Keto Baked Tilapia Recipe

This easy keto baked tilapia recipe is not only delicious but it only takes 25 minutes to make. With only a few basic ingredients you can have a flavorful fish dinner with only 1.7g net carbs per serving!

You might also like this low carb pesto tilapia recipe.

I remember making a tasty dish with chicken, mayo and cheese many, many years ago but haven’t made it in ages. I really liked it and since I had a huge block of asiago cheese from Costco, I thought I’d try it with tilapia.

Now I actually crave this easy keto baked tilapia recipe. It’s only 1.7g net carbs per serving and I have to say it’s delicious! I try to make extra so I can eat it for lunch but there never seems to be much left over. 

The topping is a creamy, cheesy mixture of herbs and spices that you spread on this flaky white fish. Then it’s baked in the oven until golden brown and develops a delicious crust. This tender fish is super easy to make and great for busy weeknight meal.

Recipe ingredients I used.

All you need to make this tasty fish dinner is tilapia, mayonnaise, Asiago cheese, garlic, onion powder, thyme, basil, salt and black pepper.

Mayonnaise
This is used to make a spread to put on the fish. There really isn’t a substitution for this ingredient.

Asiago Cheese
I like this sharp cheese because it has tons of flavor. However you can also substitute with grated parmesan cheese or grated Romano cheese if you want.

Garlic
really like the fresh garlic in this recipe and don’t recommend using garlic powder. But if that is all you have the rule of thumb is  ⅛ teaspoon of garlic powder equals 1 clove of garlic.

Seasonings
I used dried thyme and basil to season this recipe but you can also substitute the two spices with Italian seasoning. You can also add a little hot pepper flakes if you want to add a bit of heat.

Tilapia
I’ve made this both fillets and loins. The loins are thicker and meatier and the fillets are flatter and thinner. However I prefer the loins but you can use either. Also I used frozen tilapia and it works great but you can use fresh fish if you want.

Below you can see this recipe using the tilapia fillets (pictured below right photo) which are wider, thinner and easies to find. Whereas tilapia loins (pictured below left photo) are thicker and more rectangular in shape. Both kinds of tilapia will work fine just the loins may take another couple of minutes to cook.

Can you use other types of fish?

If you want to try this with another kind of fish I would keep it to a flaky mild white fish. Some substitution options are sea bass, flounder, orange roughy, red snapper and rainbow trout.

How to make this keto baked tilapia recipe.

1. If you are using frozen fish, thaw according to package directions.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a baking dish or baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
3. Get out a medium bowl and mix together mayonnaise, crushed garlic, asiago cheese, onion powder, thyme, basil, salt and black pepper.
4. Take a paper towel and dab the fish dry then place on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Spoon the mayonnaise and cheese mixture on top of the tilapia and spread over the surface. Do this with all of the fish.
5. Place the fish fillets into the preheated oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the fish flakes. If using tilapia filets it will be closer to 15 minutes and the loins will take more time. If you want it more golden brown on top, broil for 2-3 minutes. Store leftovers in an airtight container.

When I used the filets,  they were pretty thin and only took 15 minutes. The loins are thicker and take about 20 minutes to cook through.  Please scroll down to view the printable recipe card.

If you want you can garnish with fresh lemon slices or lemon wedges. Fresh parsley sprigs would look great too!

Other easy tilapia recipes to try.

I like tilapia because it’s a white flaky fish with a mild flavor. It’s also easy to find and rather inexpensive. I usually have a package of tilapia filets or loins in the freezer for quick meals. Below are a few more low carb recipes using this fish.

• panko and parmesan crusted baked fish recipe
• breaded pan fried tilapia with tomatoes
• tilapia prepared with pesto or Romano style

Recipe ideas to serve with this tilapia dish.

This is a good dish to serve with greens. The mayo and cheese make it pretty rich so any green vegetable side dish will balance it out to make a healthy dinner.

Two keto veggies to try are these spicy green beans or asparagus fries.  Sometimes we even have cauliflower rice. Last night I served my sesame greens and it was a perfect simple dinner with little cooking time.

Add a green salad and you are set for dinner! I have a variety of keto salad recipes you try if you are interested.

This keto baked tilapia is an easy and healthy recipe that even my son will eat. He’s not a big fish fan yet but he’s slowly coming around. It’s also a good go to dinner for busy weeknights if you have frozen fish on hand.

So that was a quick and easy one for you. If you are following a low carb diet this really is a low carb meal for you that you can make any night. But even if you don’t care about carbs, I know you will love this.

Here is the nutrition facts for 1 filet: 341 cals / 22.4g fat / 1.8g carbs / 0.1g fiber / 34.5g protein = 1.7g net carb count