The easiest keto lunches and picnic foods are ones that taste good cold and travel well: lettuce wraps, egg muffins, chicken or tuna salad in avocado halves, cheese and meat boxes, salmon salads, cauliflower and broccoli salads, and leftovers from dinner. Build each lunch around a protein, plenty of low-carb vegetables and some healthy fat, and pack a few snacks such as nuts, olives or cheese. For picnics, keep perishable food in a cool bag with ice packs and don’t leave it out for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour in hot weather above 32°C (90°F), as the US Food and Drug Administration advises.
How to build a keto lunch
| Part | Ideas |
|---|---|
| Protein | Chicken thighs, hard-boiled eggs, tuna, salmon, prawns, cold meats, cheese, tofu, halloumi |
| Vegetables | Lettuce, spinach, cucumber, peppers, celery, radishes, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini |
| Healthy fat | Avocado, olives, olive oil dressing, nuts, seeds, mayonnaise, pesto |
| Extras | Pickles, herbs, lemon, mustard, a few berries |
Aim for a palm-sized portion of protein, at least two handfuls of vegetables, and one or two portions of fat. Our guide to keto macros explains how much of each you need.
15 keto lunch ideas
- Lettuce wraps with chicken, bacon, avocado and tomato.
- Egg muffins: eggs baked in a muffin tin with spinach, peppers and cheese. Make a dozen and keep them for 3 to 4 days.
- Tuna salad in avocado halves. Our lighter tuna salad works well. See also our stuffed avocados.
- Chicken Caesar salad without croutons, with Parmesan crisps for crunch.
- Salmon and green bean salad with lemon and dill, using leftovers from our sheet pan salmon with green beans.
- Greek salad with feta, olives, cucumber, peppers and grilled chicken.
- A protein box with cheese cubes, cold meats, boiled eggs, cucumber and celery sticks, olives and almonds.
- Chicken avocado salad, like our keto chicken avocado salad.
- Cauliflower “potato” salad with eggs, celery, spring onions and mayonnaise.
- Broccoli and bacon salad with sunflower seeds and a creamy dressing.
- Zucchini noodle salad with pesto, cherry tomatoes and mozzarella.
- Leftover curry or stew with cauliflower rice, in a thermos.
- Halloumi and roasted vegetable skewers.
- Prawn and avocado cocktail in lettuce cups.
- A big kale salad, like our keto kale salad, which holds up well when dressed ahead.
Keto picnic ideas
- Devilled eggs or simply halved boiled eggs with salt and paprika.
- Chicken drumsticks roasted the day before.
- Cheese board with hard cheeses, olives, a few slices of salami or ham, cucumber and celery.
- Vegetable sticks with guacamole, tzatziki or a sour cream dip.
- Caprese skewers with mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and basil.
- Mixed nuts and seeds.
- Berries with whipped cream in a jar, kept cold.
- Sparkling water with lemon or iced tea without sugar.
Our guide to healthy picnic food covers food safety outdoors in more detail.
Packing tips
- Use an insulated lunch bag with an ice pack for meat, fish, eggs, dairy and mayonnaise-based salads.
- Keep dressings separate so salads stay crisp.
- Pack wet and dry foods apart, using containers with dividers.
- Prep on the weekend: cook a batch of chicken, boil eggs, wash and chop vegetables, and make a jar of dressing. Our guide to keto meal prep shows how.
- Use leftovers. Cook extra at dinner and pack it for lunch the next day.
Food safety
Cold perishable food should be kept at 4°C (40°F) or below. Refrigerate cooked food within 2 hours and eat it within 3 to 4 days. If your lunch has been out of the fridge for a long time without an ice pack, especially in a warm car or office, it’s safest to throw it away. Rice-based leftovers need extra care, but on keto you’ll mostly use cauliflower rice instead.
Keeping it balanced
Keto lunches can easily become heavy on cheese and processed meat. To keep them healthy, use processed meats such as salami and ham only occasionally, choose fish and chicken often, fill half the box with vegetables, and use olive oil, avocado and nuts as your main fats. Our guide to healthy fats on keto explains why. Processed meat is high in salt and is classed as a cause of bowel cancer by the World Health Organization.
A week of keto lunches
- Monday: chicken Caesar salad with Parmesan crisps.
- Tuesday: egg muffins with a side of cherry tomatoes and cucumber.
- Wednesday: tuna-stuffed avocado with celery sticks.
- Thursday: leftover salmon and green beans with lemon mayonnaise.
- Friday: a protein box with cheese, boiled eggs, olives, almonds and vegetable sticks.
Cooking a tray of chicken thighs and boiling a batch of eggs on Sunday covers most of these. Rotating proteins and dressings keeps the week interesting, and having one “no-cook” lunch, like the protein box, gives you a backup for busy mornings.
Eating keto lunches at work
If you have a fridge at work, store your lunch there as soon as you arrive. If not, use an insulated bag with two ice packs. A small thermos keeps soups, stews and curries hot until lunchtime. Keep a few shelf-stable backups in a drawer, such as canned tuna or salmon, nuts and seeds, so a forgotten lunch doesn’t mean a trip to the sandwich shop.
Common questions
What can I eat for lunch on keto without cooking?
A protein box with cheese, eggs, olives and vegetables, canned tuna or salmon with mayonnaise and salad, or a rotisserie chicken salad.
How do I keep keto lunches interesting?
Rotate proteins and dressings, try different cuisines, and use herbs, spices and sauces such as pesto, tahini and salsa.
What are good keto lunch snacks?
Nuts, seeds, olives, cheese, boiled eggs, celery with nut butter, and a few berries. Our list of keto snacks has more.
Safety note: Keto isn’t suitable for everyone. If you have diabetes, kidney or liver disease, take regular medication, or are pregnant or breastfeeding, talk to your doctor before cutting carbs this far (why it matters).
This article is general information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian before making big changes to how you eat, especially if you have a health condition, take regular medication, or are pregnant or breastfeeding.
