This post reviews the best carnivore diet snacks to help make your experience on a carnivore diet easier and more enjoyable!
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What is the carnivore diet?
The carnivore diet has been gaining popularity in recent years, and is a diet where you only eat foods that come from animals and avoid all plant-based foods.
The carnivore diet is similar to a keto diet or ketogenic diet, but it is even more restrictive as it doesn't allow any vegetables of any kind or any sweeteners, even if they have zero carbs in them.
For a complete review and more information on the carnivore diet be sure to read our carnivore diet review and carnivore diet food list posts. This diet is not for everyone and can have significant risks, so be sure to talk to your doctor before considering it.
The carnivore diet is very restrictive so when looking for snacks you will need to be careful and avoid products with:
- Preservatives
- Sugar, stevia, monk fruit and any other sweeteners
- Soy or soy additives
- Teriyaki
- Vegetable oil, canola oil, peanut oil, and any other vegetable oils or crop oils
- Natural flavours
- Artificial flavours, artificial flavorings or artificial ingredients
- Flour and other grains
To help you find snacks while on a carnivore diet here is a list of the best carnivore diet snacks, including snacks you can make yourself and pre-made or pre-packaged snack ideas that you can buy online or at grocery stores.
23 carnivore diet snacks
1. Eggs
Eggs are a great carnivore diet snack because they have zero carbs, are sugar free and are high in protein. They can also be prepared quickly and easily.
You can prepare eggs in many different ways and some of the easiest include:
- Hard-boiled eggs - if you are short on time you can make hard boiled eggs in the microwave.
- Scrambled eggs
- Plain egg omelette
- Soft-boiled eggs - make them even faster by cooking soft boiled eggs in the microwave.
- Over easy eggs
- Over medium eggs
- Over hard eggs
2. Beef jerky
One of the easiest snacks to eat if you are carnivore is beef jerky. To be truly considered carnivore you want to find beef jerky made with grass fed beef which can make it trickier to find. It can also be hard to find brands that don't use ingredients such as sugar, teriyaki, soy or artificial flavours, crop oils or vegetable oils, vegetables, or natural flavours but one great option includes:
People's Choice Beef Jerky Jerky Crisps - Naked - Plain Flavour
3. Pork rinds
Pork rinds (also known as fried pork skins) are one of the best and easiest "grab-and-go" carnivore diet snacks you can find when on the carnivore diet and are one of my personal favourite snacks.
You can easily find pork rinds in grocery stores and online. My favourite pork rinds include:
4. Bacon
To be considered truly carnivore you need to choose bacon that is sugar free and free from artificial flavours or preservatives. Ideally you also want to be choosing bacon that is made from pasture raised pigs. It's also important to note that bacon does have a high fat content so you don't want to make it the only meat you are eating.
5. Canned tuna
If you are looking for an easy carnivore snack at your local grocery store canned tuna is one of the easiest solutions and a great way to add more lean protein to your diet. Just be sure you get canned tuna in water rather than in oil. I prefer to get tuna with the fish bones left in as the bones are a great source of calcium and other nutrients.
Tuna is a great source of lean protein, but tuna can be high in mercury so you don't want to eat it too often or you could potentially get mercury poisoning.
6. Beef sticks
Beef sticks are basically what they sound like. Sticks of beef. Think pepperoni sticks but made with beef instead. They are such a tasty snack!
When on the carnivore diet you want to be sure that the beef sticks you choose do not contain any sugars, artificial flavours, natural flavours or preservatives. Look for beef sticks made with beef, water, salt, pepper and other herbs only. One great carnivore beef stick option includes:
People's Choice Sea Salt and Pepper Beef Sticks
Some popular brands of beef sticks that you will need to avoid while following a carnivore diet include Chomps beef sticks, and Lorissa's Kitchen beef sticks as they do contain ingredients that are not permitted on a carnivore diet.
7. Bone broth
Bone broth is such a soothing drink that is actually really easy to make yourself. Because it's made from organ meats bone broth is an excellent source of collagen which is great for your hair, nails, GI tract, skin and can even help with the pain of osteoarthritis. It also contains a number of essential nutrients as well as vitamins and minerals.
If the thought of making your own bone broth is too daunting, luckily there are many brands now offering pre-made options including:
8. Smoked salmon
Smoked salmon is another great option that you can easily find in most grocery stores. Salmon is high in omega-3 fatty acids so it's a great addition to a carnivore diet. If you are following a carnivore diet you will need to be sure to choose wild smoked salmon without any sugar added.
9. People's Choice Jerky Crisps
Jerky crisps are a crispy, crunchy variation on traditional beef jerky. Made with 100% American beef, Jerky Crisps are lightly salted and packed with protein. They are made with only three ingredients including beef, water and salt so this snack is both carnivore and keto or low carb. They are one of the best carnivore diet snacks!
10. Prosciutto
Prosciutto is one of the easiest snacks you can find when on the carnivore diet. All grocery stores tend to carry it in their meat section which means it's easy to find even if you are travelling. Just be sure to choose a prosciutto with no added sugar that is made only with pork.
11. 4505 Sea Salt Chicharrones
Sea salt chicharrones are fried pork rinds that are made from the skin from pigs' bellies and backs. The pig skin gets fried in pork fat and then seasoned with sea salt to give them a unique texture and taste. They turn out ultra-light, airy, and have a melt in your mouth texture. These pork rinds are made with humanely raised pork and have no added hormones.
12. Deli meat
Deli meat is a quick and readily available option, but you will have to be careful about which deli meat you choose. Most deli meats have extra ingredients such as natural flavours, preservatives, and sugar added, so if you are following a carnivore diet you need to be sure to buy deli meat that is just meat with no additives, so this can be a bit of a harder option when it comes to finding carnivore diet snacks.
13. Biltong
Biltong is a way of preserving meat that originated in South Africa. The meat is air dried and then soaked in vinegar and spices to give it a unique flavour. You could either learn to make your own Biltong, or you can buy pre-made Biltong. Some carnivore safe Biltong options you can buy online include:
Brooklyn Biltong Naked Flavour
14. Sardines
Sardines are a handy, easy-to-find food and one of the easiest carnivore diet snacks. Sardines are high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Be sure to look for wild caught sardines that are packed in water, not oil, and that don't have any additives, flavourings or sugars.
15. Cheese
Dairy is a bit controversial on the carnivore diet, but some types of dairy are allowed including hard cheese. In general, full-fat dairy and low lactose dairy products (in small amounts) including butter, heavy cream, ghee, and hard cheeses are considered to be carnivore compliant.
When it comes to softer cheese like cream cheese or cottage cheese it is controversial whether these are allowed on a carnivore diet or not. Different experts will give you different answers, so my rule of thumb is to do what works best for your body.
16. Salmon crisps
If you like crispy snacks you are going to love crispy salmon skins. Salmon skins are a great snack that are a nice alternative to other foods like beef jerky or pork rinds.
It can be a bit hard to find ready-made salmon crisps or salmon skins that have ingredients that are carnivore compliant, but you could also make your own if you prefer.
17. Canned salmon
Another great option that you can find in any grocery store is canned salmon. Just be sure to get canned salmon in water rather than oil and preferably you want to choose wild canned salmon rather than farmed canned salmon.
Some great easy to find options include:
18. Beef liver crisps
Beef liver crisps are a delicious, crispy snack. The ingredient list is just beef liver, purified water, and sea salt so they are a safe and convenient snack option if you are following a carnivore diet.
19. Liver Pâté
Pâté is a spread or dip that is made from the livers of different animals. The most popular types of pâté include beef liver pâté, chicken liver pâté, and duck pâté, but you could make any type of pâté that you prefer. Just note that most pâté recipes call for vegetables such as onion so you will need to omit those from the recipe to be truly carnivore. To make it carnivore, you want to make pâté from grass-fed beef liver or pasture raised chicken liver.
20. Steak bites
Steak bites are exactly what they sound like. Small pieces of steak. Grill an extra steak or two when you make it and then have leftover steak to cut into bites for the next few days. And don't worry, if you forgot to take your steak out of the freezer you can even cook steak from frozen in your air fryer (and yes it still tastes amazing).
21. Sausages
Sausages are one of my favourite easy carnivore diet snacks. You can choose chicken sausages, beef sausages or pork sausages. Just be sure the sausages you eat are made with just meat and spices, with no binders, sugars, or artificial additives or preservatives.
22. Carnivore chips
Carnivore Snax makes chips out of different types of meat. These snacks are specifically made for those following a carnivore diet. There are many options to choose from including New York Strip, Leg of Lamb, Pork Loin, Eye of Round, Ribeye, Pork Sliders and more.
23. Carnivore crisps
Carnivore crisps are crispy carnivore snacks that are made out of grass-fed beef. They come in a few different flavours including ribeye, and brisket. They are made with just three ingredients including beef, water and salt so they are a simple snack option that works great for travelling or hiking because the small bags are a nice grab-and-go size.
If you have any other carnivore diet snacks that you love please let me know and I will add them to this list.
Carnivore diet snacks FAQs:
No you cannot. Some carnivore experts do allow people to have some fruit, but desserts or treats of any kind are not allowed.
You can eat pork rinds, salmon crisps, beef crisps and other meat crisps but foods like potato chips or other vegetable chips are not allowed.
This is hard to do. Some experts allow people to eat limited fruit while on the carnivore diet so that would be your best bet.
No it is not. Only meat and animal products are allowed on a carnivore diet.
No it is not as it is not an animal based food.
Other health information you will want to read:
Our expertise:
Dr. Erin Carter, MD, FRCPC, is a physician with board certifications in internal medicine and rheumatology. She is passionate about nutrition, environmental health and low toxicity living and has been doing research and publishing information in this area for years.
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