Satisfy Your Salt Cravings: A Guide to Delicious Keto Crunchy Snacks

Ever get a craving for something salty, yet keto-friendly? Do you have a “salt tooth”? Many people do at some point. For anyone eating low-carb, this article is for you! Everyone gets a snack craving every once in a while, some more than others. The key is to listen to what your body is telling you. As long as you are feeding it wholesome food that nourishes and heals your body, there’s no need to feel bad about grabbing a snack. Some people lean towards the sweet snack side, but this article hasn’t forgotten about all the others who enjoy munching on something salty. In addition to keto snack recipes that require a little prep, this guide also provides a list of some favorite keto snack ideas that require no prep at all.

Why Crunchy Snacks Matter on Keto

Those on the Keto diet who had to give up chips, cookies, and crackers might be missing the familiar “crunch” of a crunchy snack. Snacking is an important part of today’s world. While the experts say that you shouldn’t need to snack if you are eating proper Keto meals, life often gets in the way of our best plans. Having some easy keto snacks close at hand can make all the difference. You are far less likely to succumb to temptation if you are surrounded by healthier options.

Pre-Made Keto Crunchy Snack Options

With the popularity of the keto diet, it’s easier than ever to load up on keto snacks. But don’t be fooled, as many foods that are labeled keto-friendly aren’t healthy options, and some aren’t truly low carb at all. It pays to be a label reader and to take a critical look at the ingredient list. And if it seems too good to be true, it probably is! When in doubt, reach for the real, whole food options like cheese, nuts, or hard-boiled eggs. But be wary of things like jerky and pepperoni sticks, as many contain added sugars. Here’s a list of great keto snack options so you never have to go hungry. It includes both items you need to make yourself as well as pre-made items you can purchase. With a little advanced planning, you will find that it’s easy to stick to your healthy diet.

Cheese-Centric Snacks

• Parm Crisps: Parm Crisps are made with 100% parmesan.
• Moon Cheese: With zero sugar and low carbs, Moon Cheese is a great family-friendly, crunchy snack.
• Keto Crunchy Cheese Mix from Keto Farms: You don’t have to miss your favorite crunchy snacks anymore with the Keto Crunchy Cheese Mix from Keto Farms.
• Keto Cheese Puffs: Keto Farms hit a home run with the Keto Cheese Puffs.
• Cheese sticks: What’s your fancy? Cheddar? Mozzarella? They’ve got cheese sticks and individual servings of all kinds.
• Hickory Smoked Cheddar Cheese Crisps: Hickory smoke and a touch of sweetness are added to 100% cheddar cheese.

Nutty Delights

• Blue Diamond Almonds: Blue Diamond is one of the biggest names in almonds, and for good reason. The classic roasted salted nuts are almonds done right. They have the right amount of salt to complement the almond’s delicate flavor.
• Macadamia Nuts: Macadamia nuts aren’t the cheapest nuts out there, but they are SUPER crunchy if you get the right brand, like MacFarms. Plus, they’re extremely low in carbs (only 1g net carbs per serving). If you want to crunch away on nuts without taking in a bunch of carbs, macadamia nuts are the way to go!
• Mixed Nuts: You don’t want to go overboard with nuts on the Keto Diet, but adding a handful of mixed nuts with a hard-boiled egg or string cheese can really hit the spot.
• Nature’s Garden Keto Snack Mix: Nature’s Garden wants to make dieting great again. It brings the awesome taste of cheddar cheese puffs, almonds, pepitas, pecans, and macadamia nuts into a crunchy snack.
• Keto Maple Pecans: Keto maple pecans are a sweet and savory snack option that is great for the Keto lifestyle. The best part? They are also gluten-free and grain free which is great for Keto dieters that avoid wheat.

Other Crunchy Keto Finds

• Pork Rinds: Nothing says crunchy keto snack like a pork rind. The White Cheddar pork rind is a best seller with lick-your-fingers cheesiness, minus the carbs. Pork rinds are the classic go-to crunchy keto snack! They may not be a food you naturally gravitate toward when you’re not on keto, but when you’re on keto, they’re kind of irresistible. They’re even better when dipped in mayo, ranch dressing, or another keto-friendly dip.
• Whisps Cheese & Pretzel Bites: These Keto Pretzel Bites are one of my family's favorite snacks. Dip them in my sugar-free honey mustard dressing for a classic pretzel experience!
• Keto Cookies: Several brands have snack crackers out now but the best I’ve tried is Real Phat Foods. Thin, crisp, and spectacular flavor! Previously, I would have said that no pre-packaged keto cookies were any good. But now there are several great brands. My top picks are the mini cookies from HighKey Snacks or Super Fat. The HighKey Mini Cookies are a fantastic keto version of your favorite childhood cookie, just without all the added junk.
• Meat Sticks: Again, not all are created equal and some even contain sugar so read your labels! I love the Grassfed Beef Sticks from Paleo Valley.
• Keto Protein Bars: I have finally found a keto protein bar with good macros, good ingredients, and great flavor!
• Keto Chocolate: More and more companies are getting into the keto candy bar game. My top picks are ChocZero and Lily’s. They both carry great flavors of bars and peanut butter cups.
• Keto Cereal: Who doesn’t love snacking on a handful of cereal? My favorite is the new cereals from Perfect Keto, as they are truly crunchy, have clean ingredients, and great flavor. There are some good keto granolas too, like Keto & Co.
• Keto Granola: Traditional granola is not a keto-friendly food because of the high carb count. Thankfully, NuTrail came out with a keto granola.
• Dry-Roasted Edamame Beans: The snacks on this list do not get more crunchy than these dry-roasted edamame beans!
• Gruner All-Beef Snack Sticks: No prep, no mess, just a quick hit of delicious all-beef protein with no sugar added.
• Oh! Pepitas (Roasted Pumpkin Seeds): Regardless if you call them pepitas or roasted pumpkin seeds, these salty seeds are crunchy and delicious. The all-natural pumpkin seeds deliver delicate flavor and crispy texture.
• Keto Krate: Keto subscription boxes are a great option if you’re looking to explore new and interesting keto snacks. Keto Krate is my favorite and I’ve been getting it for years!
• Keto Bars: Crunchy or smooth? That is the question. Sweetened with Erythritol (sugar alcohol), these organic Keto bars have a little sweetness while also being low in sugar and carbs with solid amounts of healthy fats.

Fresh and Simple Keto Crunch

• Celery Sticks: Celery sticks are low calorie and low carb that definitely deliver on the crunch factor. Much like pork rinds, I think celery is kind of take-it-or-leave-it off keto, but on keto, it is a crunchy and slightly salty snack that you may find yourself actually craving! It’s good plain for the crunch factor, or you can fill it with some nut butter. The crunchy green vegetable is a great keto snack.
• Radishes: Sliced, chopped, or whole, radishes are super crunchy and naturally low in carbs. I feel like radishes are one of keto’s best-kept vegetable secrets. One cup of sliced radishes contains only 2g net carbs, and they are so versatile! When served raw, they are peppery and oh-so-crunchy.
• Dill Pickles: You might not realize that dill pickles are a great keto snack. Dill pickles are also a source of a fun-and-salty keto crunch.
• Avocado: Just cut it in half and eat it with a spoon!
• Nut butters: All you need is a spoon!
• Cucumber slices: Grab yourself a bottle of ranch dressing for dipping.
• Smoked salmon: I can eat this straight up, just popping pieces into my mouth.
• Pickles and Olives: I like them spicy!

Recipes for Homemade Keto Crunchy Snacks

Looking for more keto snack recipes? Here are a few recipes that require a little prep, but are easy to make.

Keto Crackers

Think you can’t eat crackers on keto? Think again! This easy Keto Crackers recipe will satisfy all of your crunch cravings. Serve with your favorite keto dip recipes, cheese, or meat. When you serve dips these crackers are the ultimate go-to for keto appetizers. These keto crackers are made with just 2 ingredients: almond flour and cheese. These low carb crackers were adapted from my keto tortilla chips. By flattening out the dough to become a little bit thinner and switching out the cheese used, I was able to create my own keto version of wheat thins. Perfect cracker texture and flavor. Quick and easy. No chill time or excessive prep is needed, nor any fancy kitchen gadgets. Customizable. For a more plain cracker, you can easily skip the cheese. You can also add spices and seasonings of choice. Love savory keto snacks?

Read also: Satisfying Keto Crunch

Ingredients:

• Almond flour: You want to use blanched almond flour, and not almond meal.
• Shredded cheese: I used cheddar cheese, as it gives the crackers extra crispiness and holds together the best.
• Salt and pepper: To taste.
• Water

Instructions:

1. Make the dough: Add almond flour and shredded cheese to a food processor or high-speed blender and blend well until a dough appears. If the dough is too crumbly, add a little water.
2. Roll out: Place the dough onto a piece of parchment paper, and place another piece of parchment paper on top. Roll it out until flat and thin. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into squares.
3. Bake: Place the crackers onto a lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes before flipping and cooking for a further 5 minutes. Use a pizza cutter to cut up the dough into crackers. It will be infinitely easier to slice more evenly. Do not overbake the crackers, as they continue to crisp up as they are cooling down. Feel free to add some spices to the dough to give it extra flavor.

Storage: Store crackers at room temperature in an airtight container. They will remain fresh for at least 3 days.

Freezing: Place crackers in a ziplock bag and store in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Air Fryer Instructions: If you own an air fryer, you can save time by baking them there instead. Simply prepare the crackers as directed and place them on a single layer in the air fryer basket. ‘Fry’ at 200C/400F for 7-8 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Cheese-Free Option: If you’d like to make plain keto crackers, replace the cheese with 1 large egg and 1 tablespoon of melted coconut oil.

Reviving Soft Crackers: If your cooled crackers have become slightly soft, you can quickly remedy it. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a high speed blender or food processor, add your almond flour, shredded cheese, and salt, and blend well, until a dough remains. If the dough is too crumbly, add a tablespoon or two of water. Line a large sheet of parchment paper on a flat kitchen surface. Transfer the dough onto it and place another sheet of parchment paper on top. Press down on the dough, before rolling it out using a rolling pin, until around 1/4 inch in thickness. Using a pizza cutter, slice up squares to form crackers. Transfer the crackers onto the lined sheet. Bake for 12 minutes, flipping halfway through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

Read also: Ultimate Keto Cookies

Keto Pretzel Bites

These Keto Pretzel Bites are one of my family's favorite snacks. Dip them in my sugar-free honey mustard dressing for a classic pretzel experience!

Ingredients:

• Coconut flour
• Baking powder
• Garlic powder
• Xanthan gum
• Shredded cheese
• Egg
• Melted butter
• Coarse salt

Instructions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup of the coconut flour, the baking powder, garlic powder, and xanthan gum.
2. Place the cheese in a large microwave-safe bowl and cook on high in 30- second increments until well melted so that the cheese can easily be stirred together.
3. Add the flour mixture, then add the egg. Using a silicone spatula, work the flour and egg into the cheese, kneading the dough up against the side of the bowl.
4. Dust a work surface with the remaining tablespoon of coconut flour. Turn the dough out onto the work surface and knead with your hands until cohesive. If the dough is still very sticky, dust lightly with more coconut flour until it no longer sticks to your hands.
5. Divide the dough into 4 even portions and roll each portion out into an 8- inch log. Cut each log into 8 pieces.

Air Fryer Instructions:

1. Brush the air fryer rack lightly with oil.
2. Place the pretzel bites on the rack, not touching, and brush with melted butter.
3. Sprinkle with coarse salt and press lightly to help it adhere to the dough.
4. Air fry at 350ºF for 5 to 6 minutes, until they are puffed and golden brown.

Baking Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
2. Lightly grease a baking rack and set over a rimmed baking sheet.
3. Place the pretzel bites on the rack, not touching, and brush with melted butter.
4. Sprinkle with coarse salt and press lightly to help it adhere to the dough.
5. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until they are puffed and golden brown.

Pepperoni Chips

What’s better than normal pepperoni? This is a great recipe to transform pepperoni slices into delicious chips. They have a serious crunch factor, are ridiculously easy to make, and perfect for parties.

Other Recipe Ideas

• Keto Trail Mix: Need a quick, easy-to-make keto snack? Try this homemade sugar free Keto Trail Mix recipe!
• Air Fryer Bacon: You haven’t had crispy bacon until you’ve had air fryer bacon! These taste amazing!
• Chocolate Macadamia Nuts: If you have never had chocolate macadamia nuts then you have no idea what you are missing. Try these as soon as possible, they will satisfy you when you are craving sweets on keto.
• Zucchini Chips: Zucchini isn’t limited to low carb noodles. You can transform this versatile low carb vegetable into a variety of crunchy snacks.

Paleo Leap's Taste-Tested Snack Choices

If you’ve ever gone looking for good snacks on a Paleo or keto diet, you know how frustrating it is to get “nuts!” as an answer over and over again. Not everyone can even eat nuts (allergies and autoimmune diets come to mind). Some people don’t like them; other people try to avoid them for the Omega-6 fats. With that in mind, take a look at 7 hand-picked snack choices, taste-tested and reviewed. None of these companies gave Paleo Leap or our taste tester anything for free. They don’t even know we’re writing about them and certainly didn’t influence the results.

Different approaches to Paleo work for different people. Some people do best without any snack-y type foods in their diet: those foods just tempt them to overeat and crowd out the basic staples like meat and vegetables. If you’re one of those people, that’s totally fine! But not everyone is like that. For some people, the Paleo-ified treats actually help them stick to it for the long haul, which is the hardest and most important part. For example, say you have a wicked potato chip craving. Research actually shows a disinhibition effect, where if people think they’ve broken their diet a little bit, they’re more likely to say “what the heck” and go to town on junk, since they’ve already failed, so why not? For most people, if they give in and eat a bag of Lays, they’ll be much more vulnerable to giving up on Paleo completely. But if they can scratch the itch with some Paleo-ish sweet potato chips and stay feeling OK psychologically, they’re much more likely to get up the next day and keep up with healthy food.

Here are the 7 taste-tested snacks:

1. Keto-friendly Pork Rinds: These had a nicely puffy crunch that I really enjoyed. The pork flavor was pleasant but not overwhelming, and there was a nice savory-sweetness as an underlying flavor. On the other hand, I wasn’t huge on the pepper part of the seasoning - the rinds seemed over-peppered to my taste.
2. Keto-friendly Seaweed Snacks: Basically the only calories in these come from the olive oil. Serving size: half a package Protein: 0.3 grams Carbs: 0 grams Fat: 2 grams Other notable nutrition facts: there’s a little bit of vitamin A and C in them. These were tasty! The flavor wasn't super strong, but they had a nice, slightly salty, seafood-y taste. The rectangular shape made them a little hard to eat until I mastered the art of folding them in my hand, but after that I was fine. I was happy eating them straight from the package but I'd also be interested in making mini-wraps with them for an appetizer or party tray, maybe with some smoked salmon.
3. Plantain Chips: These were quite sweet and a bit harder than typical tortilla chips, but not at all to the point of hurting my teeth. They had a pleasant, cracker-like crunch. They could have been a great replacement for chips or some similar snack food where you have a slightly sweet base carb with salt on top - but they weren’t salty enough! I like a good balance of salt and sweet, but these chips didn’t have enough salt to balance the sweetness of the plantains.
4. Cassava Crisps: These had a hardness similar to the plantain chips, but a much more intense flavor. After like 1 or 2 crisps, it was too much for me. They were smaller in size, which really worked for the flavor profile since I wouldn’t want to put a huge pile of them in my mouth at once.
5. Cheese Puffs: Salt: 8/10 Crunch: 8/10 - I haven’t had Cheetos in years, but these are a little softer than I remember Cheetos being. This is obviously aimed at the lunchbox market - the cartoon character bear, the kid-friendly bag size, the flavor profile. They were pretty good, although they definitely tasted like self-consciously healthy imitation junk food, which is a taste not everyone loves. But they were nicely puffy and not overwhelmingly fake-cheesy the way some cheese puffs can be, so I enjoyed them enough to finish the little lunchbox bag.
6. Sweet Potato Chips: I don’t know if I just got a bad bag, but these tasted burned. I could taste the sweet potato, but there was a very distinctive burn flavor, the way I would expect if I roasted some sweet potatoes and left them in the oven too long.
7. Rosemary Pork Rinds: I hadn’t actually been planning to try two brands of pork rinds, but these were on the shelf and if there’s a single best way to get me to buy something and stick it in my mouth, it’s to put rosemary in it. Rosemary is my very favorite herb and I like it in basically everything, so I had to try these - and they didn't disappoint! They were delicious and extremely addictive. I liked the rosemary a lot better than the overwhelming pepper of the Epic version, although I suppose that would depend on your preferences for rosemary vs. pepper.

Read also: Is Purina Pro Plan Worth It?

tags: #salty #crunchy #keto #snacks #recipes