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Nightly fasting duration and meal timing are associated with metabolic disorders. This study aimed to investigate the relationships of nightly fasting duration and meal timing with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) using data from the 2016–2020 Korea National Health and Nutrition Survey. A total of 22,685 adults ≥ 19 years were included in this study. Nightly fasting duration was calculated by subtracting the interval between the day’s first and last meal eating times from 24 h. The meal timing were analyzed using various parameters, including the times of the first and last eating episodes and the percentage of energy intake during the morning (05:00 to 9:00 a.m.), evening (06:00 to 09:00 p.m.), and night (after 09:00 p.m.). Men who fasted nightly for ≥ 12 h had lower odds of T2DM (odds ratio (OR): 0.86; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.75–0.99) than those who fasted for < 12 h. Individuals who had their last meal after 09:00 p.m. had higher odds of T2DM (OR: 1.19, 95% CI: 1.03–1.38, men; OR: 1.19, 95% CI: 1.01–1.40, women). Additionally, the percentage of energy intake during the evening was associated with increased odds of T2DM (OR: 1.41, 95% CI: 1.08–1.84, men; OR: 1.32, 95% CI: 1.02–1.70, women). These findings emphasize the importance of nightly fasting duration and meal timing in modulating the risk of T2DM among Korean adults.