40 Vegetarian Keto Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What foods can you eat unlimited amounts of on keto? ›

Foods you can eat on the keto diet include fish and seafood, meat and poultry, non-starchy vegetables like bell peppers, broccoli, and zucchini, avocados, berries, nuts and seeds, eggs, high-fat dairy products, olive oil and other oils, and high-cocoa chocolate.

A Typical Day on the Vegetarian Keto Diet

Some research suggests that the keto diet may be beneficial for that reason: A meta-analysis found that the keto diet led to greater weight loss than a low-fat diet and could be useful in fighting obesity.

Keto for vegetarians: It's easier than you may think!

With meat and seafood off the menu, your keto meal plan focus is going to be on full-fat dairy products, tofu, and eggs (if eggs are a part of your vegetarian lifestyle), along with plenty of non-starchy vegetables.

The vegetarian keto diet is an eating plan that combines aspects of vegetarianism and keto dieting. Most vegetarians eat animal products like eggs and dairy but avoid meat and fish. Meanwhile, the ketogenic diet is a high-fat diet that limits carb intake to 20–50 grams per day.

On the keto diet, you are allowed to have no more than 50 grams of net carbs per day – and the fewer, the better! But by focusing on “net” rather than “total” carbs, you won't be denying your body the essential fiber it needs for proper function.

Severe carb limits can cause your body to break down fat into ketones for energy. This is called ketosis. Ketosis can cause side effects such as bad breath, headache, fatigue and weakness. It's not clear what kind of possible long-term health risks a low-carb diet may pose.

While hummus is suitable for the keto diet, you'll want to limit yourself to a small amount. Consider using it as a garnish rather than as a dip, and avoid dessert flavors. You may also want to consider other low carb dips and spreads, such as baba ganoush, pate, or black soybean hummus.

Starchy vegetables, like potatoes, are a definite "no" for the keto diet — they simply have too many carbs. You should be avoiding potatoes completely if you're on the keto diet. Other starchy vegetables to steer clear of include corn, yams, and sweet potatoes.

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.

Tofu, seitan, and tempeh are all protein-packed vegan meat substitutes that are also keto friendly. They're high-protein, low-carb options that taste great and can be cooked in so many different ways. You really still can enjoy all of your favorite dishes with these meatless options.

Is mushroom keto friendly? ›

Mushrooms, like oyster, shiitake, white button, and portobello, are naturally low in carbohydrates, making them a keto-friendly food. Enjoy them raw or cooked, in dishes like stir-fry, casseroles, scrambles, soups, or stuffed with low carb ingredients like cream cheese and bacon.

Principles of vegetarian keto. To set the stage for our keto vegetarian diet, let's cover the essential rules that our plan will have to abide by. The standard ketogenic diet uses these macros for daily calories: 70% fats, 25% protein, >5% carbs.

Starchy vegetables contain more digestible carbohydrates than fiber and should be limited when you're on the ketogenic diet. These include corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes and beets. Limit high-sugar fruits too, which spike your blood sugar more quickly than berries and have more carbohydrates.

Most ketogenic diet guidelines recommend limiting your total carbohydrate intake to 15-30 grams or 5%-10% of your total calorie intake a day. Eating more than 50 grams of carbs may disrupt ketosis. With keto diets, however, carb restrictions vary from person to person.

You do not have to limit vegetables if you are on the keto diet or are considering it. Plenty of low-carb vegetable options include arugula, asparagus, bell peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, mushrooms, spinach, and tomatoes.

Following the keto diet requires limiting carb intake to up to 50 g a day. A person generally replaces high carb foods with fatty foods, such as eggs, dairy products, and fresh meat and fish. Wheat products and some fruits, vegetables, beans, and legumes can be high in carbs, so checking food labels is key.

Eating too much protein on Keto is largely a myth - gluconeogenesis leads to a small increase in glucose production, but we need that to survive. If you are generally active and not in a calorie deficit, you may want to shoot for 1.6 g/kg body weight per day, and prioritize protein on Keto with healthy sources.