I love a good salad most days but I can easily get sick of eating them too often. Here are my 5 favorite keto salads for lunch that you can mix up and never get tired of eating!
When eating out, I have a tendency to always substitute items in the salads I order to make them more keto and I figured I would share my best combinations with you.
But going out to eat a lot is a real budget breaker, I started making some of these restaurant inspired salads at home. This way I can control the ingredients better and with some smart prep work, throwing one together takes less then 10 minutes.
My healthy lifestyle is based on eating quality foods, exercising regularly, and staying within my 1500 daily calorie limit. This is often very hard given healthy fats are double the calorie density as carbs and proteins. With some proper planning, it can be done very easily if you combine it with one simple idea.
Intermitted Fasting is the key to eating within my 1500 calorie limit that is loaded with healthy fats and proteins. When I combine Intermitted Fasting and keto, I dramatically increase my fat burning, feel more energized everyday, and dramatically increase my productivity everyday.
The trick is to realize while doing intermitted fasting, I am also just eating 2 meals a day. I wake up around 5 AM, exercise, start working by 7, eat breakfast by noon, and dinner at 5.
This eating schedule allows me to add more healthy fats to my diet and gives me plenty of energy and focus throughout the day. These keto salads for lunch are packed with nutrition and healthy proteins and fats that go perfectly with just about any healthy lifestyle.
Meal Prep
“Proper meal planning is the key to any diets success.”
I do all my food shopping on the weekend so I know I have all the basics in the refrigerator like bacon, salad, good sources of protein like chicken and fish, avocados, nuts, and low calorie salad dressing.
Before the work week, usually on Sunday, I cook most of the food I plan to eat during the week. Some people also make each meal and put it in a container ready to go but not me. I finish my lunch box either the night before or morning of work. This makes the food taste just a little fresher and crisper.
When cooking the meat, I use a lot of powerful spices, salt, pepper, and whatever else I can add to really kick up the flavor. This is critical when using it in a salad which is pretty plain and could use a little extra flavor.
I use real bacon precut and packaged ready to add into any salad which saves me a lot of time. Sometimes I would also mix several meats into one salad to make things a little unique.
Here are My Favorite Keto Salads for Lunch
For each salad below, I included my personal recipe and a related recipe from some of my favorite online recipe websites (mostly Diet Doctor and All-Recipe). These are some great recipe sites to use to mix things up a little and give you some new ideas to help create your own versions.
If you create your own variety of one of these keto salads for lunch, feel free to leave it in the comment section below or provide a link to it so everyone can be inspired to try something new. I am always looking for new spins on my favorite recipes.
Some of the linked recipes need minor adjustments to be really keto friendly and its very easy to spot the things to remove (like anything with sugar or bread like). Other then a few adjustments, I found them very helpful and tasty.
Santa Barbara Cobb
This salad has about 500-600 calories and about 10 net carbs.
- 1/2 bag salad with a mix of iceberg & romaine lettuce with added carrots
- 1/3 a diced tomato
- 1/2 avocado, either mashed or sliced
- 2 Tbsp. of bacon bits
- 1 hard boiled egg
- 4 oz. of chicken sliced
- .5 oz. of mixed nuts for a little crunch
- .5 oz. Blue-Cheese
- .5 oz. low fat Italian dressing
This one was inspired by the Habit Burger restaurant. I do not use blue-cheese but its in the Habit version. When taking this to work, I store the dressing on the side that I add just before I am going to eat it. Sometimes I store the chicken in a separate container so I can reheat it and then add it to the salad too. It makes a big difference.
I am not a fan of cheese in my salad but it’s a great idea for keto so feel free to add the blue-cheese or cheddar cheese to the mix. This will add about 100 extra calories.
If you are lifting weights and exercise regularly, I recommend doubling the chicken to between 6-10 oz and maybe adding a second hard boiled egg. Extra protein is never a bad idea for building muscle.
To mix things up, you can replace the chicken with any other source of protein that you like. Fish is also another great healthy option.
Other Versions
- All-Recipe: Cobb Salad
- Diet Doctor: Keto Cobb salad with ranch dressing
Taco Salad With Ground Beef
This salad has about 600 calories and about 8 net carbs.
- 1/2 bag salad with a mix of iceberg & romaine lettuce with added carrots
- 1/2 tomato (diced) or several cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 cup sour cream (optional, too many calories)
- 1 tablespoon cilantro leaves
- 1/2 mashed avocado
- 1/4 Lime
- 2 Tbsp. of bacon bits (I use bacon in place of traditional corn)
- 4-6 oz. meatloaf mix (Turkey, Beef, Pork) with seasoning
- .5 oz. of Cheddar Cheese (shredded)
- .5 oz. salsa (to replace or enhance dressing)
- .5 oz. low fat dressing, pick your favorite (I like Asian, don’t judge me)
I started eating this with salsa mixed with a little lime and organic Asian dressing, because that’s what I had in the refrigerator, and liked it so much this is my special version now.
If you are using dressing, then you also need to reduce the salsa and make sure it is balanced well with the lime. I think it can all work together but you need to adjust to your personal tastes.
I also suspect if you do not have limes, then the Asian dressing will lose some of the appeal. A very tiny bit of orange juice can be a substitute but just a tablespoon max. I personally also skip the sour cream but realize it’s a staple for the taco salad and made sure to include it here.
Other Versions
- All Recipes: Taco Salad with Ground Beef
Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad
This salad has less then 500 calories and about 10 net carbs.
- 1/2 bag romaine lettuce salad
- 4 cherry tomatoes
- 4-8 oz. Grilled chicken cooked in lime, salt, pepper, olive oil, and butter
- .5 oz. of parmesan Cheese (shredded or graded), less is better to control calories
- 1 oz. low fat Ken’s Caesar Dressing (abt 170 calories)
This is a pretty standard Caesar salad without any type of bread or croutons. The cheese has plenty of fat to keep the keto energy going and the chicken adds a healthy punch of protein.
As always, I like to add the dressing just before I eat it but I am OK with room temperature chicken on this one. I also double the chicken for added protein.
Other Versions
- All-Recipe: Lime Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad
- Diet Doctor: Keto Caesar salad
BLT Salad with Sliced Avocado
This salad has about 500 calories and about 6 net carbs.
- 1/2 bag salad with a mix of iceberg & romaine lettuce with added carrots by Dole
- 2 slices of bacon
- 1/2 tomato sliced or cubed
- 1/2 sliced avocado
- 1/4 Lime
- 4 oz. Grilled chicken cooked in lime, salt, pepper, alive oil, and butter
- 1 oz. low fat Ken’s Ranch Dressing (abt 140 calories)
This one is my favorites. After I make the bacon, I cook the chicken thigh in the same pan as the bacon and really transfer all the flavor (and some added fat) to the chicken. This gives the chicken great color and a crispy texture.
The tomato needs to be very fresh and firm to give the salad the right taste. If you want, you can also add a 3rd or even a 4th slice of bacon. Bacon typically adds about 40 calories per slice.
Other Versions
- Diet Doctor: Chicken BLT Salad
Asian Salad
This salad has less then 500 calories and about 13 net carbs.
- 1/2 bag salad with a mix of iceberg & romaine lettuce with cabbage and carrots
- .5 oz. mixed nuts, chopped
- 4 oz. Grilled chicken cooked
in lime, salt, pepper, ginger, apple vinegar, and butter
- Option, replace the chicken with any other meat.
- .5 oz. of parmesan Cheese (shredded or graded), less is better to control calories
- .5 oz. organic Asian dressing (abt 100 calories)
This was my main salad that I eat last year when I lost 50 pounds. I mixed it up between ham, turkey, chicken, pork, and beef to give me something different all the time. It also allowed me to empty the refrigerator of any left overs.
The dressing is everything here. I used an organic dressing that I added tiny bit of orange juice to really give it a restaurant flair.
Other Versions
- Diet Doctor: Keto Asian beef salad
- All-Recipes: Asian Salmon Salad
Conclusion
The biggest problem people have with keto diets is the lack of options. The problem with low calorie diets is the lack of flavor. Having these incredible keto salads for lunch recipes on your meal plan will make staying in ketosis much easier and stop the flavor cravings.
Proper planning is key if you want to be successful in any kind of diet. Make your meals ahead of time so all you need to do is grab it on your way out. If you wait until you decide what you “feel like eating”, your diet will get thrown out the window. Never follow your cravings and eat something you will regret later. By having a plan and making it easy to follow, you will be able to stick to your diet and achieve your goals.
If you liked this article on my favorite keto salads for lunch, please leave a comment below and tell me which recipes you’ve tried and liked. If you have your own favorites, please tell us below so we can all try them.
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Thanks for reading.
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