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Low carb recipes are great to save, because when money or time is in short supply, bread or pasta dishes usually become go-to meals.
We’ve found 20+ easy low carb recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert that’ll help you to forget about that PB&J.
Eating a low-carb diet doesn’t need to be expensive or time-consuming. There are dozens of flavorful substitutes for bread and pasta, and I hope these will inspire you to come up with your own low carb meal ideas.
Table of Contents
Low Carb Breakfast Recipes
When you’re rushed in the morning, it’s too easy to grab a carb-loaded muffin or bar that leaves you starving by 10am. But having a few low carb, high protein options can help you to focus on your day rather than your growling stomach.
Quick & Easy Low Carb Breakfast Burritos
These make-ahead burritos are great for busy mornings when you need something healthy, filling and quick. It’s simple to make a tray of these, freeze them and have a week of delicious grab and go breakfasts that’ll make you forget about that muffin or bagel.
They’re made with low-carb tortillas that have just 16 grams of carbs with 11 grams of fiber, making them only 5 grams of net carbs. Even with eggs, bacon and cheese, they total just 17 grams of carbs, and 22 grams of protein!
Found on Kasey Trenum
Keto Raspberry and Vanilla Smoothie
I have a protein smoothie almost every day, and if I worked outside the home, it’d probably be my breakfast.
This is a super-simple smoothie that’s high protein and low in carbs. It’s great with fresh raspberries, but even in the off-season, bags of frozen mixed fruit will do.
This one has 27 grams of protein, 7 grams of carbs and only 230 calories! And you can mix it up in about 3 minutes.
Found on My Daily Plus.
One-Pan Egg and Veggie Breakfast
One pan meals are easy, and this one is not only simple to make, but colorful and full of flavor. The combination of zucchini, peppers, onion and eggs is making my mouth water already.
Anybody can fry up an egg, but in just a few more minutes, you can have a flavorful, filling meal with 228 calories, 10 grams of protein and 19 grams of healthy carbs.
Found on Healthy Fitness Meals.
Low Carb Ham & Cheese Crustless Quiche
For something so simple to make, this crustless ham, cheese and broccoli quiche makes an ordinary weekend morning special. It’s keto friendly, and only 5 carbs per serving, but a surprising 17 grams of protein!
Found on Home Made Interest.
Have you ever tried freezing meals ahead of time to make your days easier? It’s not as difficult as you might think. Here are 28 easy freezer meals that can make your week a little less stressful.
Low-Carb Breakfast Sandwiches
Can a breakfast sandwich really be considered low carb?
It can when you substitute the carb loaded muffin with an “egg muffin”. These are simple to make by pouring your egg mixture into a muffin pan and popping into the oven for 7-8 minutes.
Then just add your sausage pattie or other protein, a slice of cheese, and you’ve got a tasty breakfast with only 3 grams of carbs!
Found on Julia’s Simply Southern.
Low Carb Recipes for Lunch
Whether you eat lunch at home or at work, you can still maintain a diet low in carbohydrates. We’re so used to wrapping things in bread or pasta, that it’s easy to overlook healthier options. Here are some low carb lunches that are cheap, easy, and help you to feel full rather than stuffed.
Keto Turkey Club Wrap
I’ve always loved a turkey club, but three slices of bread makes it a belly buster. Here’s a way to get all the flavor of a turkey club without feeling like you ate a brick. And a whole lot less calories and carbs.
Found on Easy Wrap Recipes.
Easy Low Carb Deli Snack Box
These deli snack boxes are a great way to throw a healthy lunch together in about 60 seconds to take with you. They’re full of flavor, and just enough to feel satisfied for a few hours.
Found on Damn Delicious.
Low Carb Keto Crunch Wrap
There’s a lot of flavor and a nice crunch to these, and the recipe even includes two low carb sauces to try – one queso, and one taco seasoning.
With only 7 grams of carbs per serving and 34 grams of protein, these are tasty enough to make for dinner too!
Found on The Little Pine.
Keto Friendly Avocado Egg Salad
Avocado egg salad swaps unhealthy fat for healthy, beneficial fat. And it’s full of protein, so you won’t be craving an Oreo an hour from now.
It’s easy to change this up each time you make it. Throw in some bacon pieces to amp up the flavor, or some shredded chicken for extra protein. Or add some dill or cilantro to spice things up
Found on That Low Carb Life.
Low-carb Thai Chicken Salad
So-called, “healthy salads” aren’t always as healthy as you’d expect. For instance, Applebee’s Oriental Chicken salad is a whopping 1570 calories!
So here’s one that actually is healthy, and full of flavor! And the peanut sesame dressing is easy to make and delicious.
It comes in at 460 calories, an impressive 30 grams of protein, and only 8.5 grams of carbs.
Found on Savory Tooth.
Turkey & Chedder Rollups with Fruit, Avocado & Almonds
A great option to throw together in just a few minutes and take with you. Or make a few at a time and keep in the fridge.
This is a nice combination of protein and low cal fruits, nuts and totals only 13 grams of carbs.
Found on The Kitchn.
Packing your own lunch and snacks is the healthiest and cheapest option if you’re out of the house often.
But those single compartment leftover containers just aren’t convenient to bring a healthy variety with you.
These are the Bento containers we use. With individual compartments, you can keep your crackers or nuts away from your salad dressing. They’re microwave and freezer friendly, and fit nicely in your bag.
Low Carb Recipes for Dinner
Breakfast may be important for it’s nutritional value, but dinner’s important too. You want to sit down to something not just to fill up, but to feel satisfied. And after a crazy day, it’s so easy to reach for a box of pasta or order a pizza.
If you’re looking for low carb dinners that are easy to make, cheap, and satisfying, here are some you may want to save.
Bruschetta Chicken
Chicken parmesan is delicious, but so often it’s paired with with a mountain of pasta. And the bread crumb coating can average 100 calories and 18 grams of carbs in 1/4 cup.
This bruschetta chicken has all the flavor at a fraction of the calories and carbs. It’s simple to make, and only 355 calories and 6 grams of carbs per serving.
Found on That Low Carb Life
Vegan Sheet Pan Fajitas with Chipotle Queso
You had me at “chipotle queso”. I’m not vegan, but this is a dish I could eat a lot more! Caramelized onions and peppers, slices of steak-like portobellos, topped with some mashed avocado and spicy chipotle queso.
Per serving, they’re 182 calories and 16.5 grams of carbs.
Found on Pinch of Yum
Looking for some dinner ideas that are high protein, and low calorie? High protein isn’t just for weight lifters. It helps us to rebuild cells, as well as curb our appetite in between meals. Here’s a related post featuring 10 really delicious high protein, low calorie meals.
Low Carb Pizza Casserole
What if you could have all the flavor of pizza without eating a mound of white flour? Only 4 net grams of carbs, and 27 grams of protein per serving, suddenly make room for a cold beer or two!
Found on Homemade Interest
Tuna Melt Zucchini Boats
This is a lighter, healthier version of the classic tuna melt. The combination of tuna, melted cheese, celery, onion and fresh jalapenos is so flavorful you’ll never miss the bread.
The average tuna melt is about 350 calories, but these are a skimpy 84 calories per boat and only 9 grams of carbs!
Found on Healthy Fitness Meals.
Low Carb Keto Chicken Enchiladas
Enchiladas on a low-carb diet? Yes, it’s possible when you swap regular grocery store tortillas with the low carb high fiber tortillas now available. While these tortillas still have carbs, they’re offset but very high amounts of fiber, which get subtracted from the carb count.
In fact, these enchiladas have only 8 net carbs in each one, and believe me, one is filling.
Found on Whole Lotta Yum
Low Carb Keto Shrimp Scampi
At just 5 grams of carbs per serving, this shrimp scampi with zucchini noodles tastes like a night out, except without the 1000 calorie meal!
It’s simple to make, with only a small handful of ingredients, and packs a lot of flavor into less than 350 calories with 25 grams of protein.
Found on Wholesome Yum.
Paleo Friendly Cilantro Lime Chicken
Trying to stick to a low-carb, keto, or paleo diet can be hard, but not when you have dishes like this in your corner. It uses simple, fresh ingredients for an out of this world marinade.
Simple to make, and only 187 calories per serving, 4 grams of carbs, and an amazing 22 grams of protein!
Found on Noshtastic
Low Carb Taco Salad
Taco Tuesday can be low carb, gluten free and guilt-free! This taco salad has great Mexican flavors without the high carb taco shells or wraps.
This recipe uses ground beef, but we’ve also used lean ground turkey to cut a bit more fat and it’s still really flavorful.
Found on Wholesome Yum.
Low Carb Coconut Shrimp with Pineapple Dipping Sauce
Coconut shrimp is a nice way to shake up your menu, and this low-carb version uses crushed pork rinds as a replacement for panko crumbs. Yes, you can buy crushed pork rinds, and they work really well.
The pineapple dipping sauce is simple to make, and one serving of 8 shrimp and 1/4 cup of sauce totals only 14 grams of carbs.
Found on Our Paleo Life.
Low Carb Recipes for Dessert
I’m not sure if there’s been a day in the last ten years that I haven’t had some form of chocolate. And isn’t it crazy that stressed, spelled backwards, is desserts?
Maybe I need a therapist. But in the meantime, here are some low-carb desserts. You know, for our health.
Keto Chocolate Chip Cookies
Don’t tell grandma, but I think we’ve found a much healthier version of her chocolate chip cookies. They’re light and fluffy with a hint of crispy around the edges.
And at only 2.5 net carbs per cookie, and less than 100 calories, they’re just as hard to resist as grandma’s.
Found on Trina Krug.
Keto Lemon Bars
A dessert that’s low carb, gluten-free, keto friendly, and lemony delicious? Yes!
This version of a favorite dessert has a thinner crust using almond flour, and has only three total ingredients. The filling is also simple, and the finished product is only 4.7 grams of carbs per serving.
I’ll take two!
Found on That’s Low Carb.
Easy Keto French Silk Pie
This French Silk Pie tastes as rich, creamy, and chocolatey as something you’d order in a restaurant, and yet it’s completely refined sugar-free.
The filling requires no baking, and even with the delicious oreo style crust, there’s only 6 grams of net carbs.
Found on Low Carb Spark.
Low Carb Millionaire Bars
Millionaire bars are one of those treats you hope to take home at a cookie swap. And this low carb, gluten-free, keto friendly version is also one you’d be lucky to get.
The gooey caramel, coated with dark chocolate on a buttery, crumbly crust is only 230 calories, and 8.2g (or 3.6g net) carbs per serving!
Found on Sugar Free Sprinkles.
Low Carb Meal Ideas Can Have a Big Impact
Well, whaddya think? It’s pretty easy to eat low carb meals whether you’re home or on the road. We usually focus on the huge impact that being more intentional with money and time can make.
But over time, the foods we eat have a big impact on how we feel, and the trajectory of our health. It may be “easy” to to throw together a PB&J or boil some pasta, but we’re worth more.
Taking control of your life starts from the inside and expands out. When you feel better about the small stuff, you’re more inclined to tackle the big stuff.
How about you? Have you tried any of these low carb recipes, or any variations of them?
