20 Best Pork Belly Recipes for Sweet, Savory, and Flavorful Keto Meals

A fatty cut of meat, pork belly is the perfect keto ingredient because it’s low in carbs and high in protein and essential fatty acids. Here are some of our favorite pork belly recipes.

pork belly recipes
Since keto diets are all about consuming vast quantities of protein and fat and ignoring carbs, it’s evident that foods such as pork play a significant role.

Pork belly is the perfect ingredient – succulent and flavorsome meat packed with nutrients that will help you stay in ketosis while providing your body with the energy it needs to function correctly.

20 Amazing Keto Pork Belly Recipes

There are endless ways to cook pork belly, but we’ve compiled some of the best recipes to help you make the most of this delicious meat:

1. Sweet and Spicy – Best Recipe for Pork Belly

sweet and spicy keto pork belly recipe

Since the first and only rule of keto dieting is not to have any kind of carbs (especially sugar), you’re probably wondering how a pork belly recipe with the word sweet made it onto our list.

The secret behind this delicious keto recipe we found on I Hacked Diabetes is that the sweetness comes from a sugar-free source – erythritol.

Ingredients:

  • Pork belly
  • Salt
  • Garlic
  • Olive oil
  • Erythritol
  • Black pepper
  • Chicken stock
  • Ground ginger
  • Chili pepper flakes
  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Soy sauce, Tamari, or coconut aminos

We love it when a website gets creative with its recipes and tries making its keto versions, and that’s what I Hacked Diabetes has done with this one since sweet and spicy pork usually requires sugar (and quite a lot of it).

However, the sugar has been replaced with erythritol, a natural sweetener with zero calories and carbs, making it the perfect keto-friendly alternative to sugar.

This pork belly recipe is also spicy, thanks to the chili flakes, making it a wonderfully complex dish that will become a family favorite.

2. Spicy Maple Bites – Great Recipe for Pork Belly

Spicy Maple Keto Pork Belly Bites Recipes

Maple syrup is a family favorite for sweeteners, but it’s not keto-friendly since it’s high in carbs. So, how can you enjoy the delicious taste of maple without kicking yourself out of ketosis?

By using a sugar-free maple syrup alternative, of course! Keto Focus has an excellent recipe for spicy maple keto pork belly that uses sugar-free maple syrup to give it all the sweetness but none of the carbs.

Ingredients:

  • Pork belly
  • Zero-sugar maple syrup
  • Cayenne pepper
  • Garlic powder
  • Chili powder
  • Black pepper
  • Paprika
  • Salt

Admittedly, there’s no way to make authentic maple syrup without sugar. So the original recipe requires zero-sugar syrup flavored like maple syrup.

Of course, this shouldn’t be much of an issue, especially if you pick the right syrup with authentic flavorings.

3. Smoked Pork Belly Recipes

smoked pork belly slices recipe

Smoking meat is a great way to add flavor without extra calories or carbs. And pork belly is perfect for the job since it’s already so full of flavor, as demonstrated by Cooking LSL.

Ingredients:

  • Pork belly
  • Salt
  • Paprika
  • Cinnamon
  • Black pepper
  • Garlic powder
  • Onion powder
  • Smoked paprika
  • Cayenne pepper
  • BBQ sauce (to be replaced)
  • Low-carb brown sweetener
  • Apple cider vinegar

We suggest replacing the BBQ sauce with keto sauces since it’s typically packed with sugar.

The great thing about smoking pork belly is that you can use any type of wood chips. Different woods give the meat a different flavor – keep this in mind when choosing your spices.

4. Keto Asian Pork Belly Recipes

keto asian pork belly recipe

Asians are masters at cooking pork belly, so it’s no surprise how there are tons of great keto Asian pork belly recipes.

This one from Anova Culinary uses sous vide to cook the pork belly, resulting in perfectly cooked meat every time.

Ingredients:

  • Skinless pork belly
  • Chinese five-spice powder
  • Xylitol or sugar substitute
  • Chili pepper flakes
  • Rice wine vinegar
  • Sugar substitute
  • Sesame seeds
  • Ground pepper
  • Fresh pepper
  • Tamari sauce
  • Sesame oil
  • Minced garlic
  • Minced ginger

The marinade defines this dish, so make sure to taste it and make any necessary adjustments. Worth noting about this recipe is that it calls for an ingredient called five-spice powder

It’s a blend of spices common in Asian cuisine, which you can buy or make by mixing ground cinnamonanise seedsfennel seedsground cloves, and Sichuan peppercorns.

5. Chinese Pork Belly Recipes with Cabbage

crispy chinese pork with cabbage recipe

While pork belly is the center of attention in Asian cuisine, the Chinese are the ones that have taken this dish to new levels with their unique combinations of flavors and spices.

This recipe for keto Chinese pork with cabbage from Diet Doctor is a great example. It’s a dish packed with flavor, yet relatively simple to make.

Ingredients:

  • Pork belly
  • Savoy cabbage or green cabbage
  • Chinese five-spice powder
  • Butter or coconut oil
  • Szechuan pepper
  • Rice vinegar
  • Garlic cloves
  • Rice vinegar
  • Black pepper
  • Salt

The folks at Diet Doctor have found a way to make this dish keto-friendly by using a sugar-free sweetener instead of sugar and leaving out any rice-based side dishes typically found with this meal.

However, if you feel that the lack of rice prevents this dish from being authentic, we recommend cauliflower rice. It looks the same, tastes almost the same, and has just a fraction of the carbs (and overall calories).

6. Vietnamese Caramelized Pork Belly Recipe

vietnamese pork belly recipe

There are so many sugar substitutes on the market today that being on a keto diet is no longer a challenge, especially regarding recipes that traditionally call for a lot of sugar.

This Vietnamese caramelized pork belly from Family on Keto is the perfect example. It uses a sugar-free caramel sauce to give the pork belly a deep, rich flavor without all the sugar.

Ingredients:

  • Pork belly
  • Salt
  • Water
  • Fish sauce
  • Sesame oil
  • Spring onion
  • Sesame seeds
  • Ground pepper
  • Crushed chilies
  • Chopped onions
  • Coconut oil or lard
  • Sliced mushrooms
  • Low-carb sweetener
  • Fresh cilantro leaves
  • Soy sauce or coconut aminos

The coconut aminos, soy sauce, and fish sauce give the dish its signature brown caramel coloring.

It’s delicious and a fantastic example of how you can make any keto recipe feel like the real deal with just a bit of imagination.

7. Easy Korean Pork Belly Recipes

easy korean bbq with pork belly recipe

Barbecuing and roasting in an oven are arguably the healthiest ways of cooking pork belly since they don’t require oil.

This Korean BBQ recipe from Cooking with Maite uses three protein sources: chicken, shrimp, and pork belly – a great option if you’re feeding a crowd.

Ingredients:

  • Sliced pork belly
  • Chicken thighs
  • Whole shrimp
  • Soy sauce, Tamari, or coconut amino
  • Sliced bell peppers
  • Chopped onions
  • Minced garlic
  • Sweetener
  • Sesame oil
  • Asparagus
  • Black pepper
  • Sliced zucchini
  • Cherry tomatoes

If you feel that three types of protein are too much, balance it out with extra veggies, such as grilled mushrooms.

Or, if you’re allergic to shellfish, skip the shrimp or replace it with extra pork belly.

8. Filipino BBQ Pork Belly Recipes

filipino barbecue pork belly recipe

This Filipino BBQ pork belly recipe from Side Chef. is not entirely keto, but there’s nothing a bit of ingredient swapping can’t fix.

Ingredients:

  • Pork belly
  • Oil
  • Salt
  • Garlic
  • Bay leaf
  • Tomatoes
  • Soy sauce
  • Red onions
  • Garlic powder
  • Dried oregano
  • Salted duck egg
  • Ground black pepper
  • Distilled white vinegar
  • Brown sugar (to be replaced)
  • Cooked white rice (to be replaced)

You can swap the brown sugar with any keto-friendly sweetener, such as stevia, erythritol, or monk fruit.

Meanwhile, you can replace the white rice with cauliflower or garlic-flavored cauliflower rice, which is just as healthy and keto-friendly but more delicious.

9. Chashu – Japanese Pork Belly Recipe

chashu pork belly recipe

Slow-cooked meat takes time to prepare. But anyone who has ever eaten high-quality pulled pork knows it’s worth the wait.

This Chashu pork belly is an original Japanese recipe, and we managed to find a keto version on Low Carbing Asian.

Ingredients:

  • Pork belly
  • Salt
  • Garlic
  • Water
  • Ginger
  • Soy sauce
  • Japanese sake
  • Whole jalapeno
  • Green onion stalks
  • Neutral cooking oil
  • Monkfruit-erythritol blend

Thankfully enough, this isn’t one of those crockpot recipes where the meat must cook for 3-6 hours – you should be done in 2 hours at most.

10. Low-Carb Bowl – Thin-Sliced Pork Belly Recipes

Low Carb Pork Belly Bowl recipe

If you’re not a vegetarian, you’re probably familiar with the look and taste of bacon and how heavenly it feels in the morning next to some fried eggs sunny side up.

Well, pork belly is the unprocessed version of bacon – and it’s just as delicious, if not more.

This low-carb pork belly bowl recipe from Delightfully Low Carb shows how to cook pork belly into thin-sliced strips and serve it with sauteed vegetables.

Ingredients:

  • Pork belly strips
  • Chopped purple cabbage
  • Chopped cucumber
  • Sriracha hot sauce
  • Edamame beans
  • Chopped cilantro
  • Avocados sliced
  • Hoisin sauce
  • Mayonnaise
  • Soy sauce
  • Pepper
  • Salt

This recipe relies heavily on preparation, particularly when slicing the pork belly.

Unless you know your oven inside and out, the pork belly slices must be between 1/4- and 1-inch thick.

And since you’re using the oven anyway, create extra side dishes to go with it, such as oven-roasted asparagus.

11. Keto-Friendly Braised Pork Belly Recipes

Keto-Friendly Braised Pork Belly Recipe

Whoever invented braising was a culinary genius since it brings together the best flavors from frying and stewing.

It’s why braising goes so well with pork belly since it’s a meat cut with a natural flavor when fried that becomes incredibly tender when stewed.

This recipe from Sybaritica is the perfect blend of both methods, although we have to warn you that this isn’t exactly a fast recipe.

Ingredients:

  • Pork belly
  • Water
  • Vinegar
  • Soy sauce
  • Sliced ginger
  • Crushed garlic
  • Black cardamom
  • Dried scallop conpoy
  • Sliced dried galangal
  • Red hot chili peppers
  • White peppercorns
  • Rice wine or sherry
  • Cornstarch (to be replaced)

The cornstarch acts as a syrup thickener for stewing the pork belly. Since it’s not keto, you can replace it with xantham gum, which has zero carbs and calories.

As for the dish itself, the best word to describe it is juicy.

12. Burnt Ends – Grilled Pork Belly Recipes

Pork Belly Burnt Ends On The Grill Recipe

You can cut meat in three ways when preparing pork belly: long strips, cubes, or leaving the entire slab of meat whole.

Pork belly burnt ends are usually made from cubes, and this recipe from 40 Aprons demonstrates how to grill them to perfection.

Ingredients:

  • Skinless pork belly
  • Salt
  • Butter
  • Cumin
  • BBQ sauce
  • Chili powder
  • Black pepper
  • Onion powder
  • Garlic powder
  • Smoked paprika
  • Cayenne pepper
  • Olive oil or other neutral oil
  • Brown sugar (to be replaced)

We like how creative this recipe is: grill the meat, glaze it in a barbecue sauce mix, and then slow-cook it on the grill for about 2 hours.

However, you should replace brown sugar with a different sweetener and use sugar-free barbecue sauce.

13. Roast with Crackling – Pork Belly Recipe in the Oven

Roast Pork Belly with Crackling Recipe

We think this recipe from My Keto Kitchen takes the cake (or should we say, takes the pork belly) because it has the best part of the roasted pork belly: the crackling.

It’s crunchy and delicious – a contrast to the juicy and tender meat.

Ingredients:

  • Pork belly
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Olive oil

Despite using only four ingredients, this is one of those recipes where preparation is key.

You need to score the skin and pat it as dry as possible, rub it with a mixture of salt and pepper, and roast it in a preheated oven.

Pork belly crackling is significantly easier when deep-frying the meat. But if you have high cholesterol, slow and steady in an oven is the way to go.

14. Fried Pork Belly Recipes

crispy pork belly recipe
The folks over at Wholesome Yum have a crispy pork belly recipe that’s so good; it’s almost criminal.

Ingredients:

  • Pork belly
  • Sea salt
  • Avocado oil
  • Black pepper

The skin is extra crispy because it’s scored. And the rest of the ingredients are classic spices that bring out the meat’s flavor.

You have to roast the pork belly for an hour, cook it for extra 45 minutes at higher temperatures, and then broil it for 5 minutes.

This classic dish goes well with any oven-baked veggies you can think of, although we recommend roasted broccoli.

15. Chicharron Fried Pork Belly Slices Recipe

Chicharron Fried Pork Belly Recipe

If you have a bit of experience cooking pork belly, the idea of adding lemon juice may seem strange.

However, Ketovale made lemon juice the star ingredient of this dish, and it works perfectly.

Ingredients:

  • Pork belly slices
  • Salt
  • Lard
  • Water
  • Pepper
  • Erythritol
  • Baking soda
  • Cayenne pepper
  • Sweet paprika
  • Lemon juice

This recipe is the ultimate example of what a keto dish needs to look like: protein, plenty of fat, and no carbs in sight – just sugar substitutes.

However, eating pork fried in its lard may be hard to keep down if you have a sensitive stomach.

That’s where the lemon juice comes in – cutting through the dish’s richness, making it easier to digest.

16. Pork Belly Recipes in the Air Fryer

air fryer roast pork belly recipe

If you like the idea of fried food but think that frying or deep-frying is too unhealthy, try making pork belly in the air fryer, just like Taste.

It’s a healthier alternative to deep-frying and still gives you that crispy skin everyone loves.

Ingredients:

  • Pork belly (rind scored)
  • Sea salt flakes
  • Oil spray

Pat the pork belly dry, rub it with salt, add oil spray to the air fryer, and let the machine do its magic for about 25 minutes until the ring crackles.

Then set the air fryer to medium and cook for an additional 30 minutes to tenderize the meat.

The result? Keto-friendly pork belly bites that are crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside!

17. Coffee Barbecue – Tender Pork Belly Recipes

coffee barbecue pork belly recipe

This coffee barbecue pork belly recipe from Peace, Love, and Low Carb is the perfect example of crispy meat on the outside and tender and juicy on the insides – all thanks to the coffee rub.

Ingredients:

  • Pork belly
  • Olive oil 
  • Beef stock
  • Instant espresso powder
  • Low-carb barbecue dry rub

You must cover the pork belly in barbecue rub, bake it while drenched in beef stock and espresso powder, and finally, sear it in a pan with a bit of olive oil.

It becomes tender in the oven by sucking up the beef stock and espresso mix, preventing it from going dry. At the same time, it turns crispy from the searing.

18. Keto Ramen Pork Belly Recipe

keto pork belly ramen soup recipe

To keep things keto-friendly, this recipe from Cookpad uses slim noodles made from gluten-free and low-carb Konjac flour as an alternative to wheat flour.

Ingredients:

  • Pork belly
  • Salt
  • Water
  • Butter
  • Pepper
  • Olive oil
  • Chilli flakes
  • Boiled eggs
  • Fresh ginger
  • Slim noodles
  • Diced onions
  • Spring onions
  • Napa cabbage
  • Sesame seeds
  • Dark soy sauce
  • Gochugaru paste
  • Toasted sesame oil
  • Fresh minced garlic
  • Freshly grated ginger
  • Chestnut mushrooms
  • Homemade beef broth

This recipe is 100% keto. But if you have a hard time finding slim noodles, try other keto-friendly ramen or pasta alternatives, such as zoodles (spiralized zucchini noodles).

It’s certainly the most refreshing dish on our list –  so delicious that you’ll want to skip eating with chopsticks.

19. Oven Roasted Skinless Pork Belly Recipes

Oven Roasted Crispy Pork Belly Recipe

So far, we’ve praised the skin of the pork belly for being crispy, but let’s be honest – not everyone is a fan of eating it.

Pig skin tends to become very tough and chewy if cooked unproperly.

If you prefer pork belly without the skin, check out this recipe from Pinch and Swirl.
Ingredients:

  • Pork belly
  • Regular or kosher salt
  • Black pepper
  • Sugar

Besides replacing sugar with a keto-friendly alternative, there’s nothing special about this recipe.

But, since it doesn’t have skin, eating the pork belly will be easier for those with tooth sensitivities.

20. Pork Belly Recipes – Gordon Ramsay Style

gordon ramsay pork belly recipe

Gordon Ramsay is a world-renowned chef, and it’s no surprise that his pork belly recipe is up there with the best of them.

We found his recipe on The Food XP, and it’s pretty much what you would expect from a Michelin-star chef: complicated, time-consuming, and requires some atypical ingredients.

Ingredients:

  • Pork belly
  • Salt
  • Stock
  • Star anise
  • White wine
  • Bay leaves
  • Fennel bulbs
  • Garlic cloves
  • Fennel seeds
  • Cardamom seeds

What we love about it is the unique seasoning, slow cooking for tenderization, and 100% keto ingredients.

FAQ

Discover more useful information about keto pork belly recipes:

Is pork belly good for the keto diet?

Yes, pork belly is fatty meat with low carbs – perfect for keto diets

Is pork belly healthy for weight loss?

If you follow keto, pork belly is excellent for weight loss. But it doesn’t work with diets that forbid fatty or calorie-loaded foods.

What meat is best for keto?

Some of the best examples of keto-friendly fatty meats include pork, lamb, chicken, and salmon.

Is pork belly healthier than bacon?

If you have high blood pressure, it’s best to avoid bacon and stick to pork belly.

Closing Thoughts

The idea of eating fried or baked pork belly while on a diet might seem mindblowing for those new to keto dieting. But trust us – it works.

There are endless possibilities for keto pork belly recipes, whether you prefer sweet and savory or packed with flavor. 

What are your favorite keto pork belly recipes? Let us know in the comments below!

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