Are you looking for exciting new low-carb recipes to try? Whether you are going keto, cutting back on gluten, or simply looking for new meals to experiment with, there are plenty of dishes that are not only easy but also delicious. You can find weeknight dinners, filling snacks, and low-sugar desserts in this round-up of scrumptious low-carb meals, to fuel a healthier lifestyle. Here are some easy substitutes to help with your low-carb eating plan:

1. Zucchini noodles instead of pasta
2. Cauliflower rice instead of rice
3. Mashed cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes
4. A mixture of 1 part almond flour and 1 part parmesan cheese instead of breading (for example, on chicken nuggets)
5. Granulated allulose instead of table sugar
6. Leaf lettuce instead of bread, buns, or tortillas
7. Celery, mini peppers, or baby carrots instead of crackers or chips

Preparation tips
Going low carb is often a lifestyle adjustment and may limit options for dining out. To make low-carb meal prep easy, consider the following tips:

1. Plan meals for the week: This can make it easier to shop for groceries and stick to your meal plan even when things get busy.

2. Prepare certain foods upfront: Prepare your food in advance as much as possible. Chop your vegetables, cook up meats, or make dressings or marinades in advance. Alternatively, use the weekend to meal prep for the work week.

3. Keep low-carb ingredients handy: Having ingredients on hand can help you put together a quick meal. For instance, with frozen shrimp, shirataki noodles, and a jar of Alfredo sauce, you can quickly put together a bowl of low-carb shrimp Alfredo.

4. Limit packaged condiments: Many condiments contain hidden carbs as well as high amounts of sugar. Avoid or limit sauces and condiments such as ketchup, honey mustard, barbecue sauce, balsamic vinegar and balsamic vinaigrette, teriyaki sauce, hoisin sauce, sweet and sour sauce, and fruit salsas such as mango or peach salsa.

Recipe ideas
Here are eight ideas for quick and easy low-carb recipes:

1. Bacon and eggs: Bacon is a highly processed meat and may not be appropriate for everyday breakfast, but it is an excellent treat once in a while. All you need to make this simple breakfast is two slices of bacon, two eggs, and some salt and pepper. This low-carb option contains roughly one gram of carbs.

2. Grilled Caprese pesto chicken skewers: Serve grilled chicken and cherry tomatoes with burrata and fresh basil for a perfect summer dinner.

3. Low-carb snack board: If you are hosting a party, try this easy and irresistible appetizer—a snack board with your favorite low-carb ingredients and dips. For protein, add hard-boiled eggs, jerky, pepperoni, salami, or deli meats. Add cheese options like gouda, pepper jack, parmesan, or cheddar, and nuts and seeds such as walnuts, pecans, almonds, macadamia nuts, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds. You can also add fruits like strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries, along with vegetables such as olives, celery, baby carrots, mini peppers, raw broccoli, raw cauliflower, and cherry tomatoes. For dips, consider adding unsweetened cream cheese dips, sour cream dips, or small amounts of hummus. The carb count for this snack board depends on the serving size and the chosen ingredients.

4. Meatza: If you have been missing out on pizza on a low-carb meal plan, this crustless “meatza” is the best option for you. The recipe is easy to revise and can be made with low-carb ingredients of your choice, such as veggies, mushrooms, cheeses, etc. Season any type of ground meat and shape it into a thin square or circle. Bake it until fully cooked, and add pizza sauce, cheese, and your favorite toppings. Bake again until the cheese melts.

5. Cauliflower rice taco bowls: Make tacos a low-carb meal by skipping the shell. Add ingredients like cauliflower rice, cooked, taco-seasoned ground beef, red onion, lime wedges, shredded cheese, sour cream, cilantro, guacamole, salsa, lettuce, radish, and taco sauce to a bowl, and serve.

6. Zucchini spaghetti: Use a pasta sauce without added sugar to make easy zucchini spaghetti. All you need is lean ground beef, salt, spiralized zucchini, spaghetti sauce, and parmesan cheese to put together this delicious meal.

7. Keto beef stroganoff: Nothing is as comforting as a warm bowl of beef stroganoff. Replace the usual egg noodles with cauliflower rice to make this a low-carb keto meal.

8. Keto chocolate cake: Just because you are making a switch to low-carb foods doesn’t mean you need to say goodbye to cakes. Try making a keto chocolate cake replacing regular flour with flaxseed meal and almond flour, and using keto-friendly sugar for a delicious low-carb dessert. Replace the buttercream with a frosting of cream cheese and coconut flour to make your cake truly indulgent.