Keto diet food list – what to buy

Ketogenic diet food list – what to buy

This keto food list, sorted by supermarket area, is all you need to find keto diet food at your local market. Print it here and keep it in your bag. Keto grocery shopping has never been easier! For foods marked with an asterisk (*) below, be sure to check the label for unwanted sugars and starches.

Best: Foods that contain less than 3 grams of net carbs (total carbs minus fiber) per 100 grams of food.

Good: Foods that contain 3-6 grams of net carbs per 100 grams of food.

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Produce area

Low-carb veggies top 10

  • Lettuce (Boston, butter, endive, field greens, iceberg, matcha, romaine, and watercress)
  • Greens (collard, kale, mustard, spinach, Swiss chard, and turnip)
  • Asparagus, avocados, bok choy, celery, eggplant, herbs, kohlrabi, mushrooms, radishes, rapini (broccoli raab), tomatoes, and zucchini (find recipes for these veggies in our collection of keto side dishes)

Good:

  • Artichokes, broccoli, broccolini, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumbers, fennel, green beans, jicama, okra, snap peas, snow peas, and turnips (see our visual guide to keto vegetables)
  • Blackberries and raspberries (see our visual guide to keto fruits)

Meat-fish-seafood counters

Raw meat and seafood – good keto options

  • Beef, chicken, game, lamb, pork, and veal
    (see our recipes for keto meals)
  • Bacon, hotdogs*, organ meats, and sausage*
  • Fatty fish and white fish (see our recipes for keto fish meals)
  • Crab, lobster, mussels, octopus, oysters, scallops, shrimp, and squid

Deli counter

Best:

  • Sliced chicken, corned beef, ham, pancetta, pastrami, prosciutto, roast beef, speck, and turkey
  • Sliced chorizo, pepperoni, salami, and soppressata (perfect on our simple keto plates)
  • Prepared chicken salad*, egg salad*, and tuna salad*

Good:

  • Sliced cheese
  • Bologna and mortadella

Dairy case

High fat dairy – good keto options

  • Butter and ghee
  • Heavy cream
  • Softer cheeses (blue, buffalo mozzarella, brie, camembert, colby, goat, gouda) and harder cheeses (cheddar, havarti, mozzarella, parmesan, pepper jack, muenster, provolone, and Swiss)
  • Eggs (try our delicious collection of keto egg dishes)

Good:

  • Full fat crème fraîche, feta, cream cheese, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt (plain), mascarpone, ricotta, and sour cream
  • Whole milk, used sparingly (no more than a couple of tablespoons) in coffee or tea

Check out the cheese lovers section of our keto meals page for recipe ideas.

The rest of the store

Best:

  • Avocado oil, cocoa butter, coconut oil, nut oils, and olive oil
  • Duck fat, lard, schmaltz (chicken fat), and tallow
  • Canned fish or seafood (anchovies, crab, salmon, sardines, and tuna)
  • Canned or jarred olives* and sauerkraut
  • Hot sauce*, mayonnaise*, mustard*, and vinegar*
  • Bouillon cubes and broth
  • Dried herbs, psyllium husk powder, and spices
  • Pork rinds* and parmesan crisps (for more ideas, visit our keto snacks guide)
  • Club soda, coffee, tea, and unsweetened cold brewed coffee or iced tea

Good:

  • Almonds, Brazil nuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, walnuts, and pili nuts
  • Seeds (chia, flax, hemp, and pumpkin)
  • Beef jerky* and meat bars*
  • Canned coconut milk
  • Artichoke hearts, hearts of palm, pickles*, pizza sauce*, tomato sauce*, and soy sauce*
  • Cold brewed Bulletproof coffee

* Be sure to check label and avoid brands with unwanted sugars and starches.

Print the keto diet food list here and take to the market.

More

There are two companion guides with more information about navigating the grocery store and deciphering food labels. They are:

Keto diet foods — top three mistakes at the grocery store
How to use the nutrition facts label

 

In addition, check out our main keto foods guide below to understand the basics about keto foods:

Ketogenic diet foods – what to eat and what to avoid

For all the keto basics, check out our simple but thorough beginner’s guide to the keto diet:

Ketogenic Diets for Beginners

 

About the author

Jenni Calihan created the non-profit, Eat the Butter, to start a mother-to-mother conversation about diet and health. She advocates for real-food-more-fat eating, and has been feeding her family (four kids) for twenty years.

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