30+ Easy Heart Healthy Recipes to Lower Cholesterol

If you want to make some changes to keep your heart healthy, start with your diet. 

These heart-healthy recipes are made with whole ingredients, like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and olive oil. They’re high in fiber, healthy fats, plant sterols, and antioxidants to help lower cholesterol and blood pressure and keep your blood vessels healthy — all of which reduce your risk of heart disease.

Health experts, including the American Heart Association and the National Institutes of Health, recommend heart-healthy diets like the Mediterranean diet as the first step for heart disease prevention. And as a registered dietitian, I’ve seen the power of a heart-healthy diet in many patients, and myself.

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of the Mediterranean diet. It has so many health benefits, including a strong body of research showing that people who follow it closely have a significantly lower risk of heart attack, stroke, and heart disease.  

And there’s so much flavor variety in the Mediterranean diet, so it always tastes great.

Here are some heart-smart cooking tips and more than 30 of my favorite, easy, heart-healthy recipes to help lower your cholesterol and protect your heart inspired by the Mediterranean diet.

Here are some basic cooking tips and more than 30 of my favorite, easy, heart-healthy recipes to help lower your cholesterol (and also your blood pressure) inspired by the Mediterranean diet.

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Heart Healthy Cooking Tips

Stick to heart-healthy fats.  Wherever possible, use olive oil instead of butter or margarine for cooking and baking. For high-heat sauteing or roasting vegetables (like 400°F +) I also like avocado oil because it’s high in healthy monounsaturated fat like olive oil, but it has a higher smoke point.

Nuts (and nut butter), seeds, olives, and avocados are other sources of heart heart-healthy fats, so eat a few servings each day. Just remember all are high in calories, so mind those portion sizes!

Choose mostly lean proteins like fish, chicken, turkey, Greek yogurt, tofu, or eggs. And aim to eat at least two servings of fish each week. Fish is a key component of the Mediterranean diet. It’s very low in saturated fat, which helps to reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol, and a great source of omega-3 fat, which is great for your blood pressure.

Eat lots of fruits and vegetables.  Aim for at least 5-7 servings each day.  They’re all high in fiber, which can lower your cholesterol. And deep red, blue, and purple fruits and vegetables, like berries or purple sweet potatoes, contain polyphenol antioxidants that protect your blood vessels.

Incorporate a few meatless meals each week that feature legumes (beans) and whole grains with vegetables. All of these are rich in plant protein and soluble fiber, the best type to lower cholesterol.

Limit sodium by cooking from scratch rather than using packaged foods and go easy on the saltshaker. Cooking from scratch is probably the best thing you can do to reduce your risk of heart disease – and so many other chronic lifestyle diseases. Processed, packaged, and fast foods are all full of salt, sugar, unhealthy fats, and chemicals that promote inflammation in your blood vessels and throughout your body.

Easy Cholesterol-Lowering Breakfasts

Oats are my number one ingredient for heart-healthy eating. They’re packed with soluble fiber, which acts like a sponge and mops up bad cholesterol so it can quickly exit your body. Pair them with fruits, nuts, and seeds for an even bigger punch.

And by all means, don’t be afraid of eggs and cholesterol! Eggs are full of protein, vitamins, and minerals, and some research shows they can boost HDL (good) cholesterol.

Easy Cholesterol-Lowering Lunch Recipes

Lunch is a great opportunity to add more colorful vegetables and fruits. Incorporate them into your salads and sandwiches whenever possible.

Heart Healthy Dinners

There are lots of seafood, poultry, and vegetarian options in these cholesterol-lowering dinner recipes. I like to include beans, nuts, seeds, and vegetables in recipes as often as possible. They contain a nice mix of healthy fats and cholesterol-lowering fiber. Plus, they’re high in potassium, which helps lower your blood pressure.

Heart Healthy Snacks

Adding a healthy snack between meals makes it easier to stay on track with a heart-healthy diet. Try these options, made with whole, plant-forward ingredients.

Easy Heart Healthy(ish) Desserts

It’s OK to save room for dessert when it’s made with healthy, wholesome ingredients. Try to add whole grains, fruits, nuts, and dark chocolate to your sweet treats.