The Ultimate Keto Grocery List For Beginners + 3 Simple Recipes
Writer: Molly Becker, Director of KetoBars + Keto Enthusiast, January 18th 2021
It's easy to feel intimidated when you're starting a new diet, especially when you hit up the grocery store for the first time. The keto diet can seem complicated at first so, if you're new to keto, you may be wondering WHAT exactly you should be picking up at the store. All you really need is a shopping plan and a few staple ingredients to start out.
Creating and sticking to a shopping list before heading to the store is a great way to plan for your new diet and steer clear of those not-so-healthy options. In this article, we will discuss some of the essential foods to add to your shopping list and share some of our favorite low carb
beginner-friendly recipes. Let's get started! 👇
The Keto Essentials:
As you may already know, the keto diet is a high fat, moderate protein, and low carb diet. It typically contains 70-80% fat, 10-20% protein, and 5-10% carbs. For a 2,000 calorie diet, that gives you about 25 grams of net carbs per day. When shopping, you will want to search for foods that fit these macros.
If you're looking for a more accurate breakdown of macros based on your body, we recommend checking out this keto macro calculator.
Save the grocery list below for a quick reference when you're shopping for keto. 👇
1. Low Carb Cauliflower Mac & Cheese
By: Keto Connect
INGREDIENTS
Cauliflower Base
• 6-8 cups cauliflower
• 2 slices bacon thick cut
• 1/2 medium Onion diced
• 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
Cheese Sauce
• 2 tbsp Butter
• 1 cup Cheddar Cheese shredded
• 1/4 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
• salt/pepper To Taste
Baked Topping
• 1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese shredded
• 1/2 oz Pork Rinds crushed
DIRECTIONS
Cauliflower Base
1. Heat a skillet on medium heat and preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Dice the bacon and separate the cauliflower into “macaroni” sized pieces. We do this by hand, but you can also use a knife. Add bacon and cauliflower to the skillet and allow to cook for 5 minutes, or until the bacon is nearly fully cooked.
Dice the onion, finely chop the garlic and add items to the skillet. Cook for 10 more minutes or until the cauliflower is cooked and the onions are translucent. You’ll want to cauliflower to be slightly al dente so that it cooks the remainder of the way in the oven.
Cheese Sauce
1. Combine butter, cheddar cheese(1 cup), and heavy cream in a small saucepan. Cook on low heat until everything is melted and combined. Season with salt and pepper.
Bake
1. Place the cauliflower mixture into a baking dish. We use an 8×8.
2. Pour the cheese sauce over top and mix everything together with a spoon.
3. Top with crushed pork rinds and the remaining cheddar cheese.
4. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes and then broil for 3-5 minutes to crisp up the topping. Enjoy!
2. 5 Ingredient Keto Chicken Salad
By: Keto Diet App
INGREDIENTS
• 2 boneless chicken breasts, skin on (285 g/ 10 oz)
• 6 thin-cut slices bacon or 3 regular slices (90 g/ 3.2 oz)
• 1 large avocado, sliced (200 g/ 7.1 oz)
• 4 cups mixed leafy greens of choice (120 g/ 4.2 oz)
• 4 tbsp Keto Ranch Dressing (60 ml/ 2 fl oz) or use dairy-free Ranch Dressing
• ghee or duck fat for greasing
• salt and pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C/ 400 °F. Start by crisping up the chicken breasts. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper from all sides. Grease a small skillet with ghee or duck fat. Place the chicken breasts, skin side down, on the hot pan.
2. Without moving it, cook the chicken on high until golden brown and crispy, for 5-6 minutes. Then, flip the chicken on the other side, cook for 30 seconds. Transfer the skillet into the oven.
3. Cook the chicken for 10-15 minutes. It's done when an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 74 °C/ 165 °F
4. If you want to bake the bacon in the oven, spread the slices over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
5. Bake bake for 10 minutes until crispy and golden brown. Alternatively, you can crisp up the bacon separately on a frying pan.
6. Once the chicken is cooked, transfer to a cutting board and let it rest for 5 minutes.
7. Slice the avocado and the cooked chicken. Assemble the salad: start with the leafy greens, and then add avocado, crispy bacon and sliced chicken. Top with your Keto Ranch Dressing and enjoy!
3. Keto Chocolate Mug Cake
By: Low Carb Maven
INGREDIENTS
• 2 tbsp almond flour
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp low carb sugar (Swerve or Lakanto)
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise (use sour cream in a pinch)
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tsp water
DIRECTIONS
1. Fluff up the almond flour with a whisk before measuring and sift the cocoa powder before measuring. This breaks apart any lumps for more accurate measuring. Using compacted cocoa results in using more cocoa and a bitter cake.
2. Measure the dry ingredients into a mug or jelly jar and mix completely with a fork.
3. Add the mayonnaise, egg yolk, and water, stirring completely making sure to get it all from the bottom. Let batter sit 1-2 minutes.
4. Microwave for 50 seconds, depending on your microwave.
5. NOTE: Although the texture is a little different, 1 large egg white can be used instead of the large egg yolk, solving the problem of a leftover egg white.
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