20 Best Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) Recipes To Try Right Now
Here are 20 of the best autoimmune protocol (AIP) recipes to try right now. There are incredible meals out there that help heal your gut without saying goodbye to good food. The Autoimmune Protocol, or AIP, is a diet derived from the Paleo diet, and the goal is to fill your plate with nutrient-dense foods that nourish your system. It’s a little bit more restrictive than Paleo, which can be overwhelming, especially if you’re just starting out.
Welcome to our guide of the best AIP recipes. These stress-free, mouthwatering meals are a breeze to make and call for easily accessible ingredients. From comforting chicken pot pie to nightshade-free curries and even a compliant pizza crust, we've got your taste buds covered. Each recipe is crafted to perfection, offering creative and delicious ways to stay strictly compliant. Most importantly, they actually taste phenomenal. Start your gut-healing journey today and let the kitchen magic begin with these best autoimmune protocol recipes!
1) AIP Salmon Curry
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If you're a fan of rich, aromatic Indian dishes, this salmon curry tastes like the real deal without needing any inflammatory nightshades. Traditional curry relies heavily on spices that are strictly off-limits, but this clever adaptation swaps them out seamlessly.
The key is replacing inflammatory veggies and spices like cumin, cayenne, peppers, and paprika with clever AIP-approved substitutes. These spices won’t only flavor the dish beautifully, but will also make your entire house smell like curry heaven.
Paired with flaky, tender salmon, this creamy coconut-based sauce is incredibly nourishing. Serve it over cauliflower rice to soak up all of those healing flavors for an unforgettable dinner.
2) AIP Tarragon Chicken Pot Pie
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Just because you can’t have traditional wheat flour on the AIP diet doesn’t mean you can’t have pie! Thanks to the magic of cassava flour, you can still enjoy a cozy slice (or three) of this scrumptious tarragon chicken pot pie.
Adding depth and flavor to the chicken filling are earth mushrooms, fragrant tarragon, bright lemon juice, and a rich, savory bone broth that supports gut healing. It is comfort food at its absolute finest.
The pie crust is the true show-stopper here, though. You’ll be blown away by how shockingly flaky and buttery it tastes, mimicking the texture of the real thing flawlessly. This easily ranks among the best autoimmune protocol recipes for a family dinner.
3) Green Banana Fries
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One of the most unfortunate things about the AIP diet is that you can’t have standard potatoes while you’re on it. That means you’ll have to say goodbye to traditional French fries for a while.
But in case you’re missing its crunchy, salty goodness, these green banana fries are here to save the day. And don’t worry—these fries don’t taste like sweet bananas at all! When cooked green, they are wonderfully starchy and savory.
This snack manages to mimic the flavor and texture of regular fries perfectly. Serve them alongside an AIP-compliant burger or enjoy them on their own for a satisfying crunch.
4) Ginger-Lime Salmon
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The fact that salmon is delicious no matter how you cook it makes it an absolute favorite fish for quick weeknight dinners. While salmon sashimi is great, mixing things up with this vibrant ginger-lime salmon brings a whole new flavor profile to the table.
Here, the fresh salmon fillets rest on a bed of vegetables and are bathed with a zesty puree of onions, garlic, ginger, lime juice, and an AIP-friendly sweetener. The fish bakes until it is perfectly tender and flaky.
The complementing flavors of the tart lime, soothing anti-inflammatory ginger, and subtle sweetness are simply divine. It's a powerhouse of Omega-3s and gut-healing nutrients!
5) Copycat Gluten-Free Hamburger Helper
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The AIP may sound incredibly restrictive at first glance. But with a bit of culinary creativity, you can eat a nostalgic favorite like Hamburger Helper and nourish your gut at the exact same time.
Isn’t that great? See, AIP isn’t so bad after all! This recipe is made with savory ground beef, creamy coconut milk, a nightshade-free "nomato" sauce, and compliant elbow pasta (like cassava).
Blended with a mix of fragrant seasonings, you get a rich, cheesy-tasting dish without a drop of dairy. It is the ultimate healthy comfort food that the whole family will ask for again and again.
6) Spaghetti Squash Fried “Rice”
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You’ve heard of cauliflower and broccoli rice, but are you familiar with spaghetti squash rice? This genius swap provides a slightly sweet, incredibly satisfying base for all your favorite Asian-inspired stir-fries.
Basically, you’ll chop up some roasted spaghetti squash, and voila, you’ll have turned the classic winter squash into a rice alternative. This base is for you if you like savory dishes with just a hint of natural sweetness.
Joining the party in this stir-fry are juicy ground pork, fresh green onions, grated ginger, and coconut aminos. It delivers that classic takeout flavor while remaining entirely grain-free and soy-free.
7) AIP Empanadas
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Say hello to your new favorite appetizer. These impressive AIP empanadas are filled with a sweet and savory Cuban picadillo and enveloped in soft, flaky, gluten-free crusts.
The picadillo is a lovely, flavorful mix of ground beef, diced turnip, dried cranberries, and briny olives. It's seasoned perfectly with coconut aminos, bay leaf, garlic, and Italian herbs for a massive punch of flavor.
The crunch from the turnip and the subtle chewiness from the cranberries give the filling amazing textural varieties. These hand pies prove that the best aip recipes can still be fun, shareable, and intensely delicious.
8) Easy Chinese Hot and Sour Stir-Fry
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If you are craving the complex flavors of Chinese takeout, this one-pan stir-fry is about to become a weekly staple in your household. It is incredibly quick to throw together on a busy weeknight.
This stir-fry is complete with tender strips of pork tenderloin, crunchy broccoli, cabbage, earthy mushrooms, and more! It’s as vibrant and colorful as it is delicious, offering a massive dose of micronutrients.
Adding serious oomph to the mix is a compliant hot and sour sauce, which is made from gut-healing bone broth, coconut aminos, fresh ginger, and apple cider vinegar. Serve the dish over cauliflower or broccoli rice and enjoy!
9) Crockpot Beef Pumpkin Curry
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Curry powder and other seed-based spices are technically not allowed on the autoimmune protocol. But there’s an incredibly easy and delicious workaround to get that warm, complex flavor profile.
So, if you’re as obsessed with curry as I am, don’t worry. You can still enjoy this warming, hearty stew even when you’re strictly adhering to the diet. It utilizes slow-cooked ingredients to build massive flavor.
It features tender grass-fed beef, creamy pumpkin puree, and loads of AIP-approved spices like cinnamon, ginger, and turmeric. This pseudo-curry still manages to taste exactly like the real thing, making it a star among the best autoimmune protocol recipes.
10) Sweet Potato Avocado Toast with Cilantro Mayo
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If you’re missing the crunchy and creamy greatness of a classic avocado toast for breakfast, this brilliant alternative is waving right at you. You won't even miss the sourdough!
Instead of grain-based bread, you’ll use thick, crispy, roasted slices of sweet potatoes as your sturdy base. They offer a fantastic complex carbohydrate source that fuels you for the entire morning.
For the topping, you’ll use an egg-free cilantro mayo, anti-inflammatory turmeric onions, rich avocado, and crisp radishes. The spices don’t only add immense flavor, but also help boost your immune system.
11) AIP Pork Tenderloin with Blueberry Sauce
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This elegant dish is for you if you love combining savory roasted meats with bright, sweet fruit sauces. I can’t get enough of how insanely good and sophisticated this meal looks and tastes!
It features soft, perfectly juicy tenderloin pork at the bottom, and a mouthwatering, tangy blueberry reduction on top. The antioxidants from the blueberries are fantastic for reducing inflammation.
This dish is the perfect combination of sweet and savory. You’ll also love how it’s so surprisingly easy to make, yet exquisite enough to be served on special occasions or holidays.
12) Instant Pot Chicken Soup
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Craving ultimate comfort food? Nothing will satisfy your soul and heal your body quite like a steaming bowl of homemade chicken soup.
Chicken soups are supposed to be hearty, cozy, and loaded with tender chunks of chicken and root veggies. This AIP-compliant chicken soup checks absolutely all the boxes, and because it’s cooked in the Instant Pot, your active participation here is very minimal.
It actually makes a gelatinous bone broth while it cooks because it’s made with a whole chicken! Just throw the ingredients into the pot, press a button, and forget about it until dinner time.
13) AIP Tom Kha Gai
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Tom Kha Gai is a wildly popular Thai soup that features a creamy, aromatic coconut base. Taking this classic and making it AIP-friendly yields a spectacular result that will transport your taste buds.
The velvety broth is infused with fresh lime juice, sharp ginger, and fragrant lemongrass, giving it bright, refreshing flavors with a gentle kick. It is the perfect balance of savory and sour.
Fill the warm broth with sliced chicken breast, earthy mushrooms, crunchy water chestnuts, and a variety of fresh vegetables. You'll have a deeply nourishing and comforting meal right in a bowl.
14) Radish and Jicama Tabbouli
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Traditional Tabbouli is a bright, chopped salad made of fresh parsley, tomatoes, bulgur wheat, and onion dressed in a zesty lemon vinaigrette. While it sounds delightful, tomatoes and grains are restricted on the protocol.
The only problem is, you can’t have grains or nightshades in the AIP. But that’s totally okay, because you can still capture the essence of tabbouli by swapping out the restricted items with clever replacements.
The trick is to use crisp, raw veggies like diced radishes and jicama. They add an incredibly satisfying crunchy texture that gives even more character and bite to the salad than the original!
15) Turmeric Zucchini Soup
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The bright and sunny golden hue of this blended soup alone already tells you exactly how delicious and nourishing it is going to be. It is essentially gut-healing sunshine in a bowl.
Aside from the base of tender zucchini, you can also easily customize this by adding broccoli, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, kale, or carrots. It is a fantastic way to clear out the vegetable crisper.
It’s not really the specific vegetables that matter, but the incredible broth. Flavored with full-fat coconut milk, anti-inflammatory turmeric, and a dash of cinnamon, this soup is wonderfully rich, creamy, and warm.
16) Turkey Apple Breakfast Hash
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Having to give up standard breakfast staples like eggs, flour pancakes, rice, and hashbrown potatoes makes it a little challenging to come up with exciting morning dishes on the autoimmune protocol.
Here’s one fantastic recipe to make your mornings infinitely better. Instead of heavy starches, this hash relies on clean proteins and the natural sweetness of fruit.
This turkey apple breakfast hash will fill you up with the scrumptious, cozy flavors of fall. The savory ground turkey pairs impeccably with the warm apples and cinnamon, starting your day off on the right foot.
17) AIP Pizza Crust
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Once you learn how to make this foolproof AIP pizza crust, you can enjoy pizza for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every single day without an ounce of guilt. It is a total game-changer for the diet!
This opens up tons of meal options for you. You can top it with nightshade-free "nomato" sauce, compliant meats, and loads of roasted vegetables.
This sturdy AIP pizza crust is magically crafted with tapioca flour, coconut flour, baking soda, vinegar, and gelatin (which acts as a gut-healing binder). It takes just 10 minutes to prepare, and the rest is up to the oven.
18) Ginger-Garlic Pork Noodle Soup
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This Asian-inspired noodle soup has a wonderful medley of tender meats and fresh vegetables cooked rapidly in a fragrant herb broth. It’s hearty, cozy, and absolutely delish for a chilly evening.
You’ll love the massive variety of flavors and textures packed into this single bowl. Using sweet potato glass noodles or compliant cassava pasta ensures you get that authentic slurpable experience.
There’s chewiness from the noodles, earthiness from the sliced mushrooms, and deep savoriness from the pork. The ginger and garlic work overtime to support digestion and immune health.
19) Stuffed Acorn Squash
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If you’re in the mood for an impressive stuffed vegetable dish, this recipe has your name written all over it. It looks beautiful on a plate and tastes even better.
Unfortunately, the AIP diet prohibits nightshade vegetables such as tomatoes, eggplant, and bell peppers. That means traditional stuffed bell peppers are off the menu for now!
But that’s perfectly fine because this stuffed acorn squash makes for a much sweeter, far more fantastic alternative. Stuffed with ground pork, diced apples, onions, and tart dried cranberries, this dish has the perfect balance of sweet and savory.
20) Healthy Gluten-Free Orange Chicken
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Standard Chinese takeout is absolutely loaded with inflammatory seed oils, gluten, and refined sugars—not good for a healing gut at all. But in case you’re missing the sticky, sweet scrumptiousness of orange chicken, this recipe brings phenomenal news.
In just 30 minutes, you get to enjoy a crispy, sweet, and tangy orange chicken right in your own kitchen. You can even pair it with a bonus side dish of broccoli rice to soak up the sauce.
It utilizes wholesome, natural ingredients like raw honey, fresh orange juice, and coconut aminos to recreate that iconic orange chicken glaze while adhering strictly to the best AIP recipes guidelines.
These best autoimmune protocol recipes are a perfect way to use whole foods to heal. If you want more healthy meal inspiration, checkout our other recipe posts or our random recipe generator.