24+ Ideas for Keto Picnic Food
Is there anything more quintessentially summer than a good old-fashioned picnic? Taking your lunch on-the-go and enjoying the warm weather is a staple during summer in many parts of the world. Sticking to your diet in this season can be challenging: you don’t want to miss out on the festivities, and there are so many delicious summer foods that aren’t quite keto-friendly.
Having fun outdoors while staying keto is simple: you just need to know what keto picnic food you can pack so that you don’t go hungry. Here are a few of our favorite keto picnic foods to spruce up your spring or summer outdoor meal in a pinch.
Chips and Dip
Traditional chips and dip are a staple item for outdoor gatherings of all kinds, but crackers and chips are forbidden on low-carb diets like the keto diet. Fortunately, there are tons of alternative crackers and chips that will still give you that satisfying crunch without kicking you out of ketosis.
Check out these easy chip and cracker recipes that you can make ahead of time and put away in your picnic basket for the weekend:
- Keto homemade Cheez-Its (3 grams net carbs)
- Crispy kale chips (3.5 grams net carbs)
- Multi-seed keto crackers (1 gram net carbs)
- Basil cracked pepper parmesan crisps (1.8 grams net carbs)
- Keto Cheez-Its with Everything But The Bagel seasoning (0.8 grams net carbs)
If you feel that your chips and crackers aren’t complete without something to dip them in, here are a few keto spreads and dips you will want to consider:
- Strawberry salsa (8 grams net carbs)
- Bacon spinach dip (4.2 grams net carbs)
- Keto buffalo chicken dip (2.7 grams net carbs)
- Keto hummus (8.33 grams net carbs)
- Fresh guacamole dip (5.4 grams net carbs)
- Spinach dip (2 grams net carbs)
Snack and Convenience Foods
If convenience is the name of the game when it comes to planning your picnic, then you may want to consider purchasing store-bought snacks. Going keto doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t find healthy, low-carb options available at the store. The key is to get items that aren’t heavily processed.
For example, many cheeses are great for keto picnics, such as cheddar and parmesan. Hard cheeses like these are great sources of protein, while processed cheeses like American tend to be have starches and other carby fillers. Stick to less processed cheeses in the form of cheese sticks or cubed cheese to maximize your snacking.
Nuts are another rich source of protein that will leave you feeling satisfied with minimal carbs. Some of the best nuts for keto include pecans (4 grams net carbs), Brazil nuts (4 grams net carbs), and Macadamia nuts (5 grams net carbs). You can also opt for almonds (like these chocolate-covered almonds if you want something sweet).
Olives are another quick picnic-friendly snack that you can pick up in easy-to-pack resealable jars and containers. Some of the best options for olives that pack a nutritional punch without loading you down with carbs include kalamata, manzanilla, and mission olives. You can even pack this antipasto and pepperoncini salad for sophisticated picnic treat.
If you have a little more room in your macros for the day, fresh berries are a great sweet treat for a summer picnic. They are fresh and bursting with flavor in the warmer weather; try packing a pint of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries. You can even add a dollop of whipped cream.
Main Courses for a Keto Picnic
In addition to snack food galore, you might also want to consider what will fill your stomach for the main course. Most often, a picnic means burgers and hot dogs but that’s only feasible on keto if you forgo the buns and many of the condiments.
Get creative with what you eat as your main course with some of these options:
- Easy keto rollups with salami, pickle, and cream cheese (0.7 grams net carbs)
- Greek seasoned turkey burgers (1 gram net carbs)
- Smoked salmon lettuce rollups (2.9 grams net carbs)
- Mushroom and herb egg muffins (2 grams net carbs)
- Lettuce-wrapped hot dogs (4 grams net carbs)
- Ginger cilantro salmon burgers (2 grams net carbs)
- Low carb chicken salad (1.4 grams net carbs)
- Keto pork chops (made on the grill, 0 grams net carbs)
- Keto BBQ bacon chicken skewers with a cauli-faux-tato salad (6 grams net carbs)
- Summer Caprese salad (4 grams net carbs)
- Red curry deviled eggs (1 gram net carbs)
Many of these recipes are simply picnic and cookout favorites adapted to be low-carb friendly, and they won’t make you feel like you are missing out.
Prepare for a Keto Picnic
Sticking to a keto diet doesn’t have to mean that you can’t enjoy yourself among friends and family members at a summer get-together. With some of these foods in your recipe box or shopping cart, you can enjoy a luxurious picnic without getting bumped out of ketosis–and without hours of prep work.
