Best Low Carb Snacks – 20 Easy Keto Friendly Snack Ideas to eat – including foods you can buy and healthy recipes to help keep you energized and stay in ketosis.
Best Low Carb Snacks
This collection of the best low carb snacks are all keto diet approved, being naturally low in grams of net carbs and high in healthy fats.
You may be wanting to include more low carb food items in your diet to help with your weight loss goals or simply to enjoy healthy foods as snacks.
1. Cheese
One of my favorite low carb snack ideas is cheese. I always make sure to buy a selection of cheeses every time I’m at the grocery store. Some of my favorites include brie, cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, string cheese, parmesan cheese, ricotta and mascarpone and cream cheese.
2. Nut Butter
Nut butters such as peanut butter and almond butter are popular low-carb diet snacks. You can enjoy it indulgently by the spoonful or make my 3 ingredient fudge.
If you’re craving granola bars, then make my no bake keto peanut butter cookies that make a brilliant substitute for the great snack.
3. Nut and Seeds
You can enjoy a variety of nuts and seeds on a low carb diet, which you can enjoy as an easy snack or make a trail mix of low carb nuts and seeds such as pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, pine nuts, cashews, almonds, macadamia nuts, brazil nuts or your nut or seed of choice.
Chia seeds are nutritional powerhouses you can incorporate into a chia pudding that makes a delicious snack that you can easily make ahead of time and have ready and waiting in the fridge for you for when snack cravings strike.
4. Lettuce Wrap
Whatever you had for dinner the previous day can be enjoyed as a low carb high protein snack. You can simply enjoy a portion of leftover chicken/beef on it’s own or in a lettuce wrap or salad topped with mayo or sour cream, as pictured above.
5. Avocado
A whole avocado or a salad quickly thrown together, like the one above, with spinach, cucumber and feta to complement the creamy and nutrient dense avocado, makes an easy ketogenic diet snack.
6. Salad
It’s easy to make or find keto friendly salads while on the go. Some salads to look out for or prepare include chicken salad, tuna salad, coleslaw or just buy a bowl full of greens and top it with an avocado, some nuts, a drizzle of olive oil and cheese. (All of which require no cooking and just throwing together in a bowl.)
You can also simply enjoy sliced cucumber or celery with sour cream for dipping as a virtually zero carb tasty snack.
The above pictured salad is one I found in a supermarket while on a road trip around Ireland. I simply picked off the non-keto friendly items like corn but still got to enjoy a hearty snack of vegetables and meat.
7. Antipasti
Find antipasti jars and tubs at your local grocery store that simply requires peeling open before enjoying by the forkful as a great option for a speedy snack.
8. Meat Sticks Or Jerky
I grew up in South Africa where Biltong is a regular meaty treat. You can also enjoy grass-fed beef jerky, salami, pepperoni chips or salami sticks. When you’re craving a crunchy snack, you can’t go past super crunchy pork rinds.
Just be sure to carefully read the nutrition panel for hidden added sugar that can make this naturally low carb food a very high one.
9. Deli Meat
Sliced turkey, chicken breast or other deli meat is great for an instant roll up. You can just enjoy the easy snack as is or fill with avocado, mayo or your roll up filling of choice.
10. Eggs
I usually have a bowl of hard boiled eggs, ready and waiting in the fridge to enjoy as a healthy snack. Then, I’ll either have a whole hard boiled egg, simply cut in half and sprinkled with salt.
Or, I’ll make egg mayo or deviled eggs – which are so easy to make you can even do it with just 2 ingredients. (Click here for the easy recipe.)
You may even be lucky enough to find already hard boiled eggs at the grocery store that you can enjoy as a grab and go snack that’s high in grams of protein while you’re out.
11. Tuna
Tuna is the perfect snack to always keep on hand that’s a good source of protein that has virtually zero carbs. You can whip up a quick tuna salad by topping spinach with a small tin of tuna and maybe adding a dollop of sour cream or mayo.
Or you could combine tuna, mayo or sour cream with lemon juice and fresh herbs for an instant tuna dip which you can enjoy by the spoon full or as a topping for cucumber slices, as pictured above.
12. Smoked Salmon
Smoked salmon is an indulgent low carb, high protein food and one that I enjoy from time to time.
You could simply snack on few slices of smoked salmon or spread with cream cheese and roll into a smoked salmon roll up to enjoy as a delicious snack.
13. Vegetable Keto Chips
Both kale chips and seaweed snacks make meat free, savory crunchy snacks that are low in grams of carbs.
14. Protein Shake or Smoothie
You can add your go to low carb protein powder to your favorite smoothie to elevate your protein intake.
I enjoy mixing a handful of berries, milk, cream and protein powder together for a berry protein smoothie. (Here’s the full recipe.)
Or, you could just mix a portion of protein powder with your low carb milk of choice for the perfect high protein snack. A grab and go option would be to keep low carb friendly protein bars as an alternative to protein shakes.
15. Tea & Coffee
Peppermint tea is a regular keto snack I enjoy through the week, you may prefer the occasional cup of coffee or your tea of choice instead.
You can also add a teaspoon of coconut oil or MCT oil to your mug if you’d like to increase your fat intake to help you meet your macros. (A word of warning – If you’re new to adding MCT or coconut oil to your diet, start really small because it may cause an upset stomach!)
16. Dark Chocolate
A low carb, 85% or 90% dark chocolate (like this) can make low carb and high protein sweet snacks.
So, you can enjoy a row as a snack, or make a quick hot chocolate by melting a row of dark chocolate in a cup of low carb milk and topping your mug with plenty of heavy whipping cream. (Here’s the full recipe.)
17. Strawberries and Whipped Cream
Another sweet treat favorite is strawberries and cream. I’m often asked about whether you can actually have strawberries on keto and the answer is YES! But – don’t go overboard. Stick to 3 to 4 strawberries a day, served with heaps of whipped cream of course.
18. Jello or Jelly
There are lots of choices of low carb, sugar free jello/jelly desserts that are either ready made or can easily be made at home, following the instructions on the packaging.
Just read the nutrition label carefully and make the decision for yourself about whether you’re happy to include artificial sweeteners/flavors/ingredients in your diet.
19. Keto Ice Cream
You can buy halo top or another low carb, low sugar ice cream at your local grocery store or make your own at home to enjoy as easy keto snacks.
In the past I’ve shared easy homemade recipes for keto chocolate ice cream and vanilla ice cream too.
20. Yogurt
Pick a low carb yogurt, which is usually Plain, Natural or Greek yogurt, and mix through a handful of berries or a spoon full of stevia for an instant sweet snack.
Best Low-Carb Snacks Video
Here’s the video where I talk you through some of my best keto snacks. Hit play below or click here to watch on YouTube.
More Low-Carb Lifestyle Inspiration
15 Low Carb Foods That Fill You Up
30 Simple Low Carb Breakfast Ideas
Disclaimer – this post is meant for informational post only and should not be construed as medical advice. Please consult with your health professional before making any dietary changes.
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