Low calorie meals: 30 recipes of 500 calories or less

What counts as a low calorie meal on this list?

On this list, a low calorie meal has 500 kcal or less in one serving, and the page checks every recipe against that ceiling. 500 kcal is the line the ranking lists draw: Good Housekeeping's dinners, Prevention's meals, Instacart's list and RecipeTin Eats' collection all keep their recipes at or under 500 calories per serving, and EatingWell's dinners stay under 575. All checked October 27, 2026. There is no legal definition of a low calorie meal cooked at home.

The page also keeps a floor: no recipe here is under 300 kcal, so every one is a real meal. A dietitian quoted by Prevention puts a low-calorie breakfast at 300 to 400 kcal and a lunch or dinner at 500 to 600; another notes that one calorie goal does not work for everyone. A lighter plate is not a better one, and the ceiling sorts recipes; it is not an amount to aim for.

Each recipe is for one serving: the ingredients in grams, then a few steps under its name below each table. Calories, protein, carbohydrate and fat are added up from those grams with the values per 100 g of USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, for the generic food, not a brand. Each ingredient names its state, raw, cooked or dry, because the figures differ. Cooking oil is counted where a recipe uses it; salt, herbs and spices are not.

The tables also show whether a recipe passes the IZeat healthy check, the definition the Recipes section uses: at least 20 g of protein and at least 80 g of vegetables, fruit or legumes in one serving. Beans, chickpeas, lentils and edamame count as legumes; tofu does not, and potatoes do not, as the NHS leaves them out, while sweet potatoes do. Sodium, saturated fat and added sugar are not computed, so their limits are not checked. Vegetarian here means no meat or fish; parmesan and some other cheeses are made with animal rennet, so check the label if that matters to you. 25 of the 30 recipes pass it; the others reach the vegetables but fall short on protein.

IZeat wrote these recipes and computed their figures from USDA values; creators' tested versions will replace them as they are published.

Which low calorie meals work for breakfast?

These 6 breakfasts start from eggs, egg whites, Greek yogurt or cottage cheese, with vegetables or fruit beside them. The blueberry overnight oats with Greek yogurt has the fewest calories of the group, 307 kcal.

Blueberry overnight oats with Greek yogurt (vegetarian)

1. Stir the oats, milk and Greek yogurt together in a jar.
2. Cover and leave in the fridge overnight, then top with the blueberries.

Cottage cheese toast with tomato and cucumber (vegetarian)

1. Toast the bread and spread the cottage cheese over it.
2. Top with the sliced tomato and cucumber.

Greek yogurt with strawberries and oats (vegetarian)

1. Spoon the Greek yogurt into a bowl.
2. Top with the sliced strawberries and the dry oats, then drizzle the honey over.

Egg white scramble with spinach, peppers and feta (vegetarian)

1. Heat the oil in a pan and soften the chopped pepper.
2. Add the spinach, then pour in the egg whites and the beaten egg.
3. Stir until set, crumble the feta over and serve with the bread, toasted.

Mushroom and spinach omelette with toast (vegetarian)

1. Heat the oil in a pan and cook the sliced mushrooms until golden, then wilt the spinach.
2. Pour in the beaten eggs and egg whites and cook until set.
3. Grate the parmesan over, fold, and serve with the bread, toasted.

Shakshuka with toast (vegetarian)

1. Heat the oil in a pan and soften the chopped onion and pepper.
2. Add the canned tomatoes and simmer until the sauce thickens.
3. Make two hollows, crack an egg into each, cover and cook until the whites are set.
4. Serve with the bread, toasted.

Which low calorie meals work for lunch?

These 9 lunches are salads, soups, wraps and bowls, built on chicken, canned fish, eggs, lentils, chickpeas or beans. The chickpea Greek salad and the roast chicken and hummus wrap need no cooking at all.

Chicken and mushroom lettuce wraps with brown rice

1. Heat the oil in a pan and cook the finely chopped chicken until cooked through.
2. Add the chopped mushrooms, garlic and ginger and cook until the mushrooms soften, then stir in the soy sauce.
3. Spoon the filling into the lettuce leaves, top with the grated carrot and serve with the warmed rice.

Lentil and vegetable soup (vegan)

1. Heat the oil in a pot and soften the chopped onion, carrot and celery.
2. Add the canned tomatoes, the cooked lentils and a cup of water, and simmer until the vegetables are tender.
3. Stir in the spinach until it wilts.

Egg and avocado salad with toast (vegetarian)

1. Halve the peeled eggs and slice the avocado.
2. Toss the lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber with the lemon juice, top with the eggs and avocado, and serve with the bread, toasted.

Cauliflower fried rice with egg and edamame (vegetarian)

1. Grate the cauliflower into small grains.
2. Heat the oil in a pan and stir-fry the cauliflower, diced carrot and edamame until tender.
3. Push them to one side, scramble the eggs in the space until set, then mix everything with the soy sauce and sliced scallions.

Chicken and vegetable noodle soup

1. Heat the oil in a pot and soften the chopped onion, carrot and celery.
2. Add the diced chicken and two cups of water and simmer until the chicken is cooked through.
3. Add the diced zucchini and the pasta and simmer until the pasta is tender.

Tuna, white bean and green bean salad

1. Boil the green beans until tender, then cool them in cold water.
2. Mix them with the drained tuna, the white beans and the chopped tomatoes.
3. Dress with the olive oil and lemon juice.

Salmon, edamame and brown rice bowl

1. Warm the brown rice and cook the edamame from frozen, then drain them.
2. Put the rice in a bowl with the flaked salmon, the edamame, sliced cucumber and grated carrot.
3. Pour the soy sauce over.

Roast chicken and hummus wrap

1. Spread the hummus over the tortilla.
2. Add the lettuce, the sliced roast chicken, tomato and cucumber, then roll it up.

Chickpea Greek salad (vegetarian)

1. Chop the cucumber, tomatoes and pepper and mix them with the rinsed chickpeas.
2. Crumble the feta over and dress with the olive oil and lemon juice.

Which low calorie meals work for dinner?

These 15 dinners are cooked plates: sheet pan and stir-fry dishes, fish with vegetables, stews, soups and pasta, with chicken, turkey, pork, beef, fish, tofu, beans or lentils. Some replace part of the rice or pasta with cauliflower, zucchini or spaghetti squash; others keep a smaller portion of it.

Shrimp with zucchini noodles, tomatoes and feta

1. Cut the zucchini into noodles with a spiralizer or a peeler.
2. Heat the oil in a pan, soften the garlic, then cook the shrimp until pink and opaque all the way through.
3. Add the halved tomatoes and the zucchini noodles and toss until just warm, then crumble the feta over.

Stuffed peppers with turkey and brown rice

1. Cook the finely chopped turkey with the onion in a dry non-stick pan until cooked through, then stir in the canned tomatoes and the rice.
2. Halve the peppers, fill them with the mixture and top with the mozzarella.
3. Bake until the peppers are tender and the cheese has melted.

Roasted cod with asparagus and potatoes

1. Boil the potatoes, cut into pieces, until tender.
2. Toss the asparagus with half the oil and roast it beside the cod, brushed with the rest, until the fish flakes and is cooked through.
3. Squeeze the lemon juice over and serve with the potatoes.

Spaghetti squash with turkey marinara

1. Halve the squash, scoop out the seeds and roast it cut side down until the flesh pulls into strands.
2. Heat the oil in a pan, soften the chopped onion, then add the finely chopped turkey and cook until cooked through.
3. Stir in the tomato sauce and simmer, then serve over the squash strands with the parmesan.

Lentil bolognese with zucchini noodles (vegetarian)

1. Heat the oil in a pot and soften the chopped onion and carrot.
2. Add the cooked lentils and the tomato sauce and simmer until thick.
3. Cut the zucchini into noodles, warm them in a pan for a minute, and serve the sauce over them with the parmesan.

Tofu and spinach curry with cauliflower rice (vegan)

1. Heat the oil in a pot and soften the chopped onion with curry spices.
2. Add the canned tomatoes and the cubed tofu and simmer until the sauce thickens, then stir in the spinach.
3. Grate the cauliflower into grains, cook it in a covered pan with a splash of water until tender, and serve the curry over it.

Chickpea and tomato stew with kale (vegan)

1. Heat the oil in a pot and soften the chopped onion and garlic.
2. Add the canned tomatoes and chickpeas and simmer until the sauce thickens.
3. Stir in the chopped kale and cook until it wilts.

Pork tenderloin with sweet potato and lime slaw

1. Cut the sweet potato into wedges, toss them with the oil and roast until tender.
2. Roast the pork tenderloin until cooked through, then rest it and slice it.
3. Toss the shredded cabbage with the Greek yogurt and lime juice and serve it beside the pork and wedges.

White bean and vegetable soup with parmesan (vegetarian)

1. Heat the oil in a pot and soften the chopped onion, carrot and celery.
2. Add the white beans, the diced zucchini and two cups of water and simmer until the vegetables are tender.
3. Stir in the chopped kale until it wilts and serve with the parmesan grated over.

Beef and green bean stir-fry with brown rice

1. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the beef with the garlic until browned and cooked through.
2. Add the green beans and sliced carrot with a splash of water, cover and cook until tender.
3. Stir in the soy sauce and serve over the warmed rice.

Sheet pan chicken fajitas

1. Slice the chicken, pepper and onion, toss them with the oil and fajita spices and spread them on a baking tray.
2. Roast until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are soft at the edges.
3. Squeeze the lime juice over and serve in the warmed tortillas with the Greek yogurt.

Chicken and broccoli stir-fry with brown rice

1. Heat the oil in a pan and stir-fry the sliced chicken until cooked through.
2. Add the broccoli, pepper, garlic and ginger with a splash of water and stir-fry until the broccoli is tender.
3. Stir in the soy sauce and serve with the warmed rice.

Salmon with green beans and brown rice

1. Roast or pan-fry the salmon in its own fat until it flakes and is cooked through.
2. Steam the green beans until tender and warm the rice.
3. Squeeze the lemon juice over the fish and serve everything together.

Black bean and sweet potato tacos (vegetarian)

1. Dice the sweet potato, toss it with the oil and roast until tender.
2. Warm the black beans and the tortillas.
3. Fill the tortillas with the beans, sweet potato and shredded cabbage, and top with the Greek yogurt and lime juice.

Chicken and mushroom pasta with spinach

1. Boil the pasta until tender and drain it.
2. Heat the oil in a pan and cook the sliced chicken until cooked through, then add the mushrooms and garlic and cook until golden.
3. Stir in the spinach and the pasta until the spinach wilts, and serve with the parmesan.

How does a meal stay under 500 calories?

By the grams of the few ingredients that carry the calories. In none of these 30 recipes is a vegetable or a fruit the largest source of calories: the protein food, the starch, the cheese or the oil is. This method works for any recipe above.

1. Weigh the oil: 10 g of olive oil adds 88 kcal and no protein, so the recipes here weigh it, from 3 to 7 g a serving.
2. Choose the starch and its portion: 100 g of cooked brown rice has 123 kcal, 100 g of raw cauliflower 25 kcal and 100 g of zucchini 17 kcal; 50 g of dry pasta has 186 kcal.
3. Pick a lean protein food, such as chicken or turkey breast, white fish, shrimp, egg whites, Greek yogurt, beans or lentils, and set its grams.
4. Use cheese, avocado, nuts and sauces in small, weighed amounts; they add flavor and many calories per gram.
5. Fill the rest of the plate with vegetables, which add weight and few calories.

The same dish can sit on either side of 500 kcal: a bigger portion of rice, a second spoon of oil or more cheese moves it more than the vegetables do. The cooking fat guide explains how to count the oil, and the raw-or-cooked guide which weight to use.

How does a low calorie meal fit into your day?

A meal's calories are one part of a day, not the day. Three meals of 500 kcal make 1,500 kcal; the US Nutrition Facts label uses 2,000 kcal a day as a general guide, and the FDA says your needs may be higher or lower with your age, sex, height, weight and activity (checked October 27, 2026). A low calorie meal leaves room for other meals and snacks; it does not mean the day should be low.

Eating very little all day is a different thing, and it is not what this page suggests. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases describes a very low-calorie diet as about 800 kcal a day or less, supervised by a health care professional, often with commercially prepared formulas, for some patients with obesity. NHS Scotland describes a low-calorie diet as 800 to 1,200 kcal a day, usually with nutritionally complete shakes or soups, for about 12 weeks, after talking to a doctor, nurse or dietitian, and with side effects such as dizziness, headaches and constipation (both checked October 27, 2026). Plans like these are too restrictive for most people. A varied diet with enough energy is easier to keep, and if you want a lower intake, a doctor or dietitian can say what suits you.

How many calories you need is personal: the calorie calculator gives a reference from your age, size and activity. This page sets no target.

IZeat is the five-star chef calorie tracker that suggests satisfying, great-tasting meals, so you enjoy every calorie you have left. It works inside ChatGPT, Claude or any other assistant: IZeat knows your numbers for the day, which foods fill you up and what you like.

After you connect your assistant, say what you ate in one sentence. IZeat logs the meal and returns calories, protein, carbohydrate and fat for the day, with the source of each figure; with a target you chose, it shows what remains, without judging a high or a low day.

Where are the lists for a specific need?

Recipes with at least 20 g of protein per serving, whatever their calories, are on the high protein meals list, and snacks from 10 g of protein on the high protein snacks list. Lists by need each get their own page in the Recipes section as they are published:

• High protein low calorie meals keep the protein high and the calories low.
• Easy low calorie meals take few ingredients and little time.
• Healthy meals for weight loss gather recipes and the way to fit them into a day.
• Weight loss meals list the meals people cook when they want to lose weight, each with its figures.
• Low calorie meal prep cooks meals like these once for several days.
• Smoothie recipes for weight loss give each smoothie its figures.
• Low calorie snacks keep the calories per snack low.

Which foods have the fewest calories per 100 g belongs to the Foods section, in its low calorie foods guide.