What kind of chips can I eat on a carnivore diet?

October 5, 2025 •

4 min read

For those on a carnivore diet, finding a crunchy snack that fits the restrictive animal-based criteria is a common challenge. While traditional chips made from potatoes or grains are strictly off-limits, knowing what kind of chips can I eat on a carnivore diet is key to satisfying that textural craving without compromising your dietary principles. Fortunately, there are several delicious and simple animal-based alternatives available to keep your snack game strong.

Quick Summary

The carnivore diet allows for several satisfying, crunchy, and animal-based alternatives to traditional chips, including homemade dehydrated meat crisps, carefully selected pork rinds, and baked cheese crisps, emphasizing ingredient purity.

Key Points

Homemade Meat Crisps: You can make crunchy chips from thinly sliced and dehydrated beef, pork, or chicken, ensuring purity and controlling ingredients.
Pork Rinds (Chicharrones): These are a popular, high-fat, zero-carb option, but require careful label-reading to avoid non-compliant vegetable oils and seasonings.
Baked Cheese Crisps: For those who tolerate dairy, crispy chips can be made by baking hard cheeses like Parmesan or Cheddar until golden and crunchy.
Nutrient-Dense Alternatives: Dehydrated organ meat crisps, like beef liver crisps, provide the crunch you crave while delivering superior nutritional benefits.
Check for Hidden Ingredients: When buying pre-made products like pork rinds or jerky, always inspect the ingredient list for hidden sugars, preservatives, and vegetable oils.
Easy Homemade Recipes: Simple recipes exist for making chips from ground meat or thin meat slices in either an oven or a dehydrator.
Ingredient Control is Key: The most reliable and clean way to enjoy chips on a carnivore diet is to prepare them yourself at home, with only meat and salt.

Navigating Snacking on a Carnivore Diet

The carnivore diet is built on a foundation of animal products, which means eliminating all plant-based foods, including traditional chip ingredients like potatoes, corn, and grain-based flours. The cravings for salty, crunchy snacks can be intense, especially when first transitioning to this way of eating. The key to staying on track is to replace these high-carb, processed snacks with high-protein, high-fat alternatives that are still crunchy and satisfying. This guide explores the best carnivore-compliant 'chips' and how to prepare them.

Homemade Meat Chips

Homemade meat chips are one of the purest and most satisfying options for a carnivore-friendly snack. By controlling the ingredients yourself, you ensure there are no hidden sugars, spices, or additives that would violate the diet's rules.

How to Make Dehydrated Meat Chips

Choose a high-quality cut of meat like lean beef (top round or sirloin) or pork (loin or sirloin).
Partially freeze the meat for about an hour to make it easier to slice razor-thin against the grain. A meat slicer is ideal for uniformity, but a sharp knife will also work.
Arrange the thinly sliced meat in a single layer on dehydrator trays, ensuring they don't overlap.
Sprinkle generously with high-quality salt, such as Redmond Real Salt.
Dehydrate at 160-165°F (70-75°C) for several hours, typically 4-6, until the chips are completely dry and crispy.
Let them cool completely on the trays; they will crisp up more as they reach room temperature.

How to Make Baked Ground Meat Chips

Mash one pound of ground chicken or beef until it's a paste-like consistency. Using a fattier ground meat helps with crisping.
(Optional) For a thicker, crunchier chip, mix in a teaspoon of baking powder, which helps moisture escape.
Roll the meat out very thinly between two sheets of parchment paper, aiming for an almost-translucent layer.
Bake at 375°F (191°C) for 30-50 minutes until crunchy and firm.
Break into chip-sized pieces after cooling.

Pork Rinds (Chicharrones)

Pork rinds are a widely available and popular snack for carnivore dieters. They are made from fried pork skin and offer a satisfying crunch and a high-fat, high-protein macronutrient profile with zero carbs.

Store-bought vs. Homemade Pork Rinds

Store-bought: Always check the ingredient label. Many commercial brands use vegetable oils for frying and contain non-compliant seasonings, MSG, and preservatives. Look for brands that list only pork skins and salt. Epic Artisanal Oven Baked Pork Rinds are a popular choice.
Homemade: To ensure purity, you can make your own pork rinds by frying pork skin in beef tallow or lard. This gives you full control over the fat source and seasoning.

Cheese Crisps

For those who include dairy in their carnivore diet, cheese crisps offer another excellent crunchy snack option.

Making Cheese Crisps

Shred or thinly slice hard, aged cheeses like Parmesan, Cheddar, or Gouda.
Place small piles on a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving space for them to spread.
Bake at 375-400°F (190-200°C) for 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese is golden and crispy.
Let them cool and harden before eating.

Other Animal-Based Chip Alternatives

Beef Liver Crisps: For a nutrient-dense option, dehydrated beef liver crisps are a game-changer. These are rich in vitamins A and B12, iron, and copper.
Seafood Crisps: Dehydrated or fried salmon skin crisps are packed with omega-3 fatty acids and protein.

Comparison of Carnivore-Compliant Chips


Chip Type	Main Ingredients	Preparation	Macronutrients	Key Considerations
Homemade Meat Chips	Thinly sliced beef, pork, or chicken; salt	Requires dehydrator or oven; slicing takes time	High protein, moderate to high fat (depending on cut)	Purest option, but requires effort and equipment. Consistency can vary.
Pork Rinds	Fried pork skin; salt	Store-bought or homemade (frying)	High fat, high protein, zero carbs	Check for non-compliant additives in store-bought versions; can be very high in sodium.
Cheese Crisps	Hard, aged cheese	Baking sliced or shredded cheese is simple	High fat, moderate protein (dairy-dependent)	Only for those who tolerate dairy; can be rich.
Beef Liver Crisps	Dehydrated beef liver; salt	Store-bought or dehydrated at home	Very nutrient-dense, high protein, moderate fat	May be an acquired taste due to liver's strong flavor.

Conclusion

While traditional potato chips are out of the question, a carnivore diet doesn't have to be devoid of crunchy, flavorful snacks. Animal-based chips, whether homemade or carefully selected from a store, provide excellent zero-carb options to satisfy your cravings. Homemade dehydrated meat chips offer the purest choice, while pork rinds and cheese crisps provide convenient alternatives for those who tolerate them. The most important takeaway is to always be diligent about checking ingredient lists for any non-carnivore additions. By focusing on pure, animal-based ingredients, you can enjoy a variety of crunchy textures while adhering strictly to your diet.

Enjoying Carnivore-Friendly Crunch

Variety is Best: Alternate between different types of meat chips, pork rinds, and cheese crisps to prevent flavor fatigue.
Read the Label: Be a detective when purchasing store-bought snacks; hidden sugars, preservatives, and vegetable oils are common even in seemingly compliant products.
Embrace the DIY Approach: Making your own chips gives you total control over ingredients and seasoning, guaranteeing a pure carnivore snack.
Fat-Focused Snacking: The high-fat content of options like pork rinds and fatty cheese crisps is highly satiating, which helps curb overeating.
Season Simply: A sprinkle of high-quality salt is all that's needed to enhance the natural flavors of your animal-based crisps.

For more carnivore diet ideas and recipes, explore reputable resources like Carnivore.Diet.

Frequently Asked Questions

No, regular chips made from potatoes, corn, or grains are not allowed on a carnivore diet, as they are plant-based and high in carbohydrates.

No, not all store-bought pork rinds are safe. Many contain non-carnivore ingredients like vegetable oils, sugars, and artificial flavorings. Always check the ingredient label for brands that use only pork skins and salt.

For meat chips, the key is slicing them as thinly as possible. For ground meat chips, adding a small amount of baking powder can help create a thicker, crunchier texture by helping moisture escape.

Leaner cuts of meat, such as beef top round, sirloin, or pork loin, are ideal for making crispy, dehydrated meat chips. Fattier cuts can also be used but may result in a softer or oilier chip.

You can make meat chips in the oven as an alternative to a dehydrator. Arrange thin slices on a parchment-lined baking tray and bake at a low temperature, like 350°F, for a shorter duration (around 20-30 minutes).

Yes, if you include dairy in your version of the carnivore diet, you can make crisps from hard, aged cheeses like Parmesan. Some individuals on the diet avoid dairy entirely due to tolerance issues.

Yes, some brands specialize in carnivore-friendly snacks, such as Carnivore Snax or Carnivore Crisps, which make chips from just meat and salt, avoiding non-compliant additives.