7 Easy Keto Dinner Ideas for Beginners

As motivated as you might be to start following a ketogenic diet, you’re probably wondering: What’s on the menu? Glad you asked! We have plenty of keto recipes on our blog (including tasty breakfast, lunch, and dessert options), but today we’re highlighting seven easy dishes that’ll have you looking forward to a delicious keto dinner.

7 Easy Keto Dinner Recipes

Ready for some keto recipes for beginners? These dishes are super simple—they just also happen to be keto-friendly.

1. Instant Pot Keto Ribs

We have several keto Instant Pot dinners on this list because sometimes the best keto dinners are the set-it-and-forget-it types. Instead of a sugar-based dry rub, these ribs use a spice trio of garlic powder, paprika, and onion powder for smoky flavor.

2. Keto-Friendly Carnitas

As promised, here’s another impossibly easy keto dinner option. Carnitas can feed a crowd or provide great leftovers for the week. Instead of serving them in classic tortillas, use sturdy leaves of bibb lettuce to make it a taco night without any off-limits ingredients.

3. Instant Pot Chicken Adobo

Here’s the last Instant Pot recipe worth adding to your keto menu plan. This chicken adobo uses only a handful of mostly pantry staple ingredients such as apple cider vinegar, coconut aminos sauce, bay leaves, and ground pepper. Serve it alongside cauliflower rice for an easy keto chicken dinner!

4. Ketogenic Pork Chops With Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Cooking for two? Here’s a date-night-worthy dish made with tender pork chops, earthy mushrooms, and a decadent butter and cream sauce. Wash it down with a glass of crisp clean wine.

5. Lamb Burgers With Pistachio Pesto

Using the Instant Pot isn’t the only way to simplify dinner. This lamb burger recipe from Primal Kitchen founder Mark Sisson comes together in one bowl, and you can mix the patties earlier in the day to save time in the evening. Our favorite condiment to enjoy with each bite is a nutty pistachio pesto that you can—and should—slather on liberally.

6. Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

When you’re trying to eat keto but the rest of your family isn’t following the same diet, meal times can get tricky. But when mac and cheese flavors are involved, everyone’s happy! This is the kind of 30-minute meal that’s great to have in your back pocket for busy weeknights. Whip up the sauce earlier in the day so you can just toss in the cauliflower florets when they come out of the oven. Serve a helping of it alongside your favorite green veggie to round out the meal.

7. Salmon Keto Recipe

If you haven’t noticed yet, cauliflower is practically a non-negotiable ingredient for keto devotees. It’s so versatile! From the mac and cheese we shared above to a rice alternative that serves as a base to your favorite proteins, this cruciferous veggie can do it all. We really love serving salmon fillets, seasoned with cinnamon and cumin, over a bed of cauli rice.

Keto Christmas Dinner

If you’re already thinking about how to embrace your keto lifestyle during the holidays, here are a few ideas for your next big family get-together!

Mustard Roast Beef

For the perfect holiday dinner, try tender mustard roast beef. It roasts for nearly two hours in the oven, and is infused with thyme, garlic, black pepper, and whole-grain mustard.

Keto Cauliflower Gnocchi

Here we are with the cauliflower again! For a vegetarian keto dinner, try our keto gnocchi. Pan-fried with brown butter and thyme, it’ll appease everyone’s tastebuds.

Keto Bread

If you can’t imagine a holiday feast without bread and butter, make a loaf of keto-friendly bread to pass around.

For more, check out our ultimate guide to the keto diet!