100 Keto Substitutes You Should Know In 2023 (Pdf Inside)

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Last Updated on June 1, 2023 by Toya

Starting keto? Not quite sure what the best keto substitutes for all of your favorite foods are? This keto substitute list is designed just for this purpose. It outlines 100 easy low-carb alternatives for all the foods you used to love before starting the keto lifestyle. These are 100 keto substitutions that will come in handy daily!

And, if this list is too long, feel free to grab the keto substitutes printable PDF file for just $2.99 in my keto printables shop. 

If not, keep reading this massive list of keto alternatives for all the foods you know and love.

100 best keto substitutes worth knowing

Xanthan gum as a replacement for cornstarch

Looking for some good keto cornstarch substitutes? Look no further. For 1 teaspoon of cornstarch, replace it with 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum or a 1:1 ratio.  Use xanthan gum as an alternative for cornstarch when you want to thicken certain keto recipes like gravies, soups, puddings, sauces, casseroles, and more.

Xanthan gum is an adhesive that creates somewhat of a gel that binds ingredients together during baking. Therefore, it even works well as a keto substitute for cornstarch in baking. A 1:1 ratio is ideal here as well.

Chia seeds as a substitute for cornstarch

Chia seeds make a great replacement for cornstarch when it comes to thickening keto recipes like soups, smoothies, sauces, puddings, gravies, etc.

When using chia seeds as a keto alternative for cornstarch, use them either whole or ground at a 3:1 ratio. That is for every 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, replace with 1 teaspoon of chia seeds.

Use hazelnut flour to replace tapioca flour

For tapioca flour, a good keto replacement is hazelnut flour. Use 1 tablespoon of hazelnut flour to replace 1 tablespoon of tapioca flour for thickening keto recipes. This simple keto substitute for tapioca flour is a great thing to have on hand.

Pork rinds as a replacement for bread crumbs

Pork rinds, particularly pork rind crumbs, are an excellent substitute for bread crumbs. Pork rinds are simply fried pork skins with salt.

Therefore once crumbled, they can be used as a keto bread crumb substitute that can be used to bread meats, veggies, top casseroles, added to meatloaf and patties, and more at a 1:1 ratio 

Use radishes to replace potatoes

Radishes are a great potato substitute for keto. Use radishes in place of potatoes to make home fries, garlic roasted ‘radishes’, salads, etc.

Use Nature’s Hollow sugar-free honey substitute to replace honey

To replace honey on keto, use Nature’s Hollow sugar-free honey substitute instead. It has just 1 gram of net carbs and can be substituted at a 1:1 ratio. 

Use swerve brown sugar substitute for replacing brown sugar

You cannot use regular brown sugar on keto. But, you can use swerve brown sugar substitute at a 1:1 ratio in all recipes where you need a keto brown sugar sweetener. Also, check out some more keto brown sugar alternatives here.

Use Lakanto Monk Fruit white sugar substitute to replace regular white sugar

This is an ideal keto white sugar substitute made with ingredients like erythritol and Monk Fruit extract. Use it to make all recipes that call for keto-friendly white sugar at a 1:1 ratio.

Confectioners Sugar substitute by Swerve to replace powdered sugar

This keto-friendly powdered sugar is made with Erythritol and is great for making all sorts of yummy desserts, frostings, and even everyday keto recipes.

Use Lakanto sugar-free cinnamon maple syrup to replace maple syrup

Use equal parts Lakanto sugar-free cinnamon maple syrup, to replace regular maple syrup on keto. This keto-friendly maple syrup can be used in much the same way you used regular maple syrup and only has 1 gram of net carbs!

Also, check out these other keto-friendly maple syrup substitutes too.

Keto syrup as a substitute for ready-made syrup

You can easily replace the regular syrup with your own homemade keto syrup that is made with just 3 ingredients! The homemade keto-friendly syrup has only 3 grams of carbs per serving and is very versatile.

Agave nectar

A great low carb substitute for agave nectar is stevia drops. Use 2 teaspoons of stevia drops to replace ⅔ cup of agave nectar.

Use cauliflower rice to replace rice 

Missing rice? Use cauliflower rice instead. Cauliflower rice is made from raw cauliflower and can be made to taste so good with the right flavors.

Also, if you have no cauliflower, you can use riced broccoli, riced cabbage, or Palmini keto rice instead. All of these can replace rice on a 1:1 ratio. Read more about these great rice substitutes for keto here. 

Cauliflower rice instead of quinoa

Grains cannot be eaten on keto. Therefore, use equal parts cauliflower rice to replace quinoa if you’re following a keto lifestyle.

Use cauliflower rice instead of Barley (in soup)

Looking for a keto barley substitute? If you’re making a keto version of vegetable barley soup, the best keto barley substitute worth using is cauliflower rice. Use this rice alternative at a 1:1 ratio.

Use almond flour bread to replace regular white bread

For every slice of white bread, replace it with 1 slice of almond flour bread. See how to make almond flour bread here. 

Almond flour as an alternative to all-purpose flour

Almond flour is the perfect substitute for regular all-purpose flour on keto. It can be used to make all sorts of baked goods including loaves of bread, cakes, pie crusts, and even pancakes, waffles, etc.

Almond flour is also a great flour replacement for breading, for thickening soups, sauces, and gravies.

Use 1 cup of almond flour to replace 1 cup of all-purpose flour or a 1:1 ratio.

Use zucchini fries to replace French fries

Missing french fries? Zucchini fries, made with zucchini, are a great low-carb french fries substitute. You can expect to get only 8 grams of carbs from zucchini fries compared to the 48 grams of carbs in 1 serving of regular french fries. 

Use zucchini noodles to replace pasta

Missing pasta? Zucchini noodles are a good way to replace pasta on keto. They’re made by spiralizing zucchini until it looks like pasta.

It can be used to make keto alfredo recipes, or just served in place of any pasta. By using zoodles, as they’re sometimes called, you will be saving yourself 40 grams of carbs!

Also, another great keto substitute for pasta is palmini pasta which is low in carbs. You can check out my mouth-watering low-carb chicken spaghetti recipe made with palmini noodles here to see how to use this noodle substitute the right way. 

Zucchini lasagna noodles instead of lasagna noodles

Zucchini, sliced into large lasagna noodle shapes, can make a great keto substitute for regular lasagna noodles. Using zucchini lasagna noodles will save you a lot of carbs and it can be used to make a delicious keto lasagna as shown in this recipe.

However, if you’re feeling a bit fancy and you’d like a store-bought version of low carb lasagna noodles, check out these low-carb lasagna sheets made from Hearts of Palm by the brand Palmini. They come pre-cooked and ready to be used and the best part is they’re reasonably priced! They’re a great alternative to lasagna noodles in a pinch.

Zucchini noodles instead of spaghetti noodles

You can make your own keto spaghetti noodles by spiralizing zucchini. Use this keto noodle substitute in all recipes that call for regular spaghetti noodles at a 1:1 ratio.

Also, if you’re feeling fancier, you can buy some store-bought keto spaghetti noodles from the Great Keto Bread Company. This spaghetti pasta is made with ingredients like pea protein isolate, oat fiber, wheat fiber, egg whites, wheat gluten, and semolina and has 6 grams of net carbs per serving. 

Mac and cheese

The pasta used in mac and cheese has too many carbs to be eaten on keto. Therefore, learn how to make cauliflower mac and cheese as an alternative to mac and cheese on keto. 

Use homemade keto cream of mushroom soup as an alternative to cream of mushroom soup

Make your own keto cream of mushroom soup recipe. It’s very easy and you’ll only need a few ingredients.

Use black soya beans to replace beans

Missing beans? You can check out these keto bean substitutes here. But also know that black soya beans are a great low-carb replacement for beans worth trying.

Use Quest protein chips to replace tortilla chips

These chips have about 19 grams of protein and 4 grams of net carbs per bag. The Quest protein chips also come in 6 different flavors including chili lime, nacho cheese, loaded taco, ranch, and spicy sweet chili. With these keto-friendly tortilla-style chips, you can easily enjoy a bag of crunchy snacks on keto every now and then!

Use almond milk to replace milk

One of the best substitutes for milk on keto is unsweetened almond milk. It can be used in almost every recipe that needs milk on keto. Other great options are heavy cream and full-fat coconut milk. 

Use keto condensed milk to replace sweetened condensed milk

Didn’t think you could enjoy condensed milk while doing keto? Well, I’m here to let you know that you can. For a good keto condensed milk substitute, you’ll need to make your own homemade sugar-free condensed milk.

To make a keto-friendly sweetened condensed milk you will need just 3 ingredients including 2 cups of heavy cream, ⅓ cup of butter, and ⅔ cup of a low-carb sweetener of your choice.

Place all these ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. You need to stir this regularly until it simmers. Then lower the heat and let the keto condensed milk simmer for up to 45 minutes. Remove from the heat after 45 minutes and let it cool and use it at a 1:1 ratio with store-bought sweetened condensed milk. 

That’s it! You’ve just made yourself some keto condensed milk in less than an hour!

Use homemade evaporated milk to replace evaporated milk

Did you know that you can make your own evaporated milk on keto? You sure can. All you will need is a plant-based, keto milk of choice such as almond milk, and a saucepan. 

To make keto evaporated milk place about 3 cups of unsweetened almond milk into the saucepan and simmer on medium heat for about 40 minutes until the water found in the milk reduces by about 50% and the milk thickens. Cool, then remove the film that may form on top of the homemade evaporated milk and use it just like you’d use store-bought evaporated milk at a 1:1 ratio. 

Another simple keto substitute for evaporated milk is full-fat coconut milk used at a 1:1 ratio.

Also, feel free to check out some more keto friendly evaporated milk substitutes here. 

Use milk and vinegar to replace buttermilk 

To make a good keto buttermilk substitute, you will need 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk and 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice.

Warm the milk in the microwave, then mix in the vinegar or lemon juice, and let that sit for about 10-15 minutes or until the milk thickens. Use it like you’d use regular buttermilk to make keto biscuits, pancakes, and more.

Keto-friendly vanilla yogurt by :ratio instead of regular greek yogurt

Use 1 cup of Keto-friendly vanilla yogurt by :ratio to replace 1 cup of regular greek yogurt.

This type of yogurt has only 1 gram of net carbs per serving, which means that technically it can work on keto, but only if you’re doing lazy keto.

Agar agar powder as a substitute for arrowroot powder

Arrowroot powder has 8.8 grams of carbs per tablespoon. Therefore it is important to use a keto-friendly alternative like Agar-Agar powder in place of arrowroot powder.

Agar-agar powder has no flavor, and, like arrowroot powder, it is perfect for thickening sauces, puddings, and jellies, used in frozen treats like ice cream, and even for baked goods like cakes. Use a 2:1 substitution for arrowroot powder to agar-agar powder.

Use Keto hot breakfast by keto and Co. to replace oatmeal

Regular oatmeal made with oats has way too many carbs to be considered a good fit on keto. However, there are quite a few keto oatmeal substitutes with 4 net carbs per serving such as the keto hot breakfast by keto and Co.

Another great keto oatmeal alternative worth trying is a homemade keto oatmeal recipe. If you want to give this a try, check out the quick instructions below to see how to make your own homemade low carb oatmeal. 

Use homemade popcorn to replace popcorn

Popcorn has a lot of carbs and therefore cannot be eaten on keto. However, you can make your own popcorn with some cheese squares! They taste absolutely delicious and are so easy to make.

Also, check out some more keto popcorn alternatives here. 

Use homemade cornmeal to replace cornmeal

You can make your own cornmeal with the use of almond flour or almond meal and sweet corn extract. This keto cornmeal replacement is guaranteed to be low in carbs. You can use this substitute to make keto cornbread or any other recipe that calls for cornmeal on keto.

You can also purchase some corn-free bread baking mix to use in place of cornmeal on keto.

Use homemade dried cranberries to replace dried cranberries

Store-bought dried cranberries contain as much as 30 grams of sugar per ⅓ cup and are therefore not a good choice for keto lifestyles. Even when the label says reduced sugar,  there are still about 14 grams of sugar per ⅓ cup of store-bought dried cranberries. 

However, you can get your very own fresh cranberries and make homemade, keto-friendly dried cranberries with no sugar! Just follow a simple recipe like this sugar-free dried cranberry recipe and you’ll have dried cranberries with 5 grams of net carbs per ¼ cup!

Use keto refried beans to replace refried beans

A great keto substitute for refried beans is a refried beans recipe made with black soya beans. Simply follow any refried beans recipe you’d like, but, instead of using pinto beans, use an equal quantity of black soya beans instead. 

Use cauliflower mash to replace mashed potatoes

The most popular substitute for mashed potatoes on keto is cauliflower mashed potatoes. It’s creamy and yummy and you won’t even be able to tell that you’ve swapped those high-carb potatoes with super low carb cauliflower. Check out this simple cauliflower mash recipe here. 

Use unsweetened ketchup to replace ketchup

A good keto ketchup substitute is Primal Kitchen’s Organic Unsweetened Ketchup with 2 grams of carbs per serving. 

Pineapple extract to replace pineapple juice

Most fruits, and by extension fruit juices have too many carbs to be acceptable if you’re doing keto.

However, if you’re craving something like a pina colada which is typically made using either fresh pineapple or pineapple juice, you’ll be glad to know that you can use pineapple extract as a keto pineapple juice replacement.

Pineapple extract adds all the wonderful flavors of pineapple juice without any of the carbs and makes a great keto pineapple substitute.

Use fathead pizza crust to replace pizza crust

There are many ways to replace pizza crust on keto. You can make your own fathead pizza crust with ingredients like mozzarella cheese, cream cheese, and almond flour.

You can also make pizza dough out of cauliflower rice as shown here.

Or you can purchase some keto pizza crusts from Scotty’s Everyday with 0 grams of net carbs here. 

Fat snax keto crackers instead of crackers

For 1 bag of regular crackers, replace with ½ a bag of fat snax keto crackers. These almond flour crackers have only 3 grams of net carbs in half a bag and will satisfy any craving.

Keto substitute for Worcestershire sauce

For every teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce, replace it with 1 teaspoon of homemade keto Worcestershire sauce. 

It is true that regular, store-bought Worcestershire sauce only contains 1.1 grams of carbs per serving, which means that technically, it can work for dirty keto. However, since it contains ingredients like molasses and cane sugar, you should try to make your own keto version whenever possible. 

Coconut Aminos instead of soy sauce

Use 1 teaspoon of coconut aminos to replace 1 teaspoon of soy sauce on keto. 

Keto hoisin sauce instead of hoisin sauce

Use equal parts keto hoisin sauce to replace regular hoisin sauce. Regular hoisin sauce should be avoided if you’re following this lifestyle because it contains molasses and cane sugar.

Homemade oyster sauce instead of generic store-bought oyster sauce

Use equal parts homemade keto oyster sauce in place of generic store-bought oyster sauce. This is so because ready-made oyster sauce usually contains sugar. 

Steak sauce

Use equal parts keto steak sauce to replace regular steak sauce. That is, if a recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of steak sauce, use 2 tablespoons of keto steak sauce instead. 

Barbecue sauce

Use equal parts of homemade keto barbecue sauce to replace ready-made barbecue sauce. 

Keto substitute for Bisquick

Use equal parts Carbquik to replace equal parts Bisquik if you’re doing keto. Carbquik is low in carbs  – 1.1 grams of net carbs per serving – and while it is best used for dirty keto, it is significantly lower in carbs when compared to Bisquick which has 27 grams of net carbs per serving. 

Carrots

Every now and then you can enjoy some carrots in moderation on keto. However, if you’re looking for keto vegetables with fewer carbs than carrots to use as replacements either in soups, stews, or just to munch on here are some ideas. Try turnips and radishes for soups and cucumbers to munch on. 

Roux

Use equal parts keto roux to replace regular roux made with all-purpose flour. To make such a keto roux, you will need about 1 teaspoon of oil and 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum. Mix the ingredients together and use this mixture to thicken soups, sauces, etc.

Energy drink

For high-carb, high-sugar energy drinks, replace those with Bang Energy drinks. Each can of Bang has 2 grams of carbs. Note, that these only work for the lazy keto way of eating.

Peanut butter

For 1 tablespoon of ready-made peanut butter replace it with 1 tablespoon of keto peanut butter. You can make a homemade keto peanut butter recipe by following these instructions. 

You can also purchase Justin’s sugar-free peanut butter made with only 2 ingredients here. 

Low carb substitute for ramen noodles

Shirataki Konjac Pasta is the perfect alternative for ramen noodles. These noodles are made with glucomannan which comes from the konjac roots and has zero carbs. Therefore, they’re very easy to incorporate into keto-friendly ramen recipes like stir-fries. 

Replace Bananas with banana extract on keto

You cannot eat bananas on keto as a medium banana contains 27 grams of carbs. However, if you’re making a recipe like a keto banana bread, replace the bananas with banana extract. Use 1 teaspoon of banana extract for every medium banana. 

Granola

Use equal parts keto granola to replace ready-made granola on keto.

French vanilla creamer

Use 2 scoops of keto French vanilla coffee creamer powder in place of 1 tablespoon of regular French vanilla creamer. 

Keto substitutes for pancakes

There are thousands of keto pancakes that can be used to replace regular all-purpose flour pancakes on keto. Click the link above for all my favorite keto pancake substitutes.

Final thoughts on keto alternatives 

 

 

These are just 58 of the best keto substitutes. It’s quite handy to have available to you at all times. With this long list of keto food substitutes, you never have to wonder what to eat on your keto journey again!

Also, if you’re looking for these 58 substitutes for keto plus an additional 42 keto food alternatives, you can grab the full list of 300+ keto substitutes for just $2.99 here!