Fact: Trying to wing it on the keto diet is…not a great idea.
Just to refresh your memory, the keto diet specifies that you should get 60 to 75 percent of your calories from fat, 15 to 30 percent of your calories from protein, and just 5 to 10 percent from carbs.
While, yes, the high-fat, low-carb diet seems totally doable at first (load up on avocados and cheese, skip the pasta), it’s not necessarily the easiest diet to stick to—thanks largely in part to how damn time-consuming it can be.
“Since many convenience foods do not meet the guidelines of a keto diet, [you’ll need to rely on] whole, unprocessed foods and homemade options,” says Erin Palinski-Wade, R.D., author of 2 Day Diabetes Diet.
Yep, she said homemade—that’s where meal-prepping (a.k.a., cooking once and eating the same meal two or three times) comes into play. It will almost certainly make the keto diet a hell of a lot easier.
“When you meal prep, [you can see] what keto meals and snacks you can create without having to eat impulsively and make choices that could be off-plan,” says Palinski-Wade. “Planning in advance helps you keep the right keto foods on hand, so you can have satisfying options no matter where you go.”
Still, finding all the good meal-prep worthy recipes on your own could be daunting (especially if you’re a keto beginner). So start with these recipes for keto breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks to get you going. (Transforming your fridge? That’s another thing entirely…use this grocery list to pull off a fridge makeover like the one below.)
Low Carb Maven
Like a chocolate-covered strawberry in muffin form, this tasty recipe uses coconut flour to cut back on carbs.
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Per serving: 270 calories, 24 g fat, 11 g carbohydrates, 7 g protein.
Savory Tooth
Whip up a batch or two of these petite pancakes over the weekend and have them for breakfast every day of the week (topped with butter and sugar-free syrup, of course). Meal prep tip: Pancakes taste just as good reheated.
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Per serving: 280 calories, 26 g fat, 6 g carbohydrates, 10 g protein.
Savory Tooth
A quiche is an easy solution to meal-prepping breakfast, and this crustless version combines veggies with cheese and bacon for a winning morning combo.
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Per serving: 350 calories, 25 g fat, 7 g carbohydrates, 24 g protein.
Wholesome Yum
Oatmeal isn’t keto-friendly, but this recipe for “noatmeal” combines seeds and collagen peptides with coconut milk for the same effect—plus you can switch up your add-ins for different flavors each morning.
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Per serving: 592 calories, 47 g fat, 9 g carbohydrates, 31 g protein.
All Day I Dream About Food
Um, who doesn’t want to start their day with a bagel that’s been toasted and smeared with cream cheese? This recipe uses coconut flour, so you can enjoy all the chewy, savory goodness of a morning bagel without all the carbs.
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Per serving: 190 calories, 12.3 g fat, 5.5 g carbohydrates, 12.1 g protein.
Low Carb Maven
Creamy avocado makes mayo totally unnecessary in this chicken salad recipe; squeeze lemon juice into the mashed avocado to preserve that ripe green color for longer. You can eat this all week in lettuce wraps or on top of a salad, too.
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Per serving: 267 calories, 20 g fat, 4 g carbohydrates, 19 g protein.
Wholesome Yum
Chinese takeout may not be on plan for the keto diet, but this low-carb, deconstructed egg roll in a bowl definitely is (who needs a wrapper, anyway?). This recipe serves six so you can def chow down on it all week.
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Per serving: 231 calories, 15 g fat, 8 g carbohydrates, 15 g protein.
Wholesome Yum
A creamy, cheesy soup that uses just five ingredients. Done, done, and done. (Also: Soup leftovers are the best.)
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Per serving: 291 calories, 25 g fat, 5 g carbs, 1 g sugar, 1 g fiber, 13 g protein.
Savory Tooth
If you have an Instant Pot, you should definitely be making soup in it—and this salsa chicken soup is a great way to get started. With just a few basic ingredients, it makes meal prep a breeze.
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Per serving: 310 calories, 20 g fat, 8.5 g carbohydrates, 23 g protein.
Wholesome Yum
Mason jars make this lunch super-portable and easy to prep in advance, and the homemade Greek dressing is flexible enough that you can swap in your favorite veggies, proteins, seeds, and salad greens. Pour the dressing in first so it keeps in the fridge ’til you’re ready to eat.
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Per serving: 627 calories, 52 g fat, 13 g carbohydrates, 25 g protein.
Low Carb Maven
The avocado boats for this yummy BBQ pulled pork can be served warm or cold, so slice and fill one up or pop it in the microwave for a few seconds—whatever floats your (avocado) boat.
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Per serving: 423 calories, 34 g fat, 9 g carbohydrates, 23.5 g protein.
Low Carb Maven
By the time you get done mixing cauliflower with three different kinds of cheese and topping it with bacon and ham, you won’t even miss the pasta in this faux mac-and-cheese dish, I promise. Not to mention that you’ll be SUPER psyched to dig into it for lunch the next day.
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Per serving: 404 calories, 28 g fat, 8.7 g carbohydrates, 27 g protein.
Wholesome Yum
For a twist on traditional lasagna, skip the marinara sauce and try this zucchini lasagna dish, which uses basil pesto for a bold flavor.
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Per serving: 650 calories, 53 g fat, 6 g carbohydrates, 39 g protein.
Beauty And The Foodie
The perfect dinner for busy nights, this zesty shrimp salad fits snugly into romaine leaves or butter lettuce cups before being topped with chopped avocado and cilantro. Use leftovers on top of salad or cauilflower rice later in the week.
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Per serving: 197 calories, 10 g fat, 4 g carbohydrates, 22 g protein.
All Day I Dream About Food
Many keto pizza recipes have crusts made from alternative ingredients (like cauliflower or chicken), but this recipe tops a low-carb, gluten-free crust with cheese, sausage, and pepperoni for a flavor pretty close to the real deal.
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Per serving: 455 calories, 35.2 g fat, 10.2 g carbohydrates, 22.8 g protein.
Low Carb Maven
Meal prep a whole pan of these and you can snack happy all week. You won’t find any oats in these granola bars, just a heaping pile of nuts, seeds, and flax meal that makes this a super-satisfying morning or afternoon snack.
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Per serving: 205 calories, 17 g fat, 13 g carbohydrates, 6 g protein.
Savory Tooth
Attention peanut butter lovers: these cookies pack a double keto punch of being high in protein and fat, so they’ll fill you up whatever time of day you grab ‘em.
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Per serving: 100 calories, 8 g fat, 3.5 g carbohydrates, 4 g protein.
Beauty And The Foodie
If you prefer a savory mid-afternoon snack over a sweet one, you’re in luck: these cocktail tomatoes stuffed with keto-friendly protein will easily hold you over until dinner. Just prep a batch and keep it in the fridge in case you get hangry.
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Per serving: 157 calories, 11 g fat, 4 g carbohydrates, 11 g protein.
Beauty And The Foodie
Almonds are a great snack on their own, but roasted with cinnamon, coconut oil, and cocoa powder? You’ll be making these every week.
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Per serving: 252 calories, 22 g fat, 8 g carbohydrates, 8 g protein.
Beauty And The Foodie
Sign me up for this grain-free cracker. Almond flour makes these low-carb, while sesame seeds and cheese give them a delish flavor.
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Per serving: 246 calories, 10 g fat, 5 g carbohydrates, 10 g protein.
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