If you’re interested in the ketogenic diet, you’ve probably heard that the hardest thing about it is getting variety in your diet. While the keto diet, like most diets, proscribes certain foods, it’s surprisingly easy to have a wide selection of delicious dishes as long as you’re willing to get creative.
Of course, that’s easy to say. But it’s easy to get stuck in a rut, thinking of familiar recipes and how impossible it seems to eliminate carbs. The best thing is simply to start from scratch. That’s why we’ve put together this list of the best keto books available online.
Most of these books are cookbooks, full of delicious, zero-carb recipes you can make with ingredients from your local grocery store. We’ve also mixed in a few general keto diet guides, as well as some specialty books like a dairy-free and vegetarian cookbook. No matter what your dietary needs, there’s something here for you.
Ready?
Let’s get started!
Editor's Pick
Our Top 20 Keto Diet Books
Ketogenic Diet Mistakes You Need to Know is a quick beginner’s keto diet guide written by Sara Givens.
Key Features
- Brief and to the point
- Helps you avoid common pitfalls
- Great for beginners
This is a very short book; you can read it in less than an hour. But as the saying goes, “good things come in small packages”. In its 63 pages, nutrition expert Sara Givens talks about fifteen of the most common pitfalls people encounter when first embarking on the keto lifestyle.
She starts out by explaining the science of ketosis before walking you through the old diet canards of calorie counting and scale watching. Then she explains some of the more specific points of the ketogenic diet. The sections on protein and fat balance and the chapter on healthy versus unhealthy fats should be required reading for anyone considering going keto. This may just be the best ketogenic diet book for beginners.
2. The Wicked Good Ketogenic Diet Cookbook
The Wicked Good Ketogenic Diet Cookbook is a keto cookbook written by famed paleo chef Amanda C. Hughes.
Key Features
- Written by a master chef
- Includes both everyday and exotic foods
- 175 recipes
- Includes calorie macros for each recipe
- Not 100% ketogenic
Amanda C. Hughes is a master chef who specializes in paleo and other whole food cooking. So when we found out she’d put together a ketogenic cookbook, we knew it was going to be good.
We weren’t disappointed. This book contains 175 recipes, from breakfast to dessert. It includes a wide variety of dishes, some of which are everyday (fried eggs, meatloaf, cheesesteak), and others that are a little more exotic (Maine lobster).
Beginning keto dieters will want to be careful, though. While this is one of the best keto cookbooks around, you don’t want to follow any of her meal plans. She keeps carbs low, but a lot of the dishes have too much protein and not enough fat. Use this book as a supplement, not as your go-to keto guide.
3. Dr. Colbert’s Keto Zone Diet
Dr. Colbert’s Keto Zone diet is a comprehensive ketogenic guide written by whole food nutrition advocate Dr. Don Colbert.
Key Features
- Comprehensive primer for beginners
- Advice for adapting the diet to your needs
- Sometimes reads like a sales pitch
The author of this book, Dr. Don Colbert, is an anti-aging and hormone expert. As a result, it should come as no surprise that he puts a lot of emphasis on the health benefits of ketosis, including solid explanations of its effects on all your body’s systems.
One thing he does well is discuss how everyone’s body is different. Not all people will respond the same way to the ketogenic diet, and he does a good job of explaining hormone balance, as well as dispelling common myths about cholesterol.
This is one of the best books on keto diet nutrition, but we wish the good doctor had stuck to the facts. He calls ketosis “the keto zone”, as if it’s something he came up with, and the end of the book includes a sales pitch for his website. That said, it’s still a good guide for beginners, as well as for anyone who’s struggling with general health issues while they’re in ketosis.
4. The Essential Keto Cookbook
The Essential Keto Cookbook is a ketogenic recipe book written by paleo experts.
Key Features
- Includes useful meal plans
- Emphasizes high-quality ingredients
- Some recipes are very basic
- Includes calorie macros for all recipes
This book was written by one of the paleo diet’s power couples, Louise and Jeremy Hendon. Because of this, most of the recipes contain only whole foods, and there’s very little dairy to be found. If you appreciate the benefits of the paleo diet but want to go full on ketogenic, this is one of the best keto diet books for getting started.
The recipes are easy to make, and each one includes a calorie macro so you can keep track of carb, fat and protein balance. The meal plans at the end are pretty good, and can be a great way to stay on course while you’re starting the diet.
Some of the recipes are pretty basic, though. One is an avocado salad that’s just sliced avocadoes with oil and vinegar. There’s nothing wrong with the recipe itself, but it’s the keto equivalent of telling someone how to make a peanut butter sandwich.
5. The Keto Diet: The Complete Guide to a High-Fat Diet
The Keto Diet: The Complete Guide to a High-Fat Diet is a comprehensive ketogenic diet guide written by Leanne Vogel.
Key Features
- Nutrition guide and cookbook in one
- Comprehensive
- Dairy-free
- Uses a lot of exotic ingredients
- Calorie macros for each recipe
If you’ve been in the nutrition world for awhile, you may be familiar with Leanne Vogel as the voice of the popular podcast Healthful Pursuit. This is probably the most comprehensive keto diet book out there, and walks you through the entire lifestyle, including explaining calorie macros and specific nutritional needs for ketogenic diets. Each recipe includes calorie macros so you can plan your day easily.
The author is a whole-food advocate, like many of the authors on our list, and she doesn’t eat dairy. As a result, a lot of the ingredients use exotic ingredients – for example, duck oil instead of butter. Unless you’re dairy sensitive, it’s a good idea to use everyday substitutes for these.
6. Keto Clarity: Your Definitive Guide to the Benefits of a Low-Carb, High-Fat Diet
Keto Clarity: Your Definitive Guide to the Benefits of a Low-Carb, High-Fat Diet is a ketogenic nutrition guide co-authored by Jimmy Moore and Eric Westman, MD.
Key Features
- Includes personal stories and real-world strategies
- Easy to read
- Relatively basic
This book was written by Jimmy Moore, a nutrition blogger, and Duke professor Eric Westman. Moore first became famous in 2004, after he lost 180 pounds on the ketogenic diet and was able to stop using a slew of medications he’d needed to control his high blood pressure, cholesterol and breathing problems.
Moore has been blogging since then, so it should come as no surprise that the book is written in easy to read layman’s terms. Basically, it’s the story of his diet journey, along with helpful advice he’s learned from his own experience. Westman provides a lot of the medical information, giving a veneer of respectability to this advice. If you want to know how other people have handled keto challenges, this is a good place to start.
7. Keto: The Complete Guide to Success
Keto: The Complete Guide to Success is a ketogenic nutrition guide written by Maria and Craig Emmerich.
Key Features
- Includes dairy and dairy-free meal plans
- Covers a variety of health issues
- Comprehensive and relatively short
Nutrition expert and author Maria Emmerich is joined by her husband and fellow nutritionist Craig Emmerich in writing this all-encompassing guide to the ketogenic lifestyle. In its pages, you’ll find an easy-to-read explanation of the benefits of ketosis, as well as responses to some common ketogenic myths. The meal plans at the end are helpful as well, and the authors include both dairy and dairy-free versions.
Where this book really shines is in its analysis of hormone imbalances and health issues. They talk about cancer, diabetes, gout, autoimmune disease, Alzheimer’s, asthma, and about a dozen other less serious concerns such as acne, and present modifications for people with each of those conditions.
8. The Ketogenic Bible
The Ketogenic Bible is a complete ketogenic guide and recipe book written by scholars Jacob Wilson and Ryan Lowery.
Key Features
- Includes both a guide and recipes
- Down to earth explanations
- Includes an overview of different keto applications
Ryan Lowery is a former college baseball national champion who’s just starting his career as an MD. Jacob Wilson is a longtime doctor with over 150 published papers. With their powers combined, they’ve created an excellent overview of the ketogenic diet.
What sets this book apart from the pack is the amount of time the authors spend explaining how and why the diet works, before getting to any practical advice. If you’re looking for a down to earth explanation of the science of ketosis, you’ll find it here.
The authors also do a good job of breaking down the benefits of ketosis for a variety of purposes. Whether you have a disease, are trying to lose weight, or are trying to boost athletic performance, they have advice for all applications. They also include 140 pages of recipes, which is a welcome addition to any diet book.
9. The Ketogenic and Modified Atkins Diets
The Ketogenic and Modified Atkins Diets is a guide to using low-carb diets for managing a variety of disorders.
Key Features
- Written from a medical perspective
- Geared towards people with neurological issues
- Includes modifications for kids
- Includes recipes and meal plans
This book was written by a panel of five experts on various neurological and physical conditions. The book’s primary focus is on using the ketogenic diet to treat epilepsy, but there are also sections about brain tumors, dementia and autism. If you’re considering using a keto diet to manage these conditions, this is a good primer.
Because of its focus on epilepsy, the book includes a guide on using the modified Atkins diet for children, since a full-on ketogenic diet isn’t always the best choice for kids. It also includes a section on meal plans and recipes to help you get started.
10. Eat Rich, Live Long
Eat Rich, Live Long is a combination of a science text, diet guide and recipe book written by Ivor Cummings and Jeffrey Gerber.
Key Features
- Comprehensive health and wellness guide
- Includes 100 pages of recipes
- Easy to read
- Excellent explanation of insulin resistance
This book was co-authored by Ivor Cummings, an experienced chemical engineer, and Jeffrey Gerber, a family doctor and dietician. Between them, they’ve created one of the most all-encompassing ketogenic diet guides you’ll find.
The book is written in everyday language, and is easy to understand. The first section discusses the chemistry of ketosis and the effects of high insulin resistance even in non-diabetic people. It’s worth reading for this section alone, but the recipe section is also excellent.
If you want to take a deeper dive, the last third of the book talks about the health effects of sugar, and discusses nutritional needs that you’ll have to address while you’re in ketosis.
11. Keto Made Easy
Keto Made Easy is a ketogenic cookbook written by Megha Barot and Matt Gaedke.
Key Features
- Easy recipes with everyday ingredients
- Includes a meal plan
- Calorie macro with every meal
- Includes a quick guide on getting started
If you’re looking for a simple keto cookbook without any exotic ingredients, Keto Made Easy is the best ketogenic cookbook for you. We’re talking eggs, butter, coconut oil, chicken, bacon and lots of everyday greens. Each recipe has a calorie macro so you can keep track of your intake, and the end of the book includes a meal plan that’s as simple – and delicious – as they come.
The authors, Megha Barot and Matt Gaedke, are a couple who have been on the ketogenic diet for four years and are happy to share their experiences. Their joy comes through in their writing, particularly in the first few pages, which are a helpful primer on how to get started on the keto diet.
12. Keto Cooking With Your Instant Pot
Keto Cooking With Your Instant Pot is a ketogenic crock pot recipe book written by Dr. Karen S. Lee.
Key Features
- 75 delicious crock pot meals
- Combination of everyday and exotic dishes
- Calorie macro with each meal
- Not all recipes are keto-friendly
The author of this book, Dr. Lee, is a nutrition blogger and retired chiropractor. She specializes in treating autoimmune diseases, so her emphasis is on using diets to improve health. As a result, this isn’t strictly a keto cookbook. Some of the recipes have too many carbs or an improper protein to fat ratio. Thankfully, all recipes include a calorie macro, so you can see for yourself which ones are keto-friendly.
As the title of the book implies, all 75 recipes are for crock pot meals, making this an indispensable guide for anyone who wants to go ketogenic but doesn’t have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen. Some of the recipes can be made with simple, everyday ingredients, while others require more exotic ingredients like lobster.
13. Ketotarian
Ketotarian is a guide and vegetarian, ketogenic recipe book by Will Cole.
Key Features
- Comprehensive nutrition guide
- Over 100 pages of vegetarian recipes
- Includes a ketogenic meal plan
- Calorie macro with each meal
- This book is vegetarian, not vegan
Vegetarians rejoice! Autoimmune expert Dr. Will Cole has written a book that’s chock full of vegetarian, ketogenic recipes. Each one includes a calorie macro for easy tracking, and the meal plan is easy to use. The book begins with an explanation of the benefits of both ketogenic and plant-based diets before getting into the recipes.
That said, this book was definitely written by a nutritionist. You can tell because a lot of the recipes are bland, so be prepared to add some seasoning to these healthy dishes. The other thing you’ll want to keep in mind is that these recipes are vegetarian, not vegan. Most of them use milk, eggs or fish, so vegans will want to look elsewhere.
14. The Easy 5-Ingredient Ketogenic Diet Cookbook
The Easy 5-Ingredient Ketogenic Diet Cookbook is a book of easy recipes by Jen Fisch.
Key Features
- 160 pages of easy-to-cook recipes
- Calorie macro with each recipe
- Uses everyday ingredients
Popular nutrition blogger Jen Fisch wrote this book as the culmination of years of writing about the ketogenic lifestyle. Aside from a short section at the beginning bout the benefits of the keto diet, this is a straight-up cookbook.
The recipes are all designed to be cooked in 30 minutes or less, and have 5 or fewer ingredients. While we agree that they’re all easy to cook, Fisch fudges the definition of “ingredient”, so some recipes actually include up to 10 if you include things like spices and water. Every recipe has a calorie macro, and most of the ingredients are everyday foods you can pick up at any grocery store.
15. Keto Restaurant Favorites
Keto Restaurant Favorites is a ketogenic cookbook written by Maria Emmerich.
Key Features
- Over 175 recipes
- Wide variety of foods
- Mix of everyday and exotic ingredients
- Calorie macro with each recipe
- Handy chart for people with dietary restrictions
In this book, veteran chef and cookbook writer Maria Emmerich tries her hand at ketogenic food. The concept here is to recreate popular restaurant and take-out dishes at home, with ketogenic ingredients. Because of the wide array of foods – Italian, Mexican, Thai, Chinese and American – some of the ingredients are widely available and others are more exotic.
Each recipe includes a calorie macro, so you can track your protein, fat and carb intake. In addition, the author includes a chart that indicates which recipes are dairy-free, nut-free and gluten-free, so people with dietary restrictions can easily find foods that work for them.
16. Simply Keto: A Practical Approach to Health & Weight Loss
Simply Keto: A Practical Approach to Health & Weight Loss is a ketogenic guide and cookbook by Suzanne Ryan.
Key Features
- Includes personal stories and real-world examples
- Includes a 30-day plan
- Over 200 pages of recipes
- Calorie macro with each recipe
Blogger Suzanne Ryan became popular writing about how she lost 100 pounds in one year on the ketogenic diet. She peppers her book with helpful advice drawn from her own experience, but does a good job of keeping her emphasis on the recipes. The most helpful part for beginners will be her 30-day plan for getting started on keto.
The recipes themselves are tasty, and cover every meal of the day – including dessert. Each one includes a calorie macro.
17. Easy Keto Dinners
Easy Keto Dinners is an easy-to-use ketogenic cookbook written by Carolyn Ketchum.
Key Features
- Over 50 recipes
- Easy to cook foods with everyday ingredients
- Calorie macro with each recipe
Carolyn Ketchum is the writer behind one of the web’s most popular low-carb, gluten-free food blogs, All Day I Dream About Food. In this book, she focuses on foods that are easy to cook. People with busy lives will appreciate the short prep times and simplicity, as well as the simple, everyday ingredients.
A good example is the cilantro lime grilled chicken, which has only 9 ingredients and takes half an hour from prep to plate. Each of the 50 recipes includes a calorie macro for planning your weekly diet.
18. Craveable Keto
Craveable Keto is a keto guide and cookbook written by Kyndra Holley.
Key Features
- Comprehensive guide for transitioning to keto
- Includes a guide on ingredient replacements
- Includes five 28-day meal plans
- 262 pages of recipes
- Calorie macro with each recipe
Kyndra Holley is a veteran cookbook author and food blogger who has been on the ketogenic diet for years. In this book, she aims to create a variety of recipes that accept substitutions. The reason? People with dietary restrictions often struggle with keto, but she makes it easy to swap out “forbidden” ingredients for alternatives.
The book begins with a comprehensive guide on transitioning to the ketogenic lifestyle, and follows up with a guide on ingredient replacements for dairy, nuts and other problem foods. The recipes themselves are delicious, and each one includes a calorie macro. There’s also a selection of five 28-day meal plans to help you get started.
19. Easy Dairy-Free Ketogenic Recipes
Easy Dairy-Free Ketogenic Recipes is a dairy-free ketogenic cookbook by Maria Emmerich.
Key Features
- 100% dairy-free
- Over 100 recipes
- Calorie macro with each recipe
- Includes multiple meal plans
Chef and cookbook writer Maria Emmerich makes her second appearance on our list with this book, and it’s well-deserved. The ketogenic diet is challenging enough for people with no dietary restrictions, but for people with dairy sensitivities it can be downright painful. Emmerich makes this easy with over 100 dairy-free recipes.
Each recipe includes a calorie macro for easy tracking, and most of the ingredients are readily available at your local grocery store. The end of the book includes several meal plans, each one tailored to a different set of dietary restrictions.
20. The Complete Ketogenic Diet For Beginners
The Complete Ketogenic Diet For Beginners is a ketogenic diet guide and cookbook written by Amy Ramos.
Key Features
- 95 pages of recipes
- Calorie macro with each recipe
- Includes a 14-day meal plan
- Simple, everyday ingredients
Amy Ramos is a ketogenic diet expert who has authored multiple cookbooks and guides. She begins this book with a quick overview of the ketogenic diet, and gives helpful tips on making the transition, like cleaning out your pantry to avoid temptation. She follows up with a 14-day meal plan for starting your new lifestyle.
The rest of the book is all recipes. Most of them require less than half an hour to cook, and all the ingredients are readily available. You won’t find any crazy, exotic ingredients here. Each recipe includes a calorie macro.
Bottom Line
There are a number of reasons to go on a ketogenic diet. Bodybuilders love it, because it helps lower blood sugar while you’re cutting weight. Oncologists love it, because it’s effective for battling certain cancers when used in conjunction with proper medical treatment.
It’s also one of the best diets for people who suffer from diabetes. After all, the whole point of the diet is to reduce your blood sugar level. Best of all, the ketogenic diet is naturally gluten-free, since you won’t be eating any grains on your keto regimen.
Of course, every diet has some drawbacks, and the keto diet is no exception. By avoiding carbs, you’ll be shorting yourself on certain nutrients that are primarily found in grains and fruits. The most important are magnesium and calcium. Both of these are vital for healthy cell function, so you’ll want to take magnesium and calcium supplements. You’ll also want to take a potassium supplement, since you’re likely to be short on that as well.
Iron may or may not be an issue. While seafood and red meats are rich in iron, the main plant-based sources are grains, lentils, tofu and beans, none of which are keto friendly. If you’re a vegetarian and you’re going ketogenic, you’re going to need an iron supplement to stay healthy.
The last issue people face is getting adequate fiber. There’s no fiber in meat, so make sure to eat plenty of salad and green veggies every day. Your digestive tract will thank you.
The Review
Best Keto Books
Here are our top 20 keto book recommendations reviewed!
Review Breakdown
- Ketogenic Diet Mistakes
- The Wicked Good Ketogenic Diet Cookbook
- Dr. Colbert's Keto Zone Diet
- The Essential Keto Cookbook
- The Keto Diet
- Keto Clarity
- Keto: The Complete Guide to Success
- The Ketogenic Bible
- The Ketogenic and Modified Atkins Diets
- Eat Rich, Live Long
- Keto Made Easy
- Keto Cooking with Your Instant Pot
- Ketotarian: The (Mostly) Plant-Based Plan to Burn Fat
- The Easy 5-Ingredient Ketogenic Diet Cookbook
- Keto Restaurant Favorites
- Simply Keto
- Easy Keto Dinners
- Craveable Keto
- Easy Dairy-Free Ketogenic Recipes
- The Complete Ketogenic Diet for Beginners
Best Keto Books DEALS
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