Recipes

43 Paleo Recipes the Non-Adherents Will Love Too

It’s not all steak and taters!
This image may contain Plant and Food
Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Amy Wilson

These paleo recipes make cooking for enthusiasts of whole foods a breeze. Also known as the caveman diet, it seeks to mirror the hunter-gatherer lifestyles of our ancestors’ living in the Paleolithic era: no sugar, gluten, grains, beans, peanuts, or dairy. Instead, you’ll find an emphasis on fruits, vegetables, and meats that have been minimally processed. We’re talking about this bright and aromatic shrimp curry with lots of lime wedges. Roast chicken thighs drenched in sweet-tangy tamarind glaze. And all! The! Sides! These 43 paleo-friendly recipes are so fresh and full of flavor, they’ll easily please the adherents—and everyone else at the table too.

  • Image may contain Plant Food Dish Meal and Vegetable
    Photograph by Chona Kasinger, prop styling by Callie Meyer
    3/43

    Winter Greens Laing

    Use whatever sturdy greens you have on hand to create this simple but satisfying side.

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  • Grilled mushrooms and root vegetables recipe
    Photograph by Jessica Pettway, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Sophie Strangio
    4/43

    Grilled Mushrooms and Root Vegetables

    This dish is perfect for long winter days when you want to flood the house with toasty, irresistible aromas.

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  • Image may contain Bowl Food Dish Meal and Plant
    Photograph by Jessica Pettway, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Sophie Strangio
    5/43

    Broccoli Soup With Turmeric, Peanuts, and Crispy Shallots

    You won’t find a drop of dairy in this bright green version of the cafeteria standard cream of broccoli soup. It gets extra color from spinach and a perfectly creamy texture from potato. To make the soup paleo, skip the peanuts!

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  • Image may contain Food Dish Meal Plant and Platter
    Photography by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Adriana Paschen, Prop Styling by Elizabeth Jamie
    6/43

    Chicken Salad With Citrus and Chile Oil

    With plenty of protein, a double punch of acid from citrus and vinegar, and a garlicky chili oil, this salad is made for dinner.

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  • Shrimp and Cabbage Curry recipe
    Photography by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Adriana Paschen, Prop Styling by Elizabeth Jamie
    7/43

    Shrimp and Cabbage Curry

    To make this dish vegetarian, skip the shrimp and use cubed pumpkin or squash instead.

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  • Potluck Chopped Salad recipe from Union Hmong
    Photographs by Laura Murray, food styling by Rose Daniels and Yia Vang
    8/43

    Potluck Chopped Salad

    This style of chopped salad is a staple of Hmong potlucks. This recipe, from chef Yia Vang, is packed with crunchy vegetables and tossed with a creamy-umami dressing.

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  • Image may contain Food Dish Meal Seasoning and Plant
    Photography by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Adriana Paschen, Prop Styling by Elizabeth Jamie
    9/43

    Tamarind Chicken Thighs With Collard Greens Salad

    Tamarind concentrate gives this chicken its sticky, glossy quality, not to mention its sweet-and-sour flavor.

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  • A crispyskinned salmon fillet on a plate with a salad of julienned pickled vegetables on a graphic surface.
    Photography by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Adriana Paschen, Prop Styling by Elizabeth Jamie
    10/43

    Skillet Salmon With Pickle-y Salad

    The award for best supporting actor goes to this bright, tart root vegetable salad. Slice the daikon and carrots as thinly as possible so there’s tons of surface area to absorb the coconut garlic glaze. 

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  • Image may contain Food Seasoning Plant Dill Dish and Meal
    Photo by Emma Fishman
    11/43

    Collard Greens Salad With Fried Plantain and Sumac

    If you thought collards were only for braising, this bright and tangy collard salad will change your mind.

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  • Image may contain Plant Food Dish Meal Platter Dessert Ice Cream Creme Cream Vegetable and Produce
    Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Adriana Paschen, Prop Styling by Elizabeth Jaime
    12/43

    All-Dressed-Up Cauliflower Rice

    A vegan weeknight dinner of fluffy, textured cauliflower with warm spices from chef Sophia Roe. Doctor up your cauliflower rice with toasted pine nuts or almonds, dates or dried currants, lots of fresh herbs, unsweetened coconut flakes, or chopped fresh chile. Strict paleo? Skip the Greek yogurt when serving.

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  • Sweet Potatoes With Maple Tahini recipe
    Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Adriana Paschen, Prop Styling by Elizabeth Jaime
    13/43

    Sweet Potatoes With Maple Tahini

    Crispy roasted sweet potato wedges get tossed in a sweet and nutty tahini dressing in this quick vegetarian weeknight dinner.

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  • Image may contain Plant Food Dish Meal and Vegetable
    Photograph by Joshua Kissi, food styling by Roscoe Betsill, prop styling by Amy Wilson
    14/43

    Roasted Beets With Dukkah and Sage

    You can roast the beets and make the dukkah, a coarse Egyptian and Middle Eastern nut and spice blend, for this dish days in advance.

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  • Image may contain Food Dish Meal Bowl Stew Soup Bowl Soup and Curry
    Photo by Laura Murray, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou
    17/43

    Brothy Tomato and Fish Soup With Lime

    This sour-salty soup was made for using up sweet, late-season tomatoes.

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  • Image may contain Plant Food Produce Dish Meal Vegetable Lentil and Bean
    Photograph by Laura Murray, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Sophie Strangio
    18/43

    Winter Squash Bharta

    Bharta is a Bangladeshi style of seasoned meat or mashed vegetables usually served at room temperature alongside hot steamed rice.

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  • Making Perfect Sides Brussels Sprouts
    Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
    19/43

    Brussels Sprouts With Pistachios and Lime

    These roasted whole brussels sprouts get so crispy you’ll worry they’re burnt (they’re not!). Then toss ’em in a date molasses–brown butter glaze.

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  • Image may contain Food Dish Meal Plant and Platter
    Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio
    20/43

    Za’atar Fish and Chips

    Olives and superfast pickled onions balance out creamy-crispy potatoes and roast cod.

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  • Image may contain Bowl Food Dish Meal Curry Soup Bowl and Soup
    Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by D'mytrek Brown, Bowl by Meilen Ceramics 
    23/43

    Chicken Meatballs and Green Beans in Tomato Broth

    My grandma used to make a version of this dish using pork and showers of Parmesan. I have updated it to include ground chicken and miso for a lighter, late-summer dish with equally deep flavor,  but feel free to use whatever ground meat you prefer. Gently poaching the meatballs is not only faster than roasting, but means none of their flavor is lost to a baking sheet.

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  • Image may contain Plant Food Dish Meal Vegetable Platter and Produce
    Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by D'mytrek Brown 
    24/43

    Bhindi Ki Sabzi

    In my family, this smoky, crispy, North Indian–style okra is an iconic, clamored-after dish. The key is to cook the okra for a long time, with a lot of whole spices. It’s a foolproof and quick way to get the most flavor out of the summer vegetable, while avoiding any slimy texture. 

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  • Image may contain Dish Food Meal Animal Seafood Sea Life Lobster and Plant
    Photographs by Laura Murray, food styling by Simon Andrews, prop styling by Sophie Strangio
    27/43

    Grilled Flatfish With Spoon Sauce

    Don’t let fish intimidate you on the grill. Cutting it into wide planks makes it easy to flip.

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  • A plate of chicken salad with romaine lettuce and cucumbers
    Photo by Emma Fishman, Plates by Meilen Ceramics 
    28/43

    Healthyish Chicken Salad

    This is the summery chicken salad you could eat plate after plate of without feeling like you’ve downed a jar of mayonnaise—because you didn't!

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  • A cod fillet set on top of caramelized sliced potatoes sprinkled with green onions and chile flakes.
    Photo by Emma Fishman, Plate by Meilen Ceramics 
    29/43

    Cod With Soy-Caramelized Onions and Potatoes

    Adding ginger and soy sauce to caramelized onions gives a bit of zingy punch and intrigue, creating a multidimensional meal that comes together in just one skillet. 

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  • Image may contain Plant Food Dish Meal Vegetable and Produce
    Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Pearl Jones
    30/43

    Broccoli Spoon Salad With Warm Vinaigrette

    This salad puts all the best textures on a spoon: crisp, raw broccoli; chewy, sticky dates; and crunchy toasted pistachios. The ras-el-hanout, a Moroccan spice blend featuring aromatic and warm spices, adds a smoky depth to the bright citrusy dressing, which soaks into the broccoli as it sits. Don’t have ras-el-hanout? Garam masala, baharat, or curry powder will also work. And if you’re a meal prepper, this is a great make-ahead salad—it only gets better with a little time.

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  • Leeks with Pine Nut Salsa Verde
    Photo by Marcus Nilsson, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
    31/43

    Glazed Leeks With Pine Nut Salsa Verde

    When cooked until tender, doused in a chile-honey-vinegar sauce, and finished with a nutty, herby salsa verde, humble leeks transform into the in-demand side that no one saw coming.

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  • Image may contain Food Dish Meal Animal Seafood Sea Life Shrimp and Bowl
    Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime
    32/43

    Shrimp Ramp-y

    The name says it all. Shrimp with a garlicky, pungent,  scampi sauce. The combination of garlic and ramps may seem like overkill, but we promise it’s not. Swap the butter for neutral oil to make it paleo.

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  • Mushroom soup
    Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Pearl Jones
    33/43

    Cream-ish of Mushroom Soup

    Okay, we waited until now to mention that this creamy, earthy, silky rich soup is vegan. Puréeing some of the mushrooms along with cashews adds body that doesn’t compromise on flavor.

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  • TamarindGlazed Black Bass With CoconutHerb Salad recipe
    Photo by Laura Murray, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Sophie Strangio
    34/43

    Tamarind-Glazed Black Bass With Coconut-Herb Salad

    This sweet-and-sour glaze is good on fish, chicken, ribs—you name it. 

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  • This image may contain Dish Food Meal Pizza and Plant
    Photo by Alex Lau, Styling by Sue Li
    37/43

    Eggs in Purgatory

    Any type of tomatoes will work, though cherry tomatoes hold their shape well. If what you’ve got is a couple of ripe beefsteaks or Romas, cut them into 1" pieces and carry on.

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  • Coconut Creamed Greens
    Photo by Marcus Nilsson, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
    38/43

    Coconut Creamed Greens

    These greens are impossible to stop eating. A sauce of coconut milk, a hot chile, and spices create a full range of bitter, sweet, and tingling flavors.

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  • This image may contain Food Dish Meal Plant Vegetable Cauliflower and Platter
    43/43

    Roasted Cauliflower

    The key to developing crispy browned surfaces on roasted cauliflower is baking it in a super hot oven on the lowest rack, so the baking sheet is close to the heat radiating off the bottom of the oven.

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Ali is a writer and editor at Bon Appétit whose culture and lifestyle work includes reporting on the health claims behind fake meats, interviews with opinionated chefs about the evolution of restaurants, personal essays on the intersection of work and identity, and subtle attempts to propagate her favorite Australian foods. ... Read More
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