If you're following a low-carb diet [1] and want a quick meal that doesn't require heating up a pan or turning on the oven, try these recipes. With 25 grams of carbs or fewer, you can enjoy everything from fresh and filling salads to fast and fruity smoothies.
Avocado Hummus
All you need is one ripe avocado, hummus, a lime, some sea salt, and a little fresh coriander. That's it. And you can even serve it in the avocado shell!
Calories: 98
Carbs: 1.5 grams
Get the recipe: avocado hummus [2]
Watermelon-Bowl Salad
If you're bored with your usual salad bowl, mix things up by serving yours in a watermelon. Filled with shredded romaine, cucumbers, sweet yellow peppers, and even sweeter cubed watermelon as well as cherry tomatoes, this huge salad is juicy, light, and refreshing.
Calories: 311
Carbs: 23 grams
Get the recipe: watermelon-bowl salad [3]
Low-Calorie Chocolate Almond Smoothie
This four-ingredient smoothie offers all the chocolaty goodness you want — and it contains less than 2 grams of sugar.
Calories: 153
Carbs: 6.2 grams
Get the recipe: chocolate almond smoothie [4]
Cucumber Caprese Salad
If your garden (or farmers market) is overflowing with fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, and basil, it's salad-making time! Just add a few more key ingredients, and this fresh and flavourful recipe will be your new favourite oven-free dish.
Calories: 253
Carbs: 14.4 grams
Get the recipe: cucumber caprese salad [5]
Strawberry-Watermelon Hydrating Smoothie
Sip on this smoothie that tastes so luscious and naturally sweet that you'll crave it after every workout.
Calories: 145
Carbs: 21.9 grams
Get the recipe: hydrating smoothie [6]
Marinated Sesame Ginger Tofu
Marinated tofu [7] can be added to salads, or used as a protein-packed filling for sandwiches or wraps. This recipe calls for baking the tofu after you marinate it, but you can skip that step; the texture of the tofu will just be more moist and tender.
Calories: 240
Carbs: 13.4 grams
Get the recipe: sesame tofu [8]
Flat-Belly Salad
Made with ingredients like blueberries, pineapple, and avocado, this salad is what flat-belly dreams are made of.
Calories: 340
Carbs: 27.2 grams
Get the recipe: flat-belly salad [9]
Raspberry Vanilla Protein Smoothie
Made with low-carb raspberries, fibre-filled almond butter, and low-carb plant-based protein powder, this 312-calorie raspberry vanilla smoothie tastes sweet enough without overloading you with sugar. The healthy fats, fibre, and protein (almost 35 grams!) offer a quick and easy way to stay full until lunch.
Calories: 312
Carbs: 21.7 grams
Get the recipe: raspberry vanilla protein smoothie [10]
Avocado With Sunflower Seeds
The combination of avocado and sunflower seeds brings the body a healthy dose of fibre, vitamins E and K, and potassium. You also get a little bit of protein, too.
Calories: 169
Carbs: 8.3 grams
Get the recipe: avocado sunflower seed snack [11]
Basic Coconut Chia Pudding With Berries
This sweet and simple portable chia pudding recipe can be spiced up or eaten as is, and takes minutes to prepare.
Calories: 174
Carbs: 17.4 grams
Get the recipe: chia pudding [12]
Cabbage Hemp Salad
If you're on the hunt for a quick and tasty detoxifying recipe, this crunchy cabbage and hemp salad is calling your name.
Calories: 361
Carbs: 8.7 grams
Get the recipe: cabbage hemp salad [13]
Mango Lassi Protein Smoothie
A mango lassi hits the sweet spot of being both refreshing and indulgent, and is made from simple, whole ingredients. By subbing cottage cheese for yoghurt, you'll have a protein-dense shake, with all the natural sweetness and flavour from mangoes.
Calories: 163
Carbs: 19.8 grams
Get the recipe: mango lassi protein smoothie [14]
Salad-Stuffed Avocado
Chopped tomatoes, peppers, and radishes are tossed in a spicy lime dressing, then neatly tucked into a halved avocado for a pretty presentation. With a mix of crunchy, creamy, cooling, and spicy ingredients, eating the rainbow has never tasted so good.
Calories: 468
Carbs: 25.4 grams
Get the recipe: salad-stuffed avocado [15]
Chocolate Protein Chia Pudding
With this recipe for chocolate chia protein pudding, you can get your chocolate fix and still get a ton of protein — almost 24 grams — making this a great breakfast if you're looking to lose weight.
Calories: 417
Carbs: 25.4 grams
Get the recipe: chocolate protein chia pudding [16]
Morning Protein Smoothie
This simple pre-workout protein smoothie will satisfy your sweet cravings and keep you full and energized until your post-workout breakfast.
Calories: 149
Carbs: 19.3 grams
Get the recipe: banana smoothie [17]
Vegan Bite-Size Strawberry Cheesecakes
Creamy and fruity, these mini strawberry cheesecakes are the perfect dessert to make in warm weather. No oven needed; they're dairy- and gluten-free, so your friends with dietary restrictions will want to pick you up and hug you and twirl you around for finally making a treat they can eat!
Calories: 101
Carbs: 7.1 grams
Get the recipe: vegan bite-size strawberry cheesecakes [18]
Eggless Kale Caesar Salad
For just the same addictive taste with an added bonus — vitamin A-rich superfood, kale — opt for this lighter Caesar salad dressing instead. This recipe omits the egg yolk and a lot of the cheese for a lower-calorie dressing that tastes exactly like the classic.
Calories: 175
Carbs: 12.6 grams
Get the recipe: eggless kale Caesar salad [19]
Coconut Chia Pudding
Low in calories, but packed with flavour and creaminess, top this chia seed pudding with your favourite fruit, shredded coconut, or pumpkin seeds (or all of the above) to make a tasty parfait.
Calories: 206
Carbs: 20.3 grams
Get the recipe: coconut chia pudding [20]
Raw Veggie Salad
High in fibre, vitamin C, and vitamin A, this raw, rainbow salad will add some colour and flavour to your plate.
Calories: 131
Carbs: 13.1 grams
Get the recipe: raw rainbow salad [21]
Low-Sugar Berry Smoothie
If you're watching your carbs or trying to cut back on your sugar intake — even natural sugars — grab your blender and whip up this subtly sweet and creamy smoothie.
Calories: 303
Carbs: 25.7 grams
Get the recipe: low-sugar berry smoothie [22]
Cucumber Mint Soup
Cooling cucumbers, mint, and yoghurt make up the base of this cucumber mint soup that can soothe and pamper your belly while helping you debloat all at once.
Calories: 57
Carbs: 9.3 grams
Get the recipe: cucumber mint soup [23]
The Clear-Skin Smoothie
This creamy smoothie is made from Vitamin E-rich spinach and avocado, and is sweetened with grapes which contain anti-inflammatory antioxidants that can help your skin.
Calories: 309
Carbs: 25.5 grams
Get the recipe: clear-skin smoothie [24]