If you’re like many other folks and you’re reading this, chances are good that you enjoy a tasty burger. However, sometimes you want a little more. You need a tasty side to accompany the main dish. Another reason you’re reading this is because you’re a fan of the ketogenic diet, which is a diet rich in fat, low protein, and very few carbs. It may seem difficult to find many foods that fit that criteria, but you’d be surprised. Today, we’ll tell you about many keto side dishes for burgers that can make your meal complete.
What is Keto?
The first step to choosing great keto side dishes for burgers is to know what the ketogenic diet is all about. While it may seem like a new fad, it’s actually been around in some fashion since the 1920s. Basically, it’s an eating pattern where you eat a lot of similar foods, including seafood, butter, eggs, meat, chicken, and seeds. Basically, you’re looking for moderate amounts of protein and very few carbs but lots of fat.
The idea is that by restricting carbs and being careful with protein, you’ll put your body in a nutritional ketosis, which is a process that breaks down the fat and protein for energy, which, in turn, helps you to lose weight. The whole idea is to lose weight on a temporary basis. This diet is not meant for the long term.
With all that said, here are some great keto side dishes for burgers.
Broccoli Salad
Nothing goes better with a burger than a great salad, and if you’re on a keto diet, you need something that is just right. In this case, it could be a broccoli salad that packs a powerful crunch with the addition of onions, bacon, sunflower seeds, and the perfect amount of cheese. Top it all off with a tasty and tangy mayo dressing for a party in your mouth.
Broccoli Cheese Bake
While you’re working with broccoli, you might as well whip up this broccoli cheese bake that you can make with items likely already in your kitchen. You just combine up to five boxes of frozen broccoli, cheese, butter, a sleeve of Ritz crackers, and a bit of salt, pepper, and black pepper, and you’re ready to go. You should take any chance to cook with broccoli because it’s loaded with vitamins K and C and antioxidants that can help to reduce your cholesterol levels.
Chicken Salad
This is one of the most nutritious chicken salad dishes you’ll ever have. It has just one gram of carbs and only 88 calories. To start, you’ll combine olive oil, chicken breasts, and salt and pepper. Simply preheat the oven to 350-degrees, bake the chicken for about 30 minutes. While you’re doing that, create the salad with lettuce, celery, boiled eggs, Greek yogurt, and then add your salt, pepper, fresh dill, garlic powder, and anything else you like to add. While you can eat this as a main dish, it also makes for one of the best keto side dishes for burgers.
Roasted Cauliflower with Garlic
For the perfect palate cleanser after your burger, look no further than this tasty roasted cauliflower recipe. The recipe is fairly straightforward. Add a large head of cauliflower, garlic cloves, and season it with salt, rosemary, and black pepper. The secret ingredient is the olive oil, which gives the cauliflower a nice caramelized texture.
Crispy Baked Zucchini Slices
Another great palate cleanser is a plate of these amazing zucchini slices. There are various ingredients to this one but they all go together so well. Take your zucchini and add olive oil, almond flour, parmesan cheese, eggs, and seasoning (garlic powder black pepper, herb dressing), and then follow the recipe and bake for about 25 minutes at 425 degrees, and you’ll end up with a fantastic treat.
Cabbage and Tomato Salad
This is another tasty salad that’s refreshing, crunchy, and creates the perfect companion to your char-broiled burger. It’s like a salad you had in your childhood. Mix cabbage, tomatoes, radishes, and fresh cilantro. Then mix in rice vinegar, salt, black and red pepper, and you’re ready to go. This salad tastes great with burgers or just about any other main course.
Smothered Greens
For the ultimate keto dish, look no further than this unbelievable smothered greens recipe that’s incredibly healthy and a great supplement to burgers and many other meals. For the greens portion, you can mix in two pounds of turnip, mustard, collard, and kale. Then, to add more meatiness, mix in turkey breast. Finally, season it all with cayenne pepper, garlic, thyme, and add one stalk scallion, and you’ve got a dish the whole family will love.
Fresh Asparagus and Avocado Salad
This amazing recipe has a laundry list of ingredients, but it’s worth the effort to make this perfect companion piece to your next burger. It has an amazing mix of avocado, zucchini, red onion, asparagus, and mushrooms. It’s all topped with vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and thyme. If you want to add more substance to the salad, add cooked shrimp or chicken to make a very hearty meal.
Bacon-Wrapped Avocado Fries
For something truly unique, try these bacon-wrapped avocado fries. All you basically need is about 20 strips of precooked bacon and one large avocado. Preparation includes preheating the oven to 425 degrees, and then stretching out a piece of bacon and wrapping it around a strip of avocado. Make as many as you want and then bake for 5-10 minutes until crisp. It’s a great dish we recommend, and it only has 65 calories.
Keto Tortilla Chips
The perfect side dish for burgers includes tortilla chips and a dip or guacamole. The traditional chips you buy at the supermarket are not keto, but you can make your own. To do so, make low-carb tortillas, which can be almond flour tortillas or something else of your liking. Next, brush the tortillas with olive oil and then add seasonings. This recipe recommends salt and cayenne pepper, but you can use whatever you enjoy.
You can use different seasoning profiles based on what you like. If you like the spicier chips, you can go with chili pepper or hot sauce. Use smoked paprika for a smoky flavor.
Sauteed Zucchini
Some of the best keto side dishes for burgers are the most simplistic, like this sauteed zucchini recipe. This is basically zucchini cut the long way that is then sauteed in olive oil. Once done, douse them in soy sauce. It’s like you’re eating fries with your burger, but it’s a much healthier alternative. You can make them how you like them and then add salt and pepper to your taste.
Sautéed Mushrooms
While you’re sauteeing delicious burger companions, do the same with hearty mushrooms. This is a simple dish but it’s very tasty and you can eat the mushrooms on the side or put them directly on your burger. To make them, saute an onion in butter until tender. Then, add the mushrooms and add salt, pepper, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, and white wine and cook them to perfection.
Roasted Green Beans
This is another simple side dish but it goes great with so many things, from pizza to burgers. It’s roasted green beans, and you can cook them how you like them. All you need is the beans, olive oil, salt, and ground pepper. You just preheat the oven, drizzle them with a bit of olive oil, sprinkle with your desired amount of salt and pepper, and cook at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. This is the nutritious side dish that your whole family needs.
Conclusion
These are absolutely the best keto side dishes for burgers. They’re all really tasty, and they will fit in with your keto diet plans. Eat burgers and your appetizers in moderation, and you’ll be satisfied while also maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Alexey Laputin/Shutterstock.com.