After polling Instagram and asking all of my Facebook groups the question, “What Keto Essentials Can’t You Live Without?” Here is what you said.
When you are first starting with the Ketogenic diet, it can be very overwhelming. Besides learning the basics and educating yourself on How to Start the Keto Diet, How to Calculate Your Macros, and What Keto Mistakes You Should Avoid, there is the question of, what do you need to start the Keto diet?
In reality, you don’t need much besides food, however, there are some things that will make your life so much easier and will help you succeed with the Keto diet quicker.
I did a poll on my Instagram page asking my followers what their favorite products and tools were that help them with the Keto diet and I asked the same question in all of the Keto Facebook groups I am in.
Surprisingly, there were a lot of the same answers that came up over and over again, which tells me that these products and tools are really helpful to Keto dieters. Most of these products and tools I have and use, or will eventually get when the budget allows.
With each product, I will discuss why it’s helpful and what it can be used for. If you are looking to start the Keto diet and are wondering what will help you make the transition to this diet easier, this list is for you. Or, maybe you have been doing Keto for a while and are curious as to what products and tools other Keto dieters use daily.
Either way, here we go.
The Pantry Keto Essentials
There are many great Keto pantry items you can get, here are the top ones you should have on hand:
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is a great cooking oil for Keto because it’s high in fat and MCT (medium-chain triglycerides) which help your body produce more Ketones.
Almond Flour
Think of this as your main flour replacement for Keto. With Almond flour, you can make all of your favorite desserts Keto friendly and make dough for bread, crackers, keto pizza, anything you can think of really.
Check out my Keto Desserts Recipes for some ideas.
Coconut Flour
Coconut Flour is another great flour replacement for Keto and can be used for making cakes, clean keto blueberry pancakes, clean keto chocolate waffles, keto oatmeal, and fat bombs.
Lakanto Monk Fruit Sweetener
Since sugar is not allowed on the Keto diet, you will need a replacement. Lakanto Monk Fruit Sweetener is the best one I have found so far. It doesn’t have a cooling or bitter after taste that I get from pure erythritol or stevia.
If you have never tried Lakanto Monk Fruit Sweetener, use my code “eatbefitexplore” and this link to get 20% off your order.
Use it just like you would sugar, in baked goods, or whenever you want to sweeten something.
Coffee
I don’t know if I really need to put this one in here, but Keto Dieters are all about their coffee, especially bulletproof coffee (more on that later). For now, good coffee is a must
Chocolate
A lot of you said you couldn’t do Keto without Chocolate. I don’t disagree one bit because I couldn’t either! Nowadays there are so many great options for Keto-friendly chocolates. The favorites are:
- Choc Zero Bark ( use my discount code eatbefitexplore if you want to try some- it’s so good)
- Lily’s Chocolate
- Lindt Dark Chocolate
- Montezuma Absolute Dark
Whatever chocolate you chose, pick one that is as dark as possible and make sure you read the label. If it contains Maltitol, don’t buy it! It may spike your blood sugar and kick you out of ketosis.
To learn more about sweeteners on keto, read this post.
The Best Keto Fitness and Health Products
These products are specific to the Ketogenic diet and most of you use them on the regular.
MCT Oil
MCT Oil or Medium Chain Triglycerides is an oil that comes from coconuts. MCT oil is refined so it stays liquid at all times. MCT oil is used for bulletproof coffee, as a pre-workout, and for dressings and sauces. Some benefits of using MCT oil are:
- Helps your body produce Ketones
- Gives you energy
- Mental Clarity/focus
- May help you burn more fat
I personally love MCT oil and have been using it ever since I started my Ketogenic journey over 3 years ago. It’s the one thing I can’t live without, Keto or not.
I use 1 tbsp in my morning coffee and it gives me energy for the whole day. I use the Perfect Keto brand because they make the purest oil. There are a lot of brands to choose from but I recommend that you invest a little more for a better quality oil to get all the benefits of MCTs.
Electrolytes
Electrolytes are probably one of the most important aspects of success with the Ketogenic diet. Making sure you get enough electrolytes as soon as you start and continue keto will prevent you from getting the Keto flu, muscle cramps, headaches, and fatigue.
There are a few options when it comes to Electrolytes. You can take them in pill form, or you can drink them in a powdered drink form. Here are a few options that I use on a regular.
Magnesium supplement
Trace Mineral Electrolyte Supplement
Ultima Replenish
Zipp Fizz
Whichever one you chose, make sure you are using it whenever you feel a headache coming on or if you get tired, weak, or get muscle cramps while following a Ketogenic diet.
Urine Test Strips
Urine test strips measure the ketones in your urine. They are popular for Ketoers because they are cheap. They are great to use when you are first starting out the Keto diet but keep in mind, they stop working after a while and they aren’t accurate. That is when you will have to switch to a Ketone Blood Meter.
Check out The Top 10 Supplements To Take On Keto
Ketone Blood Meter
A ketone blood meter measures the ketones in your blood. If the number is .5 or above, your body is in Nutritional Ketosis. This is the most accurate way to measure ketosis. I highly recommend you invest in one and check 1-2 times a week to make sure you are following the diet properly.
There are a few on the market:
Abbott Nutrition Meter this one is great but the test strips are hard to find
Keto Coach this guy is new on the market and I’m hearing good things. Their test strips are the cheapest. Use code “eatbefitexplore” for 20% off
A Good Water Bottle
Drinking lots of water is ESSENTIAL for keto, for so many reasons. You will need a good quality water bottle that will keep your water cold for a long time and won’t spill or leak.
I am not kidding you when I say that I tried at least 20 different water bottles in my keto journey and I finally found the one…commence the orchestra…
The HYDRO FLASK. This thing is a BEAST. Literally and figuratively. It’s made so well, it never leaks or spills and the best part is my water stays as cold as when I filled it for 24 hours and maybe even longer but I drink water so much I wouldn’t know.
I love this thing. I can’t go anywhere without it. I’ll literally freak out. I forgot my last one in a gym in Cleveland and immediately ordered a new one from Amazon Prime because no other water bottle would do. If you are looking for a good water bottle that is long-lasting and amazing, get the Hydro Flask. You will thank me later.
Fit Bit Or Apple Watch
Keto and fitness go together like chocolate and peanut butter. If you really want to ramp up your results and burn more fat, you’ll need to exercise and it’s helpful to know how many calories you are burning and what your heart rate is.
I used a FitBit for a long time and I loved it. I started with a charge and moved up to a Versa.
Recently I switched to an Apple Watch because it is compatible with Nike Run Club since I was training for a half marathon. I love the Apple Watch. The features are incomparable with the FitBit since I have an iPhone.
Either way, you can’t go wrong with either product. As long as you have something to track your workouts and heart rate, you’ll be effective.
The Best Keto Kitchen Tools and Gadgets
This is where you guys shared all of your favorites in the kitchen. There are so many great kitchen tools and gadgets that make the Keto diet easier to follow.
These are the top ones that you said you use a lot:
Food Scale
Being successful with the Ketogenic diet requires some tracking of food, especially in the beginning. Now, that doesn’t mean you can’t lose weight on Keto if you don’t track your food, however, calculating your macros and following them will help you lose weight quickly and achieve your health goals.
If you want to learn more about macros, you can read this post; What are macros and how to calculate them.
For now, know that you’ll need a kitchen scale to measure your food. Don’t worry, you won’t need to measure your food for the rest of your life. Eventually, you will get the hang of how much food you are eating and you won’t need to weigh it.
On the other hand, some keto recipes, especially the baking ones, require you to measure the ingredients with a scale rather than a measuring cup or spoons because that precision affects the final product. Keto baking can be tricky so you will want to follow the recipe instructions exactly to get the food to come outright. (trust me, I learned this the hard way)
I have been using this OXO kitchen scale for years now, and I love how reliable and precise it is.
Food Thermometer
Aside from measuring the amount of food you are eating, you want to make sure you measure the temperature of your food. The Keto diet is protein-heavy and if you are not used to eating as much meat, you won’t know when it’s done unless you temp it.
I used to be a health inspector in my past life, so let me exercise those skills and see if I can give you the exact temps of what meat needs to be on the top of my head:
Chicken- 165°
Beef- 155°
Pork- 145°
Fish-145°
Stuffed Food- 165°
How did I do? I’ll have to double-check those but I’m pretty sure they are all correct. Yay for me! ????
Here are some great options when it comes to food thermometers. Make sure you temp the food in the thickest part and don’t let it touch the bottom of the pan or dish.
Fat Bomb Molds
Fat Bombs are awesome. They are small keto desserts that are basically pure fat. They keep you full and curb your sweet tooth. The easiest way to make them is to use fat bomb molds and then freeze them.
Here are the molds I use.
Need some Fat Bomb Recipes? Check out my Salted Fudge Fat Bombs, Maple Pecan Vanilla Fat Bombs, White Chocolate Pecan Fat Bombs, and No-Bake Peanut Butter Balls.
Nutri Bullet
The Nutri Bullet is awesome for so many reasons.
Reason # 1- easiest way to blend bulletproof coffee
Reason # 2- quick Keto Smoothie
Reason # 3- grind erythritol into confectioners sugar
Reason # 4- make your own spice mix
I could go on, but you get the point. Nutri Bullets are very versatile and the best part about it is that they are so compact. I use mine every day to make my Keto coffee. Get one HERE; you’ll love it.
Hand Frother
A Hand Frother is mainly used to make Bulletproof coffee when you are on the go, at work, or traveling. It’s small so it’s easy to pack and store. I like this brand because it’s a quality product that won’t break in a month. You will be using it a lot so you might as well get a good one.
Slow Cooker
Ah, the slow cooker, who doesn’t love this thing? Believe it or not, I just got one a couple of years ago. I know, what is wrong with me? Slow cookers are perfect when you want to set it and forget it.
I am all about quality products so I bought this All-Clad slow cooker with a cast iron insert a couple of years ago and I am IN LOVE. It’s the best thing ever. Yes, it’s more than the average slow cooker but that is because All-Clad makes quality, high-end products that last a lifetime with a lifetime guarantee.
Also, I don’t have to worry about it setting my house on fire like “This Is Us”.
I love this one because once the food is done cooking, you just lift the cast iron insert, let it cool, and place it in the fridge. You don’t have to mess with transferring the food into containers and dirtying more dishes. Cuz, ain’t nobody got time for dat!
If you simply can’t afford an All-Clad slow cooker, this would be my next option.
Check out all of my slow cooker recipes here
Instant Pot
The slow cooker, on steroids. As I type this, my new Instant Pot is in the other room, in a box. It just arrived yesterday and I can’t wait to use it. Doing this poll convinced me to get one because so many of you have one and love it.
A lot of you recommended getting the larger one so you can fit larger roasts in it. There is only one brand and Amazon has a really good price on it (as usual)
A lot of you say you use it to make homemade bone broth, hard-boiled eggs, and quick Keto dinners and large roasts.
Although I don’t have any recipes to share with you yet, there will be a lot coming.
Air Fryer
Another awesome kitchen appliance (that I don’t have, yet ????). Is the Air Fryer. A lot of you said you use your Air Fryer all the time for chicken wings, salmon, vegetables, keto mozzarella sticks, keto onion rings, shrimp, and so many other foods.
Kitchen Aid
A stand mixer is such a useful tool when it comes to Keto because you will be making a lot of the food from scratch. There are so many great Keto baking recipes and using a stand mixer makes them so much easier to make.
You can also use it to make homemade Keto ice cream, or dairy-free Keto whipped Cream.
Here is the one I recommend you start with if you don’t have one yet. It will give you all the features you need.
For some great keto dessert recipes, check out my Keto desserts section.
Spiralizer
A spiralizer will become your new best friend when it comes to replacing pasta dishes. Zoodles are so amazing and so easy to make when you have a spiralizer.
Here is a great option for a spiralizer that is really sturdy.
You can also use a smaller handheld one.
If you have a kitchen aid, I recommend you get this attachment set, I got it a while back and it’s a game-changer.
Coffee Pot
Yes, I know, you will laugh, but I had to put this in here because almost everyone said they couldn’t live without their coffee pots. I agree.
I will also say, I can’t live without my Breville Espresso Machine. However, if you don’t have the money for one right now, here are some amazing coffee pots that are highly rated this year:
Hamilton Beach 2-Way Brewer Single-Serve Coffee Maker with 12-Cup Carafe
BONUS ITEM
Traeger Grill
OK, I HAD to add this one in here because I am in love with our Traeger Grill. It’s a grill and smoker in one and we use it all the time! We’ve smoked BBQ ribs, brisket, wings, chicken, salmon, Pork Roast, Ribeyes, even eggs in it!!
You can do so much with it and it’s the best investment ever. Get one and then come back and make all of my Summer BBQ and Grill Recipes. You will LOOVVVEE doing Keto with this thing.
Alright, that is a wrap! Those are the top Keto essentials you can’t live without. Whew, that is a lot of stuff huh?
I enjoyed collecting this data and I hope the products and tools help make your Keto journey easy and more enjoyable.
If there is something you use regularly that isn’t on this list, please comment below and let me know! I would love to get more ideas for this list and for myself!
Happy Shopping!
Keto Recipes to try: