Keto diets are rapidly gaining popularity with their flexible restraints on the kinds of food you can eat. Its popularity owes to its distinctive features from other diets: you can eat poultry, meat, and bacon and still lose weight!
The Keto diet is a dream come true for diet-conscious individuals who hate salads. In fact, all kinds of salads are not allowed on a keto diet, so you can bid goodbye to a herbivorous eating style to get healthy.
Caprese salad is as famous in the salad world as is keto in the dietary world. But is Caprese salad Keto Friendly?
This article answers this very question and delves into Caprese salad’s nutritional profile and recipe.
Let’s dig for answers to the dilemma “is Caprese salad Keto Friendly?”
What is Caprese Salad?
Caprese salad is a plain, easy-to-make Italian salad made with fresh sweet basil, vine-ripened tomatoes, freshly grated mozzarella, and various seasonings, such as olive oil and salt. It is an excellent appetizer or side dish for almost everyone, not just those following a keto diet.
Caprese salad portrays the colors of the Italian flag similar to the pizza Margherita: red, white, and green. It is typically eaten any time of the day, and the standard restaurant practice is to place it innovatively on a plate.
However, the Caprese salad is only one kind of Caprese cuisine and can be served as a Caprese pasta, sandwich, or pizza, which may or may not be keto-friendly, depending upon the ingredients.
The Caprese salad itself comes in various variations, and all of them may not be keto friendly. Some may have pesto or Italian dressing instead of olive oil as a dressing, along with some balsamic vinegar. Others may add romaine lettuce and olives to supplement the taste of the basil.
Black pepper and oregano are also some typical toppings for Caprese salad, primarily to enhance its flavor. The use of buffalo mozzarella in place or regular mozzarella may also intensify the flavor but interfere with its ketosis-maintaining capabilities.
Some people turn Caprese salad into a grain salad by adding rice or pasta to it, but you shouldn’t do that if you are on a keto diet! If you are eating out, make sure to ask the waiter about their Caprese salad’s ingredients before ordering and adjust the ingredients as necessary.
Is Caprese Salad Keto Friendly?
Yes! The typical and most common variation of Caprese salad is keto friendly, containing about five net carbs per serving. Due to this, it is ideal for anyone following a keto diet or adjusting to a low-carb lifestyle.
Millions of people who are not on keto diets enjoy this salad daily, primarily because of its yummy taste!
However, some variations of this salad may not be keto-friendly as some people use Worcestershire sauce in the place of olive oil, making the salad quite full of carbs.
You may want to read the nutrition label thoroughly if you are purchasing it or look into the ingredients when ordering or making it yourself.
How Many Calories Are In A Serving Of Caprese Salad?
One serving of Caprese salad contains about a total of 12 grams of carbs, ten net carbs, 9 grams of protein, 24 grams of fat, and about 300 calories in total.
Nutritional Profile Of Caprese Salad
| Serving Size | 1 |
| Serving Weight | 155 gram |
| Calories | 300 kilocalories |
| Net Carbs | 10 grams |
| Total Carbs | 12 grams |
| Fiber | 1 gram |
| Protein | 9 grams |
| Fats | 24 grams |
| Starch | 0 gram |
| Sugar | 11 grams |
| Sugar Alcohols | 0 gram |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 0 gram |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0 gram |
| Saturated Fat | 7 grams |
| Cholesterol | 30 milligrams |
| Glycemic Load | 0 gram |
| Calcium | 250 milligrams |
| Iron | 1.4 milligrams |
| Sodium | 500 milligrams |
| Vitamin A | 900 micrograms |
| Vitamin C | 30 milligrams |
| Vitamin D | 0 micrograms |
Can Caprese Salad be Keto Friendly?
The answer to “Is Caprese salad keto friendly?” is yes! Caprese Salad can be not only keto-friendly but also healthy. It contains many healthy, tasty ingredients that maintain ketosis, such as fresh basil, tomatoes, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.
Cheese is also a part of Caprese salad, but it is keto-friendly and thus usable in abundance. It may not be the healthiest option, as it can cause mucus production leading to calcium loss. But on the plus side, cheese consumption in moderation provides vitamin D.
One of the healthiest and keto-friendly options is raw mozzarella cheese, as it possesses live enzymes that expedite the digestion of cheese.
Raw mozzarella cheese brings good news for lactose intolerant people. Even if you are lactose intolerant, you can eat as much raw mozzarella as you want, and the live enzymes in it will perform the digestion process for you while you sit back and relish your cheesy experience.
How To Make Low Carb, Keto Caprese Salad?
A low-carb keto Caprese salad is one of the easiest and yummiest things to cook on a keto diet. You will need the following ingredients:
| A mixing bowl, medium in size |
| Fresh grape tomatoes |
| Fresh mozzarella |
| Fresh garlic |
| Shallot |
| Olive Oil |
| Red Wine Vinegar |
| Salt |
| Pepper |
| Basil |
| Parsley |
Recipe:
- Using a sharp knife, slice your fresh vine-ripened grape tomatoes into bite-sized pieces, preferably a quarter of an inch thick.
- Use the same knife to slice your fresh mozzarella cheese as you like. It is best if you cut it in even slices for a fanciable presentation. If you have fresh mozzarella cheese slices, you can skip this step.
- Wash the basil leaves by submerging them in a bowl full of cold water. Rinse to remove any dirt and dry them on a paper towel. Once minimal moisture remains, remove the leaves from the stem. It is advisable to buy fresh-looking basil without any visible blemishes, tears, or wilts for a better taste and presentation.
- Arrange the tomato slices, basil leaves, and mozzarella cheese slices on a medium-sized serving dish. You can place these ingredients alternatively (one tomato slice followed by a mozzarella slice and basil leaf, similar to ratatouille’s arrangement!) to make it look visually appetizing. This technique also prevents one ingredient from clumping up in one place.
- Once your ingredients are set according to your liking, drizzle generous amounts of your favorite keto toppings, preferably extra virgin olive oil.
- Season with cracked black pepper and kosher salt to bring a yummy taste, and enjoy!
How Can You Serve Caprese Salad For A Keto Diet?
A Caprese salad can work magnificently as a starter with other keto, low-carb dishes, such as cauliflower soup, Peruvian salmon, vegetable spaghetti, or shrimp skewers.
Caprese salad tastes best cold or at room temperature.
Wrapping Up
Caprese salad is a healthy, yummy, low-carb, and easy-to-make food option for keto-lovers, making it an all-encompassing dish. We won’t judge you if your mouth is watering after reading this article! After you are done eating your healthy and keto-friendly Caprese salad, come back for more keto-related and yummy information!
Click on one of the links below to learn about more keto friendly foods!
Is Frozen Custard Keto Friendly?