugar, which is why you must try Dalia.
Ingredients-
- 300g rava/ broken wheat
- sour curd 100ml
- water as required
- salt
- for tempering
- 2 tsp oil
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp urad dal
- 1/2 tsp chana dal
- curry leaves, coriander leaves
- 2 green chillies
- a pinch of hing
- 8 red chillies
- 10-12 garlic cloves
- rock salt as per taste
- a pinch of tamarind
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- little water
Cooking method
- Dry roast the broken wheat in a pan till you get a nice aroma, it will take 3-4 minutes.
- Let it cool down and grind it in a mixer grinder to a fine powder.
- Wash and soak urad dal for a few hours.
- Add water to the broken wheat powder and make a smooth paste.
- Make a smooth paste of urad dal and add it to the broken wheat paste we made earlier.
- Add salt and hing as per your taste.
- Do mustard seeds and urad dal tempering if you like.
- Serve Daliyawith chutney.
7. Ragi roti with fenugreek leaves
Nutritional info: Ragi is an excellent source of protein. An unusual amino acid has only been discovered in fenugreek and may have anti-diabetic effects by improving insulin secretion under hyperglycemic settings and raising insulin sensitivity.
Ingredients
- Ragi flour 200g
- Water 450 ml
- oil 1 tsp
- 1 cup fresh and chopped methi/ fenugreek leaves.
- Salt as required
Cooking Method
- In a pan, add 450 ml of water and a tsp of oil, and the required salt, and add ragi flour (200g), then allow to boil well.
- Once it comes to a rolling boil, add the ragi flour little by little, then add 1 cup chopped fenugreek leaves and mix well. Switch off the gas and cover the lid on it, and it keeps for some time.
- After some time wet your hands and start kneading the dough. Make balls out of the dough.
- Start rolling out rotis from it, dust ragi flour, and make medium-thin rotis.
- Preheat the tawa and cook the rotis. Once it is cooked on both sides, press with a kitchen cloth to get fluffy pulkas.
- You can add oil /ghee/butter if required. Serve hot with any spicy gravy.
8. Mixed Sprouts Salad
Nutritional info: Sprouts are concentrated sources of many health-benefiting vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and essential amino acids
Ingredients
- 1 cup boiled mixed sprouts as per your choice.
- moong (whole green gram) (whole green gram)
- 1/4 cup chopped coriander (dhania)
- 1/4 cup grated radish (mooli)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped tomatoes
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fenugreek (methi)
- salt to taste
- 1 tsp oil
- 1 green chilli
- a pinch of asafoetida (hing)
Cooking Method
- In a bowl, combine the mixed sprouts, coriander, radish, tomatoes, fenugreek leaves, and salt. Then mix it well. Keep aside.
- Heat the oil in a small non-stick pan, add the green chilli and asafoetida and sauté on a medium flame for a few seconds.
- Add tempered takda to the bowl ingredients and mix well.
- Serve immediately.
9. Missi Roti Recipe
Nutritional Info-Missi roti is rich in protein due to chickpeas( besan) and also low in cholesterol. Gluten-free, it is also great for weight loss and diabetics.
Ingredients
- Besan (Chickpea flour) 1 cup
- Wheat flour 1 cup
- Onion chopped ½ cup
- Green chilli chopped
- 1 tbsp Coriander stems chopped
- 1 tbsp Ginger chopped
- ½ tbsp Spring onion greens chopped
- 1 tbsp Coriander Chopped
- 1 tbsp Anar dana dried
- ½ tbsp Kasoorimethi
- 1 tbsp Coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp Jeera
- ½ tbsp Turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Red chilli powder
- 1 tsp Roasted jeera powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ tbsp Water as required
- Cowsghee 50 gms
- Oil 1 tbsp
Cooking Method
- Take a bowl, add chopped onion, green chillies, coriander stems, ginger, spring onion greens, coriander, Anar dana, crushed coriander seeds & jeera, kasoori methi, and mix it.
- Add turmeric powder, salt, red chilli powder, and roasted jeera powder and mix it.
- Now add besan, wheat flour, oil, and water and make a semi-soft dough.
- Apply some oil to the dough and rest it.
- Heat a flat pan, roll a roti out of dough, and cook it in the pan.
- Apply some ghee and serve it.
Author: Dietitian Hetal Mehta suggested healthy breakfasts for diabetics; she covered 17 varieties. If you have any doubt, kindly contact us on WhatsApp: 9398601060
Thanks for reading the article about Indian breakfast for type 2 diabetes
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