If you have ever tried a new diet, you know very well that it can be a tough job. After all, you have to change everything – from avoiding many of the things you are used to and taking more of new things (you were perhaps previously not aware of), to buying new ingredients, and much, much more. Needless to say, it is surely enough to drive anybody totally bonkers.
But not anymore!
These days, a new kind of diet “to ketogenic,” or simply “keto,” has been gaining popularity.
Hands down the most straightforward (not easy, mind you!) yet most effective of diets, the ketogenic includes foods which are high in fat content and low on carbohydrates. Which pretty much means that you will have to bid goodbye to bread and pasta, and hello to oils and cheese. While it is quite the opposite of practically everything that we have been taught for the entirety of our lives, it does work.
The main logic behind the keto is – when the body has minimal amount of glucose (which comes from carbohydrates), it will have to burn other things – in this case, fat – to make energy. Therefore, the keto diet makes the body burn fat quicker than ever before.
But the main appeal of the keto is that it is beneficial for even those people who are not interested in losing weight. Believe it or not, the keto has a variety of benefits other than weight-loss.
For instance, it lowers the risk of contracting Type-2 diabetes (due to limited consumption of processed grains and sugars) and decreases the likelihood of the occurrence of a heart disease (thanks to the liberal consumption of heart-friendly fats, such as olive oil, fish and nuts.
And though many people follow a strict keto diet (75% fat, 20% protein and only 5% carbohydrates), even a smaller, modified version that is less intense can go a long way in helping you gain some great benefits.
Make no mistake though – keto does not imply that you can eat any sort of fat or have all the ice cream you can eat – it means that your diet consists of only those foods that are low in carbohydrates and high in fats that are healthy.
Interested and want to start on keto right away but have no idea where to start? Not to worry, because we have 25 Fantastic Keto Food Recipes that tick both the boxes – healthy and tasty – that you can get started on today:
1. Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Cauliflower Crust
Filled with cheese and vegetables, this fabulous keto recipe requires you to dry the cauliflower out, by baking it into “slices of bread” and then stacking it up with good-quality, organic cheddar cheese. Now that is something you are bound to love!
2. Chicken Pad Thai
A great replacement for that tasty Asian takeout you really love, this keto recipe has every flavor that comes with the general pad Thai, such as crushed peanuts, ginger, chicken, and tamari.
The difference here is that all of this is served to you on a spiraled zucchini, rather than those carb-heavy noodles. The best part? It takes all of 30 minutes to make!
3. Chocolate Fat Bombs
The best thing about keto diet is the fact that in case you haven't gotten your dose of fat throughout the day, you can always go back home and chow down on “fat bombs” to recover the deficit. And what better way to do that than to eat these yummy chocolate bombs!
It's easy to make too – all you need to do is mix cream cheese, butter, cacao powder, and some sweetener to add that chocolatey flavor and you'll be ready to eat!
4. Eggs and Avocado Fat Bombs
If you're looking for a method to add that extra amount of proteins and fats into your diet, this keto dish is just the right thing for you. Made from protein-rich eggs and vitamin-and-monounsaturated-fat-rich-avocados, these fat bombs are just the right combination of healthy and tasty!
Insider's tip: To make this already healthy dish even more healthier, try using homemade mayonnaise.
5. Best Keto Bread
Believe it or not, you can also include bread in your keto diet! Made from flour that is gluten-free and low in carbohydrates, this bread is extremely fluffy and light due to separating the eggs!
6. Cinnamon Butter Bombs
Yet another great way to add some quality fat to your diet is grass-fed butter. Not only is grass-fed butter full of immune system-boosting MCTs, it also has anti-inflammatory properties, which makes it much more beneficial for your heart as compared to standard butter.
In case you don't want to try eating an entire stick of butter, you can try making cinnamon bombs – all you need to do is add cinnamon, sweetener, and vanilla extract to the butter and let it cool, and you shall have on your hands a nice, tasty treat that tastes like frosting and yet contains a chock full of beneficial fats!
7. Crustless Spinach Quiche
Yes, you heard that right – you can include quiche in your keto recipes as well! While the Crustless Spinach Quiche may look a bit fancy, it is actually pretty easy to make. All you need is some high-protein eggs, a good amount of cheese, and NO grains; you will be able to make yourself an awesome brunch!
8. Coconut Oil Mayonnaise
In your search for great keto recipes, you must have noticed that many of them require mayonnaise. Why should you waste your hard-earned money on mayonnaise that is available in stores (which contain ingredients like canola oil), when you can easily make mayonnaise for yourself at home? Believe it or not, it is actually very easy, and will last a long time!
9. Keto Gravy and Creamy Cauliflower Mash
Yes, there is now a keto version of your favorite potatoes-and-gravy! Made with low-carb cauliflower instead of potatoes, with butter, cream, Parmesan, and rosemary added to it, this mash is flavorful, creamy, and very, very smooth. You can use stock-based gravy to top it off, which can be suitable for a roast as well.
10. Cheese-flavored Zucchini Gratin
Does it need to be said anything tastes better when it is paired with cheese? And zucchini is no exception to the rule. This high-cheese, low-carb gratin uses zucchini instead of potatoes, and makes for a fantastic side dish, or even a light main dish.
11. Easy Crockpot-Chicken-Stew
Now this keto dish is truly a win-win. Not only is this chicken stew creamy and low on carbohydrates, it is extremely easy-to-make, given the fact that it is essentially a one-pot recipe where you just have to throw all of the items inside the crockpot, then let everything cook on its own!
Containing a fantastic concoction of herbs such as thyme, rosemary, and oregano, as well as protein-rich juiced chicken thighs, this is a stew that you would love to make time and again.
12. Fathead Nachos
Yes, you read that correctly. Keto dishes include all (or at least most) of your guilty pleasures, and nachos are no exception! Not only do you get to make fat head tortilla chips, you also get to use two different types of cheese.
All you have to do is make the tortilla chips, add some meaty sauce, and top it all with sour cream, salsa or guac. Although fathead nachos can act as a fantastic snack, they are heavy enough to be taken as a meal.
13. Jalapeno Cheddar Burgers
Why would you put cheese on your burger, when you can actually stuff your burger with cheese? All you need to do is envelop every patty (you can use beef or turkey – the choice is yours) with a mix of garlic, jalapeno, and some cheeses, and thereafter broil or grill the burger. What results from all this is pure paradise.
14. Artichoke Chicken and Keto Spinach
This sumptuous chicken is a great concoction of several different flavors, which are bound to get your taste buds working. You will have to mix artichokes, spinach, cream cheese, garlic, and mayo with two kinds of cheese in a creamy paste, put it all over the chicken, and then bake it to perfection. After 40 minutes, you will have a great cheesy, bubbly, dish on your hands!
15. Keto Bread Zucchini with Walnuts
Without having to add any new, crazy ingredients, this keto dish is as simple, yet as tasty as a general zucchini bread loaf. As if being filled with great flavors (such as cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger) wasn't enough, it also freezes extremely well. Needless to say, the dish makes for a fantastic item for breakfast or even as a snack.
16. Taco Shells with Low-Carb Cheese
Well, it shouldn't come as a surprise that virtually anything tastes wonderful once it is stuffed between these tasty cheesy shells! And, they are extremely easy to make! All you need to do is stuff the taco shells with your favorite vegetables (like onions and bell peppers),meats, taco fixings, and (more of) cheese, and you are ready to eat!
17. Keto Oatmeal
Hemp hearts contain an abundant amount of fat, and using oatmeal makes for a fantastic way make use of this healthy ingredient. The following collection of hemp-based-oatmeal recipes has 7 different variations, which will make for a very tasty and healthy breakfast. My personal favorite here are the maple walnut and pumpkin pie keto oatmeal.
18. Low-Carb Portabella Sliders
This low-carb version of traditional burgers, consisting of smaller patties, are kept between portabella mushroom-buns. Not only are they extremely easy-to-make, they can be made by using a grill-pan on the stove, which makes it possible for you to enjoy the tasty dish all around the year.
19. Keto Buns
If you miss having those sandwich buns and tasty burgers, you can definitely try having these keto-friendly buns. Not only can you make the dough in seconds using the stick blender and bake it in the oven in minutes, you will find the fluffy buns it makes absolutely irresistible to top with your favorite cheeses and meats.
20. Vegan Alfredo
Not only is this rich, cheesy Alfredo a great low-carb keto dish, it is also vegan! Made with cauliflower, nutritional yeast and almond milk, this creamy, smooth sauce is served over low-carb zucchini noodles, and makes for a truly great dish that anybody would love to eat – vegan or not.
21. Easy Chocolate Mousse with Secret Ingredients
Now this is a keto recipe with a super-secret ingredient you're better-off reading about yourself, the one thing that I will say about this chocolate mousse is that it is delicious and unbelievably creamy! What's more, it takes minutes to make, which makes it just the thing to eat as a late-night snack or a dessert.
22. Keto Blueberry Muffins
While these keto muffins do require a bit of work, they will be worth it once you get to have them. Made from butter, coconut flour, fresh blueberries, and cream cheese, these light, fluffy gluten-free blueberries make for a wonderfully delicious way to start your day.
23. Gluten-Free Mac-and-Cheese with Cauliflower
Surprisingly, it is possible to make a mac-and-cheese that is also low-carb and gluten-free! While cauliflower, which substitutes for macaroni, makes for a great ingredient, it is the cheese and the Kefir that actually do the trick.
For those who do not know, Kefir is a milk-like fermented which is high on probiotics and very good for your gut. You can also use goat and sheep milk-cheese, which is useful for those people who are intolerant to lactose or simply those who wish to change their cheese. Now that is something both you and your friends will love eating.
24. Thai Beef Satay
This unique recipe, which requires marination of beef, infuses in it a great degree of flavor in a mere fifteen minutes. Furthermore, you can use that time to make the salad and peanut sauce and you will have a splendid Asian-style weeknight meal on your hands!
25. Spinach Pizza with Keto Grilled-Chicken
Any list of healthy-yet-tasty list of keto recipes is incomplete without pizza — which in the keto-universe is this ketogenic white pizza. With juicy chicken, white sauce, and fresh spinach on a crisp crust, this pizza is just the thing you need to have on those weekend nights.
Keto Diet Food Recipes Conclusion
Believe it or not, healthy foods that boost your fitness levels are now actually tasty. By trying the above-mentioned recipes and including them in your diet, you can have a great diet that is both healthy and tasty.
Happy munching!
