What can you eat on a paleo diet?

Meat, poultry, fish and seafood, eggs, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds and healthy fats such as olive and avocado oil. Grains, legumes, dairy and refined sugar are left out.

Yes. Steak is one of the easiest paleo dinners, especially seared or grilled with salt, pepper, garlic and herbs.

Are these recipes Whole30?

Many are close, but Whole30 is stricter about some ingredients, such as wine and honey. Check each recipe against your plan.

Paleo-Friendly Recipes

These recipes are built on whole foods: meat, seafood, eggs, vegetables, fruit, nuts and healthy fats. None uses grains, corn, rice, dairy, beans, peanuts, soy or refined sugar.

Where a recipe calls for vegetable or canola oil, many paleo cooks use olive, avocado or coconut oil instead. Check the labels on broth and spice blends for sugar and additives.

27 recipes

Steak and beef

Basic Beef Tenderloin50 min total | Serves 10 to 12 | 540 calories per serving
A whole trimmed and tied beef tenderloin, seared in hot oil and roasted at 450°F for 17 to 19 minutes, from very rare to medium-rare. Serves 10 to 12.
Bistecca alla Fiorentina (Florentine Porterhouse)40 min total | 4 servings | 750 calories per serving
A thick-cut porterhouse grilled hot and fast over charcoal until charred outside and rare within, sliced off the bone and finished with olive oil, salt and lemon. Serves 4.
Carne Asada4 hr 35 min total | 6 servings | 350 calories per serving
Flank or skirt steak marinated in orange and lime juice with garlic, jalapeño, cilantro and cumin, grilled over high heat and sliced for tacos or plates. Serves 6.
Herbed Beef Kebabs6 hr 50 min total | 340 calories per serving
Sirloin cubes and green pepper marinated 6 hours to overnight in an herbed mustard and vinegar marinade, grilled with mushrooms over slow coals, with tomatoes on their own skewers.
Instant Pot Braised Short Ribs1 hr 55 min total | 4 servings | 990 calories per serving
Bone-in beef short ribs browned and pressure-cooked in red wine with garlic and tomato until meltingly tender, finished in a glossy reduced sauce. Serves 4.
Prime Rib Roast (Standing Rib Roast)2 hr 50 min total | 6 to 8 servings | 1110 calories per serving
A bone-in standing rib roast rubbed with garlic, herbs and salt, started at 450°F for a browned crust and finished at 325°F to a rosy medium-rare. Serves 6 to 8.
Reverse-Seared Thick-Cut Steak1 hr 10 min total | 2 to 3 servings | 680 calories per serving
A 1 1/2 to 2-inch steak cooked slowly in a 250°F oven, then seared in a blazing skillet for an even edge-to-edge pink center and a dark crust. Serves 2 to 3.
Steak Pizzaiola40 min total | 4 servings | 540 calories per serving
Seared steaks simmered briefly in a quick tomato sauce with garlic, oregano and sweet peppers, the way a pizza maker would sauce them. Serves 4.
Texas Smoked Brisket13 hr 30 min total | 12 to 16 servings | 1050 calories per serving
A whole packer brisket rubbed with coarse salt and pepper, smoked low and slow over oak or hickory, wrapped in butcher paper and rested until tender. Serves 12 to 16.

Seafood

Air Fryer Salmon13 min total | 4 servings | 400 calories per serving
Salmon fillets brushed with a honey, Dijon and garlic glaze and air-fried in about 8 minutes until flaky inside with lightly crisp edges. Serves 4.
Baccala Salad (Salt Cod Salad)2 days 35 min total | 8 servings | 350 calories per serving
Soaked and gently poached salt cod flaked and tossed with celery, black olives, roasted red peppers, parsley, garlic, lemon and olive oil. A Christmas Eve classic. Serves 8.
Blackened Tuna with Mango Salsa3 hr 35 min total | 4 servings | 420 calories per serving
Lime-and-garlic marinated tuna steaks coated in a homemade blackening spice, seared in a hot skillet and served on a cool, fresh mango salsa. Serves 4.
Cioppino (San Francisco Seafood Stew)1 hr 10 min total | 6 servings | 350 calories per serving
The Italian-American fisherman's stew of San Francisco: clams, mussels, shrimp and firm white fish simmered in a garlicky tomato and white wine broth. Serve with sourdough. Serves 6.
Escalope of Salmon with Lime and Ginger24 min total | Serves 4 | 300 calories per serving
Salmon sliced paper thin, arranged on oiled plates, topped with fresh ginger and lime zest and baked at 500°F for just 3 to 4 minutes. Elegant and fast; serves 4.
Salmon in Foil with Lemon Dijon33 min total | 2 packets
Salmon or trout fillets sealed in foil packets with a lemon, Dijon and oil sauce and parsley, baked at 450°F for 15 to 18 minutes. Make ahead and bake when ready.
Sheet Pan Salmon and Vegetables45 min total | 4 servings | 550 calories per serving
Lemon-herb salmon fillets roasted on one pan with baby potatoes and asparagus for an easy, healthy weeknight dinner. Serves 4.
Sheet Pan Shrimp with Sausage and Vegetables35 min total | 4 servings | 490 calories per serving
Shrimp, smoked sausage, zucchini, bell peppers and red onion tossed with Cajun seasoning and roasted on one pan in about 20 minutes. Serves 4.
Shrimp Ceviche47 min total | 6 servings | 130 calories per serving
Briefly poached shrimp marinated in lime juice with tomato, cucumber, red onion, jalapeno, cilantro and avocado. Bright, cool and ready in 45 minutes. Serves 6.
Steamers (Steamed Clams)2 hr 20 min total | 1 pound of clams | 80 calories per serving
New England steamers: soft-shell clams soaked to purge the sand, steamed for 15 minutes, and served with their broth, drawn butter and lemon.

Chicken and poultry

Air Fryer Chicken Wings30 min total | 4 servings | 240 calories per serving
Extra-crispy chicken wings with a simple garlic, paprika and pepper rub, air-fried in about 25 minutes with no oil. Serve plain or tossed in any sauce. Serves 4.
Broiled Chicken with Orange Sauce50 min total
Split broilers sprinkled with ginger and salt, broiled golden, then basted with orange juice concentrate and water or orange liqueur until tender, about 30 minutes.
Chopped Liver40 min total
Classic Jewish chopped liver: chicken livers and onion cooked in schmaltz and chopped by hand or ground with hard-boiled eggs. Never in a blender.
Garlic Rosemary Roasted Cornish Game Hens1 hr 20 min total | 4 servings | 910 calories per serving
Whole Cornish game hens rubbed with garlic, rosemary, lemon zest and olive oil and roasted at 400°F until crisp and golden. One small bird per person; serves 4.

Vegetables, salads and meatless dishes

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon45 min total | 6 to 8 servings | 190 calories per serving
Halved Brussels sprouts roasted at high heat with crisp bacon until deeply caramelized, then finished with a drizzle of balsamic glaze. Serves 6 to 8.

Sauces, dressings and dips

Chimichurri Sauce30 min total | About 1 cup
The bright Argentine herb sauce for grilled steak: fresh parsley, oregano, garlic, red pepper flakes, red wine vinegar and olive oil. Makes about 1 cup.
Guacamole10 min total | About 2 1/2 cups
Chunky, fresh guacamole of ripe avocados mashed with lime juice, onion, jalapeño, cilantro and salt, with a little tomato. Ready in 10 minutes; serves 6.
Pico de Gallo30 min total | About 3 cups
Fresh, chunky salsa of chopped tomatoes, white onion, jalapeño and cilantro with lime and salt. The bright topping for tacos, fajitas and carne asada. Makes about 3 cups.

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Common questions

What can you eat on a paleo diet?: Meat, poultry, fish and seafood, eggs, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds and healthy fats such as olive and avocado oil. Grains, legumes, dairy and refined sugar are left out.
Is steak paleo?: Yes. Steak is one of the easiest paleo dinners, especially seared or grilled with salt, pepper, garlic and herbs.
Are these recipes Whole30?: Many are close, but Whole30 is stricter about some ingredients, such as wine and honey. Check each recipe against your plan.