31 Easy Keto Food Swaps

We’re not going to say you won’t miss bread, because you very well may. That being said, Keto is a lot easier when you can still make a sandwich. Instead of bread, use lettuce. Iceberg is a good choice, but romaine has more nutrients. Any dark, leafy green is a good choice in any diet.

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Milk has a ton of natural sugars whether you drink whole or skim. This increases the total carb count to be around 11g per glass. That’s half your carb intake in one glass! Almond milk is a great alternative. Just make sure to get unsweetened almond milk. Coconut milk is also another great choice.

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Breadcrumbs are used in a ton of recipes, so what’s the replacement there? Believe it or not, pork rinds can actually be a great replacement. It’s a fantastic crunchy binding agent with few carbs. Some brands even have zero carbs!

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Sugar is the ultimate no-no. Studies show that Americans eat far too much sugar, but some sugars aren’t processed the same. Some sugar alcohols pass through our body without being processed while also providing a sweet taste. Stevia and erythritol are two replacements that are commonly used with Keto. Other options include monkfruit and allulose, although these options are more expensive.

Potatoes were tough to give up, but pretty much anything that used a potato can be replaced with cauliflower. Loaded mashed cauliflower is just as good and gives you plenty of nutrients with a fraction of the carbs. Cauliflower can also be roasted and riced!

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Yes, there’s such thing as good chocolate to eat—sort of! While you can get super dark chocolate, stevia chocolate exists. Many keto-ers rely on a brand called “Lily’s.” This brand has chocolate chips, milk, and dark chocolate options.

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Giving up coffee can be impossible, so we needed some swaps. There are a few sugar-free syrup brands out there that have a dozen different flavors between them. While Torani is the best (in our opinion), Jordan’s Skinny Syrups has more flavors. If you want a stevia option, you can check out NuNaturals.

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Shirataki noodles don’t taste like flour pasta, but they aren’t bad. Sure, they don't look like the most delicious thing out there, but they work really well in place of pasta, and they’re zero carbs. The trick is to wash them off and cook them for two to three minutes in boiling water. Some keto-ers even pan fry them afterward for 10 minutes to dry them out a little.

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You don’t have to give up flour when you’re doing keto. You just have to swap it out with almond flour. Almond flour is a great substitute for making desserts but be careful. It can still have quite a bit of carbs depending on what you’re using it for.

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Not a fan of pork rinds? Throw in some grated parmesan! It’s a great thickener just like pork rinds. Parmesan works exceptionally well in recipes as a binder, like in meatloaf. Not to mention, cheese is always a great addition on keto.

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Like with many of the other starchy substitutes, riced cauliflower won’t taste exactly like rice, but it’s pretty dang close. You can still make recipes like fried rice, but riced cauliflower also takes a dent out of your daily carb allotment.

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If you adore milk as we do, it can be tough to give it up. In a pinch, heavy whipping cream works great. You can put it in soups to make a creamy soup or in your morning coffee. If you crave actual milk, watered down heavy whipping cream is pretty close to regular milk.

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Pizza is a must because it’s easy and delicious, and thankfully, you can still eat it on keto. Instead of regular pizza crust, make fathead crust. At first, it may sound intimidating making your own crust, but it’s worth it. There are a few recipes, but we suggest using the one from Keto Connect, which uses 1 1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella, 2 ounces of cream cheese, 1 egg, and 3/4ths cup almond flour.

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Who doesn’t love mushrooms on their burger? Portobello mushroom tops are the perfect size for a burger. They can be a little thick, so using one cap per burger patty may be easier than two; it's sort of like an open-faced sandwich. 

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By now, you’ve heard of zucchini noodles. They’re usually referred to as Zoodles. Basically, it takes a zucchini and strips it down into pasta-like shape. The trick to any pasta replacement is a good sauce. Once you have that delicious marinara, then anything smothered in it tastes good. Just be careful of store-bought marinara sauce, because they can have a lot of sugar and hidden carbs.

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Chips are tough to give up, but you can make your own. Some people flatten out fathead dough to make chips, but we prefer cheese crisps. All you need to do is slice thin pieces of cheese from a block and bake it. Honestly, it tastes like what we all want Cheese-Itz to taste like. 

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Don’t give up your favorite breakfast food. At first, bacon and eggs are the perfect breakfast, but after a while, it becomes routine. You’ll want something else. Find a good cream cheese pancake recipe and go to town. Just make sure to get sugar free syrup, too!

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Eggplant instead of fries? What?! You read that right. Keto-ers have gotten creative with their recipes, and that’s how eggplant fries were born. Our only suggestion is that you shouldn’t drench them in oil, because the eggplant will soak it all up. Instead, panfry or bake them.

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When cooked right, turnips actually taste eerily like potatoes. A half a cup of turnips has around 2.4 carbs, which is a lot better than potatoes, which has approximately 20 grams. Some also say you can replace potatoes with radishes, but the jury is still out on that one.

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Instead of almond flour, give coconut flour a shot. It’s a little lower in carbs compared to almond flour and tastes especially good in desserts. Even the most basic coconut flour cookies are absolutely delicious. There are plenty of recipes, especially on Gnom Gnom.

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Missing that cereal crunch? Hemp hearts are a great cereal replacement. This little superfood has tons of fiber, which can help with your tummy while on keto. A lot of people also use hemp hearts to make overnight “oats.”

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Green beans are a healthy way to get your crunch on, especially if you’re in a snack-y mood. Not to mention, they’re a lot less bitter than kale. Green beans have 3.5 carbs per cup, so you don’t have to feel guilty about chowing down. 

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Crackers are a must-have for some. You just can’t have soup without them! In place of regular crackers, buy some flax crackers. Flax is full of fiber, so you can eat quite a few without going overboard on carbs for the day. While there are recipes online to make your own, you can also purchase them—just check the nutritional facts!

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Fat bombs aren’t exactly the same, but they can satisfy your sweet tooth like none other. Fat bombs are basically high-fat snack that uses whatever flavors you want. Chocolate, vanilla, peanut butter, coffee—it doesn’t matter. There’s a recipe for it.

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Cheesecake is made of something that you can eat on keto; cream cheese. Sadly, it’s also made with sugar and graham crackers; two things you can’t eat. Using erythritol, you can make a crustless cheesecake that’s just as good as the real thing.

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Many keto-ers have decided to swap spaghetti squash with hash browns in the morning or as a side dish. Instead of cooking them on the stove, bake them in the oven at 350 for about 45 minutes. Don’t forget to add spices!

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This one is a little controversial. Not everyone on keto drinks diet soda, but many people can’t give up their daily soda. You can swap it with diet soda if it doesn’t bother your stomach. The taste may take a bit to get used to, but it’ll taste normal soon enough.

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Pepperoni is more than just a delicious pizza topping. You can pop them in the oven and create chips that are a fantastic snack food. In all honesty, we think they’re even more delicious than regular potato chips.

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If you’d rather avoid artificial sweeteners like aspartame, you can replace sugary syrups with extracts. Many people use vanilla extract in the morning coffee to make a vanilla latte. There are plenty of choices, and a little goes a long way. 

Don’t give up your delicious ice cream. All you have to do is swap it for a different brand! Arctic Zero and Halo Top are two popular brands people purchase. Breyer’s also makes a low-carb ice cream that’s pretty good. 

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Crunch tacos are amazing, but no tortillas mean no crunch tacos, right? Wrong! Just make your own using cheese. Melt cheese on parchment paper in the oven. When it’s cool enough to touch and pliable (but not completely cool), loop it over a spoon or create the taco shell shape the best way you can. Let it cool completely and voila!

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