40 Vegetarian Keto Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Can you do keto if you are vegetarian? ›

Still, if you are vegetarian and interested in trying keto — or already following keto and curious about going meat-free — it's definitely possible to combine both.

Peanut butter can definitely be part of a keto diet, but it's best to stick to plain options that are free of extra flavors and sweeteners. Almond butter is a good choice, too, and it's slightly lower in carbs. Additionally, you should be mindful of your portion size if you're trying to lose weight.

A lazy keto diet consists of low-carb foods like meat, fish, full-fat dairy and non-starchy vegetables, but limits high-carb foods such as bread, potatoes, sugary snacks and some fruits. If you've tried the keto before and found it too tedious, lazy keto could be a good compromise.

"Lazy [keto] means you're taking the easy approach to the counting of macros," said Blatner. "Dirty [keto] is when people are eating [high-fat foods] like fast food and bacon and not caring so much about the quality of food."

Bananas. Bananas may be great for muscle recovery, reducing bloat, and calming an upset stomach, but they're on the list of foods you can't eat on the keto diet. With 25g of carbs per 100g serving, bananas are too high in carbs.

Cucumber is another popular salad vegetable. It contains many essential nutrients, including vitamin K. Cucumber is also suitable for the keto diet, as its carb content is just 3.63 g per 100 g. To make the carb content lower, a person can peel the cucumber before eating it.

Net carbs are calculated by taking the total grams of carbohydrate in a food and subtracting the amount of fiber. In this case, popcorn contains 6 grams of carbs per 1 cup serving and 1.2 grams of fiber, bringing the net carbs per serving to 4.8 grams. Yes friends, popcorn is indeed a keto food.

Avocados, raspberries, and lemons are keto-friendly fruits when eaten in moderation. Fruit is known to be high in carbs, so you might think nature's candy is off-limits on the trendy, high-fat, low-carb ketogenic diet.

Plain Greek yogurt and cottage cheese are nutritious, high protein foods. While they contain some carbs, you can eat them in moderation on keto. Both yogurt and cottage cheese have been shown to help decrease appetite and promote feelings of fullness (33, 34 ).

Though both the keto diet and Mediterranean diet can both promote weight loss, evidence suggests that the Mediterranean diet is safer, more sustainable, and more effective long-term.

How can I eat less than 20 carbs a day? ›

To stay under 20 grams of carbs a day, fill yourself up with lots of vegetables, proteins, and healthy fats.

The ketogenic diet typically reduces total carbohydrate intake to less than 50 grams a day—less than the amount found in a medium plain bagel—and can be as low as 20 grams a day. Generally, popular ketogenic resources suggest an average of 70-80% fat from total daily calories, 5-10% carbohydrate, and 10-20% protein.

While cottage cheese is known for its high protein content, it also contains a relatively high amount of carbs and not that much fat, making it a less-than-ideal choice for keto. A ½-cup serving of cottage cheese contains 88 calories, 2.4 g of fat, 4.5 g of carbs, and 11.6 g of protein, per the USDA.

Can You Eat Bacon On a Keto Diet? While you may not think of bacon as diet food, most types of bacon fit perfectly into a keto diet plan since they're low in carbs yet high in protein and fat. That means bacon is perfect for snacking on in the afternoon or mixing into your chicken dinner dish for some extra flavoring.

Nutritionists often consider ribeye steak as the best to consume on the keto diet. This is because of its abundance of healthy fats and protein. 100 grams of ribeye steak, for example, contains 21.8 grams of fat and 23.7 grams of protein.

Vegetarians tend to eat other animal-derived products, including dairy, eggs, and honey, while vegans do not. Vegetarian and vegan diets can be heavy in carbs, from grains, bread, starchy vegetables, and fruits. However, following a low-carb vegetarian or vegan diet is entirely possible.

Keto is good for controlling blood sugar, but a low-fat vegan diet is better for weight loss, study finds. A new study found a low-fat, plant-based diet could help people lose weight and burn body fat. But an animal-meat-based, high-fat ketogenic diet was found to be better for managing insulin and blood sugar.

As vegans do not consume animal products — including meat, fish, eggs, and dairy — they must eat plenty of high fat, plant based foods to enter ketosis.

Dairy Products and Eggs Are Low in Carbs

For vegetarians (not vegans), they are perfect for a low-carb diet. Eggs: Contain only trace amounts of carbs. Choose pastured, omega-3-enriched or free-range eggs if you can. Yogurt, Greek yogurt and kefir: Choose unsweetened, full-fat versions.