5 Delicious Tahini Recipes for the Keto Diet (Includes Loaded Keto Salad Recipe!) (2024)

FAQs

Can you eat tahini on a keto diet? ›

Yes, tahini, made from sesame seeds, is keto-friendly. It's rich in healthy fats and low in carbs. Include it in your keto recipes for a nutty flavor.

While you can enjoy most vegetables on keto, some veggies are higher in carbohydrates. Above-ground vegetables are typically lower in carbohydrates than veggies that grow underground. Avoid starchy vegetables and root vegetables like potatoes, carrots, and beets that have more net carbs.

A lazy keto diet consists of low-carb foods like meat, fish, full-fat dairy and non-starchy vegetables, but limits high-carb foods such as bread, potatoes, sugary snacks and some fruits. If you've tried the keto before and found it too tedious, lazy keto could be a good compromise.

Given that tahini contains a significant amount of net carbs – roughly 16.89g in a 100g serving – it is generally not suitable for a strict ketogenic diet, where the daily net carb allowance is between 20-50g.

Allergies. Unfortunately, if you are allergic, it may be difficult to avoid products that contain sesame since sesame does not have to be disclosed as an ingredient in foods. However, tahini will always include sesame seeds. So if you know that you have a sesame allergy, you should always avoid tahini.

Tahini is rich in polyunsaturated fats and bioactive plant compounds called lignans that have been shown to improve insulin secretion. In human studies, sesame consumption has been linked to improved serum glucose, hemoglobin A1C and insulin concentrations in patients with diabetes.

Cucumber is another popular salad vegetable. It contains many essential nutrients, including vitamin K. Cucumber is also suitable for the keto diet, as its carb content is just 3.63 g per 100 g. To make the carb content lower, a person can peel the cucumber before eating it.

Keto fruits by definition are low in carbohydrates. You still need to exercise portion control with most keto-friendly fruits to be within the limits of a keto diet. Keto-friendly fruits include avocados, watermelon, strawberries, lemons, tomatoes, raspberries, peaches, cantaloupe, star fruit, and blackberries.

Vegetables have carbohydrates. And that means that you have to watch how much of them you eat — even lettuce. If you're not careful or are eating them as a free-for-all, you could overconsume carbs and kick yourself out of ketosis.

In essence, dirty keto is a variation of the keto diet (a high fat, moderate protein, low carb diet) that allows you to consume whatever you want as long as it meets your macro goals. While it still reduces carb intake, it does not pay attention to the nutritional value of the fats and protein consumed.

What is the simplest keto meal? ›

Olives, nuts and charcuterie plates are brilliant keto-friendly nibbles to kick off your meal. Then stick with high protein mains like a chicken Ceasar salad, steak, or grilled fish, and swap out starchy, carb-heavy sides for vegetables if possible.

To stay under 20 grams of carbs a day, fill yourself up with lots of vegetables, proteins, and healthy fats.

Cauliflower is the ultimate low carb vegetable — and yes, cauliflower is keto! One cup of florets has 5.3 grams of net carbs. You can replace so many starchy foods with cauliflower, especially potatoes, rice and savory baked goods. (See the other veggies you can eat on keto in the low carb food list.)

Peanut butter can definitely be part of a keto diet, but it's best to stick to plain options that are free of extra flavors and sweeteners. Almond butter is a good choice, too, and it's slightly lower in carbs. Additionally, you should be mindful of your portion size if you're trying to lose weight.

Plain Greek yogurt and cottage cheese are nutritious, high protein foods. While they contain some carbs, you can eat them in moderation on keto. Both yogurt and cottage cheese have been shown to help decrease appetite and promote feelings of fullness (33, 34 ).

Keto Dips and Spreads

And while you can't have hummus made of tahini alone, make sure you look for or make a batch made with other low-carb ingredients. Also, if you're trying a keto diet, think about trying some alternative dips, such as guacamole, chimichurri, or roast eggplant dip.

Hummus can definitely be part of your keto diet, but just one or two servings can quickly expend a significant portion of your daily carb allotment. If you do eat hummus, you'll want to limit yourself to a small amount — perhaps just 2–4 tablespoons (30–60 grams), which provide 4–8 grams of net carbs.

Nutritional Profile for a Serving of Tahini

One tablespoon (15 grams) has: Calories: 89. Protein: 3 grams. Carbs: 3 grams.

Tahini (1 tablespoon) contains 3.2g total carbs, 1.8g net carbs, 8.1g fat, 2.6g protein, and 89 calories.