Sweetened cereals, fruity oatmeal, wheat-based pancakes, cupcakes, bagels, and banana smoothies are popular breakfast staples, but the problem is that they can’t be used as keto breakfast recipes.
What all these meals have in common is that they’re relatively high in carbohydrates. Carbs raise blood sugar up quickly, which can help boost their energy levels in the morning. If you’re on a keto diet, carb-laden meals are out of the question because keto, after all, is a low-carb diet. So, what’s a keto dieter to eat as their first meal of the day?
Below you will find seven keto breakfast recipes, and all with fewer than 10g net carbs per serving. Some are savory breakfast staples, while others are low-carb takes on your favorite sweet morning meals. But before you head to our amazing recipes to boost your breakfast with, let’s see what the ketogenic diet is all about.
The ketogenic diet (keto) is a low-carb, moderate protein, and high-fat diet. On this diet, you eat 20-50g carbohydrates per day and up to 80% of your daily calories come from fat.
Eating this way forces the body into a metabolic state called ketosis where most of your energy comes from ketones – acidic molecules that serve as a backup fuel in times of starvation, illness, and on low-carb diets. The liver makes most of these ketones from fatty acids, which it derives from both dietary fat and the body’s own fat stores.
Most people that follow this diet do so to lose weight because keto enhances fat oxidation. However, there’s more to going keto than weight loss. A review of the therapeutic uses of the keto diet states that there is strong evidence this diet can help with type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and epilepsy. The same review also found keto to be helpful for acne, cancer, PCOS, and neurodegenerative diseases.
However, following the ketogenic diet is no easy task. This diet turns the food pyramid upside down and requires careful planning and monitoring. One way people make transitioning into a low-carb lifestyle easier is by following low-carb meal ideas like the ones you’ll see below.
These keto breakfast recipes are low-carb and high-fat. Many also provide a hefty dose of protein, which is great for curbing hunger. Some of these can double as a lunchtime snack, party meal, or even as dinner.
Egg-based breakfasts are perfect for the keto diet. Eggs are not only low in carbohydrates, but they are also high in fat and provide adequate levels of quality protein. This particular recipe provides an extra helping of protein from the ricotta cheese and that will keep you feeling full until lunchtime.
Cook time: 10 minutes
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
Directions:
Nutrition Info (per serving)
Calories: 311
Fat: 27g
Protein: 13.6g
Net carbs: 1.3g
Just because you’re eating low-carb does not mean you can’t enjoy some fluffy and tasty waffles. This recipe calls for flax meal instead of wheat flour and coconut milk to add flavor and a softer texture to the waffles. Serve these waffles with sugar-free maple syrup, berries, or a part of the butter.
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 4 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
Directions:
Nutrition Info (per serving)
Calories: 252
Fat: 19g
Protein: 15g
Net carbs: 1.1g
When you’re short of time and need a quick and easy on-the-go breakfast, make a high-fat and low-carb smoothie. On a keto diet, avocados replace bananas in smoothie recipes as a thickening ingredient. Their mild taste also pairs well with a wide range of flavors such as lime and basil like in this creamy smoothie recipe.
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Serves: 1
Ingredients:
Directions:
Nutrition Info (per serving)
Calories: 424
Fat: 43.1g
Protein: 3.1g
Net carbs: 4.8g
Hazelnut flour and pumpkin pair wonderfully in this simple and quick pancakes recipe. The macros ratio of these pancakes is also ideal for the keto dieter since one serving provides over 30g of fat and only 5g of net carbs. And at around 14g of protein per serving, these pancakes are bound to keep you full all morning long.
Preparation time: 12 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
Directions:
Nutrition Info (per serving)
Calories: 397
Fat: 34.8g
Protein: 14g
Net carbs: 5.4g
These cream cheese-filled peppers are incredibly healthy and satiating. They’re also great as a lunchtime and snack option. It only takes a couple of minutes to prepare and make this dish, but you can make it a day ahead to save time in the morning.
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Serves: 16 peppers
Ingredients:
Directions:
Nutrition Info (per serving)
Calories: 397
Fat: 34.8g
Protein: 14g
Net carbs: 5.4g
A carefree egg-based breakfast to make any time you don’t have the energy to make an elaborate meal. If you don’t have fresh goat cheese on hand, use any other fresh, crumbly cheese such as ricotta or cottage cheese.
Cook time: 5 minutes
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
Directions:
Nutrition Info (per serving)
Calories: 469
Fat: 38g
Protein: 29.5g
Net carbs: 1.7g
There’s no reason you can’t enjoy these aromatic meatballs with yogurt dip in the morning. They take only about half an hour to make and provide almost 300 calories per serving. Make them a day ahead and save any extras for lunchtime.
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Serves: 15 meatballs (1 meatball = 1 serving)
Ingredients:
For the yogurt:
Directions:
Nutrition Info (per serving)
Calories: 285
Fat: 25g
Protein: 13.4g
Net carbs: 1.2g
Your typical carby breakfast won’t work on a keto diet. After all, the goal of keto is to lower your blood sugar levels, and carb-rich breakfast simply won’t do that. That’s why many keto breakfast recipes lean on the savory side and are higher in fat than carbohydrates. But as you saw here, there are also low-carb versions of your favorite breakfast staples.
Add each one of the above keto recipes to your weekly meal plan and you’ll see that maintaining ketosis is easy-peasy. And if you don’t have the time to prepare them in the mornings, then you can make them a day or two ahead and reheat in the microwave if necessary. Many of these keto breakfast recipes yield more than 1 serving, so do keep that in mind as well and adjust the ingredients accordingly.
Did you find these keto breakfast ideas helpful or do you have a staple breakfast that you stick to most days on your keto diet?
References:
Author Bio: Sofia Norton is a driven, dedicated & team-oriented professional who works as a dietician expert at kissmyketo.com. She has more than 6 years of experience providing wellness and nutritional support in various capacities. After Sofia learned about food deserts as a kid, she became determined to devote her life to like to make healthy foods accessible to everyone, regardless of income or location. Sofia has traveled around the world, teaching nutrition to communities in extreme poverty. In her spare time, Sofia loves long bike rides and exploring local farmer’s markets.
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