Disclaimer: When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Also, we do not provide legal or medical advice. For more information, see our Affiliate disclosure and Disclaimer.
Hinweis: Wenn Sie über Links auf unserer Website einkaufen, erhalten wir möglicherweise eine Partnerprovision. Wir keine rechtliche oder medizinische Beratung an. Weitere Informationen, siehe Affiliate-Informationen und im Haftungsausschluss.
Ketogenic diets have been gaining popularity recently and for the right reasons. Studies show that they help with weight loss and obesity-related health complications like high blood pressure, increased cholesterol, insulin resistance, and triglycerides. If you’re looking to shed some extra pounds, a keto diet plan is a great way to start. But if you’re holding back because you assume it’s restricted to those boring spinach salads, then you’re mistaken! We’ve boiled down a list of super-flavorful keto lunch ideas to break the monotony of bland diet plans.
That’s right! Just like some extra sauce complements the taste of buffalo wings, a few additional yet simple ingredients can add a twist to your ketogenic diet.
The Best 9 Keto Lunch Ideas
Table of Contents
A delicious keto-friendly lunch doesn’t have to be some fancy meal, discarding the true spirit of the keto diet. Instead, it’s a mixture of healthy, low-carb recipes that taste palatable.
So, if you’ve been hanging back to start a ketogenic diet because you visualized munching on salads, we’ve got you covered!
Below, we’ve shared some appetizing keto lunch ideas that’ll make you crave your meal each day!
1. Tuna Salad Lettuce Wraps
The tuna salad lettuce recipe is packed with healthy fats and protein to keep you energized and alert throughout the day. The crisp and mild taste of lettuce is enhanced with the tender and delicate flavor of tuna salad.
Before you sigh in disappointment thinking it’ll consume a lot of time, know that this recipe is quick and easy to follow.
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you need to prepare your lettuce wraps.
- Tuna
- Butter lettuce
- Lemon juice
- Black pepper
- Salt
- Red onion
- Avocado
- Celery
- Fresh dill
Preparation
To prepare the salad, you’d need to chop red onions, celery, and fresh dill. Once done, follow the steps below.
- Scoop avocado into a mixing bowl and add lemon juice to it.
- Mash both ingredients until creamy
- Add red onions, celery, and fresh dill into the mixture and stir.
- To enhance the taste, sprinkle some black pepper, sea salt and squeeze a generous amount of mustard.
- Scoop the salad into the lettuce leaf and enjoy!
2. Chicken Meatballs and Cauliflower Fried Rice
Few things are as satisfying as salty, savory, and juicy chicken meatballs. Nevertheless, our unique keto lunch recipes aren’t flavorless one-ingredient dishes.
Meatballs make one of the popular keto lunch ideas as almost all age groups like them.
So, to please your taste buds, we’ve added a blend of creamy coconut-herb sauce to the recipe. On top of that, it includes cauliflower rice to satisfy your hunger. Sounds delish? Well, that’s because it is.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make those perfectly tender meatballs paired with cauliflower rice.
- Red onion
- 1 pound ground chicken
- Olive oil
- ½ red onion
- Nonstick spray
- Fresh parsley
- Salt
- Mustard sauce
- Black pepper
- 2 finely chopped garlic cloves
- Coconut milk
- Lemon zest
- Lemon juice
- 2 chopped scallions
- Red pepper flakes
- 1 head cauliflower
Preparation
Here’s a recipe for preparing individual recipe mixes.
Meatballs
To prepare the meatballs, you’ll need to preheat the oven to 375°F, place an aluminium foil in a dish, and spray it with nonstick spray. Once done, follow the instructions below.
- Heat the olive oil in a pan, add onion and saute until tender.
- Add garlic and saute for a minute.
- Transfer garlic and onion into a bowl and let it cool.
- Now mix the ground chicken, mustard sauce, parsley, salt, and black pepper into the garlic and onion mix.
- Shape your meatballs (as desired) and place them on the baking sheet.
- Bake them until fully cooked (20-25 minutes)
Sauce
Add coconut milk, scallions, garlic, lemon zest, parsley, and lemon juice into a blender to make the sauce. Once smooth, scoop it out and season with salt and pepper.
Cauliflower Rice
- Cut the cauliflower florets and chop them.
- Throw away the leafy parts
- Transfer cauliflower to a food processor and mix.
- Now add boiled rice, cauliflower blend, and olive oil in a pan and stir fry.
Top the cauliflower rice with meatballs, pour the creamy sauce and toss red pepper flakes. Lastly, add parsley to give a fresh look to your appetizing keto lunch, and enjoy!
3. Creamy Mushroom Soup
When it comes to Keto lunch ideas, we can’t ignore soups, can we?
If you’re looking for a starter to compliment your keto lunch recipes, mushroom soup is a must-try! It’s thick, creamy, smooth, and tastes equally good.
What makes it fit for your keto lunch is that its cream is gluten-free and low on carbs. So it’s better to ditch buying a store cream loaded with carbs and isn’t gluten-free. Also, the homemade cream is prepared using only seven ingredients.
Ingredients
- 8-9 thinly sliced mushrooms
- ½ onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- Coconut cream
- ½ cup of flour
- Oregano
- Olive oil
Preparation
- Saute chopped onions in 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- Add sliced garlic cloves and saute till fragrant
- Add flour and stir for a minute
- Pour coconut cream and mix
- Now top thinly sliced mushrooms and sprinkle oregano
There you have it, a bowl of healthy and gluten-free creamy mushroom soup. To add to the flavor, you can add sea salt and black pepper or complementary herbs like thyme or parsley.
4. Chicken Salad
On hearing chicken salad, the first recipe that springs to our mind is perhaps a mix of boiled or shredded chicken with lettuce. But, fortunately, our keto recipes are not that boring.
While chicken salads aren’t everyone’s favorite, this one, in particular, is sure to make your mouth water with its unusual combination of ingredients. The final taste is salty, sweet, and scrumptious that leaves you wanting more.
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless chicken
- Salt
- Black pepper
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- Broccoli florets
- 2 cups of sliced red grapes
- Sliced celery
- 3 tablespoons of white vinegar
- Fresh parsley
- Minced shallots
- ½ cup of sliced scallions
- ½ cup of greek yogurt
Preparation
- Heat olive oil in a pan and add chicken
- Season the chicken with salt and black pepper (as desired)
- Cook it on medium heat for about 20 minutes.
- When the chicken turns golden brown, transfer it to a bowl or plate. Once it cools off, cut it into 1-inch pieces.
- Now pour water into a large skillet, add broccoli florets, and cook until they turn crisp and tender.
- Whisk vinegar, oil, salt, pepper, shallots, and yogurt in a bowl.
- Lastly, mix the chicken, red grapes, scallions, parsley, and broccoli in a large bowl.
If you like your salad overwhelmingly earthy in flavor, you can always add additional herbs and spices.
5. Grilled Chicken
If you like your chicken grilled and juicy, here’s a low-carb keto recipe for you!
Grilled chicken dressed with fresh salsa is one easy keto lunch recipe that tastes delicious as well. If you want a sweet add-on to the dish, you can swap lime juice for rice vinegar and mango for cucumber.
Ingredients
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- Thinly sliced chicken breast pieces
- ½ diced cucumber
- Chopped mint
- ½ Diced radishes
- Salt
- Black pepper
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- Freshly cut coriander leaves
Preparation
- Mix olive oil, coriander, salt, and pepper in a bowl and brush the pieces of chicken (both sides)
- Grill the chicken for 10-15 minutes
- In a bowl, combine radishes, cucumber, oil, salt, mint, and pepper.
- Finally, garnish the salad on grilled chicken and serve.
6. Egg Salad
Though egg salad is a great low-carb diet as it is, a touch of extra flavors with added ingredients doesn’t hurt anyone.
Here’s how you can prepare an easy keto lunch using hard-boiled eggs in a matter of minutes.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoon mayonnaise
- Salt and pepper
- 5 hard-boiled eggs
- A thinly sliced avocado
- ½ cup of sliced cherry tomatoes
- 6 crispy bacon strips
- Chopped chives
- ½ tablespoon vinegar
Preparation
- Mix greek yogurt, mayonnaise, and vinegar in a small bowl.
- Season it with salt and pepper
- Take a large bowl and combine eggs, avocado, cherry tomatoes, and bacon strips.
- Lastly, add the yogurt and mayo to the dressing and mix.
- Top the salad with chives, and you’re good to go.
While egg salad tastes palatable straight from the serving bowl, we recommend you eat it with a toasted sandwich to make your meal more fun.
7. Zucchini Noodles
Our delicious keto lunch ideas are not limited to tuna, chicken, mushroom, and soups. Instead, we have accounted for the preferences of different types of foodies.
So if you’re a pasta lover, this low-carb recipe is for you!
The low carb content of zucchini noodles makes them a keto-friendly alternative to typical spaghetti. Here’s what you need to get started.
Ingredients
- Fresh zucchini
- Soy sauce
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Red chili flakes
- Salt
Preparation
- Take a vegetable julienne peeler or a spiralizer and make zucchini into noodles.
- Add zucchini noodles to a bowl, pour some soy sauce, and sprinkle salt.
- Mix the ingredients and top with cheddar cheese.
- Lastly, toss your noodles with chili flakes and enjoy.
To add a kick of flavor, you can finalize the dish by topping it with your favorite herb (basil, parsley, dill, or lemon balm)
8. Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Rolls
Smoked salmon cream cheese rolls will please your taste buds for sure. On top of that, if salmon is your comfort food, this unique and healthy keto lunch is your best bet. Follow the recipe below!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of chopped dill
- 7 slices of smoked salmon
- ½ thinly sliced red onion
- 1 grated lemon
- A cup of light cream cheese
- A pack of frozen crepes
- Salt
- Black pepper
Preparation
- Mix dill, lemon rind, and cream cheese in a small bowl
- Season it with black pepper and salt
- Place a crepe on a plate and spread the cream cheese mixture on it.
- Now top a slice of smoked salmon with little onion
- Roll up the filling, cut the edges, and secure it with a toothpick.
- Repeat for the rest of the crepes.
Once done, place all the rolls on the serving plate. To make your rolls taste even better, toss some fresh celery into the mix.
9. Instant Pot Butternut Soup
If you’re looking for instant and easy keto lunch ideas, then instant pot butternut soup will not disappoint you. It’s full of flavor, buttery, nutty, and quick to prepare. Here’s a quick look into the recipe.
Ingredients
- ½ diced red onion
- 2 chopped garlic cloves
- ½ tablespoon coconut oil
- An inch of freshly grated ginger
- ¼ cup of almond butter
- 1 tablespoon of agave nectar
- Salt
- Lemon juice
- ½ cup of coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons of red curry paste
- Chopped cilantro
- Chopped butternut squash
- 2 cups of water or vegetable broth
- Scallions, sesame seeds, coconut yogurt, roasted peanuts (for seasoning)
Preparation
- Add coconut oil in an instant pot followed by onion, and a pinch of salt
- Cook for 8-10 minutes and add garlic, ginger, and curry paste
- Cook until fragrant
- Pour the broth and add coconut milk, cashew butter, butternut squash, salt, and agave nectar.
- Cover the pot and cook for 15 minutes
- Once done, squeeze lime juice and add cilantro to mix
- Lastly, garnish scallions, peanuts, coconut yogurt, or sesame seeds (if desired)
What is the Keto Diet?
A ketogenic diet refers to a low-carb diet plan. The key is to get more calories from fat and protein and fewer calories from carbohydrates.
So when you eat fewer carbs during the day, your body runs out of blood sugar easily (within 4-5 days). It then breaks down the fat and protein to gain energy, which as a result, helps you lose weight. This process is known as Ketosis.
The diet plan not only helps you lose weight but also cuts down on obesity-related health issues.
Keto Diet Health Benefits
Here are a few benefits of healthy keto lunch recipes. According to WebMD keto diet:
- May help you lose weight in the first 3 to 6 months.
- Makes your body produce less insulin, protecting it against the growth of cancer cells.
- Reduces acne breakouts by cutting down on carbohydrates
- Helps control seizures
- Lowers the amount of insulin, which may help women suffering from Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.
Final Words
On hearing about the keto diet, most people assume bland, flavorless food, and it’s not surprising. Typical diet plans primarily include plain greens and insipid recipes.
Nevertheless, we’ve shared a few flavorsome keto lunch ideas that will make you fall in love with your diet routine.
So whether it’s chicken meatballs, egg salad, creamy soup, or pasta, you have a lot of options to bring variety to your daily meals.
Bon appetit!
[su_panel]Looking for more Keto content? We’ve got you covered:
[/su_panel]
