The Southern Keto Cookbook by Emilie Bailey taking classical southern recipes and turing them healthy. I was apprehensive when trying out some of these recipes, but was pleased with everyone I tried out. They where delicious and greatly helped me in my Keto diet journey and made the transition much more efficent. If your looking for familer recipes with a healthy spin to them then this might just be the cookbook for you.

This cookbook was amazing and easy to use! I definitely ordered a physical copy. Can not wait to try all the recipes!!

Emilie Bailey introduces reader into the world of ketogenic cooking. The Southern Keto Cookbook explores how almost anything can be altered to fit a keto lifestyle including southern comfort food.

This is a well written keto cookbook that features a Texas based southern cooking style with fun recipes and nutrition details. The book also holds a bunch of variations for recipes which I find to be helpful addition. These recipes are southern style dishes that have been tweaked into keto friendly recipes with a flourish.


What did I like? Some pro’s and con’s in this recipe book which I felt are necessary to point out.

My Pro’s: How to tips in recipe, author adds what to look for when you are buying your fruits...veggies, and meat. Some of the vegetables may not be familiar with and this author already gives you what to look for when you go shopping. Good rule of thumb is to read a recipe twice to make sure you have an idea how to cook it before attempting to cook, even if the recipe is familiar to you.

My Con’s: Most of the recipes use a monk fruit/ erythritol blend sugar substitute which I’m not familiar with so be prepared to have to experiment. Plus heavy whipping cream.. I’ve never cooked with it so it’s a bit daunting. Very few of the recipes have pictures, I love to see pictures. There are some jalapeño and green Chile recipes too, which again I’m not a fan. Many of the recipes have a ton of ingredients, mostly spices for flavorings.

All in all though the meat section was amazing, along with a great seafood pan dinner with picture that looked amazing.

Would I buy or recommend? If you are familiar with the items in the con’s part then buy, the meat section of the book alone would have me grabbing it. Tex mex lovers? I’m not a hugely skilled cook and I prefer much simpler recipes but there is something for everyone in here.

Thoughts for the author? Congratulations on your release! I received a copy from the publisher for an honest opinion. Thanks so much for allowing me a peek.

My bookshelf is loaded with cookbooks featuring Southern foods. Despite being a native Minnesotan, there's just something wonderful about Southern comfort food! So, when I saw The Southern Keto Cookbook by Emilie Bailey, I knew I had to add it to my collection.

The fact that the recipes are Keto was just a bonus, since that's not part of our eating plan.

The author, on the other hand, is a staunch observer of the keto diet, and the recipes included in the book have been developed by her, and, she says, have helped her correct several health concerns. Like a lot of specialty cookbooks, the author isn't a professional chef. Nor is she a health care provider or nutritional expert.

The first section of The Southern Keto Cookbook contains a brief overview of what the keto diet is, the purported benefits and some tips on how to maintain the keto lifestyle. This section is clear is slim, and if I were to decide to follow this very specific diet, I'd probably find additional sources for a more thorough and physiological/biochemical explanation.

After reading through the informational front piece and all the recipes, I picked one recipes from each of the Breakfast, Brunch and Breads; Appetizers and Snacks; Salads, Sides and Soups; Vegetarian Mains; Fish and Seafood; Poultry; Beef and Pork; Desserts, Fat Bombs and Frozen Drinks. And let me tell you, choosing was a challenge! There are so many terrific sounding recipes.

The recipes I ran thru my informal test kitchen - and tried out on my husband - include:
Chicken Brunch Pie with Cheddar Pecan Crust
Classic Southern Pimiento Cheese
Southern Fried Cabbage
Roasted Squash and Tomato Pie
Sheet Pan Salmon with Lemon Green Beans
Southern Oven-Fried Chicken
Stuffed Cornbread Casserole
Fluffy Peanut Butter Pie

Can you say tried and true Southern Comfort food!

Each of the recipes includes compliance with dietary preferences like egg-free, gluten-free and vegetarian. It also lays out how many servings, and timings - the last is a must-have for me when I'm looking through recipes. Following a brief and personal description, is the list of ingredients and then instructions. The instructions for the recipes I tried were all clear, well organized and easy to follow. Finally, each recipe ends with an allergen tip, and the standard nutritional information.

Because The Southern Keto Cookbook is - as the name implies - a collection of Keto-compliant recipes, there were a number of ingredient choices I was unfamiliar with and needed to source - not an easy chore when you live 30-miles from the nearest big grocery store. My small town market doesn't carry any monk fruit/erythritol blend, for example, however, my guess is if you're already living Keto, the ingredients are already in your cabinet.

Of the eight recipes I made, seven of them will likely turn up on a future menu. The exception was the pimento cheese. Pimento cheese is one of those things that seems so simple, but has been tweaked across generations until each family has a favorite taste profile. My husband and I agreed well stick with what we know on this one.

Hands down, my favorite recipe was the fried chicken. Southern fried chicken is sort of my nemesis. Ive probably tried a dozen or more recipes and countless hand-me-down tips for making that crunchy, earthy crust that defines Southern fried chicken. This recipe nailed it! Spoiler alert - maybe it was the port rinds?

I have no plans to change to a veto diet anytime soon, however, I do have plans to cook my way through The Southern Keto Cookbook, one gloriously Southern recipe at a time.

If you're brand-spanking new to the keto lifestyle, I'd suggest picking up a book with more details on the how and why of the food choices and combination. I'd also suggest a talk with your primary care physician. On the other hand, if you're already practicing this lifestyle and are looking to add variety - specifically yummy Southern comfort food - to your table, The Southern Keto Cookbook is a fabulous choice. Also, if you're like me and just like trying new recipes, you'll find plenty to love within the pages of this book.

A yummy book that has inventive kept-friendly dishes based on Southern favorites. Even if you don't eat kept, you'll love many of these recipes.