Carnivore Diet vs Keto: Key Differences Explained

The carnivore diet eliminates all plant foods and eats only animal products, while keto allows any food that keeps you under 20-50 grams of carbohydrates per day. Every carnivore diet is automatically keto (animal foods are nearly zero carb), but not every keto diet is carnivore. This distinction matters because the diets differ dramatically in complexity, food variety, their approach to plant foods, and who they work best for.

How Are the Food Rules Different?

The fundamental difference is what defines each diet:

Carnivore is defined by food source. The question is: did this come from an animal? If yes, eat it. If no, do not. No counting required. A ribeye steak, a dozen eggs, a pound of butter — all permitted without calculation.

Keto is defined by macronutrient ratios. The question is: does this keep me under my carb limit? A keto dieter might eat a salad with olive oil and avocado, dark chocolate, almond flour bread, or a vegetable stir-fry — all technically keto as long as the carb numbers work.

Here is what each diet permits:

This chart reveals an important reality: keto allows many processed and plant-based foods that carnivore eliminates entirely. A person can eat a “keto” diet that includes inflammatory seed oils, artificial sweeteners, and highly processed “keto-friendly” products. The carnivore framework makes this impossible.

Does Macro Tracking Differ?

This is where the daily experience diverges dramatically.

On keto, you track macros religiously. A typical keto framework looks like:

• 70-75% calories from fat
• 20-25% from protein
• 5% from carbohydrates (20-50g max)

This requires reading labels, calculating net carbs (total carbs minus fiber), measuring portions, and using tracking apps. Eating at restaurants means estimating carb counts in sauces, dressings, and hidden ingredients. One miscalculation — a sauce with sugar, a vegetable with more carbs than expected — can push you out of ketosis.

On carnivore, you generally do not track macros at all. Since all animal foods are essentially zero carb, ketosis is automatic without counting anything. The only people who track on carnivore are those optimizing for specific goals like muscle gain or weight loss — and even then, it is simpler because you are tracking fewer variables. For those who do want to track, see our guide on how to track the carnivore diet.

The simplicity difference is significant for long-term adherence. Many people burn out on keto because the constant tracking, label reading, and carb anxiety is mentally exhausting. Carnivore removes that entire cognitive load.

Which Diet Is Simpler to Follow?

Carnivore wins on simplicity by a wide margin. Consider a typical day:

Keto day: Wake up. Calculate remaining carb allowance. Plan meals to fit macros. Check labels on everything. Measure portions of nuts (easy to overeat carbs). Research restaurant menu before dining out. Track each meal in an app. Worry about hidden carbs in sauces. Calculate whether you can have that glass of wine with dinner. Go to bed wondering if you stayed under your carb limit.

Carnivore day: Wake up. Eat meat and eggs. Eat more meat later. Done.

This simplicity is not a minor advantage — it is often the primary reason people switch from keto to carnivore. When your only question is “is this an animal food?” rather than “how many carbs is this?”, daily eating becomes effortless.

Grocery shopping is similarly simplified. On keto, you navigate the entire store reading labels. On carnivore, you go to the meat counter, the egg section, and the butter aisle. Your shopping list fits on a sticky note.

Is Carnivore Better for Elimination?

This is the most clinically relevant difference. Carnivore functions as an elimination diet; keto does not.

Many health conditions are driven or worsened by dietary triggers — autoimmune conditions, chronic inflammation, digestive disorders, skin conditions, joint pain. The gold standard for identifying food triggers is an elimination diet: remove suspect foods, allow symptoms to resolve, then reintroduce foods one at a time.

Keto fails as an elimination diet because it still includes plant foods. Vegetables contain oxalates, lectins, and goitrogens. Nuts contain phytic acid and inflammatory omega-6 fats. Even “healthy” keto foods like broccoli, spinach, and almonds are common triggers for sensitive individuals. If you are on keto and still experiencing inflammation, you cannot identify the trigger because there are too many variables.

Carnivore excels as an elimination diet because animal foods are the least allergenic and least inflammatory foods available. By removing all plants, you strip your diet down to the cleanest baseline possible. Many people discover that symptoms they attributed to aging, genetics, or stress were actually caused by specific plant foods. The carnivore diet benefits often become apparent only after this elimination reveals underlying food sensitivities.

Which Diet Gets Better Results?

Results depend on your goals:

Weight loss. Both diets produce significant weight loss for most people. Keto works primarily through carbohydrate restriction and ketosis. Carnivore adds the benefit of strong natural appetite regulation — most people spontaneously eat less on carnivore because whole animal foods are deeply satiating and remove all hyper-palatable food combinations. The person who eats “keto cookies” and “keto pizza” will likely have worse results than the person eating steak and eggs.

Inflammation reduction. Carnivore produces more consistent anti-inflammatory results because it removes all plant defense chemicals. Keto reduces inflammation from sugar and processed carbs but still includes plant compounds that trigger some individuals.

Athletic performance. Keto offers more flexibility because you can time small amounts of carbs around workouts. Carnivore requires a longer adaptation period for athletic performance but many athletes report excellent results after full fat adaptation.

Simplicity and adherence. Carnivore’s simplicity leads to higher long-term adherence for many people. Keto’s complexity causes many people to fall off the wagon, cycle in and out, and never fully adapt.

Should You Try Keto Before Carnivore?

There are arguments both ways:

Yes — keto first makes sense if:

• You are coming from a standard American diet and want a gradual transition
• You are not dealing with autoimmune or inflammatory conditions
• You want to experience ketosis and fat adaptation before further restricting
• You are unsure about eliminating all plant foods

No — go straight to carnivore if:

• You have autoimmune conditions, chronic inflammation, or digestive issues
• You have tried keto and still have symptoms
• You prefer simplicity over variety
• You want the most aggressive reset possible

Many successful carnivore dieters came through keto first. They spent months or years on keto, plateaued, and then tried carnivore to break through. The keto-to-carnivore transition is smoother because your body is already fat-adapted.

How Do You Transition from Keto to Carnivore?

If you are currently on keto and considering carnivore, the transition is straightforward:

Week 1: Remove all plant foods except what you eat most. If you eat salad daily, keep it for one more week. Remove nuts, plant oils, and keto processed foods immediately. Replace with animal fats — butter, tallow, lard.

Week 2: Remove remaining plant foods. Your meals are now meat, fish, eggs, and animal fats only. Increase salt intake because the transition can cause temporary electrolyte shifts even if you are already fat-adapted.

Week 3-4: Settle into your carnivore routine. Establish your go-to meals, shopping patterns, and cooking methods. Read our carnivore diet for beginners guide for practical setup advice.

The adaptation period from keto to carnivore is significantly shorter than from a standard diet. You may experience mild digestive changes as your gut microbiome adjusts to the absence of fiber, but the severe “keto flu” symptoms are minimal since you are already fat-adapted.

Whether you are considering carnivore or keto, the important thing is moving away from processed foods, refined sugars, and seed oils. Both diets accomplish this. Carnivore simply takes it further by removing plant foods entirely, which is why many people who have tried both report that carnivore produced better results with less effort.

For more educational content on the carnivore lifestyle, visit our complete carnivore diet guide.