Keto Potato Chips: Satisfy Your Crunch Cravings the Low-Carb Way

The ketogenic diet, which emphasizes high fat and very low carbohydrate intake, has gained popularity for its potential benefits in weight loss, managing type 2 diabetes, and even preventing mental decline. However, one of the biggest challenges for those following a keto lifestyle is finding satisfying snack options that adhere to the diet's strict carb limits. This is especially true when it comes to chips, a snack food that many find hard to resist. Most traditional chips are made from potatoes or corn, which are high in carbs and therefore off-limits on a ketogenic diet. Fortunately, there are many keto-friendly alternatives that can satisfy your craving for a crunchy snack without derailing your diet.

Understanding the Keto Diet

The ketogenic diet retrains your body to use fat for energy instead of carbohydrates. The ideal keto diet consists of healthy fats and proteins while keeping carb intake very low. This metabolic state, called ketosis, forces the body to break down fat to supply the body and the brain with energy. In a ketogenic diet, most of your calories should come from fat.

The Problem with Traditional Chips

As you know, there are tons of chips at supermarkets. There is something for everyone - Doritos, Ruffles, Seaweed Chips - you name it! The problem is, most regular chips are jam-packed with carbs, making them not keto-friendly. Most chips are made from potatoes or corn, which are both red flags in the world of keto (say goodbye to any thoughts of keto potato chips).

Keto Chip Alternatives: A World of Crunchy Possibilities

Many low-carb chip alternatives on the market cater to keto eaters. These keto chip alternatives are perfect for dipping or snacking on their own. The best keto chip alternatives are the low-carb and no-carb variety, which are typically made from ingredients like meat, cheese, and certain vegetables. While some keto chip recipes contain a small number of carbs, some options are entirely carb-free.

Homemade Keto Chip Recipes

If you enjoy cooking or want to control every ingredient in your snacks, these keto chips are for you.

Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers

1. Pork Rinds

Pork rinds are the perfect low-carb chip alternatives and the supreme snack on keto. They are made from fried, baked, or roasted pig skins and contain large amounts of fat and protein. Most importantly, they contain zero carbs, which make them the superstars of keto chips.

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 390F.
2. Score the skin side of the pork rind in a square or diamond pattern with a sharp knife.
3. Cook for 10 minutes.

2. Cinnamon Keto Pork Rinds

When you're in the mood for a sweet and crunchy snack, these keto-friendly chips have your back. They only have five ingredients and are super easy to make. Plus, you can break these cinnamon keto pork rinds into small bits and eat them with milk instead to make your own homemade cereal!

Preparation:

1. Sprinkle cinnamon and erythritol over the butter-coated pork rinds.

3. Keto Tortilla Chips

Keto tortilla chips are perhaps one of the best low-carb chip alternatives out there. There are so many options, but be mindful of choosing appropriate keto chips.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond flour blanched almond flour
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 teaspoon seasonings of choice pepper, paprika, etc.

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with baking paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, add your almond flour and set aside. In a microwave-safe bowl, add your mozzarella cheese and microwave for 1-2 minutes, until melted.
3. Transfer your melted cheese into the bowl of almond flour and mix very well until a thick dough remains.
4. Place a piece of parchment paper on a kitchen surface. Place the ball of dough onto it, and lightly flatten. Place the second piece of parchment paper on top. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough until flat and thin, around 1/6 inch.
5. Using a pizza cutter or knife, slice triangles of dough. Place the pieces of uncooked tortilla chips onto the lined sheet.
6. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and let cool on the sheet completely.

If your low carb chips have become soft because you didn’t bake them long enough! Another reason why your chips aren’t super crispy is that you didn’t flatten them out thin enough.

4. Pepperoni Chips

You read that right! Any pepperoni or salami can be made into crispy and crunchy keto chips, perfect for dipping.

Read also: Keto Calorie Counting: A Detailed Guide

Preparation:

1. Simply bake slices of pepperoni or salami until crispy.

5. Vegetable Chips

We're big fans of veggie as low-carb chip alternatives. Some veggies that create the best keto chip alternatives are zucchini, cucumbers, celery, bell peppers, and tomatoes.

Preparation:

1. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Slice your chosen vegetables very thinly.
3. Bake until crispy. One way to make chips healthier is to change the cooking method. Use a dehydrator or your oven’s lowest temperature to dry them until crunchy, instead of frying them to a crisp.

6. Cottage Cheese Chips

Not your typical way to serve cottage cheese snacks…as a chip. That’s right. Turn a tub of soft and creamy cottage cheese into these crispy keto-friendly chips.

Ingredients:

• Cottage cheese (Trader Joe’s small curd cottage cheese is recommended)
• Spices of your choice

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl mix cottage cheese with the spices.
2. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat for 1-2 minutes.
3. Scoop ½ teaspoon of the cottage cheese mixture into the pan.
4. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Once the cheese has stopped bubbling, the surface is dry and is starting to brown, use a rubber spatula to lift the edges from the pan.
5. Carefully peel the chip away from the pan.

Store-Bought Keto Chip Alternatives

Short on time or prefer the convenience of ready-made options? These keto chip alternatives are perfect for satisfying your snack cravings while sticking to your diet.

1. KetoLogic's Keto Buffalo Crisps: Perfect if you are craving a snack that feels a bit more like junk food.
2. Epic Artisanal Oven Baked Pork Rinds: Baked and come in a variety of different flavors.
3. 4505 Meats Pork Rinds: Certified keto-friendly chips and avoid using any added hormones or antibiotics.
4. Wilde Protein Chips: Made from chicken breast and seasoned with keto-approved ingredients like egg whites, tapioca starch, and sunflower oil.
5. Quest Nutrition Chips: The brand also makes several kinds of popular keto chips, including Tortilla Style Protein Chips which are low in carbs and high in protein.

Other Keto-Friendly Snack Options

Remember that keto chips are just one type of keto snack, though, and there are a bunch of other great low- and zero-carb keto snacks you can dig into, too!

• Jerky and Beef Sticks: Classic keto snacks, but be mindful of added sugars and unhealthy fillers. Chomps are made with the best ingredients possible and come in 3 low-carb varieties: Original Beef, Jalapeño Beef, Smoky BBQ Beef, and Salt & Pepper Venison.
• Pickle Wraps (aka Pickle Roll-Ups): A quick, 3-ingredient snack made with a pickle, cream cheese, and ham - or any deli meat you like.

Tips for Choosing and Enjoying Keto Chips

When choosing keto-friendly chips, remember to go for high fat and protein options that have a low net carb count.

Read also: Magnesium Supplements for Keto

Keto Zero Net Carb Chips

Finally, guilt-free chips! They’re made with just three ingredients - egg whites, parmesan cheese, and everything bagel seasoning. These are different from the first version of keto everything bagel cheese chips. They have a distinctly cheesy flavor.

Ingredients:

• Egg whites
• Parmesan cheese
• Everything bagel seasoning

Instructions:

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees and spray the sections of a muffin tin well.

Use these keto zero net carb chips with queso, salsa, cheesecake dip, or to munch on when you're hungry.

Paleo Friendly Baked Sweet Potato Chips

Paleo Friendly Baked Sweet Potato Chips are the perfect choice for a healthy snack.

Ingredients:

• Sweet potatoes
• Olive oil
• Salt (and pepper, if using)
• Spices of your choice (garlic salt, etc.)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Use a mandoline to cut sweet potatoes into super thin ¼-inch slices.
3. Pile sliced sweet potatoes in a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil.
4. Sprinkle chips lightly with salt (and pepper, if using).
5. Bake for 10 minutes, flip, then bake for an additional 5-10 minutes (depending on size & thickness) until chips are crispy and golden around the edges.
6. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets.

Storage: You will want to store these in an airtight container. Not really. But I generally err on the safe and suggest that people store them in the refrigerator to extend their shelf life.

Keto Tortilla Chips (Almond Flour and Protein Powder Based)

These homemade keto tortilla chips are made from almond flour and unflavored protein powder. Other recipes use fathead dough made from mozzarella cheese. You are basically making keto cheese chips that don’t taste or look like tortilla chips. Doesn’t cut up store-bought tortillas. It’s a popular hack to cut up a low-carb tortilla and fry it in avocado oil to make chips. However, these tortillas contain gluten and are flour based. Many on the keto diet try to avoid gluten.

Ingredients:

• Almond flour
• Protein powder
• Xanthan gum
• Salt
• Avocado oil

Instructions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine almond flour, protein powder, xanthan gum, and salt. Stir to combine.
2. Start mixing with a fork first, then move to mixing and kneading with your hands.
3. Place dough in between two sheets of parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, roll out in all directions (attempting to form a rectangle shape) until the dough is very thin. The thinner the dough, the crispier the chip.
4. To easily keep the dough from sticking to the parchment paper, carefully peel away the top parchment paper. Then replace and flip over. Then remove the new parchment paper on top. Now the dough will remove easily when you cut your shapes.
5. To keep the parchment paper from sliding as you roll, place a damp paper towel underneath the bottom parchment paper.
6. Using a pizza cutter or a knife, cut the dough into triangle shapes.
7. Let the dough dry for several minutes - usually the time it takes to prep and heat the oil.
8. In a large skillet add enough avocado oil to cover the dough as they fry. Heat oil to medium heat.
9. Once hot, add a few triangles to the oil (enough to cover the surface) and fry until golden brown. You can flip the chips if desired or lightly press them individually into the oil with a metal spatula.
10. Once the chips are golden brown, remove them using a slotted spatula or spoon and place on a paper towel-lined plate or baking sheet.
11. Slightly season with salt.

Tips for Crispy Keto Tortilla Chips:

• Let the dough dry for 5-10 minutes before frying in the hot oil.
• Roll out the dough into a very thin layer.
• Fry in hot oil. Your avocado oil should be heated to medium or even medium-high heat. The chips should start to bubble as they fry, creating those characteristic bumps you see on Juanita’s Chips.
• Use protein powder! You can’t omit the protein powder in your keto chips.

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