This keto steak salad with balsamic vinaigrette is a great example of a well-balanced meal and should be a benchmark for how most salads should be prepared. Also, this keto steak salad contains restaurant-quality, homemade balsamic dressing that’s 100% keto.
Today’s article will teach you how to prepare this salad at home in just a few simple steps.
Most other salads are either too lean because they contain nothing but greens or too loaded because they contain large amounts of salad dressings. However, this recipe has the perfect ratio of macronutrients that will help you stay in ketosis while enjoying a delicious and satisfying meal.
Ingredients for keto steak salad with balsamic vinaigrette
Here are our favorite toppings for this keto steak salad. See the recipe card for exact quantities.
- Steak: Any cut of beef will do, although we recommend that you go for top sirloin, strip, or ribeye since they’re all pretty lean.
- Lettuce: Our top choices for this recipe include fresh romaine or butter lettuce since we wanted our salad to be extra crispy and crunchy.
- Cherry tomatoes, halved: Regular tomato slices will also do, but cherry tomatoes have a sweeter flavor to them that helps make the salad feel fresher.
- English or Persian cucumber, sliced: These are full of minerals and water, so they help fill up your stomach without adding too much to the final calorie count.
- Red onion, sliced (optional): If you like your salad to have a bit of extra flavor, you can add this ingredient.
- Avocado, sliced: This is what makes this salad a must-have for your keto diet. Avocadoes are packed with healthy fats and a creamy texture that’s quite enjoyable.
- Blue cheese or goat cheese, crumbled: Both cheese and avocadoes have a creamy texture and add to the salad’s fat content, but healthily. If you want to try something even creamier, we recommend that you give brie a chance.
- Balsamic dressing: This is a recipe of our own making, and not only does it do a good job at flavoring any salad, but it also does so without putting your weight loss goals in danger.
- Oil: You’ll need this to sear the steak before you add it to the salad. As for your salad, our balsamic vinaigrette has plenty of oil, so there’s no need to add more of it.
- Salt and pepper: The classic combination of salt and pepper is a must-have when flavoring most beef dishes.
Salads are very customizable so feel free to add peppers, beets, broccoli, or any other vegetables you like.
How do I make the keto steak salad with balsamic vinaigrette?
Preparing this dish is pretty simple, and you can have it on the table in no time. Here’s what you need to do:
- Cook the steak: Heat oil in a cast-iron pan or a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the steak and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side. Check for an internal temperature of 135° for a medium-rare steak. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let it rest.
- Mix the vegetables: Assemble the lettuce and toppings in a large salad bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss thoroughly.
- Add the steak: Thinly slice the steak against the grain and serve it over the salad. Add some extra salad dressing over the steak slices as well.
Top Tip: You can cook the steak to your preference, and here are the temperature guidelines for how you like your steak cooked.
- Medium rare: 135°F, red inside and warm:
- Medium: 145°F, pink inside and warm:
- Medium well: 150°F, slightly pink inside and warm
Remember that the steak will cook up to 5° more due to carryover cooking while resting, so pull them from the pan a little early.
Frequently Asked Questions
The following section of our guide will answer some of the most common questions about steak salads:
What salad dressings can you eat on keto?
Besides balsamic vinaigrette, there are a lot of other keto-friendly salad dressings out there. Ranch dressing, avocado-based dressing, Caesar dressing, blue cheese dressing, and any other dressing with less than 4g of carbs per serving is suitable.
Will eating salad stop ketosis?
Salads are low-carb, low-calorie, and high in fiber which will not stop ketosis. Although, you do have to be careful with toppings and dressings high in carbs.
For example, avoiding high-carb dressing or crunchy chip-like toppings is best. Croutons, wonton strips, and similar foods would make your salad higher-carb.
Is a steak keto-friendly?
Steak contains very few carbs, is also high in protein, and contains moderate amounts of fat. We recommend serving steak with another low-carb side, like vegetables, or topping steak on a salad.
What vegetables can I eat on the keto diet?
The best vegetables to eat regularly on a keto diet are mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. The only vegetables you want to avoid on a keto diet are starchy vegetables like white potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets, sweetcorn, etc.
What does a keto dinner look like?
A healthy keto dinner should normally contain protein, fat, and vegetables. That said, always ensure that each meal has the appropriate macro-nutrient ratio for your goals.
For example, a common keto dinner could be grilled chicken with sauteed vegetables and olive oil.
Closing Thoughts
This concludes our guide on how to make a keto steak salad with balsamic vinaigrette. It’s certainly a filling meal, and finally adding some other kind of meat other than chicken or tofu to a salad makes it seem like a more substantial dish.
However, don’t forget that beef is a great addition to the keto diet, regardless of whether it’s steak or ground meat. As such, if you want to try a similar recipe, but using ground beef, check out our recipe for a keto taco salad!
Have you tried making this keto steak salad with balsamic vinaigrette before? If so, let us know what you think about it in the comments below!
This keto Steak Salad is a filling and delicious salad that is perfect to serve for lunch or dinner. It's so satisfying, it's a complete meal in itself. In this recipe, steak is pan-seared and sliced thinly, then paired with yummy ingredients like blue cheese, avocado, cherry tomatoes, and a fresh Balsamic Vinaigrette. Steak Doneness: You can cook the steak to your personal preference. Medium rare – 135°, red inside and warm Remember that the steak will cook up to 5° more due to carryover cooking while they are resting, so pull them from the pan a little early.
Keto Steak Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Medium – 145°, pink inside and warm
Medium well – 150°, slightly pink inside and warmNutrition Information:
Yield: 2
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 655Total Fat: 47gSaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 146mgSodium: 483mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 8gSugar: 6gProtein: 42g
