keto vegan meal plan

5-Day Keto Vegan Meal Plan: Intermittent Fasting With a Twist

I don’t subscribe to any specific eating style. Mostly just clean eating with as many nutrient-dense foods as possible. However, I find keto cycles helpful when I find myself struggling more with cravings again or to kickstart weight loss when women have been struggling to lose weight with intermittent fasting alone. The thing is, many people envision the keto diet as a diet filled with bacon, cheese, and butter. So, I created this 5-day keto vegan meal plan in part to dispel that myth, in part to help my readers who are vegan and are looking for alternatives. I picked a 5 day period for two reasons:

  1. It’s really hard to come up with meal ideas that are vegan AND keto. You can repeat the days for a longer keto vegan cycle.
  2. Five days is most likely enough to get you into ketosis. You could increase your carb consumption after the initial 5 days as long as you fast longer.

Keto Macros

Before we get into the 5-day keto meal plan, let me shed some light on the keto macros we will be using. Most sources recommend the following breakdown:

  • 5% of your calories from carbs
  • 20% from protein
  • 75% from fat

How does this translate in grams? Well, of course, it’s going to depend on your daily calorie needs.

Do You Need To Count Calories?

I don’t advise that you count calories, but when you want to lose weight, your calorie intake does matter. The keto diet and intermittent fasting simply allow you to decrease your calorie consumption naturally, without making this conscious decision.

For this 5-day keto vegan meal plan, I set the number of calories to around 1,500 calories a day. It may seem low to some of you as many keto plans recommend over 2,000 calories (I know, I tried to lose weight for years before finally finding what works for me). However, my typical reader is over the age of 40 and has been unable to lose weight just like I was. I found that my daily calorie requirement just to maintain my weight is less than 2,000 calories (I don’t count calories, but I am guessing it’s around 1,800-1,900 calories a day).

As a side note, needing fewer calories than you wish doesn’t mean your metabolism is broken, OK?.

Calorie Deficit for Weight Loss

To lose 1 pound a week, you need a calorie deficit of 500 calories a day. So now, does 1,500 calories a day sound reasonable? I think so! You could probably go even a bit lower if you feel full and don’t want to finish your meals. As usual, the key is that you learn to listen to your body and trust the process, but as you get started, those numbers help guide you on the right path so you start knowing how you are supposed to feel when you are free from food cravings and blood sugar crashed.

Btw, if you have been struggling to lose weight and would like to learn more about the step-by-step process that has helped me kick the cravings, tone my body and lose over 25 lbs after the age of 40, don’t forget to check out my 30-Day Intermittent Fasting Transformation.

Calculating Your Carbs

Ok, so when you calculate the number of carbs you consume (which is your most important factor to make sure you get into ketosis), you have two factors to take into account when you log your foods:

  1. Your fiber intake
  2. Your carb intake

When you subtract the number of grams of fiber from your total number of carbs, you get your net carbs. This is the number you want to keep track of.

Use the following guidelines to estimate your starting carb needs:

  • Calorie range <2,000 calories/day: 20 grams of carbs a day or less
  • Calorie range 2,000 to 2,500 calories/day: 25 to 30 grams of carbs a day or less
  • Calorie range >2,500 to 3,000 calories/day: 30 to 35 grams of carbs a day or less
  • Calorie range >3,000 calories/day: 35 to 50 grams of carbs a day or less

Now you can see why my meal plan includes 20 grams of net carbs a day or less. I will show you the macro breakdown for each day (from My Fitness Pal)

Keto Vegan Guidelines

This 5-day vegan keto meal plan is an excellent starting point, but to help you come up with your own meal plan, here are some guidelines that will help you achieve the right macros:

  • Increase your intake of vegan fatty foods like avocado, olives, full-fat coconut milk, coconut oil, nuts and seeds, nut butters, olive oil, vegan butter and cashew cheeses.
  • Increase your intake of low carb veggies like leafy greans.
  • Avoid grains and legumes.
  • Limit your intake of fruits (focus on lower carb options like berries).
  • Avoid all processed foods

I offer a Low Carb Food List PDF, which you can find by checking out this post.

5-Day Vegan Keto Meal Plan

Ok, so let’s get to it. I chose super simple recipes. It’s all about consuming nutrient-dense keto meals for 5 days without spending crazy amounts of time in the kitchen. My meal plan doesn’t include breakfast because I just drink coffee for breakfast. It doesn’t include snacks either, but you can always grab a handful of nuts or make fat bombs if you are hungry for a snack.

Another thing I want to mention: none of the keto vegan recipes online are keto vegan!😢 At least, it’s been my experience as I was researching for this post. At first, I wanted to use recipes I would find online to come up with this 5-day keto vegan meal plan. However, I quickly realized that none of the recipes I could find were actually keto. Maybe low carb? Not even that quite often! For example, one recipe did have only 10 grams of carbs, but only 67 calories! I mean, I need to have two meals at around 700 calories each, so that wouldn’t do! I ended up entering a bunch of foods in My Fitness Pal to come up with this. Feel free to switch things up to suit your schedule, your needs, and your tastebuds.

A Word About Protein

Lastly, I couldn’t get enough protein in the mix. To make sure I didn’t overdo carbs, I had to add in straight-up fats (veggies contain a surprisingly high amount of protein, but you can’t use too much to keep the number of carbs low). So basically, it was impossible to get enough protein! The protein amount sits around 10 percent most days. This meal plan is definitely not for the long run if you are trying to get a moderate amount of protein as you should, but you can use it for 5 days to maybe 10 days and see how you feel.

Moreover, you could supplement with amino acids. The Purium vegan amino acids are my favorite!

Day 1

  • Breakfast: Keto Coffee (2 grams of net carbs, 442 calories)
  • Lunch: Keto Triple Berry Smoothie (12 grams of net carbs. 673 calories)
  • Dinner: Tofu Curry Scramble (1 gram of net carbs, 367 calories)

Total number of calories for the day: 1,482

Day 2

  • Breakfast: Keto Coffee (2 grams of net carbs, 442 calories)
  • Lunch: Spinach Salad (11 grams of net carbs, 700 calories)
  • Dinner: Veggie Stir Fry (4 gram of net carbs, 514 calories)

Total number of calories for the day: 1,656

Day 3

  • Breakfast: Keto Coffee (2 grams of net carbs, 442 calories)
  • Lunch: Roasted Veggie Wraps (9 grams of net carbs, 543 calories)
  • Dinner: Riced Cauliflower Soup (8 gram of net carbs, 504 calories)

Total number of calories for the day: 1,489

Day 4

  • Breakfast: Keto Coffee (2 grams of net carbs, 442 calories)
  • Lunch: Simple Coleslaw (8 grams of net carbs, 580 calories)
  • Dinner: Sheet Pan Veggies With Pesto (12 gram of net carbs, 669 calories)

Total number of calories for the day: 1,691

Day 5

  • Breakfast: Keto Coffee (2 grams of net carbs, 442 calories)
  • Lunch: Asian Cabbage-Mushroom Soup (8 grams of carbs, 430 calories)
  • Dinner: Roasted Cauliflower Tacos (7 gram of net carbs, 577 calories)

Total number of calories for the day: 1,449

Keto Vegan Meal Plan Grocery Shopping List

These are the ingredients you will need for this 5-day meal plan (I didn’t specify the quantity because I usually buy everything in bulk (for example the big bags of cauliflower and broccoli florets as well as frozen riced cauliflower):

  • Romaine lettuce
  • Broccoli florets
  • Baby spinach
  • Cauliflower florets
  • Coleslaw mix
  • Celery
  • Fresh cilantro
  • Fresh basil
  • Asparagus
  • Riced Cauliflower
  • White mushrooms
  • Sesame seed oil
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Sesame oil
  • Hemp hearts
  • Sunflower seeds
  • Pumplin seeds
  • Red onions
  • Avocados
  • Full-fat coconut milk
  • Dried cumin
  • Ground coriander
  • Dried garlic
  • Sea salt
  • LImes
  • Lemons
  • Frozen triple berry mix
  • Extra firm tofu
  • Curry powder
  • Sea salt or Hymalian salt
  • Nutritional yeast
  • Arame (dried sea vegetable)
  • Garlic

Keto Vegan Meal Plan Recipes

These are simple recipes with simple ingredients. Enjoy!

Keto Coffee

  • 400 ml brewed coffee
  • 100 ml full-fat coconut milk
  • 2 Tbsp MCT oil (or coconut oil)
  • Stevia to taste (if desired)

Blend all the ingredients in a blender for a few seconds until frothy.

For more keto coffee inspiration, read Make This Delicious Keto Coffee Every Morning To Boost Your Fasting Results.

Keto Triple Berry Smoothie

  • 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
  • 1/2 medium avocado
  • 1/2 cup frozen triple berry mix
  • 6 Tbsp hemp hearts
  • Stevia to taste (if desired)

Blend all the ingredients in the blender until smooth.

Tofu Curry Scramble

  • 2 cups baby spinach
  • 1/2 cup mushrooms
  • 3 ounces (85 grams) extra firm tofu
  • 1 Tbps curry powder
  • 2 Tbsp coconut oil
  • Salt to taste

Melt the coconut oil in a frying pan on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add the tofu and curry powder. Cook for a minute. Add the mushrooms and cook until golden. Add the spinach and cook until wilted. Season to taste.

Spinach Salad

  • 3 cups baby spinah
  • 1/2 medium avocado
  • 2 Tbsp pumpkin seeds
  • 2 Tbsp hemp hearts
  • 1 Tbsp fresh parsley or cilantro
  • 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • Salt to taste

Place the first 5 ingredients on a plate. Use a small container to mix the dressing ingredients (olive oil, lemon juice, and salt). Drizzle over your salad.

Veggie Stir Fry

  • 1 cup broccoli florets
  • 1 cup cauliflower florets
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 2 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 2 Tbsp sesame oil
  • 1/2 Tbsp Tamari sauce
  • 1/4 cup full fat coconut milk
  • 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro
  • 6 Tbsp hemp hearts

Melt the coconut oil in a frying pan on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli, cauliflower, and garlic. Sautee for a few minutes. Add sesame oil, tamari sauce, and coconut milk. Sauteed until the veggies are cooked to your liking. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and hemp hearts.

Roasted Veggie Wraps

  • 1 cup asparagus
  • 1 yellow beet, chopped
  • Lettuce leaves (for wrap)
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • Lime juice
  • 1/2 an avocado
  • Fresh cilantro
  • Salt to taste

Roast the beet and the asparagus with the olive oil in the oven at 425F until nice and golden. Drizzle the avocado with lime juice, mix with salt and cilantro to taste. Use a lettuce leaf to wrap the roasted veggies and avocado mixture.

Riced Cauliflower Soup

  • 1 cup baby spinach
  • 1 cup riced caulflower
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 Tbsp black olives, minded (you could use tapenade instead)
  • 3 Tbsp hemp hearts

Sauteed the riced cauliflower in olive oil. Add minced garlic, saute a little longer. Blend1 cup of water with hemp hearts in a blender. Pour mixture on sauteed cauliflower, add spinach and cook until the spinach is wilted. Add tapenade (or black olives).

Simple Coleslaw

  • 2 cups coleslaw mix
  • 1 Tbsp sunflower seeds
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup hemp hearts
  • salt to taste

Blend 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup water (depending on desired thickness) with the 1/2 cup hemp hearts, lemon juice, and salt in a blender. Pour over coleslaw mix and sunflower seeds.

Sheet Pan Veggies With Pesto

  • 2 cups broccoli florets
  • 1/2 cup red onion, sliced
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil
  • 1/4 cup hemp hearts
  • 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • salt to taste

Roast broccoli and red onion with olive oil and salt in the oven at 425F. Make the pesto by blending basil, hemp hearts, nutritional yeast, garlic, and lemon juice in a blender or food processor (add water if required).

Asian Cabbage Mushroom Soup

  • 1 cup white mushrooms, sliced
  • half a rib of celery, sliced
  • 1 cup coleslaw mix (or sliced cabbage)
  • 1/2 ounce (14 grams) arame (dried sea vegetable)
  • 3 Tbsp sesame oil
  • 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
  • 2 Tbsp cilantro
  • Salt to taste

Saute mushrooms with sesame oil until nice and golden. Add celery and coleslaw mix and saute for a minute or two. Add coconut milk (and some water if needed). Season with salt and fresh cilantro.

Roasted Cauliflower Tacos

  • 1 cup cauliflower florets
  • 1/4 cup red onion, slided
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • salt to taste
  • 3 Tbsp hemp hearts
  • 1/2 avocado
  • 1 Tbsp lime juice
  • Lettuce leaves for wrapping veggies

Roast cauliflower with all the spices until golden in the oven at 425F. Sprinkle with hemp hearts. Mash avocado with lime juice and salt. Wrap veggies and avocado in lettuce leaves.

Keto Vegal Meal Plan Video