Chips are usually just crunchy carbs slathered with salt and oil. The best examples of this are tortilla chips and potato chips.
Their palate-pleasing combination of salt, fat, and carbs makes it unnaturally easy for us to overeat them without feeling full. This is why many of us can easily eat an entire family-sized bag of chips in one sitting (and on a larger scale, this is one of the driving forces behind the rising rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes worldwide).
The solution is simple: Skip the high-carb chips and fill up on foods that nourish your body and make you feel full. One of the easiest ways to do this is by serving low-carb chips instead.
To find out what low-carb chips are best for you, let’s take a look at all the options. From homemade cheese chip recipes to low-carb tortilla chips you can find in popular stores (like Walmart and Target), there are plenty of ways to get your chip fix while following a low-carb keto diet.
Side note: If low-carb chocolate chips are the type of chip you’re looking for, check out our best keto cookie recipes for sugar-free keto-friendly options.
Why are Tortilla Chips and Potato Chips Not Good for Keto and Other Low Carb Diets?
Here’s the “secret” formula for making a cheap chip that people will overeat and buy consistently:
- Get cheap high-carb foods, such as potatoes or corn.
- Process them until most of their healthy components are gone.
- Fry/bake them in cheap, refined oils.
- Add salt (and make sure the bag is half empty!)
This fool-proof process is what snack producers have been using for decades to make cheap products that people will love and overeat. In fact, most of the chips stocked at Walmart, Target, Costco, or your local grocery store will be made in this way, which means they will not be suitable for low-carb and keto diets.
Fortunately, a wide variety of low-carb chips have been popping up on the shelves. There are so many different options and flavors that you’ll find exactly what you are looking for to satisfy your chip craving.
Keto-friendly, Low Carb Chips to Buy
Though it’s typically cheaper to make them yourself (with the keto recipes in the next section), there are several low-carb chips you’ll be able to find in the store.
Let’s begin our journey through the aisles with the best alternatives for potato chips and tortilla chips on keto:
Low Carb Potato Chip Alternatives to Buy:
- Quest Original Style Protein Chips* — A healthier potato chip alternative, these have around 4 g of net carbs per bag (32 g) and come in a various flavor including Loaded Taco, Chili Lime, ranch, sour cream and onion, and nacho cheese.
- Wholesome Provisions Protein Chips* — These are another great option with two flavors: Sea Salt & Vinegar at 3 g of net carbs per bag (35 g) or BBQ with 4 g of net carbs per bag (37 g).
- Genius Gourmet Keto Snack Chips — A rare find at the store, but these snack chips are worth mentioning because their primary ingredient is MCTs. In other words, not only are these chips low in carbs, they can help boost ketosis as well. If you order them online, you can choose from 4 different flavors: Spicy Nacho, Ranch, Chili Lime, or BBQ. Each one comes with only 2 g of net carbs per bag (32 g).
*These can usually be found at Walmart.
Low Carb Tortilla Chips You Can Find at Walmart:
- Wholesome Provisions Protein Tortilla Chips — A tortilla-style low-carb chip substitute for corn-based chips. Each ounce comes with 5 g of net carbs.
- Quest Tortilla Style Protein Chips — Another easy-to-find low-carb tortilla chip, with around 3.5 g of net carbs per ounce in all of the same flavors as their Original Style Protein Chips.
Keto-friendly, Low Carb Cheese Chips:
- Cello Whisps — These keto-friendly cheese chips can easily be found at Walmart and other major retailers. With nine different flavors containing between 1 and 3 g of net carbs per ounce serving, you’re sure to find a bag of Whisps that’ll help satisfy your chip craving and keto macros at the same time.
- Moon Cheese — Similar to Whisps, but with a more spherical shape and different flavors (including cheddar bacon and gouda). Each 1-oz. serving comes with 1 to 2 g of net carbs. These are typically carried at Whole Foods, Wegmans, Publix, Target, and Costco (but not Walmart).
- ParmCrisps — These are made from 100% aged parmesan cheese with a wide variety of flavors. Though the carb counts look lower than other cheese chip products, keep in mind that their serving size is listed as 18 grams. ParmCrisps can usually be found at Whole Foods, Shoprite, CVS, Publix, Kroger, Wegmans, and Safeway.
- JustTheCheese — Same as the above cheese chip options, but you can buy them in the form of a snack bar with 75 calories and ~0.5 grams of net carbs per bar. You can find them at Target, Weis, Wegmans, and a wide variety of local grocery stores.
Other Low Carb Chip Alternatives:
- Pork Rinds — A zero-carb chip substitute that can be found in virtually any store, from the gas station to Walmart. If you need a reliable keto-friendly snack that you can use as nachos, breading, and even low-carb popcorn, pick up some pork rinds. For buying and cooking tips, check out our guide to pork rinds on keto.
- Chicken Skin Chips — These are another great zero-carb option, but they are a rare find in most stores. If you’d like to try them instead of pork rinds, Flock, Hatch, and Chick N’ Skin are three chicken chip producers with plenty of zero carb flavors you can buy online.
- Crispy Salmon Skin Chips — Likely the rarest of the low-carb chip options, these also have zero carbs in each serving with the added benefit of marine collagen. As with chicken chips, you can find these online.
- Kale Chips — To sneak in some low-carb vegetables with a crunch, look for kale chips in your local health food store or online. Just make sure to double-check the carb counts since some flavors will come with added sugars. Usually, sugar-free store-bought kale chips will come with 4 g of net carbs per ounce. For a lower-carb and cheaper kale chip option, try making them yourself with the recipe below.
Low Carb Chip Recipes for Keto
Low-carb store-bought options provide us with a simple way to get our chip fix, but it’s hard to justify buying them when you’re on a tight budget.
The cheapest option will be to make your own chips with keto ingredients you already have (or would buy anyway). Not only will this strategy save you money, but you can make them healthier, lower in carbs, and more flavorful as well.
Below, we’ve included several low-carb, keto chip recipes and alternatives to try:
Keto Tortilla Chips
Like a regular tortilla chip crossed with a bready, soft chalupa shell, these are much more satisfying than the low-carb tortilla chips you can buy at the store.
In fact, I find these to be the best tortilla chips for keto. Not only will they curb your craving for a crunchy, salty chip, but they’ll fill you up fast.
See How to Make It
2-Ingredient Keto Pepperoni Pizza Chips
All you’ll need is sliced pepperoni and shredded mozzarella cheese to make these. The pepperoni serves as a salty, high-fat chip base, while the cheese helps bind it all together.
Dip it in sugar-free marinara for a bite-sized pizza without the carbs — or eat it as a quick keto snack.
See How to Make It
Keto Cheese Chips
Another 2-ingredient low-carb chip option, but this time it’s vegetarian-friendly. You can easily these in under 15 minutes and switch up the flavors by using different herb and seasoning powders.
What you’ll pull out of the oven will be almost exactly like the cheese chips you can buy a the store (but at a much lower cost).
See How to Make It
Low Carb Cheesy Bacon Tortilla Style Chips
If you are looking for a cheese-based option that will function more like tortilla chips, give this recipe a try.
Here, you’ll learn how to combine two keto staples, bacon and cheese, into a low-carb chip you can eat as a snack or pair with your favorite keto dip.
See How to Make It
Sugar-free Kale Chips
Though store-bought kale chips provide us with a convenient way to get our veggies, they often come at a higher cost with extra carbs. Next time you want some kale chips, buy a bunch of kale and follow this recipe instead.
All you need is kale, olive oil, and salt to make the lowest carb version of kale chips that won’t break your budget.
See How to Make It
Other Keto-friendly Chip Alternatives:
Keto Dips for Your Low Carb Chips
Pairing keto-friendly chips with a high-fat, low-carb dip is an excellent option for a quick, delicious, and nutritious keto meal.
As long as it helps you meet your keto macro needs, there’s no shame in eating chips and dip for dinner.
For some inspiration, check out our most popular keto dip recipes:
Simple Keto Guacamole
In just five minutes, you’ll have a keto-friendly guac ready and waiting for your low-carb chips. If you want to up the flavor even further, give our bacon and roasted garlic recipe a try.
Either way, you’ll be getting plenty of healthy fat, fiber, and micronutrients to keep your keto results on track.
See How to Make It
Keto Queso Nacho Cheese Dip
Though “queso” literally translates to cheese, this doesn’t mean store-bought queso dip or queso from your favorite Mexican restaurant is going to be keto-friendly. In fact, queso is often thickened up with flour and/or corn starch to make it extra thick and gooey.
Fortunately, it’s super easy to make yourself. All it takes is a few keto staples and one pot to make gooey delicious keto queso.
See How to Make It
5-minute Keto Salsa
Salsa is surprisingly simple. In fact, you’ll save much more time and money by making it yourself instead of sifting through the sugar-ridden salsa products in the store.
For a complete keto meal, make sure to pair your salsa with high-fat chips or crackers such as low carb tortilla chips, keto cheese crisps, or low carb crackers.
See How to Make It
Low Carb Hummus
Hummus typically features starch-filed chickpeas as its primary ingredient. Unfortunately, this causes the carb counts to climb.
Your best bet is making the hummus yourself by replacing the chickpeas with roasted cauliflower. Not only does this create a creamy keto hummus, but it adds delicious notes of caramelization as well.
See How to Make It
Keto Buffalo Chicken Dip
If you’re looking for a higher protein dip, this buffalo chicken recipe will be a hit. Not only will it fill you up quick, but it’s the perfect crowd-pleasing keto appetizer as well.
Just don’t forget to bring your own keto chips or pork rinds.
See How to Make It
Low Carb Spinach & Artichoke Dip
As with queso (and other popular appetizer dips), spinach & artichoke dip is often thickened with flour and/or starch. Your best bet to satisfy your craving for this delicious vegetarian-friendly option is making it yourself. With this recipe, all you need is the right mix of keto-friendly foods for the perfect balance of thickness, flavor, and fats.
See How to Make It
For more low-carb dip recipes, search “dip” on Ruled.me.
Putting It All Together: Low Carb Chips, The Keto Diet, and Your Weight Loss Goals
Chips can be a part of your low-carb, keto diet as long as they are made from low-carb ingredients.
When looking for low-carb chips to buy, make sure to read labels carefully and double-check serving sizes and carb counts.
Overall, these are the most widely-available low-carb chip options you can find online or in the store:
- Quest Original Style Protein Chips*
- Wholesome Provisions Protein Chips*
- Genius Gourmet Keto Snack Chips
- Wholesome Provisions Protein Tortilla Chips*
- Quest Tortilla Style Protein Chips*
- Cheese chips, crisps, and bars*
- Pork rinds*
- Chicken skin chips
- Crispy salmon skin chips
- Sugar-free kale chips*
*Products marked with an asterisk can typically be found at Walmart, Target, and other popular store chains.
Keep in mind, however, that it is also easy to make keto chips yourself (without breaking your budget on overpriced products). Next time you have a craving for some chips, try making your own with the help of these recipes and alternatives:
And, don’t forget the keto dip:
As with everything you eat, make sure you’re mindful of how much fat, protein, and carbs you need to achieve the results you want.
The easiest way to stay on the right track is by using our keto meal planning app. It will provide you with an endless eating plan personalized to your goals and preferences.