Beef is probably the protein I’ve leaned on most over the past decade-plus of eating keto. It’s not just that it fits the macros — it’s that beef actually holds up to the cooking you want to do. High heat, long braises, quick skillets. It handles all of it.
I’ve gone through phases with chicken, pork, fish. But when I need something that fills me up and keeps me full for hours, beef is where I land. There’s a reason keto and beef go together so well: the fat content lines up with what a low-carb diet actually calls for, and unlike a lot of proteins, beef doesn’t get worse as leftovers.
This list covers a range of what that looks like in practice. You’ll find some fast weeknight stuff — the Keto Beef and Broccoli is something I’ve made close to 40 times at this point and it still shows up regularly. You’ll also find some slower, more involved options like the braised oxtails that are worth the patience. A few of these are keto spins on things I used to eat before going low-carb. All of them are worth making.
If you’re newer to keto and trying to figure out how to build meals around beef, start at the top and work down.
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Keto Steak Rollups with Mexican Cauliflower Rice
This dish is sure to please the whole family. Cheesy and herbed steak roll-ups lie on a bed of spiced cauliflower rice. It's healt...
Keto Beefy Burrito Bowl
This beefy burrito bowl skillet is the next best thing to tasty, filling nachos on the keto diet. The best thing about this recipe...
Keto Taco Salad with Guacamole & Salsa
Mexican has always been one of my favorites, even before going keto. It can be switched up to fit any diet, so if you are ever coo...
Keto Cheesy Beef and Spinach Casserole
I love creating new casserole dishes. Besides having to chop up your vegetables, this is an easy one pan keto dinner and is very f...
Keto Mongolian Beef with Cauliflower Rice
Are you looking for an easy weeknight dinner the whole family will love? This recipe is filled with ingredients and flavors that w...
Keto Cheeseburger Sushi
My love of 2 foods came together when I was wanting a burger for dinner and my other half was begging for keto sushi. I thought, w...
Keto Beef and Broccoli
There are hundreds of keto dishes, but only a handful will become tried-and-true keto staples. Our keto beef and broccoli stir fry...
Cheese Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs
Here's another super simple, extremely delicious keto lunch or dinner that you can do! It takes a total of about 10 minutes to pre...
Keto Steak Zucchini Skillet
Steaks are great on the grill, but sometimes I want a juicy steak right on the stovetop. This recipe is so easy to make and you ge...
Keto Slow Cooker Braised Oxtails
Let me start off by saying how tender and juicy oxtail is. It's a seriously good dish, but it just takes a long time to cook it. T...
1. Keto Steak Rollups with Mexican Cauliflower Rice
Per serving: 386 cal | 25.4g fat | 5.8g net carbs | 31.2g protein
Thin-sliced steak wrapped around a filling and served over Mexican-spiced cauliflower rice — this one looks like more work than it is. The trick I figured out was letting the beef come to room temperature before rolling; cold meat fights you the whole way and the seams split. Once I got that right, these became one of the tidier meals I make regularly. The cauliflower rice picks up cumin and chili flavor well enough that it doesn’t feel like a substitute.
Ground beef and steak are both solid sources of heme iron — the form your body absorbs most efficiently compared to plant-based iron. At 386 calories and 31g protein per serving, this one earns its place on a weeknight rotation.
2. Keto Beefy Burrito Bowl
Per serving: 762 cal | 59.3g fat | 13.6g net carbs | 40.2g protein
Everything goes into one pan — ground beef, cauliflower rice, cheese, and all the toppings you’d put on a burrito bowl. Cleanup is minimal, which matters more than I expected after years of cooking. This is the kind of meal that works when you just want food on the table without a project.
3. Keto Taco Salad with Guacamole & Salsa
Per serving: 901 cal | 74.9g fat | 8.7g net carbs | 40.6g protein
Mexican has always been one of the easier cuisines to adapt to keto — the flavor profiles are built around spiced meat, fresh vegetables, and fat from avocado and cheese anyway. This taco salad keeps all of that: seasoned ground beef over greens with homemade guacamole and salsa on top. No shell needed, and honestly the shell was always the worst part. The avocado adds creaminess and helps round out the fat profile if you’re tracking macros carefully. At 74.9g fat per serving, this is one of the higher-fat entries on this list — useful if you’re early in keto and still building fat-adaptation.
4. Keto Cheesy Beef and Spinach Casserole
Per serving: 479 cal | 35.5g fat | 5.4g net carbs | 31.3g protein
Ground beef and spinach baked under a layer of melted cheese. This one is as direct as it sounds — no exotic technique, no surprise twist. What makes it work is the beef broth that goes in before baking; it keeps the whole thing from drying out and gives the filling more cohesion than just cooked meat on its own.
Spinach in the beef base adds meaningful iron alongside the heme iron from the meat — a combination that may support healthy red blood cell production. Cheese contributes B12 and selenium on top of the protein from beef, which already provides over 30g per serving.
5. Keto Mongolian Beef with Cauliflower Rice
Per serving: 499 cal | 34.5g fat | 4.6g net carbs | 40.4g protein
This is the one I reach for when I want something that tastes like takeout without actually ordering takeout. Flank steak sliced thin, cooked fast over high heat with a keto-adapted sauce, over cauliflower rice. The flank steak gets a slightly charred exterior while staying tender inside if you don’t overcrowd the pan — I learned that the hard way the first few times I made it. Last Wednesday I made this after work and it was on the table in under 30 minutes.
6. Keto Cheeseburger Sushi
Per serving: 603 cal | 50.8g fat | 2.7g net carbs | 30.7g protein
Burger flavors rolled into a sushi-style presentation. The idea came from a night where I wanted a burger and my girlfriend wanted sushi, and I wasn’t interested in making two separate things. It works because the beef stays compact and the cheese melts into every bite. Short, punchy, and lower carb than almost anything else on this list at 2.7g net carbs per serving.
7. Keto Beef and Broccoli Recipe
Per serving: 366 cal | 28.3g fat | 3.4g net carbs | 24.1g protein
I’ve probably made this more than any other recipe on the site — close to 40 times over the past few years. It tastes like what I used to order at the Chinese place near my old apartment, which is not something I say lightly. The sauce is the key, and getting that right took a few attempts. My first two batches came out flat because I was rushing the sear — beef and broccoli need high heat and a hot pan, not medium heat while you prep everything else. Once I started getting the pan properly hot before the beef went in, the caramelization happened and it tasted right.
8. Easy Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs Recipe
Per serving: 452 cal | 42.5g fat | 2.2g net carbs | 14.3g protein
Cheese-stuffed hot dogs wrapped in bacon and cooked until the bacon is crispy. This isn’t complicated food and it’s not trying to be. It’s a quick lunch or easy dinner when you don’t want to think too hard. The cheese inside the hot dog melts while the bacon crisps up outside — good textural contrast for something that takes maybe 20 minutes.
9. Keto Steak Zucchini Skillet
Per serving: 845 cal | 62.1g fat | 3.9g net carbs | 63.7g protein
Steak cooked in a cast iron skillet with zucchini, all in one pan. The steak gets a seared crust while the zucchini softens in the same fat, picking up the fond from the bottom of the pan. At 845 calories and 63.7g protein per serving, this is a two-person meal that actually fills two people.
Cast iron gives you the kind of golden-brown sear that a non-stick pan can’t match for steak. If you’re using a thicker cut, a fat tip worth knowing: finishing in the oven after searing keeps the interior tender while preserving the crust.
10. Keto Slow Cooker Braised Oxtails Recipe
Per serving: 971 cal | 64.3g fat | 4.2g net carbs | 88.2g protein
Set this in the slow cooker in the morning and ignore it until dinner. Oxtails are an underused cut — they’re rich in collagen and the connective tissue breaks down over the long cook into something fork-tender with a braising liquid that has real body to it. The patience requirement is the main barrier; the actual prep work is minimal. At 88.2g protein per serving, this is the highest-protein recipe on this list by a significant margin.
Oxtails are a solid source of collagen, which may support joint health and connective tissue repair — relevant if you’re active or doing any strength training alongside keto. Bone broth or braising liquid also carries bioavailable minerals like magnesium and phosphorus from the bone itself.
More Keto Beef Recipes to Try
If you want to keep going with beef, here are more recipes from the site worth bookmarking.
- Keto Beefy Cabbage Soup — Bring yourself to the rugged landscapes of Scandinavia with our hearty and satisfying Beefy Cabbage Soup.
- Bacon and Beef Stuffed Bell Peppers — The fat of the beef and bacon gets to completely slather and run through the beef, giving it a deep and rich flavor that you’ll be loving on!.
- Beef Cabbage Skillet — The best way to enjoy this beef cabbage skillet is by itself, it’s like a thick soup or chili this way.
- Cinnamon and Orange Beef Stew — The rich flavors of citrus and beef stock combine with the deep elements of cinnamon and fish sauce to create a delicious meal.
- Coffee and Wine Beef Stew — A delicious, rich, and slightly unique take on beef stew.
- Creamy Beef Casserole — This creamy ground beef casserole makes a cheesy and filling dinner.
- Easy One-Pan Ground Beef and Green Beans — First, we pan-seared ground beef with butter then tossed in fresh green beans and served with a side of sour cream. This one pan-meal is an easy lunch!.
- Keto Beef Shawarma Bowl — Weekdays are often rushed and the last thing you want to do is to cook a complicated meal.
- Keto Crispy Chilli Sesame Beef Recipe — Here’s a super simple & tasy chinese inspired keto crispy chilli sesame beef recipe that fits your low-carb lifestyle.
- Keto Beef Stroganoff Recipe — This keto beef stroganoff recipe is so good, you’ll forget it’s low-carb! Learn a simple & quick dinner recipe that’s a perfect addition to any keto-cookbook.
- Spicy Keto Ramen Soup Bowl Recipe — Getting a nice hot bowl of ramen is certainly something I miss while eating keto.
- Korean Beef with Cauliflower Rice — Sweet, savory, and lightly spicy, this Korean beef with cauliflower rice has it all.
- Keto Stuffed Beefs Rolls Wrapped in Prosciutto — These low carb stuffed beef rolls are made with prosciutto, onion, cheese & mushrooms.
Frequently Asked Questions
What cuts of beef work best for keto meals?
Fattier cuts are the most keto-compatible because the fat content supports your macro ratios. Ribeye, flank steak, chuck roast, and ground beef (80/20 especially) are all solid options. For slow cooker recipes, oxtails and chuck break down into fork-tender results with minimal effort. If you’re building a weekly plan, check out the keto food list for a full breakdown of which proteins fit best.
How do you make keto beef stir fry without adding carbs?
The main carb traps in stir fry are the sauce and the rice. For sauce, swap regular soy sauce for tamari or coconut aminos (lower sugar), skip the cornstarch, and use a small amount of a keto-friendly sweetener if the recipe calls for sweetness. For the base, cauliflower rice is the standard replacement — it absorbs sauce well and doesn’t compete with the beef. The Mongolian Beef with Cauliflower Rice on this list walks through that approach in detail.
Is ground beef good for keto?
Ground beef is one of the most keto-friendly proteins you can use. 80/20 ground beef provides fat, protein, B12, zinc, and heme iron in one ingredient. It’s quick to cook, holds seasoning well, and works in everything from casseroles to skillet meals to taco bowls. If you’re newer to keto and trying to figure out how to eat, the beginner keto guide has a full section on building meals around whole-food proteins like beef.
Can you meal prep keto beef recipes for the week?
Most of the recipes on this list reheat well. The cheesy beef and spinach casserole holds for 4-5 days in the fridge and actually improves the next day as the flavors settle. The burrito bowl skillet and taco salad components can be prepped separately and assembled throughout the week. Braised oxtails are ideal for batch cooking — the braise deepens overnight. Use the keto meal plan if you want a structured week built around recipes like these.
How much protein should I eat on keto if I’m eating a lot of beef?
The common concern is that too much protein will knock you out of ketosis, but that’s mostly overstated. Moderate-to-high protein is fine for most people on keto — the real issue is if you’re consuming far more than your body can use for muscle repair and synthesis. A practical baseline is 0.7–1g per pound of lean body mass. The keto calculator can give you a personalized protein target based on your stats and activity level.
Putting It All Together — Keto Beef Meals Worth Making Again
If you’re starting somewhere, the Beef and Broccoli and the Taco Salad are the ones I’d make first — they’re fast, the macros are solid, and they hit the flavors you actually want. The oxtails are worth scheduling for a weekend when you have time to let the slow cooker do the work. Once you’ve got a few of these on rotation, beef stops being something you have to think about and just becomes what’s for dinner.
For your convenience, here are the links to all the recipes I covered in this roundup:
- Keto Steak Rollups with Mexican Cauliflower Rice — These steak roll-ups are full of flavor and go well with Mexican-inspired cauliflower rice for a dish the whole family will love.
- Keto Beefy Burrito Bowl — This beefy burrito bowl skillet is the next best thing to tasty, filling nachos on the keto diet.
- Keto Taco Salad with Guacamole & Salsa — Mexican has always been one of my favorites, even before going keto.
- Keto Beef and Broccoli Recipe — There are hundreds of keto dishes, but only a handful will become tried-and-true keto staples.
- Easy Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs Recipe — Here’s a super simple & delicious bacon wrapped hot dogs recipe that fits your low-carb lifestyle.
- Keto Steak Zucchini Skillet — Steaks are great on the grill, but sometimes I want a juicy steak right on the stovetop.
- Keto Slow Cooker Braised Oxtails Recipe — This keto friendly slow cooker braised oxtail recipe is high in protein, low in carbs, & rich in nutrients! Learn our simple slow cooker dinner recipe.
Not sure how much fat and protein you should be eating? Run your numbers through our free keto calculator — it takes about 30 seconds. Then grab our weekly meal plan if you want everything mapped out for you.
The recipes and nutritional information in this post are shared for informational purposes. If you have health conditions or concerns about the keto diet, please talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian before making changes to your diet.
Sources
- Iron in diet — MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia — MedlinePlus / NIH
- Heme and Non-heme Iron Absorption — National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements — NIH Office of Dietary Supplements
- Beef, ground, 80% lean meat / 20% fat, raw — FoodData Central — USDA
- Vitamin B12 — Fact Sheet for Health Professionals — NIH Office of Dietary Supplements
- Zinc — Fact Sheet for Health Professionals — NIH Office of Dietary Supplements
- Collagen peptides supplementation in combination with long-term physical training improves body composition and regional body fat distribution in overweight and obese adults — NCBI/PubMed
- Bone broth — Healthline overview of potential benefits — Healthline
- Creatine and carnosine in meat — NCBI review on dietary sources — NCBI/PubMed
- Avocado nutrition facts — USDA FoodData Central — USDA
- Avocados, raw, all commercial varieties — FoodData Central — USDA
- Dietary fat and coronary heart disease — Mayo Clinic — Mayo Clinic
- Spinach, raw — FoodData Central nutritional profile — USDA
- Selenium — Fact Sheet for Health Professionals — NIH Office of Dietary Supplements
- Ketogenic diet review — StatPearls NCBI Bookshelf — NCBI/StatPearls
- Protein intake recommendations for athletes and physically active adults — NCBI/PubMed
Comments
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Can we substitute guar gum with xanthan gum?
Yes, use 2x the amount of guar gum as you would xanthan gum.
This looks delicious! Oxtail was my favorite thing growing up, we didn’t have much money and it was dirt cheap. It’s still dirt cheap but I’d always thought that it was so bad because of the fat content! So so glad I now know better and can indulge in my favirit food Again!
Would this recipe work with beef cheeks as Well?
I think it’d definitely work with the cheeks. I want to know where you live where Oxtails are dirt cheap. Using offal seems to be the “in” thing now, so the prices have skyrocketed where I live.
I lived in South Africa as a kid and now live in New Zealand where i buy my meat direct from the farm so I save a fair bit of money on meat as well as ensuring the quality of meat I am getting.
Great thing about the cheeks!
That’s awesome. Here in the States, the prices of meat keep on going up and up and up. I hope it stops soon because even non-grass fed meat is becoming a ridiculous price.
This was way too good. I couldn’t stop eating it and went over on my protein macros lol.
I’m going to try it with beef femur bone to see how it works with bone marrow.
*cringe* This is me being totally lazy, but have you tried it with water instead of the beef broth? (I’m visiting friends and happened to find a good price on oxtails at the local butcher, but don’t have my lovely stash of broth).
Go for it! I would increase the soy and fish sauce a bit, maybe add some more spices to make up for it. The meat will add some flavor to the liquid too.
Let me start by saying I have never had oxtail before. I tried this recipe and it was so delicious!!! I used my instant pot and hit “Saute” then added the liquids. I did not have fish sauce, guar gum or ground ginger so I omitted all those. I subbed garlic powder for minced garlic. I followed the rest of the recipe as posted and it was so so good. I just learned I can’t stay on keto due to nursing my baby and requiring carbs, but I will still be doing this recipe!!!
Thanks Rachel! Enjoy this time with your baby 🙂
I love oxtail, I remember when they were 1.99 to 2.99 for a package when I was growing up. This was a regular southern meal in our household as a child. When I started seeing them discovered by chefs in restaurants it was the beginning of the end for this affordable meat. Now they have begin slicing them very thin in grocery stores so I just go to the meat market buy the tail and have them sliced as I want, nice and thick. The seasoned meat makes its own gravy when baked slowly with a little water and add a little xanthum (after cooked) to thicken the gravy. Of course non keto/low carb you would coat the meat in flour prior to baking.
OMG! Another winning recipe by Ruled.me!!! I’m super impressed with the flavor. I did add a few more seasonings since I had 3lbs of oxtail. You are correct about the price. They aren’t cheap these days. Thank you again and again for a wonderful keto recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the feedback 🙂
What kind of soy sauce and fish sauce are you using in the recipe to equal 0 net carbs between the two?
Soy sauce might have 0.4 carbs per tablespoon (I used to round down), but for fish sauce I use Red Boat brand which is 0g.
This was amazingly simple. I did add some red pepper flakes, but otherwise followed the recipe. I didn’t do the gravy thing because I was just too hungry to wait after all those hours lol. The meat was slightly gelatinous, which means today when I reheat it on the stove that should take care of it. Oxtails are expensive, but I was just grateful we had them at all! I’d make this again.
I’m really happy to hear you enjoyed it! If you get a chance next time, take a bit of time to thicken the gravy – I promise it’s worth the extra few minutes 😋 I do agree about oxtails though. They used to be one of the cheapest cuts, now they’re one of the more expensive cuts.
Hello, the oxtails were delicious! However, there was alot of grease. Can I skip using the butter? Thank you, Lynnette
Glad you enjoyed it, Lynnette! Yes, you can skip the butter.
Potatoes aren't keto friendly, and they're torturous to see. I miss potatoes.
Not sure where you’re seeing potatoes, but I’m well aware that they’re not keto-friendly. Maybe you’re confusing the cauliflower mash for potatoes? The recipe for them is even linked in step 6.