Why You Can Trust CNET The best Keto cookbooks you need in your kitchen
Following a keto diet? These are the must-have titles you'll want to stock on your shelf.
Whether you're already a devotee of the keto diet or a curious newbie, keep these titles accessible in your kitchen to help maintain your keto lifestyle no matter what your circumstances -- or taste preferences.
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There is no shortage of blogs, Instagram feeds and other places to get fed a daily dose of tips, tricks and recipes related to the ketogenic diet. But rather than get your information piecemeal it's often better to have it all accessible in one handy place. That's where these keto cookbooks come in.
From tomes featuring the basis of the ketogenic philosophy and the keto recipes you need to get you started, to specific topics like desserts and sweets or one-pot meals, get inspired with the step-by-step instructions, mouthwatering photography and insider tips these books have at the ready.
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Leanne Vogel is the founder of @healthfulpursuit, a prolific author of more than 11 health programs and host of "The Keto Diet Podcast;" in 2007 she also received her holistic nutrition certification.
This book covers the basics of the keto diet, how to customize it to fit your life, what to expect, troubleshooting challenges like maintaining keto while traveling, common minor physical side effects you might experience, and how to counter them. Keto fundamentals like bone broth, rendered fats, nuts and seeds will help you prep your pantry, meal plans and shopping lists keep you organized and categorized recipes from small bites and snacks to breakfast dishes to saucy and spicy fare will more than pique your palate.
Suzanne Ryan of @ketokarma attributes her switch to a keto diet in 2015 with being able to naturally lose more than 120 pounds. This book chronicles her journey, how to deal with weight loss stalls during the process and strategies for grocery shopping including must-have ingredients and staples. Recipes are simple and easy to follow: basics, breakfast, appetizers and snacks, beef, pork, seafood and vegetable main dishes, soups and sides and even desserts and drinks.
A 30 day meal plan is accompanied by tips on maintaining keto while dining out, on road trips and even navigating coffee shops, and a closing message about gratitude helps you say on your keto journey.
The air fryer revolutionized healthy fried cuisine, allowing home cooks to circulate hot air around food using convection technology and "fry" food without a lot of added fat or calories. Even though the keto diet encourages consumption of fat, you may not want the greasiness that results from it -- if so you'll want this cookbook.
Tips on getting the most out of an air fryer are followed by air-fried recipes in all different categories, like super-popular fried kale chip appetizers, French toast sticks for brunch, lime-marinated beef fajitas, bacon rolls with sausage sticks, crispy parmesan chicken and easy coconut shrimp. Vegetarians will like her take on basil tofu and keto sushi with cauliflower rice, while those with a sweet tooth will crave air fryer crème brûlée and awesome coconut cups.
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The author of Keto Living Day by Day and Keto Gatherings and the head of community for the popular site dietdoctor.com is back with her latest title, designed for busy people -- like herself, as she juggles a full-time job, two children, two fur babies and a husband and continues to crank out popular titles about the keto lifestyle.
If your life feels out of control and you are having a difficult time adhering to your diet, you'll love her simple tips and shortcuts. She offers grab-and-go convenience store and grocery store purchases, tips on what to order for lunch and dinner in hotels and restaurants, breakfast recipes that are quicker and healthier than fast food, lunchbox ideas with no refrigeration required, strategies for storing food on the go and intel on preventing food waste. Each chapter has recipes that can be prepped even without a full kitchen, some of which only need five ingredients or fewer. Fall for her crustless quiche, cold pizza bowl, deconstructed chicken cordon bleu and loaded baked yellow squash.
Smith runs the popular Instagram blog @ketomadesimple, and her book strives to create a customizable plan for a keto diet depending on your individual needs. In addition to 140 recipes in all different categories she covers "what ifs" sticky wickets like how to successfully dine out on keto, whether or not moderate alcohol consumption can actually be part of the keto diet, the benefits of intermittent fasting, how to handle hair loss when you are on the keto diet, weight loss stalls and what the keto flu is -- and how to avoid it.
Keto Your Way does not subscribe to a one-size-fits-all keto plan which is refreshing and inspirational for those who might not be able to stick to something so regimented.
This popular author, nutritionist and speaker has legions of fans on her Instagram page and this book celebrates her childhood memories, family togetherness and the convivial aspect of food through 170 body- and soul-filling recipes. Dishes like garlic cheddar biscuits with gravy, buffalo chicken wings with the best blue cheese dressing, Charleston shrimp and grits, chicken pot pies and pecan pie truffles will appeal to the comfort food lover in everyone.
Her philosophy of "food is celebratory, food triggers memories, and food stirs emotions" allow this title to go beyond a utilitarian tool for keto diet followers; it's one that the entire family will gravitate towards again and again.
Everyday life can be crazy and hectic, and sometimes you don't have time at 6 p.m. to bust out all the pots, pans and skillets. Williams' collection of more than a hundred recipes only take 45 minutes or less to prepare, making it easy for you to get a keto dinner on the table, clean up and get out of the kitchen faster. Chapters feature no-mess meals with ingredients that are easy to prep, simple recipes with fewer than eight ingredients and weekly menu planners and cooking tips.
Chapters are divided into eggs for dinner, chicken, pork and beef, fish and seafood, vegetable mains, hearty salads, soups and stews, sauces and basics and desserts.
Expanding on her recipe blog TwoSleevers.com, Pitre focuses on recipes for fans of sweet treats and desserts who are sticking to a keto diet. She's tweaked and reworked quick breads, muffins, pancakes, cookies, cakes, pies and ice cream to be "fat bombs" to keep your macros in balance and prevent craving forbidden ingredients.
And most recipes only require 10 to 15 minutes of prep time so you can get your sugar fix that much quicker. Drool over blueberry sour cream muffins, cinnamon mug cake, peanut butter bites, chocolate-fudge ice pops, cardamom custard and cake toppers like maple-pecan buttercream frosting.
If you are from the South or just a fan of Southern cuisine, you might think you need to abandon most of your favorites if you start up with a keto lifestyle. Not so says Newton, the writer behind ketoislife.com. The Southern native went keto in 2014 to lose weight, fight food and sugar addictions and counter her Crohn's disease. Her story and heritage are chronicled at the beginning of the book, followed by more than a hundred of her favorite Southern recipes.
Whip up a cowboy breakfast skillet for a hearty morning meal, dill pickle chips for a casual gathering with friends, gumbo or chili for a football watching party, slow-cooker bourbon chicken so it's ready when you are on a busy weeknight, beloved Southern staple fried green tomatoes and meal-enders like pumpkin pie and quick blackberry cobbler for two.
This story was written by Kelly Magyarics.