Homemade Versus Restaurant Cobb Salad
I’m always sizing up the meals I have when I eat out, wondering how difficult each would be to create in my own kitchen. Sometimes I make tweaks to change-up the flavor, make healthier, or maybe align better to my personal preferences.
The Cobb Salad was definitely one of those dishes that I told myself would be an easy one to make at home. It has a minimal ingredient list and little prep work. I still like ordering a Cobb while eating out, , but being able to make a Keto Cobb Salad that is just as good as one that isn’t as healthy makes for a win in the home kitchen.
How To Make A Keto Cobb Salad
Keto Cobb salad ingredients on a wooden board
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
The good news is that making a Cobb salad that is low in carbs is quite simple to make. Just keep in mind that youll need to have fresh ingredients that can be prepped easily.
The following are the ingredients for the Cobb salad, note that the full printable recipe is a the bottom of the page.
keto Cobb salad served with homemade blue cheese dressing
How To Make Keto Cobb Saladwith Kale
Remember, youre welcome to make this keto Cobb salad with whichever greens YOU preferromaine or iceberg lettuce, watercress, endives, etc. For this recipe, Im going with kale for a nutritional boost and some fun crunch! Its slightly higher in carbs, but the added nutrients are a worthwhile tradeoff for me.
And, for meal prep purposes, kale is a great choice becauseit will stay fresh and crisp for the entire weekunlike most greens! To keepyour keto salad prep as simple as possible, you can splurge a bit on washed,chopped, ready-to-eat kale. Or, save some money by opting for larger bunches ofkale and prepping it on your meal prep day. Its pretty simple to do!
To start, use your knife to cut the kale leaves away fromthe thick stem/ribs. Then, chop the kale leaves and give them a rinse. Finally, pat those leaves drywith paper towels and do any additional chopping as desired. Get your kaleleaves to the size that YOU want to eat!
All thats left to do is line a large airtight container with paper towels, and then add your chopped kaleleaves to store. Those paper towels will soak up excess moisture, helping tokeep the kale crisp longer.
Read Also: How To Make German Potato Salad
How To Cut An Avocado
There is a method to cut avocado right.
- First with a sharp knife, cut the avocado lengthwise till you hit the pit.
- Rotate the avocado while the knife is steady to make a cut all round the pit until you get to where you made the first cut.
- Twist and separate the two halves.
- Hit the pit with the sharp edge of the knife, twist and remove pit.
- Score the avocado flesh and gently scoop out to make your Cobb salad.
Dressing Your Keto Salad
While most salad dressings are keto-friendly, theyre not all necessarily healthy. Most brands make their dressings with refined vegetable oils like canola and soybean oil, which increase inflammation in the body.
Look for brands that list only olive oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil in the ingredients, such as Primal Kitchen or Chosen Foods.
Your next best option is to just make your own keto salad dressing at home using olive oil and vinegar or our Ceasar salad dressing, blue cheese dressing, thousand island dressing or ranch dressing recipe.
Don’t Miss: Easy Egg Salad Sandwich Recipe
Feta Cheese Vs Blue Cheese
There is something else that is a little different about this Cobb, but it doesnt have anything to do with it being keto. Its the kind of cheese thats used.
Traditional Cobbs use blue cheese or Roquefort cheese, but this keto salad recipe calls for feta cheese.
Blue cheese is a bit of a love it or hate it kind of cheese. Feta, on the other hand, has a much milder flavor and tastes just as good in Cobb salad.
However, if you love blue cheese or Roquefort cheese, feel free to use it instead of feta cheese. Its actually a bit lower in carbs than feta cheese, so it wont make this recipe any less keto.
Tools To Make Keto Cobb Salad
Tap the links below to see the items used to make this recipe.
- Salad Chopper The best best cobb salad recipes are made with a base of chopped greens, this helpful tool gets the job done quickly, just like when you get salads from restaurants.
- Egg Slicer Easily cut hard boiled eggs dices, slices, or cuts into wedges.
- Avocado Saver If you dont use up all your avocado at once, this will keep the rest from browning. The only method that really works!
Read Also: 72 Inch Sandwich Salad Prep Refrigerator
How Do You Store Leftovers
Only assemble the salad and add the dressing if you think you will eat it all in one sitting. Store the salad topping and ingredients separately. If you try to store salad with dressing on it, it will make the lettuce and toppings soggy.
All of the ingredients should stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
The Perfect Ingredients For Keto Salad:
This Keto Cobb salad is made with chopped hard-boiled eggs, avocado, crispy bacon, tomatoes, chives, and blue cheese. It is very customizable, therefore you may add any of your favorite greens to this recipe, such as Romaine lettuce, arugula or mixed greens.
For a milder taste, you can use feta instead of blue cheese.
This cobb salad is Keto-friendly because you get more calories from protein and fat and less from carbohydrates.
Read Also: Can Salad Make You Constipated
Cobb Salad Recipe Keto
Published: . Updated: August 4, 2021 by Chichi . This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our full disclosure here.
Love it? Share it!
Cobb salad is an American Classic salad thats easy to make and is rich in proteins, meats, vegetables and healthy fats. Cobb salad is like no other salad you have tried its a salad thats a complete meal and not just a side dish.
A serving of this heathy keto Cobb salad is so filling and be enjoyed with a cream based salad dressing or a vinaigrette dressing. I used Balsamic vinaigrette for this keto Cobb salad recipes and it was delish.
Cobb Salad Dressing Variations
There are many variations for Cobb salad dressing. Some people use avocado and water to replace the oil, and add a little cumin and cayenne for a Mexican flavor. Other recipes call for balsamic vinegar instead of red wine vinegar or use more mustard in the dressing.
Sometimes, restaurants serve their Cobb salad with ranch or blue cheese dressing. I often serve our Cobb salad with a quick and dirty mayonnaise based dressing which includes white vinegar and a little sweetener. Its the same dressing I use on my raw broccoli salad.
You May Like: Chicken Salad Sandwich At Arby’s
Tips For Perfectly Grilled Chicken
One of the main ingredients in this Keto Cobb Salad is grilled chicken. Here are a few tips to ensure you have perfectly grilled chicken every time:
- Always start off with clean grates on your grill. Because chicken breasts are so lean, they will stick to dirty grates. After you’ve cleaned the grates brush them with a little oil to help create a nonstick surface.
- When it comes to chicken breasts, bigger is not always best. Large chicken breasts, over 10-12 ounces, take a long time to cook and can be difficult to cook evenly.
- If you have large chicken breasts or if the chicken breasts are uneven in thickness, pound down the thicker side to the thickness of the thinner side. Or you can opt to butterfly the breasts, if you prefer. Both will ensure even cooking.
- Because boneless, skinless chicken breasts are so lean, they should be grilled quickly over high heat to retain as much moisture as possible.
- Cook chicken breasts for 5-7 minutes on each side. Always use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. You want your chicken to cook until it reaches 165F, this usually takes between 10 to 15 minutes.
- After you take the chicken off the grill, let them rest for about 10 minutes before cutting. This allows the juice to redistribute throughout the breasts.
Low Carb Chicken Cobb Salad
Low Carb Chicken Cobb Salad has all the classic flavors of the popular favorite with a simple vinaigrette. Made with lettuce, tomatoes, bacon, cucumber, avocado and cheese perfect for lunch or your next potluck!
Cobb Salad is a classic favorite and one of the salads I usually order when were out at a restaurant. They are usually a pretty safe low carb and keto-friendly option depending on what dressing you pair them with.
This Low Carb Chicken Cobb Salad is made with mixed greens, grilled chicken, Canadian bacon, hard boiled eggs, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and avocado.
Recommended Reading: Panera Napa Almond Chicken Salad
Keto Hack To Stay On Track
Perhaps, youve struggled to get into ketosis consistently on your low carb keto diet, or youve hit a plateau that doesnt seem to budge, consider using Perfect KETOs exogenous ketones.
By using exogenous ketones you will naturally elevate your ketones allowing you to enter into ketosis more quickly.
Being at a deeper level of ketosis will help reduce your appetite, carb cravings, and give you lasting energy. Its been our experience that the use of exogenous ketones helps make the low carb keto lifestyle a viable sustainable option.
Is Cobb Salad Keto
Our cobb salad recipe is keto, Primal/paleo, and delightful for almost any dietary preference. Most keto diets recommend keeping total daily carbohydrates between 2050 grams per day. This keto cobb salad contains 24 grams of carbs per serving.
Similar to a classic cobb salad, our keto cobb salad recipe includes a spattering of thinly sliced onions, lots of ruby cherry tomato slices, avocado slices, and plenty of shredded romaine lettuce. All of this fresh produce adds garden-fresh flavor, including pungent sharpness from the raw onion, bursting sweetness from the tomato, and a buttery grassy note from the avocado.
These fruits and vegetables can add more carbs to the cobb salad, though, so if youre scrutinizing your macros, you may want to add smaller amounts of onion, tomato, and avocado. Add more bulk by using plenty of lettuceyou can even include a mix of romaine, butter, green or red leaf, mixed baby, or even iceberg lettuce.
Other top keto-friendly picks for lower-carb salad vegetables:
- Lettuces
- Summer squash
- Bok choy
The above-ground vegetables on this list provide texture, taste, variety, and interest to a keto-friendly salad. Below-ground vegetables such as tubers , carrots, beets, onions, parsnips contain higher amounts of carbohydrates than most above-ground vegetables.
You May Like: Where Can I Buy German Potato Salad
Keto Sauces And Dressings
So, how do we add some extra fat and flavor to our Chick-fil-A keto treat? Our favorite option is to grab a delicious sauce for our nuggets, bunless sandwich, or salad. Here are the best choices for dipping sauce:
- Zesty Buffalo Sauce: 0g net carbs, and 2.5g of fat
- Garden Herb Ranch Sauce: 1g net carbs, and 14g of fat
If youre craving low-carb veggies on your Chick-fil-A trip, the side salad only has 9g net carbs. Pack on one of these dressings to up the fat content:
- Garden Herb Ranch Dressing: 2g net carbs, and 29g of fat
- Creamy Salsa Dressing: 2g net carbs, and 31g of fat
- Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing: 3g net carbs, and 32g of fat
- Light Italian Dressing: 3g net carbs, and 1g of fat
How To Tell If An Avocado Is Ripe And Ready
The avocado in this recipe adds great flavor to the salad therefore choosing the right avocado matters. To know if your avocado is ripe and ready for use, look at the color, if its green and firm, it probably isnt ready. If its brown and too soft, its probably overripe and might have brown spots all over.
If its brown or darker green and a little soft to touch, its just right and ready.
Read Also: Which Fast Food Has The Best Salad
Note On Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
First published on January 6, 2015. Post updated on June 8, 2021, with new images and additional recipe information.
The Best Keto Cobb Salad Recipe
With ingredients like fresh romaine lettuce, bright red baby tomatoes, avocado, chicken breast, and crispy bacon, its hard not to get excited about this keto Cobb salad. This low-carb salad is anything but ordinary and filled with all of the protein and goof-for-you-fats you need to make it through your day. Salad may get a bad rap as being infilling, but our low carb Cobb salad is hearty, filling, and a WHOLE LOTTA YUM!
Jump to:
Don’t Miss: What’s In Wendy’s Apple Pecan Salad
What Is Thedifference Between A Cobb Salad And A Chef Salad
Sometimes people tend to confuse Cobb Salad an a Chef salad because they are similar with almost the same ingredients. But here is the difference.
I googled my eyes out literally . These two salads are American Classics and are very filling. Both Salads have greens
Both also have a mix of meats but the meats in a Chef salads are usually deli like cuts of meat like ham and turkey breast slices. Chef salad and Cobb salad also contain tomatoes, hard boiled eggs and some kind of cheese.
Have you ever boiled eggs in your instant pot? The instant pot makes the best easy peel eggs.
From my research, it appears that the major difference is avocado and type of Cheese. There is no avocado in Chef salad. Crumbled blue cheese is used in Cobb salad, while cubed or sliced cheddar cheese is used in Chef salad.
Keto Cobb Salad With Vinaigrette
With eggs, bacon, chicken, and avocado, the cobb salad is already keto friendly. I tried pairing it with a traditional red wine vinaigrette and it was out of this world. I also added in a little sugar substitute to the keto salad dressing, to sweeten it up, and it was delightful.
This is one of the better salads to have if you are near your carb limit for the day as one serving is only 2.4 net carbs! The entire cobb salad is only 26 carbs in total. It is also perfect for those who need an extra boost of fat of protein.
The cobb salad is super easy to make. You can take it to work or prepare it for dinner but keep the dressing separate otherwise it might get a little soggy.
Yields 6 servings of Keto Cobb Salad with Vinaigrette
Recommended Reading: Will Eating Just Salad Lose Weight
How To Make Keto Cobb Salad
Prepare your meats and its easy peasy chop, mix and toss. For chicken breast, you can either use the breasts from a store bought rotisserie chicken or you cook yours.
Cook the bacon slices on the stove top, in the oven, or in the air fryer and chop it up. Alternatively you can use crumbled bacon.
Wash and chop other salad ingredients, make sure to use a salad spinner* to dry your lettuce so that it doesnt leave extra water in your salad then layer all ingredients toss and enjoy.
If you dont have a salad spinner, you can leave the lettuce for about 20mins in a colander lined with paper towel to dry it up. You can change the paper towel if its too wet.
Cobb Salad With Ranch Dressing
Low carb cobb salad with no tomato with a ranch-style dressing…
Prep Time
- ¼ cup of Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
- 1½ tablespoons of chopped organic fresh chives
- 1 tablespoon of chopped organic fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon of chopped organic fresh parsley
- ½ a teaspoon of organic garlic powder
- ½ a teaspoon of organic onion powder
- Himalayan or sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 2 to 3 tablespoons of heavy cream
Salad
- 1 large head of romaine lettuce
- 8 strips of thin streaky bacon
- 3 rotisserie chicken breasts
- ½ a cup of blue cheese
- 1 table spoon of chopped organic fresh chives
- 1 large lime
Prepare the Salad Ingredients
Put the Salad Together
Read Also: 7 Layer Taco Salad Recipe