40 Best Keto Diet Recipes – Easy Low Carb Ketogenic Recipe Ideas
New to keto and need some amazing recipe ideas to kickstart the new ketogenic diet? We put together 40 of the best keto recipes to try out for low carb eats. When we started the keto diet around here, it was really difficult at first to find things to eat. Making them seemed to be the only option, but even then, it proved to be challenging. Definitely different than most diets, going keto means you really have to know and understand just how low carb you need to be. High in fat and protein, low in sugar and carbohydrates, these recipe ideas will have you wanting for nothing. From easy and quick desserts to satisfy your sweets craving to crunchy snacks, cheesy rich casseroles and last minute lunches, you are sure to find some new favorites here.
What is the keto diet is, anyway?
The keto diet is one where you try to eat very low amounts of carbohydrates, with a high amount of fat. The macronutrient ratio in a ketogenic diet ranges from:
60-75% of calories from fat (or even more),
15-30% of calories from protein
The keto diet is very low carb, very high in fat, which then allows your body to produce ketones as a source of energy instead of using glucose like it normally would, Instead of burning glucose, your body adapts and converts fats to ketones to use as an energy source. It’s referred to as a few different names – the ketogenic diet, LCHF low carb high fat, low carb diet, and of course keto. In order for this to work, however, you need to avoid sugars, fruits, breads, pasta and even vegetables that contain lots of carbohydrates. You can even get too many carbs by eating too much zucchini, and bananas are not allowed. So, I suggest that you take some time to educate yourself on the keto diet before you start cooking up these awesome foods.
Need some info for keto for beginners?
Again, you will need to educate yourself on keto so you know you are in ketosis, otherwise eating 70% or more fat in your foods is probably not the best of plans. When I started the keto diet, I learned that there would be a several day period where your body is adapting, and that ketosis does not start until you do. You may be tired and irritable during the beginning, then things get easier. To assure you are eating the right proportion of nutrients when you start keto, I suggest using a keto calculator. We like this one from keto buddy diet app. You input your height and weight, activity level and gender, then get a calcualted recommendation for your macros. This site also sells access to a diet app for keto, which I’ve tried and like. By no means do you have to spend money on this to have success on the ketogenic diet, though.
I was really worried about knowing when I was in ketosis, so I purchased a blood testing meter from Amazon. Not cheap, but if you really want to know what is going on, I highly recommend it, at least in the beginning. The machine itself is not too expensive, but if you used the test strips every day, it could get pricey. I found this to be well worth the expense for a keto diet beginner, though.
This list of keto recipes is a good place to start when you are trying to eliminate most carbs from your diet so you can burn fat as a fuel source instead of glucose. We have you covered for most meals here, and if you need more, we put together some other lists of great keto recipes for you, from keto desserts to keto fat bombs to keto snacks and keto breakfasts.
Good luck with your keto diet, once you get the hang of it, you may never turn back. My energy levels and ability to concentrate were so greatly improved after only one week, that I knew I was going to figure out how to make it work for me on a long term basis.
Best Keto Recipes
1. Low Carb Chicken Enchilada Casserole Recipe
Think you had to go without Mexican food because you started the keto diet? Think again. Keep the ketones low while satisfying your craving for Mexican dishes with this low carb chicken casserole. I make mine a little bit spicier than this one by adding a chopped serrano to the sauce. This is super paired against a cool sour cream topping. I had no idea until I actually made this keto friendly food that there were even keto Mexican food recipes, much less ones that tasted amazing. For a keto dinner idea that is as good reheated the next day for lunch at work as it is when you make it for supper, these keto chicken enchiladas are a must-try when you are trying to learn how to maintain a low carbohydrate diet.
Low Carb Avocado Chips Recipe
Learn how to make these low carb, keto friendly but delicious for everyone chips from avocados. After learning how to make avocado chips myself, I started making them to keep on hand for those late night snack cravings where I wanted something crunchy and filling but could not go open a bag of potato chips. One of my favorite keto snacks, this homemade avocado chips are sure to disappear within minutes of making them.
2. Keto McMuffin Sausage and Egg Breakfast Sandwich
Think breakfast will never be the same on the ketogenic diet because you can’t have quick meals, much less your favorite McDonalds Egg McMuffin? With this cool breakfast idea, you get both. Try this keto McMuffin egg and sausage breakfast sandwich for an awesome way to start your morning. Cheese goodness which includes avocado. Yum! Of all the keto breakfasts I’ve tried, this one has remained my favorite. So flavorful, balanced and with great textures from the combo of egg, sausage, cheese and avocado, even my non-keto friends have tried this easy keto recipe and loved it. Low carb goodness with the taste of the fast food I used to eat regularly. Having tried this keto egg sandwich recipe, I may never eat another McDonalds Egg McMuffin again in my lifetime.
3. Low Carb Keto Recipe for Everything Bagels
When I started the keto diet, I was really worried how I would survive without bread. Bagels, biscuits, pancakes, rolls and baked goods pretty much summed up my morning meals. Was I ever excited to find out I could make bagels at home with this delicious keto bagel recipe. I did a double take when I saw the photo of these low carb bagels, how on earth do they even look that good? Many keto bread recipes don’t even look that good in pictures and certainly don’t merit much upon trying. I had high hopes on this keto bread recipe, though, as the photos had me thinking maybe, just maybe, it is possible…Low in carbs, high in taste, these are one of my favorite keto breakfast recipe ideas. I cover my keto friendly bagels in butter or smashed avocado to make it even yummier.
4. Cauliflower Keto Hash Browns Recipe
Looking for some low carb breakfast options for keto dieting? Think cauliflower instead of potato. Full of flavor and with super low carbohydrates, these keto hash browns made with cauliflower are the perfect addition to your bacon and eggs with cheese. A keto recipe to serve with breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Low Carb Zucchini Cheese Bread Recipe
Learn how to make this yummy zucchini bread covered in cheese and we promise you will not miss the carbs at all. Loved by even non keto dieters, this quick recipe makes a super snack or low carbohydrate keto diet lunch idea.
5. Easy Jalapeño Shrimp Veggie Bake
Making meals for the keto diet can be pretty simple, not nearly as complicated as I thought. This one pot keto skillet meal is a perfect example. Veggies, shrimp, cheese and few carbs, all cooked in your cast iron skillet in minutes. I love this for a quick keto lunch idea or easy dinner for one.
6. Keto Pork Chops
When I went looking for easy keto dinner ideas, this pork chop looked simple enough to pull off when I did not have a ton of time to cook at night but really did not want to find myself eating a plain old slab of meat, yet again. This rich and creamy sauce certainly does the trick when it comes to dressing up and adding flavor to the excellent protein source pork chops provide. An inexpensive gourmet keto recipe that is good enough to serve to dinner guests without them ever even having to know it is a keto-friendly meal. Serve with cauliflower mashed potatoes which taste awesome with this low carb gravy recipe.
Keto Desserts
7. Keto Lemon Bars Recipe
Did you really think you had to go without your favorite desserts on the keto diet? Well, I did, but then I searched Pinterest for my favorites. Turns out you can not only make chocolate mug cakes and some keto basics, but you can also make lemon bars. Be careful with these, though. Apparently even non keto diet people like to eat them up. Mine disappeared. I highly recommend you keep these out of sight 🙂 Low cab and easy to make, this quick keto dessert is my favorite late night snack.
8. Avocado Keto Brownies
Keto brownies? You bet. When I first started the ketogenic diet, the one thing I knew I could not give up was chocolate. Super worried about where and how I would be getting my chocolate fix when I went keto, I researched all the best chocolate keto recipes before I even started. These brownies were already at the top of my list, but when I made several chocolate dessert options, these took the cake, literally. Chocolate avocado brownies, who knew this combo could be so good? Loaded with healthy fats and low in carbs, these brownies must be hidden from both the keto and even the non keto folks at all times or they will disappear!
Easy Keto Diet Recipes
Low Carb Chicken Zucchini Enchiladas
Low Carbohydrate Keto Reuben Wraps
Need some keto lunch ideas? Start with these awesome and easy reuben wraps. A perfect take along lunch for work, these pack well and taste amazing.
9. Chicken Bacon Caesar Casserole Recipe
When I first started keto cooking, I ended up spending hours in the kitchen, and even then, at times, I often found myself with few foods I could eat. Soon, I realized I needed to prep more foods ahead, ie think meal prep for the week, but the keto friendly version. I found this chicken bacon caesar and knew it would be perfect to try for making ahead. Before I even I tried it, I knew it was a keeper. The cheesy smells coming from the oven when it bakes? Oh my!
10. Low-Carb Cauliflower Creamed Spinach Recipe
Low carb creamed spinach is possible! This revised version of a traditional creamed spinach recipe will leave you feeling super satisfied, just without unnecessary carbohydrates. Get your keto veggies here!
Ketogenic Diet Friendly Foods
Quick Jalapeno Cheese Popper Crisps
You can’t go wrong with these baked cheese and jalapeno popper crisps, especially when you find out you can make them in minutes. For easy keto snacks and recipe ideas, this low carb baked cheese crisp definitely belongs on your short list of foods.
11. Keto Broccoli Casserole
Looking for an easy and quick keto recipe idea that will last you a few meals, namely those weeknight dinners where you really don’t have time to cook? This 4 ingredient quick keto casserole recipe requires little time to cook or even shop, leaving plenty of time for the gym or anything else you rather do than be in the kitchen. This is a good dinner idea for meal prepping, as it freezes nicely so you can reheat it later.
12. Low Carb and Keto Lasagna
When it comes to keto recipes, ground beef is one of my favorite things I get to eat a lot more of than usual. When I saw this keto casserole idea, I was hopeful, but after trying it, have to say I am in love with this meal so much I could eat it daily for a month and not tire of it. Even my kids will eat this keto dinner made with ground beef and Italian sausage plus cream cheese, mozzarella and another favorite low carb recipe of mine this year, fathead pizza dough instead of traditional high carb lasagna noodles. Making a ketogenic casserole is one of my top tips if you are looking for keto recipes for beginners, as there is much less thinking you have to do about dinner if you can just get the prep done all at once. I can’t say this dish is super fast to make, but it is totally worth it, especially since it is so good that non keto dieters will not even notice this guy is low in carbs. The only question, will you actually share?
13. 1 Minute Low Carb Cinnamon Roll Mug Cake
The hardest thing for me to live without on the keto diet was dessert, so I quickly found myself trying every recipe I could find only to learn that some just were really not even worth eating. Cookies, cake and smoothies were the things I wanted most, so this quick microwave keto mug cake recipe appealed to me. The fact that is it quick and only takes a minute to cook, amazing. Another recipe I recommend on the keto diet for beginners, this simple cake with cinnamon really hits the spot when it comes to satisfying your sweet cravings without breaking the diet. For quick keto desserts, this quick low carb mug cake recipe is the way to go.
14. Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad
15. Keto White Chicken Chili
Here is a one pot keto chicken recipe I just love eating after work or the gym. It fills me up but is not super heavy like some of the cheese heavy recipes around. I found this keto recipe on Pinterest and it is a favorite around the house right now. Even beginner keto diet people can make this, and it is super leftover and reheated for lunch the next day, too. You could even prep this for the week or freeze ahead. Soup reheats so nicely int the microwave.
