12 Easy Keto Recipes For Beginners

Just starting a ketogenic diet? Here are 12 easy keto recipes for beginners. These simple recipes are familiar favorites you probably already know how to make!

Keto chicken, deviled eggs, guacamole, pulled pork

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When you first start keto, it's easy to get confused by all the information on the internet. You may end up thinking you need to buy all kinds of different foods, or that you have to get rid of everything in your kitchen. The truth is lots of everyday foods are keto friendly (see the full list of keto diet foods here).

Many of your favorite foods are keto friendly the way you've always eaten them (hello guacamole!), or with just a few simple tweaks. And it's much easier to get started with keto when you stick to the basics.

These classic recipes are all keto-friendly the way they are traditionally made - no need for fancy ingredients. You can probably make them with pantry staples you have in your kitchen today. Just make sure all of your ingredients are low carb real food (not full of processed food chemicals or sugars) and you're ready to make some of the easiest keto meals ever.

Easy and familiar keto recipes for beginners

These super easy keto recipes are perfect for quick and easy keto meals. Best of all, they are familiar favorites your family will love - as well as easy keto diet recipes for beginners. They are perfect options for anyone new to keto who needs help coming up with easy and healthy keto meal options.

Guacamole

I think this is everyone's favorite snack. It's also great on burgers or grilled chicken or in lettuce wraps or tacos - the topping options are endless.

All you need for the best keto-friendly guacamole are ripe avocados, onion, lime juice, salt, and diced jalapeno. You can tweak the ingredients however you want to suit your own tastes by adding more or less of each.

Once avocados hit the air, they begin to oxidize. So, to keep your guacamole from browning, smooth out the top layer, brush on some lime juice, and put plastic wrap over the top. This will allow your fresh guac to stay for a day in the refrigerator before turning brown.

Antipasto salad

This salad is so simple and full of flavor. All the toppings make it a filling lunch recipe or weeknight dinner anyone can make. You probably already have a lot of the ingredients in your pantry or fridge.

Gather some black olives, green olives, marinated artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, cherry tomatoes, red onion, marinated mushrooms, and pepperoncini or banana peppers. You can sever this antipasto salad on its own or as a delicious side to your keto-friendly meal. It's a great dish for potlucks.

Roast chicken in the oven or whole chicken in the slow cooker

Cook up a whole chicken on the weekend and use it for meals during the week. There's no better dish to meal prep. And this simple recipe is perfect for beginners! Use the leftovers to make chicken salad or a low carb casserole.

Italian dressing

This classic dressing is super simple - just throw all the ingredients in a jar and shake it up. It's the perfect dressing to add over top of your antipasto salad.

Deviled eggs

Deviled eggs may be old school, but their full of protein and naturally low carb. These are actually considered a staple food for anyone starting their keto journey. They are quick and easy to make, require few ingredients, and are also paleo-friendly. The olive oil in this recipe is also a great way to add more fat to your diet.

Frittata

Frittatas are a great quick meal that you can make with whatever leftovers you have in the fridge! This one is a good low carb option because it eliminates potatoes and cheese.

Some keto-friendly vegetable options you may want to consider adding to your frittata are pumpkin, green cabbage, kale, spinach, broccoli, or cauliflower. Pumpkin is a great substitute if you don't care for butternut squash.

Pulled pork

This is the easiest pulled pork ever, and this keto dinner recipe is sure to satisfy everyone. It's so simple with just three ingredients!

Pulled pork is a great source of protein and can be served alongside some of your other favorite keto dishes like chipotle lime mayo coleslaw, a slow cooked or Instant Pot sweet potato, or zucchini noodles.

Chicken soup

Why cook when you can let your slow cooker do all the hard work for you? There's nothing like a comforting bowl of chicken soup. This one cooks in the crockpot so you can come home to an easy hot soup for dinner.

Better yet? It only requires a few ingredients and is also a gluten-free and dairy-free lunch or dinner option when you don't have a lot of time on your hands.

Oven baked salmon

This sheet pan salmon and asparagus dinner is super easy to bake in the oven. Start to finish, this keto meal is faster than ordering take-out. When making this low carb recipe, make sure you work with fresh salmon (or thawed if frozen) and high-quality mustard made with no added sugar.

While it makes a great dinner recipe, it is also something you can meal prep for an easy take and go lunch during the week.

Roasted Brussels sprouts

Roasting the Brussels sprouts with bacon takes them over the top. It's an easy way to dress up this classic vegetable and is a great way to get even a picky eater to try them out. All you need for this easy recipe are clean and trimmed Brussels sprouts, bacon, and a delicious garlic-infused olive oil. Don't have garlic-infused olive oil?

Don't be afraid to make it yourself. Simply place the olive oil in a pan with four garlic cloves and slowly heat everything, making sure to keep an eye on it. Simmer the olive oil and garlic cloves gently until golden brown. Remove the pan from the heat, smash the cloves, and let cool. Strain the olive oil, and you have homemade garlic-infused oil to use in the best recipes.

Cauliflower rice

Cauliflower rice is another easy keto-friendly dinner side option you may want to try out. The best part is you can make it in big batches and stock it in your fridge or freezer. Pull it out, and you will have a five-minute dinner side dish with minimal effort.

Cauliflower soup

This cauliflower and celery root soup recipe topped with bacon is a low-carb, delicious lunch or dinner option that is keto-friendly and easy to make, even for a beginner. You can toss all your ingredients into one pot, let it cook, blend, and you will have a hot meal ready in no time.

Easy keto recipes to try

So if you're wondering what's for dinner, try these easy and classic keto-friendly recipes for beginners. They're all easy to make keto diet recipes that require only basic ingredients - nothing complicated or difficult.

Bonus: These best keto recipes are all gluten-free and paleo-friendly as well. And they're all familiar dishes your family will love.