Learn the 30 best easy keto snacks you should eat when starting a keto diet. See pictures of how these low carb snacks actually look in real-life. (updated May, 2020)
Download My Keto Snack List
My fully vetted list of keto snack ideas features snacks that require very little prep and can be purchased in any grocery store. The photos below are my own as well as a couple of my own recipes. If you’re looking to use a ketogenic diet, these need to be part of your list.
Now if you want our full keto food list for beginners, we’ve got you however if some easy goto snacks are what you’re looking for, and you’re not just interested in the carbs in celery 🙂 Let see the list!
1. Sliced Pepperoni (my favorite keto snack)
Because they are quick and clean to eat with bare hands, sliced pepperoni tops my list of easy keto snacks. Eat pepperonis right out of the bag or bake them for 10 minutes at 400F for some crispiness. Expect to get about 100 calories and <1 net carb for every 10 slices. These are a great way to get fat and protein.
2. Pork Rinds
Great for satisfying cravings for something crunchy, you can eat pork rinds as a stand alone low carb snack or dip them into fun stuff like Taco Bell Hot Sauce (my personal preference). Expect to get about 100 calories and 0 net carbs when you eat 20 plain pork rinds.
3. Olives
Healthy fats are a must on a ketogenic diet. When you need something savory, indulgent, and pop-able, olives are a great keto snack. I eat them plain right out of the jar. Expect about 100 calories and less than 1 net carb for every 15 olives you eat.
4. Pickles
The sour snack leader for keto eaters is the pickle. Eat them with a fork right out of the jar or dip your pickles in ranch dressing to give them some caloric oomph. Pickles offer 0 calories and about 1 net carb per serving (1 spear or 8 slices).
5. String Cheese
Favored by kids but delicious to adults like me as well, string cheese is convenient because it comes individually wrapped and doesn’t leave a residue on your fingers. Expect about 60 calories and 0 net carbs per stick. I’ll eat 3 or 4 typically as a snack.
Download My Keto Snack List
6. Cheese Cubes
You call them cheese cubes, I prefer to think of them as limb-less keto gummy bears. Get about 150 calories and 1 net carb for every 10 cheese cubes you eat.
7. Cheese Slices
When I’m too lazy to make a meat and cheese rollup (forthcoming), I’ll eat a few cheese slices as a snack. The good thing about cheese slices is almost every household has them in the fridge because mainstream eaters love them on sandwiches and burgers. One cheese slice has about 80 calories and 0 net carbs.
8. Deli Meat
Bologna is my favorite deli meat because it’s high calorie, low carb and tastes indulgent. Turkey, ham, roast beef, and italian cuts like salami also work well. Deli meat typically has 1 net carb per slice and calories vary from 30 calories per slice for turkey up to 160 calories per slice for thick-sliced bologna.
9. Deli Meat and Cheese Rollups
Now that I’ve introduced the keto deli meat and cheese options, let’s combine them into something fun. Meat and cheese rollups are delicious served plain or you can add mustard and mayo for added flavor. These are high calorie keto snacks offering up to 210 calories and about 2 net carbs per rollup.
10. Beef Jerky (quick keto snacks)
These are quick keto snacks, great for road trips and hikes, beef jerky is a low calorie snack that’s appropriate when you’re snacking more to cure boredom versus to get full and satisfied. Check the nutrition labels to find low sugar beef jerky with less than 5 net carbs per bag. The jerkies shown in my photos offer about 200 calories and <3 net carbs per bag. Learn how to make jerky at home.
11. Nuts (fun low carb snack)
For the disciplined keto dieter who’s not prone to binging, nuts are a fun low carb snack that can almost replace that pop-able sensation you used to get from popcorn or candy. Peanuts, almonds, and pistachios are my preferred nut varieties. I like to bring nuts on road trips or sneak them into movie theatres in Ziploc bags. Expect to get about 150 calories and 5 net carbs per handful.
12. Summer Sausage
Summer sausage is great for plating at parties along with some thick-sliced cheese. I also eat it plain or with banana peppers for a little spice. Expect about 200 calories and 2 net carbs when you eat about ten 1/8″ slices.
13. Sliced Avocado (healthy keto snack)
Try some sliced avocados if you seek a snack that’s soft, mild-tasting, and refreshing. Add salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar if you need a bit more flavor. Expect to get about 4 net carbs per avocado and about 200 to 300 calories. If you’re trying to stay on a 2000 calorie diet, these will be high calorie but they are awesome for keto!
14. Hard Boiled Eggs
Need something high protein before or after a workout? Try hard boiled eggs as your keto snack. Use salt, pepper, hot sauce, or Sriracha sauce to add flavor and fun. There’s about 6 grams of protein, 80 calories, and less than 1 net carb per hard boiled egg.
Download My Keto Snack List
15. Leftover Bacon (a fun keto snack)
Leftover bacon is an oxymoron for most keto dieters which is why it makes it a fun keto snack, but if you make a mountain of bacon so big that you can’t eat it, then definitely save the leftovers for a snack. Bacon has about 80 calories and 0 net carbs for every 2 pan fried slices.
16. Celery and Cream Cheese
Eating celery by itself is a fool’s errand, but add some cream cheese and you have a winner. It’s delicious and fits the macros of a keto diet. Two full size celery sticks (1g net carbs) covered in cream cheese will be about 200 calories and 4 net carbs.
17. Celery and Peanut Butter (kids keto snack)
Peanut butter is another dreamy, keto-friendly snack food that makes celery tolerable. It can be a little messy (as seen below) if you don’t refrigerate it first to let it thicken. Two celery sticks spread with peanut butter is about 7 net carbs and 200 calories. The carbs in celery are about 1g of net carbs.
18. Sliced Bell Peppers and Ranch Dressing (adults keto snack)
Pair the crisp and semi-sweet bell peppers with a spicy ranch dressing for a nice flavor combination. Eating one medium sliced bell pepper with several scoops of ranch yields about 6 net carbs and 250 calories.
19. Roasted Seaweed (a weird keto snack)
Looking for an offbeat low carb snack? Try roasted seaweed. I was surprised at how delicious and satisfying it is. You don’t need to bother trying the fancy flavors that are slightly higher carb (like teriyaki and wasabi). The basic sea salt flavor is the lowest carb and best tasting of the bunch. Each small package of Sea Salt Roasted Seaweed has 50 calories and 0 net carbs.
20. Canned Sardines topped with Old Bay Seasoning
Sardines might not look appetizing, but they have a savory flavor and a soft-yet-crunchy texture that’s unique for a keto snack. I prefer sardines in oil because the fish hold their shape together better than sardines in water which crumble into a pile. Canned sardines are next to the cans of tuna in your grocery store. Top your sardines with Old Bay Seasoning for amazing flavor and enjoy the keto friendly macros — 150 calories and 0 net carbs per can.
21. Four Squares of Dark Chocolate
Get that hint of sweetness you might be craving by indulging in some dark chocolate. Four squares of 85% cacao or higher dark chocolate will get you 240 calories and 5 net carbs.
22. Cocktail Shrimp with Melted Butter
By dipping shrimp in melted butter instead of cocktail sauce, you give this high protein low carb snack a more keto friendly nutritional profile. For 12 small shrimp dipped in butter you’ll get about 200-300 calories and less than 1 net carb.
23. Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Roll Ups
This is kind of like keto sushi as a snack — except it’s incredibly easy and not as expensive as real sushi. Just get a package of smoked salmon, spoon some cream cheese onto the pre-cut salmon slices, then roll it up. Expect to get about 70 calories and 1 net carb for each salmon and cream cheese roll up that you eat.
24. Hot Pickled Okra and Ranch Dressing
Hot pickled okra dipped in ranch is a good option if you want a snack with a little heat to it. Expect to get about 170 calories and 6 net carbs when you eat 10 hot pickled okras dipped in ranch.
25. Chopped Hot Dogs and Mustard
In a pinch, you can heat a hot dog in the microwave, chop it up, and eat it with mustard as a quick snack. It’s about 110 calories and 1 net carb per hot dog.
26. Broccoli Florets with Spinach Dip
A good way to sneak veggies into your keto diet is to eat them covered in low carb dip. One of my favorite pairings is broccoli florets and spinach dip. Expect to get about 110 calories and 2 net carbs for every 10 broccoli florets that you dip in spinach dip.
27. Celery and Hummus
Hummus is another good option for a low carb dip. It pairs well with celery sticks. Expect to get about 80 calories and 4 net carbs for two sticks of celery chopped and then dipped in hummus.
28. Cocktail Smokies dipped in Mustard
This is the more socially acceptable cousin of the chopped hot dogs and mustard you saw earlier in this keto snacks list. Cocktail smokies have a little spice to them and pair well with mustard. Expect to get about 200 calories and 2 net carbs for every six cocktail smokies that you eat.
29. Keto Cheese Chips
Ok this is a DIY recipe. It takes me about 30min to make but when I want some low carb chips (with guacamole or salsa) this is my go to choice. 6 net carbs per serving (about 15 chips) Get my keto chip recipe or see all my keto recipes.
30. No bake peanut butter chocolate bars
Looking for SUPER yummy to take care of your sweet tooth? It takes just 10 min to make 8 servings of these easy keto snacks for dessert. Just a shade of prep time and you’ll have a full on 250 cal fat bomb guaranteed to keep you on your keto path.
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I hope you enjoyed my keto snacks list and found it useful.
It took $300 worth of groceries and a week of steady taste testing to pull it all together for you.
Download My Keto Snack List
Special thanks to Rami and Vicki at Tasteholics for their keto snacks list which gave me the idea to try the sardines and the roasted seaweed as keto snack options.
If you’re looking for fancier keto party snacks and keto appetizer options, then check out the Ruled Me keto snack recipe roundup or this keto snack guide from I Dream about Food.
If dark chocolate isn’t enough to satisfy your cravings for sweet keto snacks, then checkout this healthy keto snack list from Perfect Keto which has a few more sweet options.
Since I’ve updated this list, if you have any questions let me know!
Cheers,
“Mr. SkinnyPants”
This is awesome!!! Thank you! As a fellow H-E-B shopper, I know I can find all of this. Thanks especially for the jerky! I’ve been wanting some but haven’t looked hard enough to find one that’s okay.
Great list, thank you!
My favorite HEB chicharrones flavor is the Salt & Vinegar – I love the tangy/salty combo. Also, I think the Lowrey’s Microwave Hot and Spicy pork rinds are possibly better than anything in a bag.
The Duke’s Hatch Chile smoked shorties are at HEB and excellent, though a bit pricey.
Trader Joe’s has an unsweetened sunflower seed butter with only 3 net carbs – my favorite nut butter for snacking.
Thanjs a lot!!! Going keto snack shopping!!
Love these ideas!
Great list! Thanks for doing the heavy lifting!
I love all the HEB products you include! I like the chile lime pork rinds dipped in a bit of salsa…..
Boy, that’s a lot of snacks! Thanks for doing the hard work and letting us use this list.
All the research I have read says no to legemes due to inflammation. How is hummus considered a keto snack? Everything else looks fantastic
Hi Cristina,
Hummus would be considered keto only by virtue of its low carbs. If inflammation is a concern, you can omit that from your shopping list. I rarely eat hummus myself, but did want to test it for this list.
Thanks!
-ryan
Very new to all of this and found your posts ( trying not to be addicted to Carbs). Love it! Has helped me bunches. Thank you
Good list. Glad to see all this HEB stuff.
I’m new at Keto but I didn’t know you could eat snacks in between meals ?
Hi Kimberly,
You can eat snacks between meals if you’re hungry. It’s not a problem on keto as long as they are low carb.
Thanks for the valuable snack ideas and information !!
Thank you so much…this is so very helpful!!!
Great list with good variety. I love salmon and cream cheese. I also wrap thinly sliced cucumber around mine.
Thank you! I have to get started with this way if eating! I eat way to many carbs a day!
Man, i’d love to shake your hand and by you a low carb beer for this amazing work!!
Add some garlic salt to that cream cheese on the celery!
Also finely minced onion…
Thank you so much for this!
Great listing of variety. But I was told that mgf (packaged) meats (deli meats and dogs) should be off the list. Should be whole meats (not processed) – chicken, beef, pork.
There’s sugar in the mustard, some deli meats, chocolate, some pickles, dressings, etc. You are supposed to avoid sneaky added sugars, or you will never reach ketosis. Just an fyi.
That is not true for everyone! Just an FYI
This is amazing how much you can eat on a keto diet!! Thank you!!
Thank you so much! This is exactly what I needed!
Thank u! This takes the worry out of eating the right things. Most are ordinary food that I already used to eat.
Have you found a good sugar free marinara sauce that you like or is that just not a thing?
Rao’s is supposed to be acceptable for Keto (I’ve seen it called for in several Keto recipes)but honestly I make my own.
Yes, I use Rao’s also.
Yeah it’s pretty good! -MSP
Sugar is “naturally occuring” in tomatoes , hence the sugar content in Marinara sauce. However, as long as the ingredient list does not include “sugar” as a listed ADDED ingredient you should be fine.
Thanks for the insights! That’s perfect.
Thank you for your AWESOME LIST! SO HELPFUL for the snacky keto woe beginner!
How interesting I see u shopped at Heb that’s where I work and found your ideas very interesting an easy to eat… thx for sharing
Great ideas and some tasty snakes…thanks
How wonderful to know what to eat and snake on.
Would olives wrapped in bacon be good for the diet?
Thank you so much!! I was actually tempted to order a delivery keto snack box because I am just getting started and didn’t
really know which snacks were best. These are budget friendly and easy to find!!! You website is so simple and user friendly… I hope you win the lottery and share that too!!! Love from The Queen City!
I thought chick peas isn’t allowed
Thank you, this list is very helpful, and having the pictures, stimulates my imagination of how to put it all together.
Thank you so much for all the ideas for snacks. I never knew what to eat when I got hungry, this is a great list
Wow! This is awesome! I have been on this diet for 10 days and am struggling with cravings so this will help.
I really want to do this. I must lose weight
Thanks a million times!
Thanks for sharing all this information and especially adding the pictures, it’s been a great help to know what exactly i am buying when shopping.
This feels so wrong but the scale looks so right!
thank you this sure helps but I have may more questions
I. Am looking forward to joining a keto.diet.
wow thank you for all these snack ideas!! Really appreciate all your research on this
I was SOOO happy when I saw pork rinds and dark chocolate! lolol
Pork rinds are a favorite of mine.
Dark Chocolate is just… well Dark Chocolate 🙂
A few things that aren’t supposed to be in Keto diet, but overall good ideas.
I’M CONFUSED ON THE MACRO THING.
where can I buy a hard copy of the diet
Great list! Had cut out hummus. sorta put that on the no bean list. Always forget is is actually peas!
I think I could do this
Thank you for making this simple, and delicious!
I suddenly have a craving for pickles and pork rinds. And I’m not even expecting.
Thank you for the great tips. All the snacks were great help.I am new at KETO, so I appreciate all the help I can get.?
So glad i found this keto list.. Thank you so much for posting this..this really helps to find what i can eat that is keto friendly
I didnt think you could eat any sugar at all on the keto diet??? Do i need to look for sugar free peanut butter and uncured deli meat?? Im confused.
As someone that was struggling to find keto snacks, this was one of the best reads! I love a lot of the suggestions!
I began to suspect when I saw the Whataburger jalapeno ranch, but I knew for certain when I got to #25 that you were my hero. Thanks for such a prolific snack list.
I love delivery with hummus supper
Found this article from 3/14/18: Many Keto beginners are surprised that pickles aren’t Keto. The nutrition facts label says pickles have 0 carbs and the ingredient list is short on Pickles. People, who follow the Keto way of eating say Pickles are not Keto because of Lectins. Pickles are made from cucumbers and they have seeds, which means Lectins
Ahhh good points. Thanks for the insights. -MSP
My understanding that hummus which is from the chick pea which is a Legume & is considered as a starch (Resistant Starch) is considered as not keto friendly at all. I loved the list thou but the chick peas(Hummus) can actually kick you out of ketosis ?. I’m doing Intermittent fasting 19 hr fast with a 5 hr window to eat all my Keto meals and it works amazing together!! Thanks for the post! ????
I thought you were not supposed to eat deli meats and pepperoni because they are processed.
Great question Karen. If you’re struggling with weight and chose a keto approach to lower your weight and regain your health… then this is a good way to go. However if we’re talking optimal health once your weight is under control… then I might chose a healthier option than deli meat. I hope that helps! -MSP
I wish I knew what H-E-B was…I am grateful for the snack list. I have been so bored with the same snacks. I have only been at it a week! I hope it works for me! Thanks again!
H‑E‑B is a chain grocery store started in Texas.
Processed foods aren’t Keto!! There are so many plastic wrapped processed food on here; they might not kick you out of ketosis but clearly not healthy by any standard.
Got damn! The hero we needed! thanks
Thank you!Huge list!Fun to read.
Really glad you enjoyed it! – Mr Skinny Pants
THANKS.
You’re welcome Deborah! -Mr Skinny Pants
Love all these ideas. Just started keto and this is so helpful. Thank you
Hey Anita,
We’re working on a beginners guide to Keto (coming soon) keep your eyes you your email. I’ll be sending some helpful stuff. Let me know if you have any questions!
-Mr Skinny Pants
Great ideas! I’ve been struggling with keto-friendly snacks; and this helps tremendously. Thank you for all the time and effort to come up with a list!!!
You’re super welcome Sheila! Stay tuned to the blog & our emails. We’ve got some SUPER HELPFUL things coming along. We just finished this on top 7 low carb fruits and vegetables. Stay well 🙂
This is one of the best articles I have seen in a long time! Thank you for sharing~
Thanks Keto Connect. Keep up the good work yourself! -MSP
I got some friends who just started doing keto. I’m sure they’re going to like this article. Thanks for posting!
Well this is day #1of 21, will contact you on April 8th with the good news ok. Wish me Luck!.
One of my new favorites is biltong. Sort of similar to jerky, but has visible fat, is sliced thinner and is easier to chew (less fatigue). There are lots of tasty flavors to choose from ..I like Sriracha and original.