One issue a lot of people have with the keto diet is knowing where to draw the line with certain types of processed meats.

There’s a heavy debate that’s constantly ongoing about whether or not processed meats promote enough inflammation to be bad for keto, and if some types of meats are cured with sugars too frequently to be considered keto-friendly.

However a lot of meats, while still processed, can be great ways to get more fat and protein into your keto diet, which is very important especially if you’re a beginner.

In this article, I’ll be taking a look at turkey bacon, and will explain just how keto-friendly it actually is.

Nutrition Breakdown of Turkey Bacon

Turkey bacon, like regular bacon, can come in a few different forms. So the nutrition results may very depending on the kind you get.

A lot of bacon you see in grocery stores has been cured with maple syrup and other forms of sugar. While this can be keto-friendly, I always try to aim for the products with the lowest amount of sugar possible.

If you do some digging, you’ll usually be able to find low sugar bacon, especially turkey bacon.

The standard nutrition breakdown for one serving of turkey bacon (2 slices) is as follows:

• • Total Calories – 60
  • Total Fat – 4.2 grams
    • Saturated Fat – 1.1 grams
    • Polyunsaturated Fat – 1.1 grams
    • Monounsaturated Fat – 1.5 grams
  • Total Carbohydrates – 0.7 grams
    • Dietary Fiber – 0 grams
    • Sugars – 0.7 grams
  • Protein – 4.8 grams
  • Cholesterol – 24 milligrams
  • Sodium – 328 milligrams
  • Vitamin A – 0.2% of recommended daily allowance
  • Calcium – 2% of recommended daily allowance
  • Iron – 2.4% of recommended daily allowance

Turkey bacon also has trace amounts of vitamin B and zinc.

Some additional benefits of turkey bacon include:

• Lower in calories than pork bacon
• Good source of Vitamin B complex nutrients
• Controls gene activity through zinc

The Vitamin B complex benefits that come along with turkey bacon include:

• better cell health
• improved eyesight
• growth of red blood cells
• boosted energy levels
• improved nerve function
• revitalized brain function
• better digestion
• healthy appetite
• increased hormones and cholesterol production
• improved cardiovascular health
• strengthened muscle tone

All that being said, pork bacon actually has a higher fat count, and generally more vitamin A and vitamin B complex per serving than turkey bacon. But if you’re watching calories, or personally don’t eat pork, turkey bacon is a fine substitute.

Is Turkey Bacon Keto-Friendly?

Based on the high fat content, moderate protein content, and low net carb count, turkey bacon is definitely keto-friendly.

As I mentioned up above, you’ll still have to be cautious about turkey bacon products that have been cured with maple syrup or sugar. This curing process can be tricky especially when eating out at restaurants, because you’ll never be able to really know the carbohydrate content of your turkey bacon unless you’re eating at a large chain that can disclose that information.

Generally though, I love using turkey bacon to help get me to hit my fat goals on the keto diet while keeping my carbs down. Turkey bacon goes great with eggs, which I’d honestly eat for every keto meal if I could.

Turkey bacon also goes great with other types of meat! You can wrap pretty much anything in turkey bacon, and it’ll enhance its flavor.

Whether you’re looking to add some extra crunch to your salad, or want it to be the base for a whole meal, there are seemingly limitless ways to implement turkey bacon into a healthy keto diet.

Turkey Bacon Keto Recipes

• Bacon Parmesan Crisps

Ingredients:

• • 3 strips of turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • One 5-ounce container of shredded parmesan
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

Instructions:

• • Preheat your oven to 400F
  • In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients.
  • Line a baking sheet with a slipat mat or parchment paper
  • Scoop a couple of spoonfuls of your cheese mixture and place them in mounds on the mat, spread evenly gently to
  • flatten
  • Bake the balls for four to five minutes until they are completely melted or browned on top
  • Let cool in the pan

• Breakfast Bacon Fat Bites

Ingredients:

• • One Hardboiled Egg
  • 1/4 of an avocado
  • 4 tablespoons of unsalted or clarified butter
  • One tablespoon of mayonnaise
  • One serrano pepper, seeded and diced
  • One tablespoon of cilantro, chopped
  • A pinch of kosher salt, to taste
  • A pinch of cracked pepper, to taste
  • Juice from 1/4 of a lime
  • 2 tablespoons of turkey bacon grease
  • 6 cooked slices of turkey bacon

Instructions:

• • In one large mixing bowl, combine the hardboiled egg, avocado, butter, serrano pepper, cilantro, and mayonnaise
  • Mash the mixture into a smooth paste with a fork or a potato smasher
  • Season the mixture with salt and pepper, and then add in the lime juice and stir gently
  • Prepare the turkey bacon until crispy, reserve two tablespoons of the turkey bacon grease
  • Add the turkey bacon grease to the mixture and stir in gently
  • Cover and place in the fridge for roughly 30 minutes, or until the mixture has cooled
  • Crumble up the bacon into small bits in a separate small bowl
  • Using a spoon, scoop out six even-sized amounts of the fat bomb mixture, and form into balls
  • Roll the bacon bits onto the outside layer of the balls until completely covered
  • Serve immediately, cold

• Cheese Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Bundt Meatloaf

Ingredients:

• • 440 grams of turkey bacon
  • 130 grams of mozzarella
  • 2 tablespoons of keto-friendly ketchup

Meatloaf Ingredients:

• • One kilogram of ground pork or beef
  • 2 eggs
  • One teaspoon of black pepper
  • One onion
  • 30 milliliters of unsweetened almond milk
  • One teaspoon of Himalayan salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • One tablespoon of sage
  • One tablespoon of thyme
  • One tablespoon of oregano

Instructions:

• • Preheat the oven to 375F
  • Mince the onion and garlic
  • Slice the mozzarella brick into small, even rectangles to be stuffed in the meatloaf
  • In a large bowl, mix together the meatloaf ingredients and knead them for one to two minutes with your hands
  • Line your Bundt pan with the turkey bacon running it vertically up the sides of the ring, make sure that each opening is covered with turkey bacon
  • Add half of the hamburger mixture to the pan, directly over the turkey bacon slices
  • Place the cheese rectangles around the ring directly over the hamburger
  • Cover the cheese with the other half of the hamburger
  • Tightly wrap the hanging turkey bacon slices over the meatloaf
  • Brush roughly a tablespoon of keto-friendly ketchup over the turkey bacon and place it in the oven
  • Bake for about 50-60 minutes
  • Take out of the oven, place a plate over the bundt mold and flip upside down
  • Be careful, you may spill very hot liquid during this process
  • Brush another tablespoon of ketchup over the turkey bacon and place it back into the oven for two minutes to let it sink in
  • Take out of the oven and cut into 8 pieces, serve hot

• Loaded Cauliflower Mash

Ingredients:

• • One large head cauliflower, sliced into large pieces
  • One clove garlic
  • 3 teaspoons of butter or olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon of salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon of pepper
  • One tablespoon of sour cream
  • 4 slices of cooked turkey bacon, crumbled
  • Green onions, finely chopped
  • Shredded cheese

Instructions:

• • Boil a large pot of water
  • Place the sliced cauliflower directly into the boiling water
  • Reduce the water to a simmer, and let it coo for 8 to 10 minutes
  • Drain the water from the cauliflower, patting to dry completely
  • Add in the cauliflower to a food processor or high-powered blender, along with garlic, butter or olive oil, pepper, salt, and sour cream
  • Process the mixture for two minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl roughly every 30 seconds
  • Serve mashed cauliflower while still warm
  • Top with turkey bacon crumbles, green onions and shredded cheese

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there’s a ton of great ways that turkey bacon can help supplement keto-friendly meals in ways that both enhance flavor, and add on some healthy amounts of macros.

While the added fat from pork bacon is usually preferred when it comes to cooking and larger types of meals, turkey bacon can get the job done with a lot fewer calories, making it a decent hack to try and improve your keto weight loss regiment.

Do you have any favorite turkey bacon keto recipes of your own? Drop them in the comments below! I’m always looking for new ways to incorporate more turkey bacon into my diet.