One of the biggest complaints about keto is that meals aren’t exactly quick to prepare. Lunch can feel especially tricky. Before keto, you might have made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or grabbed a quick sub on your lunch break. Keto-friendly lunches aren’t quite so simple.
But that doesn’t mean keto lunches are hard. Lunch can be as easy as grabbing last night’s leftovers or throwing together a quick salad with a can of tuna and your favorite Primal Kitchen dressing. You can even still have your favorite savory sandwiches; you just have to be more creative with the bread options.
Here are some of our favorite easy keto lunch ideas and recipes to prep ahead to make low-carb lunches a breeze.
Easy Keto Lunch Recipes
Mini Smoked Salmon Hand Rolls
These hand rolls are essentially rice-less sushi you can make at home in just a few minutes. They also make a great appetizer for your next get-together.
You can’t go wrong with a big salad made with tons of greens (which have virtually no net carbs), healthy fats from avocado, nuts and seeds, and salad dressing made with olive or avocado oil. Add any protein, and voila, a complete (and completely satisfying) meal.
Creamy loaded chicken salad in bell pepper “cups” are a tantalizing low-carb alternative to a sandwich—easy to eat with your hands! Use Hot Buffalo Sauce to turn up the heat.
Many low-carb breads you find at the store contain ingredients that a Primal eater wouldn’t want to consume. (Wheat gluten and canola oil? Pass.) This savory bread contains only Primal-friendly ingredients and is worth the effort.
Did the Internet ever decide whether or not a hot dog is a sandwich? Guess it is now. This recipe uses the bread recipe above to make keto-friendly hot dog buns, but you can also enjoy these loaded hot dogs without a bun. They’re great either way.
This sandwich features mouthwatering pork and ham paired with Swiss cheese, salty pickles, and mustard in a combo that’s more than the sum of its parts. It’s an ideal way to use up leftover shredded pork.
If you pack a lunch to take to work or school, you need pre-made keto lunch recipes. Here are some things you can prepare the night before, or in a big meal prep blitz on the weekend. Pack them in individual portions in the fridge so they’re easy to grab on your way out the door.
Primal Sloppy Joes
This recipe also includes low-carb buns that you can use for sandwiches and burgers, too! Pack the bun and meat separately, then heat up the meat and assemble when you’re ready to chow down.
Every keto eater should have a basic chicken salad recipe in their back pocket. Use leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken to make meal prep even easier. Serve wrapped in lettuce or collard greens, over a big mixed salad, or just eat it with a fork.