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17 Keto Cookout Ideas To Try This Summer! (Included Recipes)

Are you looking for the perfect keto cookout recipe to try this summer but can’t decide which ones to try? 

If this is your first low carb cookout then it may be a little daunting, especially if guests are involved. 

On the flip side, the right keto recipe will taste absolutely delicious to everyone, even if they don’t follow a keto diet. 

Any of these tried and true recipe ideas will show off your keto cooking skills and make your cookout a smashing success. 

So invite your friends and, or family over, and treat them to these low carb keto friendly recipes.

You won’t have to worry that they will notice it’s a low carb cookout. 

Even with less sugar or gluten free, there will only be tasty meals on the table. 

Sound exciting!!! Let’s dive in! 

Cook out Keto Appetizer Recipes

Creamy Keto Coleslaw

A staple for any cookout, coleslaw brings a much appreciated crunchy freshness. Store bought coleslaw, containing many unhealthy ingredients, is far inferior to a homemade one.

Easy to make, only taking around 10 minutes, with high quality ingredients like:

  • mayo, or homemade mayo
  • fresh cabbage
  • herbs
  • a splash of lemon juice 

Chock full of vitamins and nutrients, cabbages are a healthy choice that aligns well with the keto diet. (*)

Classic Guacamole

Guacamole is not just tasty, but a very nice keto option, perfect for an appetizer to a keto cookout. 

Avocados are famous for containing what is known as “good fats” or unsaturated fats, which are perfect for a keto diet. (*)

Very adaptable to fit any taste buds, the perfect guac is versatile and spiced to your taste. 

But there’s more!

We recommend:

  • lime or sour cream
  • cilantro
  • red onions
  • spicy jalapeno 

And you have a yummy guacamole in no time that will make quite an impression. 

Now! For the main event:

Cookout Main Dish Recipes

Ranch Chicken Skewers

Any cookout would benefit greatly from a meal with chicken skewers, but this one is a little more special. 

Use buttermilk, rosemary for flavor, and ranch dressing to marinate the chicken breast, and the skewers will come out juicy and savory. 

A perfect meal for a keto cookout that you can pair with:

  • fresh salad
  • green beans
  • pesto sauce

The next day’s leftovers also work nicely with some baby spinach salad or any other side dish you have left. 

Low-carb BCQ Wings

The simple mention of barbeque wings is enough to cause a mouth-watering reaction, but a keto option is even better. 

Specific to a keto diet that relies more on fats than carbs, these wings work perfectly, although they may not be perfect for those that count calories. 

Caloric intake aside, portion control would be best to practice with BBQ wings, and a couple will not be as high in calories, especially since you don’t eat this every day. 

Keto BBQ Pork Ribs

A low carb cookout delightful dish that replaces sugar for the sticky texture of barbeque ribs with an assortment of spices. 

To make these pork ribs, you don’t even really need a barbeque, as they can come out nicely baked in an oven, with much less fuss. 

We recommend you use dry rub, sauce, or both. 

You’ll get ribs that will turn out: 

  • delicious 
  • spicy 
  • low on carb intake

Perfect for your keto diet! 

Now! Let’s dig in a little deeper!

Cookout Side Dish Recipes

Pork Belly Bites

This might sound like an odd one, but pork belly bites are essentially bacon, only made from scratch and a little thicker, with:

  • smooth texture 
  • rich flavor
  • delectable
  • crispy 
  • gooey 
  • a little sweet to taste

They are very easy to make, either on a barbeque or in the oven. 

Simple to cook, in a party-friendly bite form, these little delights are perfect for a keto cookout. 

They can even be spiced up with some chilly for an extra punch.

Broccoli Salad

Deliciously crispy and sweet, a broccoli salad makes for a great side dish at a keto cookout. 

Made with:

  • freshly diced broccoli 
  • bacon crumbles 
  • toasted almond flakes
  • chopped chives

This salad is a refreshing addition to a warm summer meal. 

And that’s not all!

Highly nutritious and rich in vitamin C, there are many health benefits to broccoli in general, and if you like it raw, all the better. (*)

Broccoli salad is perfect for all you vegans out there, by substituting the bacon with diced avocado. 

Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken 

Crispy lettuce mixed with grilled chicken, Caesar salad is a tasty favorite among many keto communities, and it could be yours too. 

Cesar salad may be a simplistic meal but it’s one you can’t go wrong with, even for guests that don’t follow a keto diet. 

With the classic:

  • caesar salad dressing
  • flavorful herbs
  • smooth oil
  • lemon juice
  • punchy dijon mustard 

We believe the fresh, crunchy feel of a Caesar salad is a winner in our book, and it will definitely be a select choice at your keto cookout as well. 

Herb and Garlic Dressing 

A white dressing that is keto friendly? 

Yes indeed!

It uses non-dairy milk as its base, mixed with a few choice herbs and spices.

This dressing is perfect not just as a dressing as you can turn it into a dip fairly easily by altering its consistency. 

It can work perfectly as both a veggie dip as well as for grilled chicken, for a nicely put-together cookout. 

The tangy taste of garlic is a good mix of flavor and healthy option, as garlic has been known to help in stimulating the metabolic rate and helps with colds. (*)

Get Recipe: littlefamilyadventure.com

Radish Greens Pesto

We usually only use the reddish part of the radish, but the green stem is also quite useful to make pesto. 

Who knew? 

Not only do you get to make a delicious pesto sauce but it basically means you don’t waste anything from the radish. 

Along with a tasty sauce, the radish greens bring a slew of beneficial properties to the table, so to speak. Like treating anemia, or regulating blood pressure. 

Chimichurri Sauce

If you’ve never had chimichurri sauce, then you’re in for a treat. Similar to pesto but without the basil, this sauce is very popular in South American countries. 

What makes this sauce so enjoyable is its versatility. You can use it to marinate your favorite steak or just as a complementary sauce. 

It helps that it’s very easy to make at home with many of the ingredients that you may already have in your pantry, like:

  • olive oil
  • garlic 
  • parsley
  • oregano
  • salt
  • vinegar

Ok, now lets turn to:

Cookout Dessert Recipes

Keto Chocolate Cake

Cake usually implies carbs, but this can be bypassed with almond flour. A keto option for a chocolate cake is made with coffee frosting. 

Using: 

  • cream cheese 
  • instant coffee powder
  • butter
  • cocoa powder
  • heavy cream

This cake will turn out looking and tasting wonderful. 

Try it out! 

You will be showered with praise for your marvelous keto cooking skills. 

Keto Cream Cheese Cookies

A fast and simple to make cookie recipe that is keto friendly, using cream cheese, these little cookies will become a favorite.

Leftovers are perfect for the next day’s breakfast, or even for your friends to take home after the cookout. A perfect treat for a great keto cookout. 

With: 

  • almond flour 
  • cream cheese
  • egg
  • vanilla extract 
  • salt

We think it’s absolutely scrumptious! Try it on your next family gathering to make a great keto impression. 

To finish it off!

Cookout Drink Recipes

Almond Milk Ice Cream

You can make ice cream with almond milk really quickly, as it takes a short while to whip it into the necessary foam for ice cream. 

In about 10 minutes you have a creamy almond paste ready to become your favorite ice cream. A perfect little sweet something for the warm weather to offer a refresher. 

Add some: 

  • vanilla extract 
  • stevia 
  • unsweetened almond milk
  • a pinch o salt

Make some excellent ice cream this summer, at your splendid keto cookout. 

Get Recipe: tasteaholics.com

Keto Lemonade

Nothing says summer refreshment more than lemonade. But in order to make it keto friendly, you have to swap out the sugar for stevia. 

Everything else about lemonade is just so easy to make that it’s hard not to include it in a keto cookout. 

So give it a go!

Sweet and sour lemonade has always been a great choice for hot summers, and it’s no wonder seeing how many health benefits lemons have. (*)

Get Recipe: hip2keto.com

Cucumber Keto Cocktail

If watermelon is one refreshing fruit, then we think cucumber comes to take the lead. It’s cool as a cucumber for a reason. 

So then, a cucumber cocktail that is made with: 

  • spiced with rosemary
  • gin 
  • lime juice 
  • celery juice

More than perfect for a keto diet!

Pour on some ice cubes and you’re good to go. A low calorie and low carbs drink, full of nutrients and vitamins, with a little splash of alcohol in the mix. (*)

Get Recipe: ketodietyum.com

Watermelon Keto Cockt

Watermelon is quite possibly one of the most refreshing fruits for the warm summer months. With or without alcohol, a cocktail with watermelon should be more of a one-portion treat, as it’s not the lowest on carbs. 

Luckily, watermelon is also not as high in carbs as other fruit so it should fit in your keto diet, just a little. 

You can use: 

  • liquid stevia to sweeten
  • lemon or limejuice to add a little kick
  • rum
  • mint to garnish

Delicious and refreshing, but must be consumed in moderation. 

Learn more: Is Watermelon Keto Friendly?

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