Imagine a New Year’s Eve Party where you can guiltlessly sip delicious cocktails or mocktails, eat every type of appetizer in sight, and enter the New Year feeling awesome and staying on a keto diet.
Believe it or not, this dream scenario is easily achieved! Whether you’re hosting a cocktail party or attending one as a guest, the following tips and easy keto recipes ensure you greet the New Year on top of your keto game—and get to participate in the revelry along the way.
If You’re Hosting on New Year’s Eve
One great thing about being the one to throw the party is you can serve keto party appetizers that are so good, no one will even notice they’re ultra low-carb. You can also include drinks and cocktail mixers that make it easy for you to stay keto without missing out on the fun. Prepare and serve any or all of the following keto recipes, and you’ve got the makings of a delicious sendoff for the year.
New Year’s Keto Cocktails
Plenty of cocktails are keto; it’s added sugars that you want to avoid. Regardless, consuming alcohol includes calories that need to be calculated into your macros, and getting tipsy lowers your guard and possibly your resolve, so tread lightly to be sure you don’t drink your way out of ketosis.
The best way to ensure you and your guests what they want is to create a self-serve bar, mixing and matching as you like from the list below. Provide mixers and garnishes galore for non-keto folk and add a keto-friendly area including the following mixers:
Keto-Friendly Alcohol
- Vodka
- Rum
- Gin
- Tequila
- Whiskey
- Dry Champagne and dry sparkling wine
- Dry white wine (moderate carbs)
- Dry red wine (moderate carbs)
Keto-Friendly Mixers/Mocktail Makers
- Seltzer water
- Zevia (stevia-sweetened soda that comes in many flavors)
- Fresh lemon or lime juice (the juice of a whole one of either has about 11 calories and 4g net carbs)
- Soda water
- Sugar-free tonic
- Coconut milk
Keto-Friendly Garnishes
- Berries (keep an eye on the calories and carbs)
- Lemon or lime wheels
- Cucumber wheels
- Celery
- Olives
- Mint
Easy Keto-Friendly Cocktails
- Martini
- Gin and sugar-free tonic
- Tequila with lime juice
- Botanical Bramble
- Tropical Mojo Mojito (mix rum with muddled mint, an alternative sweetener, and a splash of soda water and serve over ice)
Learn more about alcohol and keto here.
Keto Appetizer Recipes and No-Cook Ideas for New Year’s Eve
Never mind a big keto meal plan. It’s all about small-bite comfort foods for the big night. Scattering trays of yummy bites keeps the crowd moving and mingling. Plus, they’re easy recipes that can be made mostly in advance, which allows you to enjoy your party too! Choose from any or all of the following appetizers, which are keto and gluten-free.
Savory Recipes to Cook:
- Keto Jalapeño Poppers
- Keto Moroccan Lamb Meatballs with Yogurt-Herb Dip
- Keto Creamy Crab-Stuffed Mushrooms
- Keto Pesto Deviled Eggs (with Parmesan flair)
- Keto Artichoke Dip with Fresh Veggies
- Keto Air-Fried Cheesy Garlic Rolls (They’re grain-free, feature Italian spices, and can be soft or crispy! Add a side of keto-friendly marinara sauce, like Rao’s, for dipping, for a perfect low carb keto bread bite.)
- Keto Instant Pot Carnitas Tacos (for a fun finger-foods meal)
Savory No-Cook Ideas:
- A cheeseboard (pick your favorite hard, medium, and soft cheeses and garnish with toasted nuts and toothpicks for skewering and eating; if you have non-keto guests, you can include bread or crackers for them)
- A charcuterie board (set out a spread of your favorite high-quality cured meats and add a side of cornichon and grainy mustard
- Store-bought guacamole and pork rinds to dip
- Skewers of cherry tomatoes and mozzarella balls
- Mixed nuts
Sweet Treats:
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Fat Bombs (made with chocolate, peanut butter, and cream cheese; place them on a tray and serve them with style!)
- Keto Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups (for extra flair, sprinkle them with edible gold flake)
If You’re Attending a New Year’s Eve Party
While it’s not as easy to ensure you have access to easy low carb keto provisions while attending a party, there are things you can do to help yourself revel like the best of ‘em and still have a keto New Year.
- Eat before you go. If you’re not confident there will be food for you to nibble on and can’t ask the host, eat before you go.
- Graze the keto-friendly stuff at the buffet. Hopefully, your host is serving common keto-friendly party foods. Look for cheese, charcuterie, keto-friendly crudités (think broccoli and celery) and creamy dip, nuts, and deviled eggs.
- Bring your own mixer. If you know there will be hard alcohol served but aren’t sure there will be mixers for you, why not bring a bottle of soda water or sugar-free tonic? In the right glass with a splash of booze and a citrus or cucumber wheel, you’re instantly festive!
- Stash a snack for yourself. Even if you’re convinced there will be keto snacks or keto dinner recipes available, bring something extra to nibble on. That way if you’re drinking and get late-night munchies, you have something satisfying to eat without blowing your keto resolve.
Mojo On!
Whatever you do, have fun and feel good about yourself and your keto lifestyle as you usher in the New Year on a ketogenic diet! The fact that you’re reading this article and seeking healthy recipes indicates you care about your health and are going to move forward ahead of your resolutions, perhaps even starting with some weight loss!
Want more keto low-carb recipes and holiday party food ideas? Go here.
Or find Game Day recipes here.
