The Essential Guide to Effortless Keto Meal Prep - Perfect Keto (2024)

Benjamin Franklin once said, “If you fail to plan you plan to fail.” And your keto lifestyle is no exception. By doing a little extra work up front, you can set yourself up for success. Keto meal prep is the best way to do so — plan your meals in advance (even snacks) so you don’t find yourself reaching for a sugary, carb-heavy food in a pinch.

In this keto meal prep guide, you’ll not only learn how to prep for keto and find kitchen tools that can make your life easier, but you’ll also get money-saving tips and delicious make-ahead recipes that you’ll want to make time and time again.

How to Start Keto Meal Prepping

Successful keto meal prep requires some basic equipment and essential ingredients. These tools and pantry staples will save you time in the weeks to come.

Helpful Kitchen Tools

These are the basics you’ll need for quick and easy keto-friendlymeals. If you don’t already have them, you can easily shop online for affordable options.

Skillet

To get the most for your dollar, invest in a cast-iron skillet that will hold up to cooking for many years. These are easy to clean and safer than using a cheap Teflon-covered pan — plus it helps keep your iron levels up[*].

Quality Chef’s Knife

Good knives are essential for any meal prep. High quality is crucial here, as low-quality knives can slip and slide, making them a potential hazard. Look for a proper chef’s knife that will allow you to chop and slice with ease.

Food Processor or Blender

A food processor can help prepare cauliflower rice, homemade nut butters, keto salad dressings, keto smoothies, and healthy coffee drinks. Ninjais a good brand because it’s well made and offers a processor and blender set at a good price.

Slow Cookeror Instant Pot

A slow cookeris perfect for “setting and forgetting” your keto mealsas they cook. It’s easy to throw everything in and let it work its magic while you do other things. An Instant Potis a useful tool for quickly making homemade both broth and soups.

Parchment Paper

Parchment paper is excellent to prevent sticking when baking, whether it’s in a casseroledish or on a baking sheet.

Meal Prep Containers

Glass meal prep containerswith a lockable lid will help keep your meals tasting fresh all week. After meal preppingyour low-carb recipesat the start of your week, portion them and store in the containers to grab on your way out the door each morning.

Other Helpful Tools

While these options aren’t necessities for meal prepping, they can make the process easier (and much more enjoyable).

Immersion Blender

Immersion blenders are affordable, easy to handle, and perfect for beating eggs, blending broth, making sauces, keto mayo, whipping cream, and so much more.

Vegetable Spiralizer

This can save you a ton of money if you love gluten-free“pasta,” like zucchini noodles. While you can buy pre-spiralized veggiesat the store, it’s more cost-effective to make your own at home.

Kitchen Scale

If you plan to weigh your food, you need a kitchen scale. This can be especially helpful if you’re new to the keto dietor struggling to stay in ketosisand want to be more precise.

Pantry Essentials

Below are some simple keto staplesto keep on hand. These are common ingredients in many recipes and will prevent additional trips to the store.

Keto Pantry Staples

• • Nuts and seeds
  • Nut butters
  • MCT oil powder
  • Sugar-free spices like:
    • Salt and pepper
    • Thyme
    • Oregano
    • Parsley
    • Garlic (powder or garlic cloves)
    • Celery salt
    • Red pepper flakes
    • Cinnamon
    • Pumpkin pie spice
  • Dijon or yellow mustard
  • Coconut flour
  • Almond flour
  • Baking soda and baking powder
  • Vanilla extract
  • Avocadooil
  • Coconut oiland other healthy, high-fatoils
  • Olive oil
  • Red wine vinegar
  • Keto sweetenerslike stevia or monk fruit
  • Cocoa powder

  Fridge or Freezer Staples

  • Butter (preferably grass-fed)
  • Eggs (preferably free-range and pastured)
  • Cheeses of your choice
  • Ground beef(preferably grass-fed — see our Grass-Fed Beef Guide)
  • Sour cream or plain, unsweetened yogurt
  • Heavy cream or full-fat coconut milk
  • Cream cheese
  • Hot sauce
  • Mayonnaise
  • Coconut aminos

Know How to Calculate Your Macros

To choose the right recipes, you’ll need to know your target calories and macros for each day. If you don’t know them yet, use our Macronutrient Calculatorbelow.

3 Simple Steps for Easy Keto Meal Prep

Everyone meal preps a little differently, but following this basic structure is the best place to start:

#1: Decide What to Eat

Choose one day of the week to sit down and outline your meal planfor the next seven days. Take the following scenarios into account:

• Calculate how many meals you’ll eat each day of the week for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, including any snacks or desserts if you plan to have them. Put these into a calendar or make it a list broken down by each day of the week. Use recipesthat already have calories and macros listed so it’s easy to fit them into yours.
• Account for how many people will be eating the meals and whether or not you plan to have leftovers the next day or a new meal each day.
• Keep it simple by having the same meal more than once. You’ll be able to save cooking time by doubling a recipe and enjoying leftovers.
• Write down the recipes for each meal and the exact ingredients you’ll need for them.
• Decide which day(s) you’ll shop for ingredients and cook the meals. Some people prefer to do all in one day, while others prefer to break it up.

Pro tip: Choose easy recipes with just a few ingredients, and find recipes that have similar ingredients, such as the same meats or vegetables. This makes for a shorter shopping list, faster cooking, and less stress.

#2: Make Your List and Shop

Using the ingredients from each recipe, compile your shopping list. Break it down by food categories, preferably starting with foods you encounter first at your grocery store.

Make sure you include exact amounts of each ingredient and stick to your list only. Remember to shop for whole foods like meat, eggs, and vegetables. Don’t get overwhelmed by packaged products advertised as keto.

A good rule of thumb is to shop the perimeter of the grocery store, because that’s where the butcher and produce sections are concentrated.

#3: Cook Your Meals

Time to cook — this can be a little tricky at first, but it gets easier with practice. Here are some tips:

• Read your whole recipe and figure out which steps take the longest. Start with those. If you need to slow-cook a chicken, for example, get that started first so you can chop vegetables or make cauliflower riceas you wait.
• Have all ingredients out and ready before you begin a recipe. Reaching into the fridge or pantry for things as you read them wastes unnecessary time.
• Pre-chop veggiesand pre-prepare meats before you start cooking. You’ll be able to toss these ingredients into the oven, skillet, or food processor right away when needed.

Once meals are cooked, separate them into containers so they’re ready to go for the week.

Pro tip: Label each container with a sticky note listing the meal inside, what day of the week it’s for, its macros and the date it was prepared.

Meal Prep Money Saving Tips

If saving money is one of your main goals of meal prepping, below are some additional tips.

• Choose recipes with seasonal produce. In-season vegetables and fruits are usually cheaper and more likely to be on sale.
• Visit your local farmer or farmer’s market. Speak with these people. It’s likely you can find good deals on higher-quality meats and dairy products by buying locally.
• Avoid packaged foods as much as possible. Packaged foods are almost always more expensive. That bagged and pre-washed spinach is super convenient, but it’s much pricier than washing it yourself at home. Forfeiting a little convenience in these areas can save a lot of cash.
• Look for special offers, discounts, and coupons. Search online or look for deals at the store or in the mail. Sign up for grocery store email newsletters to get notified about deals.
• Buy in bulk. Bulk items are often cheaper per pound, and you can freeze some items to use as needed.
• Make or grow your own items. If you have the time, making your own stuff can save money and is usually much healthier. Here are just a few examples of items you can grow or make on your own instead of buying them at the store:
  • Bone broth
  • Keto mayo
  • Salad dressingsand sauces
  • Ghee
  • Pesto
  • Sauerkraut
  • Ketchup
  • Mustard
  • Bacon or sausage
  • Coconut or almond flour
  • Coconut or almond milk
  • Sun-dried tomatoes

Low-Carb Keto Meal Prep Recipes

Not sure what to make? These healthy meal prep recipesbelow are made with just a few ingredients and are great make-ahead options. You’re sure to find grab-n-go breakfast ideas, perfectly-portioned lunches, scrumptious chicken recipes, and reinvented comfort food with very few net carbsper serving.

Keto BreakfastRecipes

Not sure what to eat once granola, oatmeal, and cereal are removed from your diet? Try these low-carbbreakfast recipes for your busiest mornings.

• Chocolate Sea Salt Smoothie
• Low-CarbAcai Almond Butter Smoothie
• AvocadoBreakfast Bowl
• Turkey Sausage Frittata
• Easy Ketogenic Breakfast Tacos
• Keto BlueberryCheesecake Pancakes
• Quick n’ Easy KetoEgg Muffins

Keto RecipesPerfect for Lunch or Dinner

These low-carb mealswork great for lunch or dinner. Make a large batch of each on Sunday, then enjoy throughout the week.

• Savory Shrimp Stir Fry
• Zesty Chili Lime Keto Tuna Salad
• Anti-Inflammatory Bone Broth
• Easy White Turkey Chili
• Portobello Bun Cheeseburgers
• Loaded CauliflowerBake
• Cheesy Broccoli Meatza
• Curry Chicken Lettuce Wraps
• Miracle Noodle Stuffed Chicken (similar to Pad Thai)
• Ultimate Keto Cheeseburger Casserole

Low-CarbSnacks and Side DishRecipes

Here’s a tip that may sound counter-intuitive: If weight lossis a goal, keep snacks on hand. By keeping a few healthy, low-carbsnacks handy at all times, you’re less likely to reach for a bag of chips, pretzels, or a granola bar to hold you over.

• Brown Butter Buffalo Bites
• Sheet PanBrussels Sprouts With Bacon
• Superfood Meatballs
• Jalapeno ParmesanCrisps
• MCT Powder Garlic Dressing
• Homemade GreekYogurt

Low-Glycemic Dessert Recipes

Can’t fight your inner sweet tooth? Try these sweet yet low-carbdessert recipes.

• Chocolate Sea Salt Peanut Butter Bites
• Keto Superfood Nice Cream
• Peaches and Cream Fat Bombs
• Low-CarbLemon Cashew Cookies

Start Planning to Succeed Today

Pre-planning and prepping meals in advance will make everything easier for you on the keto diet. You’ll save time, money, and sanity each week. Plus, you’re far more likely to stick to your keto dietsuccessfully if you put a plan in place. Use the tips in this guide to get started, and you’ll soon develop a rhythm that works best for you.