Embarking on a keto diet requires plenty of preparation and often a total pantry overhaul. Stock up on these essential pantry items so that you can enjoy the keto diet to the fullest.
I’ve been the keto diet for a long time now and it’s a lifelong commitment for me. For over 10 years now, I’ve been eating low carb and gluten-free. And for about 5 of those years, I’ve been fully keto.
In the past decade, I’ve learned a thing or two about a successful keto lifestyle, and I want to pass these tips on to you.
This list of keto pantry staples is quite comprehensive. It includes all the basics, plus an advanced supply list for those of you who love to bake. And you can tailor it to suit your tastes, needs, and additional dietary restrictions.
Ready to conquer the keto lifestyle?
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Preparation is the key to keto diet success
I simply cannot stress this point enough: be prepared.
We live in a gluten and sugar-filled world, and it’s hard to resist temptation when it’s in your face all the time. You are far more likely to slip and get off track if you don’t have a good array of tasty low carb foods around to keep you satisfied.
So making sure to have your pantry well-stocked with keto-friendly snacks is absolutely crucial. And having the ingredients on hand for easy keto dinners and keto breakfasts makes it easier to stay on track.
If you love baking, as I do, it’s important stock up on baking ingredients too. But how do you know what ingredients will work best? What are the basics you should spend your money on?
I’ve done enough experimenting with a huge array of low carb and gluten-free ingredients and I want you to benefit from my experience. My keto baking pantry list has everything you need.
Keep it simple
As with any big lifestyle change, it’s best to start with the basics.
There are so many “keto” products and pre-packaged foods on the market nowadays. It’s a hot keyword and every brand and company is trying to capitalize on the trend. But many of them really aren’t that keto friendly at all.
While it may be tempting to load up on these items, I don’t recommend it. You are much better off sticking with real, whole foods as the building blocks of your healthy diet.
Healthy Fats and Oils
You certainly don’t need all of these in your pantry at once, but having a few options on hand goes a long way for keto cooking and baking.
- Butter: I always have at least two pounds of butter in my fridge. I love it for savory recipes like my keto mushroom soup, and for baking treats like keto sugar cookies.
- Coconut Oil
- Ghee is also good option for dairy-free keto recipes. I adore the brown butter ghee from Tin Star Foods.
- Avocado Oil
- Olive Oil
- Mayonnaise (preferably made with avocado oil, not canola oil or soybean oil)
Rich Proteins
Protein helps fill us up and keep us satisfied. I stock up on ground beef or chicken thighs whenever I see a sale. If you purchase pre-made burgers or sausage, remember to check the label for hidden sources of carbs.
- Eggs: Good for easy meals and for baking! Try my Sheet Pan Frittata for an easy breakfast or dinner.
- Beef: Steak is great, but ground beef is much less expensive. See my favorite keto ground beef recipes.
- Lamb
- Pork
- Poultry: Easy Chicken Broccoli Casserole is a fan favorite!
- Fish
- Bone broth: Sip it plain or make some warm and comforting keto soup.
Fruits and Veggies
Not all fruits and veggies are keto-friendly, so make sure you have a good array of the lower carb options to choose from. These are the ones I keep in my fridge most often:
- Fresh berries
- Avocado
- Lemon and lime
- Tomatoes
- Broccoli
- Brussels Sprouts
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
- Cucumbers
- Green Beans
- Mushrooms
- Radish
- Zucchini
- Asparagus
- Bell Peppers
- Leafy greens
Nuts & Seeds
Most nuts and seeds have a high fat content and plenty of fiber, making them a great keto snack. And nut and seed butters are useful for cooking and baking.
- Almonds
- Hazelnuts
- Macadamia Nuts
- Nut and seed butters
- Peanuts (not a true nut)
- Pecans
- Walnuts
- Pumpkin seeds
- Sunflower seeds
- Coconut
Dairy (and dairy-free alternatives)
- Heavy cream
- Cream cheese
- Hard and soft cheeses
- Sour cream or Greek yogurt (full fat)
- Coconut milk/cream
- Dairy-free cream cheese
- Unsweetened nut and seed milks
Keto baking essentials
In case you didn’t already know, baking is my happy place. I keep my pantry stocked at all times with keto-friendly flours and sweeteners so that I can whip up keto cookies or keto chocolate chip muffins any old time.
But while I have a huge array of flours, sweeteners, chocolate, nuts, and other baking ingredients at my disposal, the truth is you don’t need all of that to be a successful keto baker.
This list includes the absolute essentials to get you started. Even if you never buy anything more than what’s listed here, you will find yourself able to create wonderful keto desserts and baked goods. You can also see this list on my Amazon storefront!
Any good baking cupboard should always have baking powder, vanilla and other extracts, and salt. Plus plenty of butter, eggs, and cream (or dairy free alternatives) in the fridge!
Keto Flours
Keto flours take some getting used to, as they don’t behave even remotely like wheat flour.
- Almond flour – by far the most common keto flour and incredibly useful and delicious. Please read my tutorial on Baking with Almond Flour for detailed information.
- Coconut flour – also a very common keto flour but you really need to know what you’re getting into. Once you get used to it, it makes some of the best keto cupcakes! Please read Baking with Coconut Flour for more information.
- Sunflower seed flour is a great nut-free alternative to almond flour. And it’s easy to make your own. How to make sunflower seed flour.
Keto Sweeteners
The number of low carb sweeteners and sweetener blends has exploded in recent years. It’s wonderful because we have so many choices now. But all those choices can also be very confusing and overwhelming.
And they don’t all behave the same way! They all have their pros and cons.
Please read The Ultimate Guide to Keto Sweeteners for an in-depth look at how these sweeteners work and how they affect your results.
In my cupboard, I always keep:
- Swerve Sweetener – granular, powdered, and the new Swerve Brown, which is truly the best brown sugar replacement out there.
- Allulose and/or BochaSweet – these are great sweeteners for keto ice cream, keto caramel sauce, and other treats that can re-crystallize with erythritol.
Keto-friendly Chocolate
Once upon a time, there was no good sugar-free chocolate and I had to use chopped up 90% Lindt bars. Now there is a vast array of keto chocolate to choose from. I recommend you keep on hand:
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: Dutch process cocoa gives a better chocolate flavor for most recipes.
- Unsweetened chocolate – this is 100% cacao chocolate, with no sweetener whatsoever. It’s important to choose quality chocolate like Ghirardelli or Guittard. The cheaper Baker’s chocolate tends to seize more easily and will ruin some of your recipes.
- Sugar-free chocolate chips – ChocZero or Lily’s Sweets are the two best brands.
Protein Powder
You will notice that many of my keto cakes and muffins call for protein powder. There is a method to my madness, I promise.
I am not trying to add more protein to my diet, I get plenty of that as it is. But gluten is actually protein that helps conventional baked goods rise properly and hold their shape. In the absence of gluten, another dry protein can make your keto baked goods lighter, fluffier, and more like the ones you used to love.
- Unflavored grassfed whey protein
- Unflavored egg white protein (dairy free option)
Plant-based protein powders may work as well. But don’t try to replace with collagen protein as it bakes very differently and may make the recipe gummy and hard to cook through.
Beth Britton says
Can i ask what sweetener you use for these? And is it a liquid or granulated?
Thank you in advance.
Beth
Carolyn says
I use powdered Swerve.
Beth Britton says
Thank you ve ry much.
Jennifer says
Wow, what a treat! The cranberries came out delightfully chewy and addicting. It took forever in my oven, maybe it runs cool. I bumped the heat to 250degrees for a couple hours, then back to 200. It took about five plus hours. Think I’ll invest in a dehydrator..
You are so right about having low carb ingredients at hand to keep on track. Now I have these lovely cranberries! Thank you!
Allie says
Hi!
I’m counting my carbs very strictly to get through a stall – is the serving size 1 cup for 5.5 total carbs? If that’s not right, what is the serving size for total carbs?
Thanks!
Carolyn says
Sorry, that’s a little confusing with my new recipe plug in. It makes 8 servings so that 2 tbsp per serving.
Dottie M. says
SO excited and happy about how great these turned out! I can eat dried cranberries again!! I used my kitchen shears to snip them in half. These were perfect. So much better than store bought and sugar free to boot. I can’t stop picking at them hahaha! Thanks so much for this recipe!
Barbara says
Just made your updated cranberry recipe and they turned out so much better than the first version. Thank you so much.
Sharon says
I love cranberries and wondered if it would work to leave them whole instead of slicing?
Carolyn says
No, it does not. Because they won’t dry out properly that way.
Sharon says
Thank you, I was trying to save a step. I looked back at the comments and saw the tip about slicing between lids.
Cacie Crawford says
Thank you so much for your recipes(:
I live in Alaska and we have high bush cranberries. I was wondering if you left the seeds in when they dried?
Carolyn says
I don’t do anything to the seeds at all. So yep still in there.
Jackie says
Time & temp in a dehydrator? I’d like to make these for a sprout slaw recipe!
PattyinWestminster says
Hi again Carolyn…just opened your recipe for the yummy looking cranberry chocolate granola bars using your sugar free dried cranberries and was wondering if the prepared cranberries could be dried in a dehydrator instead of the oven?
Carolyn says
Yes, they can. I now have one and do it that way frequently.
PattyinWestminster says
Awesome. I can’t wait to try this today….Those bars look so yummy…..and BTW….I just love your blender cranberry/nut muffins. I ALWAYS have them in the freezer to grab for a quick bite with my nighttime tea. I think the bit of extra protein at night helps me sleep a lot better.
Carolyn says
I love them too!
Janice Soyster says
I know this isn’t the point of your blog but I have a question that you may have some insight about. Not only am I diabetic but I also have some kidney issues. Therefore I should have a low carb diet plus as little salt as possible. I have looked at a lot of recipes, most of which ask for adding salt. I think there is a chemical reason for adding salt in some recipes but I’m not sure. I don’t have the knowledge or experience to just leave it out but am unsure when I can do that and how much. I use very little in the foods I eat and don’t normally add it at the table. My palate is used to that taste but am wondering if I must add some occasionally to make the chemistry in the foods work correctly. Thank you for your cooking wisdom.
Carolyn says
In a few recipes, such as meringues, salt is critical to the outcome. In most other recipes, salt is more to bring out flavour. For baked goods, I’d say you can easily leave out the salt.
Barb says
Would the cranberries work with liquid Splenda do you think? I can not get past the cooling effect if swerve. When you say toss them in sweetener and oil do you mean mix the oils and sweetener tiger first?
Been WAITING for the cranberries to show up in the stores! Finally today they did!
Carolyn says
Liquid sucralose should work. Just toss the berries in a bowl with the oil and sweetener and you should be good to go.
Barb says
Thank you! Bought a 3 pound bag at Sams today!
barb says
A year later and I bought a dehydrator just for my cranberries. Last year they were gone within a day of drying them. In the last three days I’ve cut in half and dehydrated 22 pounds of cranbeies and I’m just getting started!
barb says
One more question. It might have been asked – I’m going to dehydrate tons this year. What’s the best way to store them for long term? Can they be frozen after dehydration?
Jackie says
barb, can you pass on a little more on the dehyrating? I’d love to give it a try – we’re big fans of apple slices with ceylon cinnamon 🙂 I see you cut the berries in half so no boil? And which sweetener did you go with – I have some stevia glycerite that I can’t find a use for..?
As for your question on storing, I saw this pdf and wonder if you need to bother freezing? http://www.greenfieldworld.com/catalog/Excalibur2012.pdf
Diana says
I’ve been making dried cranberries for several years now, following the boil ’em and bake ’em method. But when you mentioned on Facebook(?) that you just cut them in half and tossed them with oil and sweetener, I tried that and wow! They come out nicely separated and are so much easier to oven-dry evenly without having to constantly be removing done ones from around the edges. Thanks for all your great ideas and experiments!
Mary says
And when fresh cranberries aren’t available, you can find dried cranberries with no added sugars, juices, or oils at http://www.honestlycranberry.com #truetarttaste @honestlycran
Carolyn says
Well, I have to say…this is a little spammy of you. Might have been nice if you asked me if you could link to your site from my blog. Maybe an intro would have helped. I like to help companies that produce low carb goodies but again, this comes across as very spammy.
Beth says
There are so many comments that I didn’t have time to read through all of them. I know these can be kept in the fridge, but can these be vacuum sealed for room temperature storage? With cranberries on sale now for the holidays, I’d like to make a whole bunch. Thanks!
Carolyn says
Yes, if you can really vacuum all the air out, they should be fine for a month or two.
Beth says
Thank you, Carolyn. Can you freeze the sliced raw cranberries then thaw them out to oven dry? Or do you think they’ll be too mushy?
Carolyn says
I really don’t know, I haven’t tried.
Tam says
Thank you SO MUCH for your helpful hints and wonderful recipes!! I’ve lost 55 lbs. since May by following a low-carb WOE and really appreciate posts like yours which offer top-notch suggestions from a seasoned low-carber. Please keep ’em coming. TKS again! ????❤️
Sandra says
Thank you for the inspiration to make these. I did tweak the recipe a bit. Instead of using a 1/2 cup sweetener, I used 5 packets of pure via. I baked them at 200 as instructed but time got away from me so I cut the oven off and left them sit overnight. They turned out terrific. Little bit tart with a hint of sweetness.
Honestly Cranberry says
We would like to share with you Honestly Cranberry…
In addition to growing cranberries in Wisconsin, we dry cranberries with no added sugar, juices, or oils – just the fruit – delivering the true tart taste of cranberry year round. These dried cranberries are ready to use an an addition to your favorite recipe or to enjoy out of the bag as a ‘good-for-you’snack. More information can be found at http://www.honestlycranberry.com
Cheers,
Mary
Kelly says
I just love these creanberries! Now that they are out of season, would this work with frozen? Thanks!
Carolyn says
Yes, it would. Just thaw them first.
Sandy says
Couldn’t the cranberries be slightly chopped up in a food processor instead of cutting them in half?
Carolyn says
I am just afraid you would end up with cranberry mush, but you could certainly try.
Kathy says
I made these and loved them, I cooked mine a little too long, but they were still delicious.
Loved putting them on my salads, they gave them a little punch.
CeliaT says
I just found this page and want to make the dried cranberries. I’m a little confused about the water — do I cut the cranberries in half and then put them in water, sweetener and oil, and then put them on the tray to dry??? Any help much appreciated!
Carolyn says
Don’t boil them at all. I forgot to remove the water from the ingredients list. Hope that helps!