Dairy-Free Keto Cookbooks – Our Top 3 Favorites

Adding a good dairy-free keto cookbook or two to your library will greatly improve your success, both in your transition into keto, and in your efforts to maintain a keto lifestyle. Although there are thousands of free keto recipes online, there are a few key benefits to having a good hard copy cookbook at your disposal.

Selecting the Right Dairy-Free Keto Cookbook

Prior to starting keto, I had already decided to reduce and eventually eliminate dairy. At the time I found it difficult to find dairy-free meal options since most keto cookbooks and recipes utilize the addition of cheese and/or cream to elevate fat content. 

Even if you are not sensitive to dairy, I would suggest choosing healthier sources of fat as the foundation of your meals.

A good keto cookbook is more than just a list of recipes that meet the keto requirements. Within our top three cookbook recommendations, the authors provide valuable foundational information relating to:

• Initiating and navigating a keto lifestyle
• The kitchen tools you will need to prepare a wide range of keto meals
• How to stock your pantry to keep keto convenient
• Keto friendly ingredient replacements for sugar, thickeners, and dairy
• Helpful cooking instructions
• Meal planning tips and/or complete meal plans
• An inspiring story about their health journey and how keto has changed their life

If you are reluctant to make this investment just yet, there are many good websites and less expensive e-cookbooks that offer similar benefits. Personally I’m partial to hardcopy books that allow me to easily flip through the pages for inspiration.

I do understand that printing new books can be wasteful, and kindle books, e-books and online resources are great options to reduce waste. Thrift stores, and used book stores are also great places to get deals on used cookbooks, and other life improvement resources. 

Amazon often provides options to purchase kindle books, and/or used books, and your local library is always a great resource. Please feel free to just record these book titles and keep an eye out the next time you go thrifting.

Our Top 3 Favorite Dairy-Free Keto Cookbooks

Any one of these books would be a great resource to start with or add to your collection, and we therefore did not list them in any particular order. We did however attempt to provide enough detail to help you select the best one(s) for you.

1) Dairy-Free Keto Cooking by Kendra D. Holley

Of these three cookbooks, I use this one the most. Primarily because many of the meals included in this book align well with the types of foods I already like, and all of the recipes I have tried have turned out great.

Like all of the authors on this list, Kyndra has produced multiple best selling cookbooks, however this one is specifically tailored to those seeking to approach keto without dairy. This book provides a very thorough introduction to keto, multiple guides, troubleshooting tips, and a variety of techniques for following keto successfully

Something unique about this book is Kyndra’s instinctive approach to keto. While she has tracked her eating in detail in the past, and had also monitored ketones diligently, she now takes a more relaxed approach, and shares her strategy in detail.

Favorite Kendra Holley Keto Recipe – Vanilla Maple Pancakes

Before getting this book I had tried several keto pancake recipes and premade dry mixes, but these are the only ones my non-keto wife will actually eat. This was also the only recipe I found that utilized coconut flour, rather than almond flour, which seemed to make the difference. 

You can get creative with your keto pancake toppings, but I prefer just a dollop of Miyoko’s Cultured Vegan Butter and some Lakanto Maple Flavored Syrup.

Inside Dairy-Free Cooking

2) The Keto Diet by Leanne Vogel

Leanne Vogel is another well known keto author and Youtuber, however most people are unaware that her book The Keto Diet is dairy-free because it’s not titled or advertised as such. That is likely why you don’t hear about it as often in the dairy-free keto community, however it is a worthy addition to your dairy-free keto cookbook collection.

As with the other two books on this list, The Keto Diet includes a thorough introduction to keto, troubleshooting tips, meal plans, and preparation support. This book however, delves a little further into helping you customize the perfect keto approach for you.

Similar to Kyndra Holley, Leanne has created a more personalized or intuitive approach to keto that resonates well with a lot of people. She recommends listening to your body rather than tracking macros or calories and incorporates more flexibility in her carb intake based on what’s going on in her life.

Leanne calls her process the “Fat Fueled Approach”, and her meal plans are designed around small changes in her daily macro profile rather then the exclusion of certain food types. If followed directly her meal plans also include pre-calculated daily macros (percentages and totals) so that you don’t feel the need to track it all for yourself.

Favorite Leanne Vogel Recipe – Bacon Mac ‘N’ Cheese

As a kid I actually preferred the boxed Kraft Mac & Cheese over the homemade versions I would encounter at potlucks or holiday functions. My tastes eventually matured and I now prefer to avoid processed foods and flavorings as much as possible.

I won’t lie to you and tell you that this tastes just like homemade mac & cheese, and calling it that amongst your non-keto friends will likely result in protest, however it does have a cheesy flavor and that mushy macaroni pasta texture. I’m not sure I’m selling this very well, but you know what I mean.

Inside The Keto Diet

3) Easy Dairy-Free Ketogenic Recipes By Maria Emmerich

Within the dairy-free keto community Maria Emmerich is probably best known for her 30-day Ketogenic Cleanse book which includes 160 whole-food recipes and a guided meal plan. Her Easy Dairy-Free Ketogenic Recipes book however, offers a wider variety of foods, and multiple detailed meal plans along with grocery lists and other planning tips.

Some of the recipes in this book are a little more complex in that they contain more ingredients or more preparation steps, or are paired with homemade dips or sauces. However, Maria uses many of the same ingredients repeatedly, so once you have been following her recipes for a while your pantry will be well stocked and preparation will be much easier.

Favorite Maria Emmerich Recipe – French Onion Meatball Soup

I love keto soups, they are so flavorful and filling. I’m not that creative, so my homemade soups all tend to taste about the same. Maria’s book includes a whole chapter on soups and stews that include various broths and curry bases which has broadened my soup repertoire considerably.

I get a little lazy with soup sometimes, and often just opt to brown the ground beef rather than take the time to actually make meatballs. In this instance it’s worth the extra effort.

Inside Easy Dairy-Free Ketogenic Recipes

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Do you own any of our top 3 favorite dairy-free keto cookbooks? Which dairy-free keto cookbook is your favorite? Please consider sharing your experience by commenting below in order to help others living a fit keto lifestyle.

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