9 Delicious Filling Salads For The Keto Diet

Keto salads can be the perfect solution for lunch, a light snack, or dinner when you are on the keto diet. They are low-carb, delicious, and full of nutrients and they will fill you up. These salads are so tasty that you won’t even know that you are on a diet. When you have salads with the right mix of ingredients, they are no different from eating a satisfying meal.

Why Should You Include Keto Salad in Your Meal Plan?

The keto diet has become a widely popular choice 

keto diet has become a widely popular choice for people who want to lose weight and improve their health. Many people are concerned that they will have limited food choices and that they will have to sacrifice delicious meals. They also worry that they will feel hungry all the time.

The reality is that the keto diet has plenty of delicious foods that you can eat. They are packed with nutrition and the main difference is that you are choosing foods that are low in carbs. When your body receives the nutrients it needs to function, you will not feel hungry. As long as you become familiar with keto-friendly foods, you will find a number of choices to satisfy your cravings.

The keto salad provides you an opportunity to create the equivalent of many favorite dishes that may have higher carb counts by replacing the bread and other high-carb foods with nutritious, healthy ingredients.

Ingredients to Add to Your Keto Salads

The following ingredients make an excellent addition to any salad. They are high in healthy fats with a moderate amount of protein; most importantly, they are low in carbs. Take a look at the following:

• Eggs (organic eggs are the best choice)
• Poultry such as chicken or turkey
• Meat, including grass-fed beef, pork, and venison
• Full-fat cheese such as cheddar, mozzarella, cream cheese, goat cheese, and brie
• Non-starchy vegetables, including greens, broccoli, tomatoes, mushrooms, and peppers
• Nuts and seeds, including macadamia nuts, almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, and flaxseeds
• Avocado
• Nut butter such as natural peanut, almond, and cashew butter
• Healthy fats, including peanut oil, olive oil, MCT oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, and sesame oil
• Condiments, including salt, pepper, vinegar, lemon juice, fresh herbs, and spices

You can use these ingredients to create substitutes for high-carb meals in salad form and when you add a low-carb dressing, you will not even realize that you are on a diet.

Foods to Restrict or Avoid

You should avoid foods that are high in carbs as well as processed foods. You should restrict these foods as much as possible:

• Sugary beverages such as soda, juice, sweet teas, and sports drinks
• Bread and baked goods, including white bread, whole wheat bread, crackers, cookies, rolls, and croutons
• Sweets such as sugar, maple syrup, and candy
• Pasta
• Grains, including wheat, rice, oats, cereals, and tortillas
• Starchy veggies, including potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, and peas
• Beans and legumes such as black beans, chickpeas, lentils, and kidney beans
• Fruit, including citrus, grapes, bananas, and pineapple
• High-carb sauces and dressings

In addition, be sure to avoid the following foods altogether:

• Unhealthy fats such as shortening and vegetable oils
• Processed foods that are packaged and processed meats
• Diet foods with preservatives, sugar alcohols, aspartame, and artificial colors

Nine Delicious Keto Salads

The following nine keto salads will fit right in with your healthy diet. They are all nutritious and filling. You can use them as a light snack in the afternoon or have one for a complete meal.

1. Keto Big Mac Salad

The Keto Big Mac Salad is a healthy way to get your Big Mac fix while you are on the keto diet. When you eliminate the bread and make a keto-friendly version of the “special sauce,” you can enjoy your favorite fast food in salad form. In fact, you might find that it is more delicious than your traditional Big Mac. This is the perfect lunch or dinner when you are on the keto diet.

When you make this salad, the sauce will keep for about a week so you can make extra and keep it in your fridge. Make sure that you use lean beef so that your salad doesn’t get greasy. If you want to take this salad to work with you, you can layer it in a mason jar and it will keep well. It will take you approximately 25 minutes to make this salad following their recipe.

Check out this salad here. 

2. Salmon Kale Superfood Salad

This superfood salad has just five ingredients in the salad and five in the dressing, and it is simple to make. This salad is designed to be a keto-friendly version of the Costco kale salad kit and it doesn’t disappoint. You can detox and enjoy a nutritious meal without worrying that you will get kicked out of ketosis. If you are looking to load up on super nutrients in a delicious salad, this one is for you.

This salad takes only five minutes to make and you can make it ahead of time because the ingredients will last. You can make the salad and add the avocado and pistachios when you are ready to eat it. If you serve this salad as part of a meal, you can prepare it ahead of time without any problems. This is the perfect salad for a meal or a healthy snack in the afternoon.

Check out this salad here. 

3. Kale and Roasted Cauliflower Salad

You will combine kale and roasted cauliflower in this salad to make sure that you are eating healthy and feeling full. The only prep work is browning the cauliflower florets and the combination of kale, cauliflower, feta cheese, onions, golden raisins, and toasted pine nuts is absolutely delicious. This makes a fantastic lunch or dinner any day of the week.

When you brown the cauliflower florets, you will sprinkle extra virgin olive oil over them. Place them in the oven for about 25 minutes. You can prepare the dressing and toss it with the kale while you wait for the cauliflower to be ready. Once everything is ready, add the remaining ingredients to the salad. In under thirty minutes, you will have a healthy and nutritious salad to eat.

Check out this salad here. 

4. Low-Carb Cobb Salad

You may think of salads as diet food but this low-carb Cobb salad is anything other than that. You can combine your favorite low-carb keto-friendly foods, including lettuce, eggs, chicken, bacon, avocado, blue cheese, tomatoes, and a red wine vinaigrette. Most Cobb salads have sugar but you can use Swerve in this recipe to keep it keto. The salad with dressing has only four net carbs per serving.

Normally, Cobb salads are not keto because they have so much sugar in the dressing. For this salad, you can use the red vinaigrette or you can choose a low-carb French dressing or keto ranch. You can also substitute turkey or salmon for the chicken. You can prepare this salad in just 15 minutes and it will work as lunch, dinner, or a healthy snack.

Check out this salad here. 

5. BLT Balsamic Chicken Avocado & Feta Salad

This salad can help you satisfy your BLT craving and you won’t miss the bread at all. The chicken, avocado, and feta will fill you up; plus, the balsamic marinade is full of flavor and keeps it keto-friendly. The dressing adds so much flavor to this salad by adding Italian herbs, garlic, and a touch of honey to the balsamic and olive oil.

You will start by marinating the chicken in this dressing before you cook it. Once it is ready, combine the ingredients and add the dressing. This salad serves as an entire meal and it is delicious. You can prepare it in less than thirty minutes. When you make this salad, you will realize that salad is anything but a lightweight diet food.

Check out this salad here. 

6. Nicoise Salad

The classic Nicoise salad is named for the city of Nice on the Cote d’Azur in France. It was originally an hors d’oeuvre that was served before the main course but it is so delicious that it can stand on its own in today’s world. This famous salad first appeared on menus in the later 19^th century, after Nice lost Italian rule and became part of France. Today, it is enjoyed worldwide. You can now make this keto-friendly version for lunch, dinner, or a snack.

You will fill up on this nutritious Nicoise salad, which includes eggs, tuna, olives, tomatoes, and mixed greens. The shallot vinaigrette dressing is delicious and you combine the ingredients and shake them. This is an entire meal packed into a keto-friendly salad. You can prepare it in very little time. The dressing has only one net gram of carbs per serving.

Check out this salad here. 

7. Easy Low-Carb Keto Chicken Salad

Chicken salad is a favorite comfort food and this keto-friendly recipe is a great choice for lunch, an afternoon snack, or a light dinner. If you keep the frozen shredded chicken in your freezer, it is easy to whip this salad up any time. You will only need one bowl and about ten minutes to throw this chicken salad together. It is even more delicious if you stick it in the fridge to chill for a few hours as it will give the flavors time to blend.

This is a straightforward recipe that has less than three net carbs per half-cup serving. You can make extra because it keeps for about a week in the fridge. Keep it in an airtight container. You have choices for how you can serve it. You can place it on lettuce wraps, stuff it into tomatoes, add it to a low-carb salad, scoop it into sweet pepper boats, and more. With all of these ideas, you will never grow bored with this dish.

Check out this salad here. 

8. Broccoli Salad with Bacon

This salad starts with fresh chopped broccoli and you will add chunks of cheddar cheese, bacon, red onions, and sliced almonds. It is a perfect side to have with grilled chicken; you can have it as a light snack or lunch, and it will be perfect as an addition to a barbecue. Although normal broccoli salad has a sweeter sauce that is full of sugar, this sauce is keto-friendly and delicious.

You can keep this salad to eat later but keep the bacon separate so that it doesn’t get soggy. It will last up to four days in your fridge. The ingredients are easy to find and it doesn’t take very long to make this salad. You will love the crunchy texture and the flavor of this salad.

Check out this salad here. 

9. Thai Chicken Salad

This low-carb salad is packed with flavor. You will combine low-carb ingredients such as shredded cabbage, carrots, chicken, peppers, and crunchy peanuts. When you top this salad with creamy peanut butter and sesame oil dressing, it will be the perfect keto salad. It takes about twenty minutes to make the salad and the dressing and it has 8.5 grams of net carbs.

This salad tastes best when you prepare it fresh and serve it right away but you can make it a day ahead of time. You can have it as a side dish or a complete meal. The combination of zesty flavors will please your taste buds and the texture is wonderful.

Check out this salad here. 

Final Words

When people hear “salad,” they often think of a light, dull meal that will leave them hungry. Any of these keto salad recipes are anything other than dull. You can actually take most meals and produce them in a salad form, which is a great way to get your nutrients and the flavors you love in a low-carb meal.

Going keto is more about cutting high-carb foods out of your meals than anything else and there are many parts of your favorite dishes that are low-carb and delicious. In addition, most of these salads are quick and easy to prepare. You can take them to work for lunch, have them for dinner, or use them as a late-afternoon snack.