This Big Mac salad recipe (cheeseburger salad) is an easy low carb meal in 20 minutes! All the flavors of the drive-thru, but much healthier.
Low Carb Keto Salad Recipes
Easy low carb salad recipes are one of the healthiest things you can eat on a keto diet! And don’t worry, they don’t have to be boring. Here you’ll find the best keto salad ideas and recipes, including everything from delicious side salads to entire meals. Just because they are packed with veggies, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t also packed with flavor — because these low carb salads can definitely be both.
Unlike many keto meals that can sometimes feel heavy, salads often light on calories and packed with nutrition. Most of these have less than 5 grams of net carbs per serving, as well.
Is Salad Keto?
Yes, there are so many delicious keto salad recipes you can make! Review the basic ingredients below, and then get specific keto salad ideas to make today.
Common Keto Salad Ingredients
- Greens – All greens, including fresh spinach, kale, spring mix, watercress, and all forms of lettuce, are low carb. Use them in abundance in your salads!
- Vegetables – Choose as many veggies as you like from the keto vegetables list. Popular ones for low carb salads include tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, and avocados (which are actually a keto fruit).
- Sugar-Free Dressing – See the section on dressings below for keto salad dressing ideas.
- Cheese – This is not always necessary, but often makes a nice addition. Shredded cheddar, fresh mozzarella, or crumbled feta cheese are popular options, but any variety from the keto cheese list will work.
- Protein – Not required for a side salad, but you’ll want to add it for meals. Chicken, beef, and shrimp are commonly added.
- Crunch – Add your favorite keto nuts, such as almonds or pecans, or seeds, such as pepitas or sunflower seeds.
The Best Keto Salad Recipes For Meals
Here are the most popular keto salads that readers love to make for an easy low carb lunch or dinner! They have plenty of protein, fiber, and healthy fats, taste amazing, and are hearty enough to enjoy for a meal on their own.
Make this easy antipasto salad recipe with simple ingredients like salami, mozzarella, tomatoes, olives, and artichokes. Ready in 10 minutes!
This easy Cobb salad recipe takes just 10 minutes, with simple ingredients like lettuce, chicken, bacon, tomatoes, avocado & creamy dressing.
This Cajun shrimp salad recipe makes a great lunch or light dinner. Naturally keto friendly, spicy shrimp Caesar salad is ready in 15 minutes and full of flavor.
Featured Keto Friendly Salad Video
Keto Taco Salad
Learn how to make keto taco salad in just 20 minutes, using common ingredients! The whole family will love this EASY, healthy taco salad recipe with ground beef. It’s one of our favorite easy keto salad recipes.
Low Carb Salads For Sides
When you want something quicker than one of my cooked keto side dishes, a side salad is perfect to enjoy with your meal of chicken, beef, or seafood. These easy keto salad ideas come together super fast, and most of them can even be made ahead. If you want to turn these into a meal, add a couple slices bacon and/or some sliced baked chicken breasts.
Keto Salad Dressing Ideas
While many low carb salad ingredients are naturally low carb (as long as you stick to keto vegetables), the dressings are where the hidden sugars and starches are often lurking. Fortunately, it’s super easy to make your own sugar-free dressings at home!
Keto-friendly salad dressings can be creamy or vinaigrette based. Many creamy dressings out there are naturally low carb, but the store-bought ones often use GMO seed oils and can still contain added sugar, even though they are not sweet. The homemade options below have a much cleaner ingredient list. In addition to drizzling over keto salad recipes, these dressings can even be used for dipping low carb veggies, such as cherry tomatoes, broccoli, and celery.
In contrast, traditional vinaigrettes are often made to be sweet, so sugar is more common in these — and totally unnecessary. All you really need for a vinaigrette is a 3:1 or 4:1 ratio of oil (olive oil or avocado oil) and acid (such as apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, or lemon juice), plus salt and black pepper. Of course, other spices and seasonings are often added as well. If you do have a keto salad that would benefit from sweetness, use Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Allulose Blend in the dressing — it dissolves effortlessly, unlike other sweetener options, for no grit.
Hearty Salads For Sandwiches & Wraps
If you want a hearty keto salad recipe that you can stuff into a lettuce wrap (large leaves like bibb or romaine lettuce work best), spread onto keto bread, or wrap in a keto tortilla, these are your best options. Chicken, tuna, or egg salads are all perfect for this. You can make classic mayo-based ones (great for meal prep!), but I also love an avocado twist to them, which often includes ingredients similar to guacamole: avocados, lime juice, red onions, jalapenos, and cilantro.
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