One of the many wonderful things about the ketogenic diet is it inspires you to get into the kitchen and create foods that nourish, satisfy, and taste delicious (especially if you have great keto recipes). While you can achieve low-carb cooking greatness with basic kitchen utensils, there are a few tools that make crafting fantastic keto meals even easier. Below is our list of essential low-carb kitchen gadgets. Read on to learn what they are and why we recommend them, then consider whether you should buy any of them to make quality keto living easier for you.
Coffee Maker
Let’s start at the beginning! Most ketonians welcome the day with at least one cup o’ joe, either fortified with yummy cream fat macros or MCT oil or both (Hello, bulletproof coffee!). It’s the stuff that gets your energy up and keeps you there, often until lunch! Thus, a quality coffeemaker is a must-have. Espresso machine, classic coffee maker, or French press? The choice is yours! Shop coffee makers
Milk Frother
What takes keto lattes or bulletproof coffee drinks over the top? A milk frother, of course! Cute, compact, and the quickest way to mix and froth your coffee drinks, they bring fun to the morning beverage. Shop milk frothers
Food Scale
Food scales are awesome for so many reasons. Most important to keto cooks, they are precise in measuring ingredients, which is important for baking, but even more essential for ensuring accurate macros for keto recipes. Measure the weight of your ingredients on this kitchen scale when following or crafting your own recipes and you will know exactly how many macros your meal contains. Shop food scales
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Since baking is a science, proper measurements are the key to success when following any baking recipe. Thus, if you bake at all, measuring cups and measuring spoons are likely already in your pantry. But even cooks who eyeball measurements for more flexible recipes will want to use measuring cups and spoons when making low-carb recipes. Beyond the aforementioned food scale, using measuring cups and spoons is the only way to ensure you add just enough of each ingredient to get accurate macros (key to staying in ketosis). Shop measuring cups or shop measuring spoons
Spiralizer
Once the hot cooking gadget of the moment, the spiralizer has settled in as a common kitchen tool, which is great, because that means it is available in more styles and price points than ever (including one that’s under $10). Why does one need a spiralizer? To effortlessly craft “zoodles”! These cute, curly, super low-carb zucchini noodles are a mainstay for keto pasta dishes because they look and taste great and are totally keto-friendly. (Check out our recipe for Keto Vodka Pasta with Sausage, which uses a spiralizer.) Many spiralizers also serve as a slicer. Shop spiralizers
Blender or Food Processor (or Both!)
Whether you’re mixing a marinade (like for crazy-good Green Curry Drumsticks), pureeing a Keto Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Dip, or whipping up fantastic Keto Blended Cinnamon Dulce Frap, or Minty Green Smoothies, you need a good blender to help you out. A food processor can do this plus a whole lot more, including shredding and mincing. If you’re even remotely serious about cooking, we recommend both. Shop blenders or shop food processors
Waffle Maker
What? Waffles on a keto diet? And how! There’s a whole world of keto waffles out there, and they can take you from breakfast to lunch to dinner depending on the type of keto waffles you make. Try out classic Keto Waffle recipe for breakfast or make it with our amazing Keto Fried Chicken recipe for dinner. Or make a Keto Reuben “Chaffle” (cheesy keto waffle, which can be used like sandwich bread) for a savory keto meal. Whatever keto waffle you make, you’ll need a waffle maker to do it! Browse waffle makers
Instant Pot
The instant pot pressure cooker craze continues and flourishes in the keto community for the same reasons everyone else loves it; it allows you to throw everything into the pot, press a button, and wait for a delicious meal in far less time than it would take in a pot on the stove (hence the name). If you like making big batches of keto foods (like soups) and refrigerating or freezing them for later, an instant pot should be in your kitchen. And did you know it doubles as a slow cooker, too? (Got one? Try these recipes for Keto Instant Pot Korean Short Ribs with Braised Bok Choy or Keto Instant Pot Carnitas Tacos. Shop instant pots
Air Fryer
Basically a fancy countertop convection oven, an air fryer cooks things faster than a normal oven and creates crisp results similar to those of fried foods. Only there’s no oil used! Try all kinds of veggies like this air-fried Fish and Zucchini Chips recipe. Or make these delicious air-fryer Garlic Cheese Rolls. You can even make hard-boiled eggs in an air fryer! Shop air fryers
Cast-Iron Skillet
Every kitchen should have a cast-iron skillet among your collection of frying pans, keto or no. Why? Because it imparts iron—an essential mineral many of us are deficient in—into the food you cook in it. Plus, it holds heat well, comes in a variety of sizes, can go into the oven, and is well-priced. We use one to make all kinds of things, including steak and burgers (perfect for searing), Keto Crispy Pork Belly with Kimchi Collard Greens, Keto Green Bean Casserole, and Keto Caprese Salmon Skewers. Browse cast-iron skillets
Instant-Read Thermometer
If you aren’t used to cooking meat, or even if you are, you need an instant-read meat thermometer. It’s the difference between undercooked or overcooked and perfectly juicy, just-right chicken or pork loin, and it can save you from turning that perfect steak into a leathery hockey puck. Bonus: instant-read thermometers are very inexpensive—and worth every penny. Shop instant-read thermometers
Muffin Tins
You probably already have these lying around—after all, who doesn’t have non-stick muffin tins? But the beauty of muffin tins for keto is they create instant single servings so you can mind your macros as you cook or bake. Need muffin-tin inspiration? Try our recipes for Keto Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins, Lemon-Raspberry Cupcakes with Whipped Cream, Keto Chocolate Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting, or Keto Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups. Shop muffin tins
The Final Word
While you don’t need all of these keto kitchen gadgets to be successful, they can make cooking a lot easier, more varied, and perhaps even tastier. Decide what works best for your keto kitchen and cooking style, then stock up on the essentials for easy keto meal prep. Now, time to pull out some keto cookbooks and put your grocery list together!
