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Pork rinds are one of the lowest carb natural snacks out there. But are pork rinds keto?

In fact, they are also an absolute godsend for the keto diet. That’s because when you are just looking for something crunchy to munch on, pork rinds don’t add much to your daily carbohydrate intake.

But not everyone likes plain pork rinds. Enter gourmet pork rinds.

What do you mean by gourmet pork rinds?

Likely spurred by the Paleo foods movement, a whole slew of gourmet pork rinds have come to market recently. But these aren’t your abuela’s chicharrones– these new brands add an artisan touch to the classic snack.

gourmet pork rind keto ideas

What exactly are pork rinds?

Pork rinds are the skin of a pig that are normally fried up in lard or rendered within its own fat. As the fat cooks down, it leaves a light, airy and crispy decadent rind. You get a rich flavor and a great crunchy texture that is hard to find on a keto diet.

Pork rinds have been enjoyed for ages by cultures across Asia, North and South America. More recently, seasonings have been introduced to kick the flavor up a notch.

Why are pork rinds keto friendly? Are pork rinds low carb?

  • Fat is king on the keto diet and even better is animal fat. The fat leaves you satiated for longer.
  • No carbs — it’s just pork skin, so there is no carb count in the rind itself. However, the products are considered low carb, with the carbs coming via the seasonings themselves. To keep pork rinds keto, the keeping the amount of seasoning low, while balancing the overall flavor is critical.
  • Pork rinds do contain some protein, but overall shouldn’t be a big deal because there is no meat in the rind, keeping the protein levels low. That means that pork rinds keto friendliness is unaffected by their protein content.

What else can you use them for?

  • Pork rinds are a great substitute for tortilla chips! We regularly eat them with salsa, queso or guacamole.
  • You can even pair them with any fast food Mexican like a Chipotle Salad Bowl for a quick and filling meal.
  • As a keto bread crumb substitute! Check out Pork Panko Crumbs which can be used for recipes like Chicken Parmesan or Fried Mozzarella sticks.

Below, we review and rank our favorites. These are the best pork rinds for low carb diet lifestyles that we have found. Enjoy!

Top 5 Picks for Best Pork Rinds

#1 Crispy Cuts Pork Rinds

Crispy Cuts Pork Rinds are super light and airy and the flavors are top notch. Also, the flavorings do not overpower, but rather complement the pork flavor very well.

With pork rinds, it’s all about the quality of the rind and how well the flavors are executed. Crispy Cuts hits the mark on both points, and that’s why they top our list.

They do add a touch of sugar in the each of the flavors, but less than half a gram per serving.

Flavors (all 1g net carb per serving)

  • Island BBQ
    • We love us some Island/Hawaiian/Sweet Onion flavor and this stuff absolutely delivers.
  • Sweet Chipotle
    • Nice little kick. Taste kind of like a Hawaiian BBQ flavor with just a hint of heat. Really addictive.
  • Parmesan Peppercorn
    • Nice and cheesy with a touch of pepper for taste. Really well balanced.

They also sell a Sampler Pack so you can try all three (highly recommended)!

#2  Pork Clouds Pork Rinds

Pork Clouds differentiate themselves with the Habanero Pepper flavor, which has the most kick out of all the pork rinds we’ve tried (because, you know, habaneros).

The subtle part that really mixes well with the habanero is the onion powder, which gives you hints of those addictive Maui Onion potato chips (you know, the ones that you can finish off a whole bag of at one sitting).

Unlike most pork rinds, Pork Clouds are fried in olive oil. They come in classic Black Pepper and a unique Rosemary flavor as well. All flavors come at 0g net carb per bag. That makes the answer to “How many pork rinds can I eat on keto?” very easy: basically as many Pork Clouds as you like.

#3  4505 Chicharrones

These 4505 Chicharrones are lightly coated, so you get a very subtle flavor. The Jalapeno Cheddar is my favorite. Think of them as Pirate’s Booty meets pork rinds, but with a kick.

Caution: Very Addictive

They also come in a Smokehouse BBQ flavor which has a hint of sweetness that reminds me of a Lay’s BBQ-flavored chip. Even with the hint of sugar, these rinds still manage 0g net carb per bag.

There’s a 3rd, classic flavor called Chili & Salt, which are more like your traditional Mexican chicharrones.

All 3 flavors are 0g net carb.

#4  Southern Recipe Small Batch Pork Rinds

Southern Recipe makes some great tasting keto pork rinds with some really unique flavors. The texture is nice and crispy and airy, while the flavors are phenomenal.

We rank this brand slightly lower because the pork rinds don’t use the most natural ingredients of the bunch (and are certainly not Paleo). For instance, they use sunflower oil which is less ideal versus just frying them in rendered lard.

Still, they are very much gourmet pork rinds, coming in a very unique variety of flavors.

Flavors (all of which are 1g net carb or less):

#5  Epic Pork Rinds

Epic has a great selection of gourmet pork rinds. Their pork rinds tend to be really heavy on the flavoring, which is likely where the 1g net carb per serving comes from.

The BBQ Seasoning flavor is actually a spot-on name. This flavor doesn’t have any sweetness, so it’s more like sprinkling straight-up BBQ rub on some pork ribs.

The Sea Salt & Pepper variety is plain and simple. They don’t mess around–it’s very peppery. Both flavors tend to be denser in flavor so it’s harder to eat as many at a time without going into flavor overload. I feel like Epic rinds tend to be airier than their competitors.

Additionally, Epic sells Maple Bacon Pork Cracklings with some maple flavor added. They have more of a pork flavor and there is additional sugar. They are highly addictive at only 1g net carb per serving.

A couple of alternative Baked gourmet pork rinds

Epic now sells Baked pork rinds that have ZERO CARBS!!

  • Flavors include Chili Lime and Pink Himalayan Sea Salt.
  • You lose out on some of the fat. But if normal pork rinds are too fatty tasting for you, this might be a great alternative.
  • Still have a really nice airy texture.

Similarly, Southern Recipe also makes a couple of Oven Baked Pork Rinds flavor varieties.These are sold in a combo pack and have the same type of flavor profile that their fried counterparts do. There is less fat because you lose the sunflower oil from the fried version, which is a great compromise, we think!

Flavors: Cilantro Lime & Blackberry Habanero

 

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