Because they need to be very low in carbohydrates—most keto-friendly recipe plans suggest sticking to below 50 grams of carbs or less per day—the best keto recipes can be challenging to find. So we've done the math for you. Below you'll find keto-friendly ideas for breakfast, low-fuss and low-carb lunches, dinners, simple side dishes, as well as satisfying snacks, to help you fuel up from morning to night. With this delicious lineup, it will feel like a breeze to follow a high-fat, low-carb plan every day.
Breakfast: Crab and Asparagus Frittata
You can—and should—still eat seafood in your keto diet recipes. Start your day with a real "catch" of this keto breakfast, which features low-carb asparagus for fiber and freshness. Use whole milk or cream instead of low-fat or fat-free milk to round out the macronutrient ratios to more keto-appropriate levels.
Lunch: Salmon with Tomato Pesto
For an excellent keto diet recipe come noon, pan-sear your salmon for a quickly prepared meal. It takes just 5 minutes or so to score a perfect flaky doneness. Top with a simple homemade tomato pesto and pepperoncini peppers, if you please.
Lunch: Chicken, Tomato, and Cucumber Salad
Yes, chicken breast is on the leaner side, but with a healthy dose of olive oil and olives, this is a keto recipe you'll make on repeat. (You could also swap in chicken thighs for the breast for a bit more fat.) Add a sprinkle of feta cheese for some extra tang and fat while keeping the carb count to a minimum in this delicious keto salad.
Lunch: Gazpacho Verde
No need to wait in line for the microwave at work during the lunchtime rush. This vegetarian keto recipe is at its best chilled. We crown this chilled soup (aka gazpacho) with a healthy drizzle of chili oil for a warm flavor on a cold dish.
Top your serving with some shrimp or shredded chicken to make this a full meal.
Snack: Air-Fried Buffalo Cauliflower
Yes, we know... keto air-fryer recipes sound silly since the goal is to opt for a high ratio of fat to carbs. But this dish delivers on the flavor and keto-friendly fat front thanks to melted butter that's mixed with the cayenne pepper sauce in the cauliflower coating. Dunk in blue cheese dressing for a game-day-inspired snack any day of the year.
Side Dish: Mushroom Fricassee with Fresh Herbs
Traditional fricassee involves simmering a protein—typically some cut of meat—in a cream sauce. For this keto dinner recipe side, we follow a similar foundation and trade in umami-rich mushrooms and fresh herbs in place of protein. The result is a high-fat and high-flavor side dish that pairs beautifully with roast chicken, turkey, beef, seafood... or, you know, a fork.
Dinner: Spicy Skirt Steak with Avocado Dipping Sauce
Avocado. Butter. How can anything that combines those two ingredients in one package be bad? Taste the delicious, fat-forward duo atop this grilled steak recipe. Not all steakhouse entrées fit keto dinner recipe guidelines, but this DIY dish sure does.
Dinner: Pan-Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Mushrooms
With just 9 grams of carbs, this entire keto dinner recipe is like a main and a side dish all in one. Beef tenderloin shines in all its succulent glory as the entrée, while buttery, garlic-scented cremini mushrooms act as both the side and the sauce. The key to the meat's terrifically tender, restaurant-quality results is searing in a skillet before roasting in the oven to a perfect medium-rare (or your desired doneness).
Dinner: Sheet-Pan Chicken with Lemon and Green Olives
Had your fill of steak and salmon? Turn to keto chicken dishes like this easy sheet-pan supper. A mix of oil and butter delivers loads of flavor (and plenty of fat for your quota) in this Mediterranean-inspired meal. In place of mashed potatoes or couscous, pair this keto dinner recipe with cauliflower rice mashed with some cream cheese or sour cream
Dinner: Poblanos with Late-Summer Vegetables and Shrimp
Craving tacos, enchiladas, or burritos, but not all the carbs that come with them? Whip up stuffed peppers instead. Roasted low-carb poblanos act as the shell to hold warmly-spiced shrimp, a speedy skillet succotash, and zippy cilantro-lime vinaigrette. "The dressing made it really sing," says one BH&G home cook who rated this keto-friendly recipe worthy of five stars.
Skip the corn and add diced avocado to the top of each pepper just before serving to move this entrée even more into keto diet recipe territory.
What’s The Rule for the Keto Diet
Similar to other scientific-based diets, such as the Mediterranean diet, Atkins method, and even plant-based or anti-inflammatory diets, keto follows ratio rules for carb, protein, and fat intake so your own body can enter into a ketogenic mode (a state when the body burns fat for energy instead of glucose, aiming for a more effective weight loss as well as lowering sugar and insulin levels and increasing body and brain energy). Generally speaking, keto should follow a high-fat, low-carb diet—on average, 70-80% fat, 5-10% carbohydrate, and 10-20% protein from your total daily calories. This varies from person to person according to their goals and needs, and it’s best to discuss it with a medical professional or nutritionist beforehand.