Best Low Carb & Keto Products: Our Favorite Picks + Where to Buy

Looking for the best low carb and keto products? This is our big, regularly updated list of the sweeteners, flours, breads, snacks, sauces and kitchen tools we actually reach for, plus where to buy them in the US and beyond.

I've been eating low carb since 2008, and back then "low carb products" meant a sad protein bar and a lot of label squinting. Today there are genuinely good swaps for almost everything, but there's also a lot of clever "keto" marketing on products that aren't very low carb at all. These are the editorial picks from the Step Away From The Carbs kitchen: brands that taste good, have honest labels, and make it easier to stick with low carb for the long haul. You don't need all of them (real food always comes first), but a few of the right staples make weeknight cooking and cravings so much easier.

Low Carb Sweeteners

Sweeteners are the first thing most people buy when they go low carb, and the one where brands differ the most in terms of taste and suitability for tasks like baking. Our go-to products are monk fruit and stevia based, which is what we use in most of our recipes here.

• Lakanto Classic Monk Fruit Sweetener. This is our everyday sugar swap. It's a monk fruit and erythritol blend that measures cup-for-cup like sugar, so you can use it in baking, coffee and sauces without doing math. The Golden version has a light brown-sugar flavor for cookies and BBQ rubs.
• Truvia. My second pick for an everyday granulated sugar substitute. This Stevia sweetener works especially great in hot coffee drinks.
• Lakanto Liquid Monk Fruit Drops. A few drops sweeten coffee, tea, iced tea and homemade lemonade with no grittiness. Liquid sweeteners are best for drinks, dressings and sauces rather than baking, since they don't add the bulk that granulated sugar does.
• SweetLeaf Sweet Drops (Vanilla Creme). Flavored liquid stevia that turns plain coffee, unsweetened almond milk or full-fat Greek yogurt into a treat. Start with just a few drops, since stevia gets bitter if you overdo it.
• Wholesome Allulose. Allulose doesn't recrystallize the way erythritol can, so it's the best pick for ice cream, caramel and soft cookies.
• Jordan's Skinny Syrups. Zero-sugar coffee shop syrups in dozens of flavors, perfect for lattes, Italian sodas and low carb cocktails. Their sugar-free line is sweetened with sucralose, so look for their naturally sweetened bottles if you prefer to stick with monk fruit or stevia.

Low Carb Flours & Baking Supplies

Low carb flours don't behave the same as traditional all-purpose or wheat flour, so it helps to start with a couple of reliable basic products and learn how they work before buying everything labeled "low carb" in the aisle.

Here's the short version of which low carb flour to reach for, and when:

Flour	Best for	Good to know
Almond flour	Cookies, muffins, cakes, pie crusts, breading	The everyday workhorse. Bakes up moist and tender, but browns faster than wheat flour.
Coconut flour	Cupcakes, pancakes, nut-free baking	Super absorbent, so you use much less (often about ¼ as much as almond flour) plus extra eggs or liquid. Never swap it 1:1.
Keto wheat flour	Yeast bread, pizza dough, cinnamon rolls	Made from wheat protein and fiber, so it has real gluten for chew and rise. Not gluten free.

• Bob's Red Mill Super-Fine Almond Flour. Blanched (skins removed) and finely ground, which gives you a lighter texture in muffins, cookies and pie crusts. Use it in most recipes that call for almond flour. Almond meal, which still has the skins, is coarser and better for rustic crackers or breading. Blue Diamond Almond Flour is another great option.
• Bob's Red Mill Organic Coconut Flour. Coconut flour soaks up liquid like a sponge, so a little goes a long way. Use it in recipes written for coconut flour, or mix a few tablespoons with almond flour to lighten up cakes and cupcakes. It's also the go-to for nut-free baking.
• King Arthur Keto Wheat Flour. The closest thing to regular flour, which makes it the best pick for yeast breads, pizza dough and soft rolls where almond flour can't give you that chewy, stretchy texture. Because it's wheat based, skip it if you're gluten free.
• NOW Psyllium Husk Powder. Helps give low carb breads that chewy, bready structure. Use it in yeast-free breads, bagels and tortillas, usually a tablespoon or two per recipe. Some brands can tint baked goods a little purple, which is harmless.
• Bob's Red Mill Xanthan Gum. A tiny pinch of xanthan gum thickens sauces, soups and gravies in place of flour or cornstarch (start with about ¼ teaspoon per cup of liquid), and helps gluten-free baked goods hold together. One bag lasts ages!
• NOW Egg White Protein, Unflavored. A secret weapon for fluffier keto cakes and muffins. Gluten is a protein, so adding a little dry protein powder helps low carb baked goods rise and hold their shape. Isopure Zero Carb Unflavored whey works too.
• ChocZero Dark Chocolate Chips. These monk fruit sweetened chips are a great low carb alternative to traditional chocolate chips for cookies and muffins. Lily's Baking Chips are another favorite.

Low Carb Bread, Tortillas & Wraps

Missing sandwiches is one of the biggest reasons people give up on low carb. Thankfully, low carb bread and tortillas have come a long way. Many of these are sold fresh or frozen, so check your grocery store first. And they can even be used in more creative ways, like our cinnamon roll-ups for dessert.

• Mission Carb Balance Tortillas. Our favorite everyday tortilla! This is the one on my grocery list every week. They're soft, they fold without cracking, and they're easy to find in most grocery stores. And, to me at least, they taste exactly the same as the full carb options.
• Great Low Carb Bread Company. Shelf-stable low carb bread that ships well, which makes it one of the few breads worth ordering online.
• Egglife Egg White Wraps. Thin, flexible wraps made mostly from egg whites, with almost no carbs. They're great for breakfast burritos, quesadillas and roll-ups, and they don't taste eggy. Look for them in the refrigerated section near the eggs.
• Folios Cheese Wraps. 100% cheese wraps that crisp up beautifully in a skillet. Use them for crunchy taco shells, crisp them flat for a quick pizza crust, or keep them soft for a deli wrap. You'll find them in the deli cheese section, and Costco often carries big packs.
• Base Culture Keto Bread. A dense, grain-free sandwich loaf made with almond flour and eggs, at about 4g net carbs per slice. It's sold frozen, so look for it in the freezer aisle at stores like Whole Foods, Publix and Sprouts. It keeps for months in the freezer, and toasting really brings it to life.

Low Carb Pasta & Rice Swaps

Veggie noodles are a great healthy option, but sometimes you want something that twirls just like pasta. These are the store-bought swaps I like to keep in the pantry for quick dinners.

• Palmini Linguine. Made from hearts of palm. Rinse, warm and toss with your favorite sauce for a super fast pasta night.
• Miracle Noodle Fettuccine. Shirataki noodles made from konjac root, with almost no carbs. Rinse well and dry-fry them in a skillet for the best texture.
• Miracle Rice. Made from the same konjac root as the noodles above, but shaped like rice. Use it for fried rice, curries and burrito bowls, and give it a quick dry-fry in a hot skillet first so it isn't watery.
• Kaizen Keto Pasta. Made from lupin beans, this pasta is high in protein and has a texture very close to regular pasta, so it's great for mac and cheese and pasta salad. Kaizen makes two lines, so check you're buying the Keto version for the lowest carbs.
• ThinSlim Impastable. A low carb fettuccine made mostly from fiber and wheat protein. It holds up well to heavier sauces like Alfredo and Bolognese.

Low Carb Chocolate & Sweets

A little chocolate goes a long way toward keeping sugar cravings in check. These are the treats we think are absolutely worth their few carbs.

• Lily's Chocolate Bars. Stevia-sweetened chocolate that tastes like the real deal. The extra dark bars are our favorite. They also make milk chocolate, white chocolate and peanut butter cups, so there's something for everyone.
• Lindt Excellence 90% Cocoa. You don't always need a "keto" label. Very dark chocolate does still contain some sugar, but the higher the cacao percentage, the less sugar there's room for. Three squares of Lindt 90% have about 4g net carbs and just 2g of sugar. The 85% bar is a little sweeter with a few more carbs. Skip 70% bars, which have quite a bit more sugar.
• ChocZero Keto Bark. Monk fruit sweetened chocolate bark studded with almonds and sea salt. It's a good one to stash in the pantry for an after-dinner square.
• HighKey Mini Cookies. Crunchy little cookies that hit the spot with a hot cup of coffee or tea.
• Atkins Endulge Peanut Butter Cups. An easy grab-and-go candy fix. Like many low carb candies they use sugar alcohols, so check the label and see how they work for you.

Low Carb Ice Cream

Ice cream is one of the foods people miss most on low carb, and the good news is there are still some great options in the freezer aisle. The keto ice cream section has shrunk lately, though. Halo Top's keto line and Enlightened's keto pints have disappeared from most stores, so here are the brands to look for now. Most are sold in grocery stores rather than online, so check the freezer case at your local store.

• Rebel Ice Cream. The most keto-friendly pint you can buy, and the easiest to find. It's made with real cream and sweetened with erythritol and monk fruit, at about 2g net carbs per serving of vanilla. Look for it at Walmart, Publix, Kroger stores, Target and H-E-B.
• Keto Pint. Sweetened with allulose, monk fruit and stevia, so it stays scoopable and doesn't have that icy texture some keto ice creams get. It's sold at H-E-B and Sam's Club, and you can order it online.
• N!ck's. A Swedish-style light ice cream that's lower in carbs and sugar rather than strictly keto, but it's creamy and the flavors are fun. Find it at Kroger stores and ShopRite.
• So Delicious No Sugar Added. A dairy-free option made with coconut milk and sweetened with erythritol, monk fruit and stevia. Look for it at Whole Foods.
• Breyers CarbSmart. The easiest low carb ice cream to find in almost any grocery store, but it's sweetened mostly with maltitol, which raises blood sugar more than other sweeteners and can upset your stomach. Treat it as an occasional treat.

Low Carb Snacks

Having a few grab-and-go snacks in the pantry is the easiest way to avoid a carb loaded slip-up. Our favorites are savory and crunchy.

• Epic Pork Rinds. Zero carb crunch! You can also crush them up for breading chicken or topping casseroles. 4505 Chicharrones and Pork King Good are also great.
• Whisps Parmesan Cheese Crisps. My personal favorite crunchy snack! Baked 100% cheese crisps, perfect for dipping.
• Moon Cheese. Crunchy dried cheese bites that don't need refrigeration, so they're perfect for lunch boxes, road trips and your desk drawer. They're also a fun crouton swap on salads.
• Quest Tortilla Style Protein Chips. A chip-like snack for when you really want nachos, but can't afford the carb overload.
• Flackers Flax Seed Crackers. Sturdy, crisp crackers made from flax seeds, at about 1g net carb per serving. They're strong enough for thick dips and cheese boards without snapping.
• Seapoint Farms Dry Roasted Edamame. Crunchy roasted soybeans are a great high-protein snack and lower in carbs than you might think. A ⅓ cup serving has about 3g net carbs and 14g of protein, thanks to plenty of fiber. Stick to one serving, since the carbs add up if you keep munching. The Only Bean makes a similar crunchy roasted edamame.
• Chomps Beef Sticks. Grass-fed meat sticks with zero sugar and no fillers. They're our favorite emergency snack for the car, the gym bag or a long sports practice.
• Fishwife Tinned Fish. Smoked salmon, trout and mackerel in fun flavors like chili crisp. A can is a protein-packed, almost zero carb lunch you can eat straight from the tin or pile onto cucumber slices and crackers.
• Mauna Loa Macadamia Nuts. Macadamias are one of the lowest carb nuts around, with a rich, buttery flavor, and these have just the right amount of salt. They're calorie-dense, so portion out a handful rather than eating from the jar.

Nuts, Seeds & Nut Butters

Nuts and seeds are some of the most useful foods in a low carb kitchen. They're perfect for snacking, baking, crunchy toppings and quick fat bombs. Just read labels on nut butters, since many popular brands add sugar.

• Barney Butter Bare Smooth Almond Butter. Just almonds, with no added sugar or salt. Swirl it into smoothies, stir it into chia pudding or eat it straight off the spoon.
• Legendary Foods Nut Butter. Sweetened keto nut butters in dessert flavors, great for when you want a treat without baking.
• Viva Naturals Organic Chia Seeds. Mostly fiber, so they're very low in net carbs. Use them for chia pudding, as an egg replacement in baking or to thicken smoothies.
• Manitoba Harvest Hemp Hearts. Soft, nutty seeds that add protein and crunch to salads, yogurt and low carb granola.

Healthy Fats & Oils

Fat is what keeps low carb meals satisfying, so it's worth having a few good options in the pantry. Butter is a staple too, of course, but these are the shelf-stable fats we use most.

• Chosen Foods Avocado Oil. Neutral flavor and a high smoke point, which makes it our go-to for searing, roasting and air frying. The avocado oil spray is handy for greasing pans and waffle makers.
• Kosterina Extra Virgin Olive Oil. A peppery, early-harvest Greek olive oil that's great for drizzling over salads, roasted vegetables and grilled meats. Save avocado oil for high-heat cooking and use a good olive oil where you can taste it.
• 4th & Heart Ghee. Clarified butter that won't burn at high heat, with a rich, nutty flavor. It's shelf-stable and works for most people who avoid dairy, since the milk solids are removed.
• Nutiva Organic Coconut Oil. Great for dairy-free baking, fat bombs and stir-fries. Virgin coconut oil tastes like coconut, so use refined if you want a neutral flavor.

Low Carb Sauces & Condiments

Sauces are where sneaky sugar hides. These are the bottles and jars we trust to keep meals flavorful and low carb.

• Heinz Tomato Ketchup No Sugar Added. Tastes like the ketchup you grew up with, without all the extra sugar. We have bought this for years, even when not eating low-carb.
• G Hughes Sugar Free BBQ Sauce. Sweet and smoky, with a fraction of the carbs of traditional BBQ sauce.
• Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Mayo. This zero carb mayo is made with avocado oil. Their Ranch dressing is a staple in my fridge too.
• Rao's Homemade Marinara. This jarred sauce is the only one I've found that actually tastes homemade. With no sugar added, it's also a relatively low carb choice. And if you like things a little spicy, their Arrabiata Sauce is my husband's all-time favorite.
• Coconut Secret Coconut Aminos. A soy-free soy sauce swap for stir-fries, marinades and dipping sauces. It's slightly sweet and does contain a little sugar, so use it in small amounts.

Bone Broth

Bone broth is a low carb pantry hero. Sip a warm mug as a snack, use it as the base for soups and stews, or add a splash to pan sauces. It's also an easy way to get extra sodium, which can help you feel better in your first few weeks of low carb. These shelf-stable cartons keep in the pantry, so you can stock up.

• Kettle & Fire Bone Broth. Slow-simmered beef and chicken bone broths with no added sugar. They're rich enough to sip straight from a mug, and they also make a quick soup base.
• Pacific Foods Organic Bone Broth. A budget-friendly organic bone broth that's easy to find in most grocery stores. The unsalted version lets you season soups and sauces exactly the way you like.

Low Carb Breakfast Foods

Eggs are the low carb breakfast hero, but some mornings call for something quick like cereal or something comforting like pancakes. These brands make it easy.

• Catalina Crunch Cereal. High-fiber, high-protein cereal that stays crunchy in milk. Cinnamon Toast is my favorite flavor.
• Magic Spoon Cereal. Protein-packed cereal in nostalgic flavors like Fruity, Cocoa, and Honey Nut.
• Schoolyard Snacks Keto Cereal. The brand formerly known as The Cereal School, with puffed protein cereal.
• Birch Benders Keto Pancake & Waffle Mix. Just add water for quick weekend pancakes or waffles. This is a reader favorite!
• Lakanto Sugar-Free Maple Syrup. A monk fruit sweetened syrup for pancakes and chaffles. This is my personal pick for low carb syrup. ChocZero's maple syrup is another good one.
• Good Good No Added Sugar Jam. A thick, fruity jam sweetened with stevia and erythritol instead of sugar, at about 1g net carb per tablespoon. It's perfect on chaffles, low carb toast or stirred into Greek yogurt.

Low Carb Coffee Creamers

Most flavored coffee creamers are loaded with sugar, so a good low carb creamer makes a big difference to your morning routine. Heavy cream and half-and-half are classic low carb choices (about 1g carb per tablespoon or less), but these are great if you want something dairy-free, shelf-stable or lightly sweet.

• Nutpods Unsweetened Creamer. A dairy-free creamer made from almonds and coconut, with no sugar. The unopened cartons are shelf-stable, so you can keep a few in the pantry.
• Laird Superfood Creamer (No Sugar Added). A coconut-milk powder creamer that's handy for travel and the office. Make sure you grab the no sugar added version, since the original has added sugar.
• Califia Farms Unsweetened Better Half. A refrigerated dairy-free half-and-half made from almond milk and coconut cream, with zero carbs and no sweetener. Look for it in the dairy case.
• Chobani Zero Sugar Creamer. A refrigerated creamer sweetened with allulose and stevia, at about 1g carb per tablespoon. It's a nice pick if you like your coffee a little sweet. (Coffee mate Zero Sugar is easier to find, but it uses artificial sweeteners.)
• Sports Research MCT Oil. MCT oil is a type of fat that's easy to blend into coffee or smoothies for a creamy, filling morning cup. Start with a teaspoon and work up, since too much at once can upset your stomach.

Protein & Collagen Powders

You don't need protein powder to eat low carb, but it's handy for quick shakes, coffee and even adding a protein boost to baked treats. Look for unflavored or naturally sweetened protein powders with no added sugar.

• Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides. Unflavored collagen that dissolves in hot or cold drinks. Most people stir a scoop into their morning coffee.
• Isopure Zero Carb Whey Protein. An unflavored whey isolate with zero carbs, so it works in shakes and savory or sweet baking without changing the flavor.
• NOW Egg White Protein. A dairy-free protein powder that's also great for lighter, fluffier keto baked goods.
• Equip Prime Protein. A one-ingredient protein powder made from grass-fed beef, with 21g of protein per scoop. It's dairy-free, so it's a great option if whey doesn't agree with you.
• Ancient Nutrition Multi Collagen Protein. An unflavored collagen blend from several sources that mixes easily into coffee, smoothies and soups.

Low Carb Drinks & Electrolytes

Staying hydrated (and keeping your electrolytes up) makes a big difference, especially in the first few weeks of eating low carb.

• Zevia Zero Sugar Soda. Stevia-sweetened soda in all the classic flavors, from cola and root beer to ginger ale. It's a great way to kick a soda habit without artificial sweeteners.
• LMNT Electrolyte Drink Mix. Sugar-free electrolytes with plenty of sodium. A favorite in the low carb community, especially when you're just getting started.
• DripDrop Zero Sugar. Zero-sugar electrolyte sticks with a good dose of sodium and potassium, at about 3g carbs per stick. They're sweetened with sucralose, so pick LMNT if you prefer to avoid artificial sweeteners.
• Liquid I.V. Sugar-Free. A sugar-free version of the popular hydration packets. These come in some really fun flavors, and my athletic kid even likes them!
• True Lemon Water Enhancer. Crystallized lemon packets to flavor water without sugar. Toss a few in your bag for restaurants and travel.

Meat, Seafood & Meal Delivery

Protein is the center of most low carb meals, so a freezer stocked with good meat and seafood makes weeknight dinners so much easier. These companies deliver to your door, and most let you order once or subscribe for a discount.

• Omaha Steaks. High-quality steaks, burgers and seafood delivered to your door. Their sales are a great time to stock the freezer.
• Crowd Cow. Beef, pork, chicken and seafood from small farms, including some amazing wagyu for special occasions. Order once or build a monthly box.
• Force of Nature. Grass-fed and pasture-raised beef, bison, chicken and game from regenerative farms. Their ground meat blends are an easy way to add organ meats to burgers and meatballs.
• Vital Choice. Wild-caught salmon, halibut, scallops and more, frozen at sea. They also make great canned salmon and sardines in olive oil for the pantry.
• Seatopia. Sushi-grade, snap-frozen seafood from regenerative farms, tested for mercury and microplastics. It's set up as a membership, but you can also order without subscribing.
• Green Chef. If you'd rather skip the planning altogether, Green Chef's Keto + Paleo meal kits deliver pre-portioned ingredients and recipes for low carb dinners. See our review of Green Chef's keto meal boxes.

Kitchen Tools for Low Carb Cooking

You don't need a kitchen full of gadgets to eat low carb, but a few tools make cooking from scratch faster and a lot more fun. Here are some of my favorites.

• Instant Pot. Pressure-cooks chili, shredded chicken, bone broth and cauliflower mash in a fraction of the time. I also like to use it as a slow cooker, so I only need one big appliance in the kitchen.
• Air Fryer. Crispy wings, fried pickles and "breaded" chicken without flour or deep frying. The Cosori Air Fryer is my personal favorite, but the Ninja Air Fryer is a great smaller option.
• Spiralizer. Turns zucchini, cucumber, daikon and even butternut squash into noodles in seconds. A countertop model like this Paderno, with interchangeable blades, makes thin spaghetti strands and wide ribbons, and is much faster than a handheld spiralizer.
• Dash Mini Waffle Maker. The secret to chaffles, the cheese-and-egg waffles that work as bread, buns and dessert. A tiny workhorse!
• Cuisinart Food Processor. Rices a whole head of cauliflower in seconds, and makes quick work of fathead dough, pie crusts, pesto and nut butters. If you make cauliflower rice or mash every week, this is the tool that makes it painless.
• Digital Kitchen Scale. The most accurate way to measure ingredients like almond flour and track portion sizes.
• Immersion Blender. For silky soups, homemade mayo and creamy coffee. I use mine all the time to blend soups without having to transfer them from a hot pot to a blender.
• Lodge Cast Iron Skillet. Perfect for searing steaks, crispy-skin chicken and skillet cookies. The original Lodge pans are still the GOAT. If you want an heirloom-quality upgrade, Smithey's No. 10 skillet has a polished, smoother cooking surface that's naturally slick.
• Bentgo Glass Meal Prep Containers. Divided glass containers that make it easy to portion out lunches and leftovers for the week. Meal prep is one of the best ways to stay on track when life gets busy.
• OXO Y-Peeler Set. Includes a julienne peeler, which is great for quick veggie noodles without a spiralizer, plus a serrated peeler for tomatoes and peaches. It's cheap, small and easy to store.

Low Carb Books & Cookbooks

Whether you want to understand the why behind low carb or just need some fresh dinner ideas, these are the books and cookbooks we recommend most.

Cookbooks

• The Protein Advantage Cookbook by Carolyn Ketchum. Carolyn is the creator of the popular low carb blog All Day I Dream About Food, and her newest book (2025) has 100 high-protein, low carb recipes plus clear advice on why protein matters as you get older. Great if you want meals that keep you full.
• The Ultimate Guide to Keto Baking by Carolyn Ketchum. Also from Carolyn of All Day I Dream About Food, who is known for her keto desserts. It explains exactly how low carb flours, sweeteners and binders work, so your cookies, cakes and breads come out right the first time. A must for anyone who loves to bake.
• The Wholesome Yum Easy Keto Cookbook by Maya Krampf. Maya runs Wholesome Yum, one of the biggest keto recipe blogs around. Every recipe uses 10 ingredients or less, and they're the kind of simple, family-friendly meals you'll actually make on a weeknight.
• Quick Keto Meals in 30 Minutes or Less by Martina Slajerova. Martina is the creator of the KetoDiet blog and app. This book focuses on fast weeknight dinners with full nutrition info, including plenty of one-pan and make-ahead ideas.
• 500 Low-Carb Recipes by Dana Carpender. Dana has been writing low carb cookbooks since long before keto was trendy. This classic covers everything from breakfast to dessert, and it's the book to grab when you want lots of ideas in one place.
• Craveable Keto by Kyndra Holley. Kyndra is the blogger behind Peace, Love and Low Carb. This book is full of comfort-food favorites, like takeout-style dishes and cheesy casseroles, made low carb.

Books About Low Carb Living

• Keto Clarity by Jimmy Moore and Dr. Eric Westman. Jimmy Moore is a longtime low carb podcaster, and Dr. Westman is an obesity medicine doctor who has used low carb diets with patients for decades. It's a friendly, practical introduction to keto that answers most beginner questions.
• Keto: The Complete Guide to Success by Maria and Craig Emmerich. Maria Emmerich is a well-known keto blogger and author, and this book explains the science of keto clearly, with meal plans and recipes to get started.
• Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes. A science journalist's readable look at why carbohydrates, not just calories, matter for weight. It's the book that convinced a lot of people to rethink carbs.
• The Obesity Code by Dr. Jason Fung. A Canadian kidney specialist's deep dive into insulin, weight and intermittent fasting. Great if you want to understand the why behind low carb and fasting.
• The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living by Drs. Phinney and Volek. Written by two of the leading researchers on low carb diets, this is the book for readers who want the research and the details behind it all.
• Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution. The book that started it all. Dr. Robert Atkins was a cardiologist, and his low carb plan introduced millions of people to this way of eating. It's still a useful read for understanding the phases of low carb.

How to Tell If a "Keto" Product Is Really Low Carb

Look at net carbs per serving, not the front of the box. "Keto" and "low carb" aren't regulated terms. Flip the package over and calculate net carbs instead. To calculate net carbs, subtract total fiber from total carbohydrates (here's our explanation of what net carbs mean).

Check the serving size. Manufacturers sometimes shrink the serving to make the numbers look better. Tricky, huh? If you'll eat the whole bag, do the math for the whole bag. Be honest. 😉

Know your sugar alcohols. Erythritol and allulose have very little effect on blood sugar for most people. For this reason, some low carbers will even subtract it from their net carb calculations. Maltitol, often found in sugar-free candy, has a much bigger effect and can upset your stomach. If maltitol is near the top of the ingredient list, we generally skip it.

Watch for hidden starches. Ingredients like maltodextrin, dextrose, tapioca and rice flour can sneak into products labeled low carb. Always check the label!

Where to Buy Low Carb Products

Most of the products on this list are easy to find online, and a lot of grocery stores even have a dedicated keto section too. Here are a few of my favorite places to shop for low carb goodies.

Our favorite online stores

• Amazon. The biggest selection of low carb pantry staples, often with fast shipping and better prices in multi-packs.
• Thrive Market. A membership grocery store with a big keto section and good prices on pantry staples, oils and nut flours.

In the grocery store

Don't overlook your regular grocery run. Costco is great for nuts, cheese, meat sticks and almond flour in bulk. Aldi carries surprisingly good low carb basics and its own versions of popular keto snacks. Walmart now stocks many of the brands on this list, and Trader Joe's is a fun place to find nuts, cheese crisps and cauliflower-everything.

For our readers outside the USA

For my non-USA readers, here are a few retailers with good low carb and keto selections:

• UK: The Keto Shop and CarbZone
• Canada: The Low Carb Grocery and Low Carb Canada
• Australia: Yo Keto and PBCo
• Everywhere else: iHerb ships keto staples to most countries.

Low Carb Product FAQ

Do I need special products to eat low carb?

Not at all. Meat, fish, eggs, cheese, low carb vegetables, nuts and healthy fats are the foundation, and none of them need a keto label. Specialty products just make it easier to enjoy the foods you'd otherwise miss, like bread, pasta and dessert.

What's the best low carb sweetener for baking?

For most recipes, a monk fruit and erythritol blend like Lakanto is the easiest because you can measure it just like sugar. For ice cream, caramel and soft cookies, allulose works better because it doesn't recrystallize.

Are low carb products more expensive?

Specialty products can be pricey, so buy the few that make the biggest difference for you and build the rest of your meals around whole foods. Buying in multi-packs, shopping sales and stocking up at Costco or Aldi helps too. See our Low Carb on a Budget tips for some helpful ideas.

Where can I buy low carb food online?

Amazon and Thrive Market both have large low carb selections. If you live outside the US, iHerb ships keto staples internationally, and there are great local low carb stores in the UK, Canada and Australia (see above).

New to low carb? Start with our How to Start a Low Carb Diet guide, then browse all of our low carb recipes. Have a favorite product or store we missed? Tell us in the comments!