These low-carb snacks are sure to keep you full without derailing your low-carb lifestyle. Packed with healthy fats and protein, stay fueled the easy way!
Whether you are craving a crunchy low-carb snack or a tasty snack that satisfies your sugar cravings.
Get your FREE printable PDF with the top 50 easy low-carb snacks below.
Can I snack on a low-carb keto diet?
Yes, you can snack on a low-carb diet or keto diet BUT you need to learn how to snack smarter.
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First, you need to know how many carbs per day you can tolerate. You may need to use a macro calculator (it’s free). The limit that you set for yourself will depend on your health and weight loss goals.
Next, you need to know how to read food labels so you can avoid any unnecessary and refined carbs and hidden carbs.
Finally, snacks are a wonderful way to stop your sugar addiction and junk food cravings. However, it can also be one of the most common reasons why you’re not losing weight.
Healthy fats are delicious on your low-carb diet, but you don’t want to overdo them.
Top 10 low-carb snacks
1. Antipasto platter (charcuterie board)
For a simple low-carb snack with lots of flavour, try an antipasto plate.
Make a small plate with a selection of cheeses and cured meats. Mozzarella cheese, smoked cheddar, and creamy cheese like blue cheese work well. Then add items like pate, ham, salami, peppers, olives, etc.
This is a great way to get in fresh veggies in too. Add some cucumber slices or celery sticks instead of wheat/rice crackers.
It’s a wonderful range of high-protein snacks that can become an entire meal depending on portion sizes.
2. Avocado
Yes, avocado is one of the best low-carb snacks and is packed with healthy fats (including very little saturated fat). It’s also very versatile and easy to make.
Simply slice an avocado in half and season with salt and pepper then eat straight from the avocado skin. Sprinkle with sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds to pack them with even more nutrients.
Want even more ways to enjoy it? You can also make an avocado boat!
3. Eggs
Eggs are fantastic any which way. This is a favourite option of mine because it’s easy to make, the ultimate high protein snack, and filled with nutrients. They are also very affordable and portable.
Here are just a few ways you can enjoy eggs:
- Deviled eggs – make hard-boiled eggs, scoop out the yolks and mix with mayonnaise, mustard, and diced pickles. You can even make curried deviled eggs!
- Egg salad – egg salad is delicious on a bed of greens, with fresh veggies, or just by the spoonful.
- Scrambled eggs – make scrambled eggs with cheese and add your favourite spices.
Want to keep it really simple? Keep a stash of hard-boiled eggs in the fridge for easy snacks, take them to work, and snack away.
4. Meat
Yes, meat totally counts as a low-carb snack. And a high-protein snack.
Any cold meat from the deli counter is great to keep on hand—just avoid ones made with honey or sugar to keep net carbs low.
Remember to also choose meat that has minimal processing. Choose ham off the bone (not processed into dinosaur shapes or circles), bacon with no honey or sugar, pepperoni/salami with 98% or more meat/fat and minimal additives, and sausages with 85% or more meat.
Leftover roast meat, leftover meatballs, bacon, sausages, etc are also all quick and easy low-carb snacks.
If you are a vegetarian you may be wondering about what are the best low-carb protein sources for vegetarians. Or you may wish to begin using a protein powder that has no added sugars to quickly add more protein to your meals.
Make a dipping sauce or creamy dip and snack away!
5. Seafood
Seafood is a surprisingly great snack and healthy part of a low carb diet. It is also loaded with healthy fats to keep you satiated until your next meal.
Take a tin of tuna to work and eat it as it is, or mix it with mayonnaise to make a tuna salad for a bigger snack/lunch.
Shrimp can be taken to work, also plain or with added mayonnaise. Try the different flavours of tuna salad packets available too, but read the nutrition label as many are high in added sugars or unhealthy vegetable oils.
These lemon crumb shrimp make especially tasty low-carb snacks in my opinion!
6. Yogurt
You’ll have to read labels carefully for this one, but look for a low-carb, high-fat yoghurt to serve as the base. Then, add a sprinkle of grain-free & sugar-free granola/muesli and/or add a spoonful of coconut cream.
You can also add a sprinkle of berries for a bit of sweet and tart flavour.
7. Nuts and seeds
Nuts and seeds are a good source of protein and fiber but choose nuts carefully. Here’s what you need to know about net carbs in nuts and seeds. Hint: cashews are the highest in carbs, and almonds are the lowest while also being high in calcium and iron.
You can enjoy a quick spoon of peanut butter and almond butter but avoid cashew butter.
Choose wisely! Portion control!
Bring bags of nuts to work or in the car for convenient snack food. Read the nutrition labels for bags of nuts as trail mix often contain raisins, dried fruit, or added flavorings and sugars.
Nuts can be high in calories, so while they are a great low-carb snack, don’t overeat nuts when starting your low-carb keto diet.
8. Berries
Berries are a great source of vitamin C and a powerful antioxidant that fights free radicals that cause aging, disease, and low immunity. Serve with heavy whipping cream (no added sugar) and a few macadamia nuts.
Eat this low-carb snack when fresh in season, or buy them any time of year in the frozen aisle. Buy a variety of berries to get all the different nutrients and properties they offer.
But be aware of high-sugar berries and fruits by learning the carbs in fruit charts. They are an easy way to remind yourself what you can enjoy and what you need to avoid for better blood sugar control.
9. Dark chocolate
Yes, dark chocolate can be a part of a low-carb diet! However, label-reading is crucial.
Make sure to buy 80% and above dark chocolate as the higher the cocoa content, the more health benefits and the less sugar it will contain.
Read the nutrient labels of different brands in the supermarket as they vary widely.
Also by being bitter chocolate rather than one made with tons of sugar, you are more likely to eat only 1 or 2 squares. You will really appreciate it rather than a whole block disappearing before you know it.
10. Drinks
I know a drink isn’t necessarily a snack, but it’s important to ask yourself: are you hungry or thirsty? A creamy coffee is often what you need to get you through your morning slump rather than a cake or chocolate bar.
Before you snack, try to hydrate with a low-carb drink! Go for sparkling water, creamy coffee, diet drinks (only at the beginning to wean you off soda, then stop them completely), iced tea, herbal teas, etc.
You may find that you aren’t really hungry for a snack after all.
Low-carb snacks FAQ
As long as the snacks fit into your goals for net carbs, snacking is okay. However, eventually, as you become in control of your appetite and become a fat burner, not a sugar burner, your hunger will diminish. You will consume fewer carbs, and fewer calories and you will be less tempted to snack.
Snacking is not so important to me now, but it does take months to get there. Eventually, you will give up snacking entirely.
Give it time, and you will finally learn the difference between hunger, boredom, and habit.
Want to join our next no-snacking challenge? We do twice monthly mini-challenges inside Ditch The Carbs PRO. I will coach to you learn everything there is to know about low-carb snacking and how to stop being triggered and NEVER fall back into old habits ever again.
Technically any food can be eaten as a keto snack, it depends on whether you are doing clean keto or dirty keto. Most people chose to spend their carbs wisely and only eat high protein, low carb, and moderate fat snacks. I am often asked, “is this keto” for a particular food, vegetable, or snack? It depends on quality and quantity.
High protein low carb snacks that are particularly filling include meat, cheese, and hard-boiled eggs.
Snacks high in fat are also filling: an avocado is an excellent option that will keep you full.
Pork rinds (pork crackle) is the most easy-to-carry portable keto snack. They’re slaty, crunchy, and full of protein. Boiled eggs, avocado, or sandwich-filling ingredients (deli meat, cheese, etc) are easy to grab and go. The same can be said for nuts, and olives too.
No, popcorn is made from sweetcorn which is sweet (hence the name), high in sugar, and full of easily digestible carbs. Popcorn is incredibly easy to overeat and go over your daily carb limit. the best crunchy snacks are pork rinds and salted nuts.
Mostly, no. Most store-bought keto bars advertise themselves as being high in protein and only a few grams of carbs, however, they are sneaky in their labelling. Most contain maltitol, a sugar alcohol, that will raise blood sugar and kick you out of ketosis and stop weight loss. It’s easier and cheaper to make your own homemade keto bars.
The lazy keto diet only focuses on how many grams of net carbs per day you consume. It does not worry about fat, protein, or calories. Lazy keto snacks require little or no cooking and it doesn’t matter what the quality of food is like.
50 low-carb snacks (printable list)
Please let me know what are your favourite easy low carb snacks. Comment below, I’d love to hear your ideas.
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I would love to see more vegetarian options on your blog love a lot of what you do though!
Lol my browser just reloaded and half of this is veggie.
I’ll just go shut up now!
Great snack ideas as always! Everyone should click on the graphic above for even more!!!
Can I have canned smoked mussels,clams,oysters?
Sure! Just check the labels to make sure they’re not pickled in any sugar.
Love your blog! I enjoy coconut chips as a snack or beef jerky.
What If you are fructose / lactose intolerant as well
Gosh that makes it harder. No fruit and milk, but try more coconut products instead such as coconut cream, coconut yoghurt etc. Can you tolerate ghee? It is clarified butter and so most of the lactose is removed so some can tolerate this. Eggs, nuts, meat, protein snacks are still good options. Hope that helps.
What is coconut cream and where do you get it? I have never heard of it. Thanks.
Coconut cream is amazing and has 25% fat. Beware of low-fat coconut creams, it’s kind of an oxymoron, coconut cream is the full-fat version of coconut milk. Take a look here at everything I keep in my pantry.
I don’t know what it’s like there – but here in New Zealand some of our coconut cream (especially the ‘lite’ versions) are actually thickened coconut milk. Of course we don’t want that on LCHF! So just check the tins and make sure you’re getting the real thing without any weird added ingredients.
When looking on the back of a packet of something should we also watch our calorie intake? Or just make sure it’s lchf?
I don’t count calories any more as 500 calories from fat or protein is handled totally differently to 500 calories from carbs/sugar. If your weight loss has stalled, always look at the carbs you are eating per day rather than the calories. Heres a great article on how Sam Fulham ate 5000 calories from a high fat diet.
Can you eat smoked salmon?
Absolutely, by the truckload if it weren’t so darn expensive
You have to be careful with smoked salmon: it’s often made with added sugar. Check the package. Probably not enough to mess up non-diabetics, but enough to screw up blood sugar levels for diabetics or those with metabolic syndrome.
I’m diabetic, and I keep Kosher – I’ve had pretty decent blood sugar levels 2 hours after smoked salmon – THANK GOODNESS! It’s in the rule book if you’re Jewish!
I like grilled Haloumi! Have with tomato or avocado!
Great blog! I am a new convert to LCHF, I don’t feel as though I need to snack so much, but out of interest, what constitutes low carb and sugar per 100g per snack or per day. Any insight would be very helpful
Many people use 5g or less per 100g as a rule, whereas I usually go by what I know to be low carb because you can be deceived by serving size, and therefore, total carbs in a snack. If I have to check, it usually means it will beyond what I need. Does that make sense? Once you have been LCHF for a while you instinctively know what you can have or shouldn’t have. It becomes second nature. Well done for starting LCHF. You’ll love it. Libby.
How about cheese? Is cheese “real” food?
Yes but still check how many ingredients there are and what they are. I am so used to the wonderful cheese we can buy here in NZ, it astounds me when I see cheese ‘like’ products in the US such as cheese in a tube etc. Buy real cheese made with real milk. Try different varieties. I love blue cheese, brie, haloumi, feta etc. All wonderful to eat, snack and cook with.
Cheese product is disgusting and not sure how my fellow Americans can handle it!! Thanks for this site!! Very informative ?
What about fruits and coffee? (100%) fruit smoothie or p
ulp.
Creamy coffee is a great snack, I wouldn’t suggest fruit smoothies, they are too high in sugar and fructose. There are better ways of getting fibre and nutrients than a sugar-laden smoothie, go for a green smoothie with coconut cream and low sugar berries instead. Take a look at the sugar in these so-called ‘healthy’ snacks. It may surprise you. Remember eating whole fruit is self-limiting, whereas juice or smoothies isn’t. Having a glass of orange juice isn’t the same as eating 6 oranges, it is the same as eating the sugar from 6 oranges. Sorry to be the party pooper
I make low carb smoothies at home with fresh strawberries! Yum!
I am surprised that you recommend ice tea as a drink option as it contains more sugar that a soft drink & diet drinks contain aspartame which I understand is not healthy.
I use iced tea bags – I wouldn’t dream of recommending the store bought bottled iced tea, you are correct in saying they are packed with sugar and other nasties. Never.
Whew! That’s a relief ?
We make our own tea from tea bags and add lemon. It’s much fresher that Sweet Tea which seems to be everywhere.
you can have unsweetened tea. .
I bought some imitation crab, and wanted pasta salad. I subbed cauliflower that was already steamed in microwave. It was so delicious! I knowthere are carbs in the crab so have to use portion control. This summer I will be having cauliflower “potato” salad. Feels like a miracle every time I find a great new recipe!
last night I made a pizza with a crust I made up with eggs, cream cheese and mozzarella, and a small amount coconut flour!
I can have pizza again !
yeah!
Is there a good LCHF substitute for popcorn? Movie night just isn’t the same without it, and none of these options here will cut it.
Try the microwave pork rinds. They are delicious.
Where can I buy microwave pork rinds please.
I swear, pumpkin seeds, roasted/ toasted in some sea salt with olive oil or ghee, taste exactly like what I remember popcorn tasting like. Also, trader Joe’s brand roasted in sea salt will do the trick! You just have to be mindful of servings! They do have some carbs and if you eat the whole bag, that’s a problem!
I make popcorn at home for those times I just NEED to have some. I use almond 3 TBSP avocado oil, and 1/2 C popcorn in our whirlygig. HALF of the result (about 5 cups popped) is 20 carbs, and totally worth it. I find that it’s better to find a way to work within a craving than to ignore it and indulge in a negative way at a later time!
Is fresh coconut high in carbs? I love snacking on coconut.
1 cup raw coconut flesh is 12g total carbs with 7g fibre so it looks pretty good, and it’s so good for you.
Can you eat apples? I love eating a granny smith apple throughout the day.
You can still eat fruit but be mindful of how much you are eating. Too many people think of fruits being equal to vegetables so over indulge. I like to stick to low sugar fruits such as berries but how you ‘spend your carbs’ is up to you and your goals.
Goodness, I’d better check the grams of sugar in apples–I eat up to three a day to satisfy my sweet tooth and munchies. It’s an improvement on eating sugar straight, though, that’s for sure.
One apple = 25 carbs, and entire days worth of food carbs for me. I wouldn’t be able to eat anything else with even small carbs for the rest of the day!
My mom always cook rice with different curries, so basically i can’t eat rice or breads anymore? so i suppose to eat just fish or chickens with eggs? How am i gonna be full with those..could u give an example of a breakfast,lunch and dinner menu?.
I love my curries and I certainly don’t go without, I make cauliflower rice which is amazing. My children love it and it is so nutritious and low carb. I flavour it with coconut cream and sometimes corriander.
Can you provide a good lchf curry recipe?
Yes, I love love love curry so try my Malaysian beef curry, lamb curry or tandoori chicken.
I was wondering about rice, an Indian friend showed me how they prepared rice. They wash the starch off before cooking, then cook it in a lot of water. It give the rice a whole new texture. Will it still be a no-no?
Personally, I don’t eat any rice anymore, it’s too starchy for me. Even if you rinse it, the rice itself is just cooked starch. Try my cauliflower rice, add coconut cream and coriander – amazing.
Would double cream or low fat yogurt be a better option?
Full fat yogurt is the best choice. Low fat dairy is higher in carbs hence lchf:-)
Double cream. Never low fat anything. We want the extra fat, plus anything low fat is usually higher in carbs.
My take:
Avocado – mash up one in a bowl with 2 Tbsp Pico de Gallo and a sprinkle or two of Cumin.
Shrimp – cooked and dipped in grass fed butter with turmeric mixed in.
Drinks – Bulletproof Coffee, Turmeric Ginger Tea, plain seltzer water with a drop or two of Sweet Orange Essential Oil.
Ghee from pastured cows – just a tablespoon to make hunger/cravings go away!
Jooo I really enjoy the LCHF diet and I have just started and I only have 2 weeks but you know I see the changes. I am so happy
I like peanut butter/paste in celery sticks, pefect and so filling. Thanks for your list Libby!
i do ok all day but during the evening I like something to snack on (used to be popcorn). I am on a limited budget and am wondering if you have any other suggestions. Also, is the sugar free lifesavers ok? I already snack on nuts and olives but on a limited basis. The only vegetable I eat currently is celery and that is to use as a food “server” for my tuna, egg and ham spreads. Thanks
So you don’t eat any veggies? I wonder if you can start adding in a few more for variety and nutrition. How about avocado boats with tuna inside? Lettuce wraps with tuna mayonnaise? I stay away form sugar free sweets as it just fuels my cravings for sweet foods and generally they use artificial unhealthy sweeteners. What about cheese, cold meats, coconut oil fat bombs etc.
Hi Patty, it is really important to eat vegies. They provide fibre, vitamins and minerals and they keep your body from becoming too acid which leads to inflammation and disease. Make a lovely greek salad, cook bacon and eggs with cherry tomatoes, mushrooms and baby spinach. Omelette with cheese, cherry tomatoes, baby spinach, and onion which has been sauteed in butter. Mushrooms cooked in butter. Cauliflower with cheese sauce, any vegies with melted butter poured over, minced (ground) meat with cabbage, chilli flakes, garlic, ginger cooked in butter is delicious. So many options. Eating mostly proteins is not healthy. Think 70-75% of calories from good fats, 10-20% low carb vegetables and 5% carbs (so keep carbs under 20). Too much protein turns to glucose and stops fat burning.
I mean’t 10-20% from protein not low carb veg
I love to snack salami slices as a base and simple cream cheese as spread on top. You can also roll them for a slightly cleaner party/finger food…
I came here looking for ideas to feed my aunties when they visit tomorrow, finally decided on the mocha ice bombs after finding the link in your recipes (Wish your images at the bottom were links!).
OMG amazing!! Will be making these for all visitors from now on, thanks for that recipe and all the others I’ve found through this site Amazing tasty wonderful stuff!
Hey do you have a physical book I could purchase. I dislike searching the web
Thanks
Yes, I have written the Low Carb Starter Pack which is a 90-day eBook. It has 25 easy recipes using simple ingredients, a “How to start” guide, a 7-day sample menu plan, a sample shopping list, a measurement tracker etc. You can buy the digital eBook here or the printed copy. I also have a variety of low-carb keto cookbooks and cookbook bundles in my low-carb keto cookbook shop.
How much Kambucha tea can one drink per day.
It would depend on the sugar content, they vary widely. Some brands are very high indeed – so beware!
I’m with you on avocado, Libby! One day I was downtown and had no time to grab lunch before an appointment, so I ducked into the supermarket and bought an avocado, walked through the streets eating it from the skin. When I arrived at the dentist I apologized for my green teeth!
I do carry a tiny bag of nuts with me – generally macadamias, brazils, almonds or hazelnuts. Occasionally I take chocolate – Well Naturally dark choc with coconut is negative net carbs.
Thank you for the list. it’s a great reminder.