Who doesn’t love a delicious bag of crunchy, salty chips? It’s something we all crave, yet chips tend to be high in fat, salt, and carbs making them a food that many people feel like they need to avoid as part of a “healthy” diet.
Luckily, many brands now make options for low carb chips that are much more blood sugar-friendly and still taste delicious! Many of these options have more fiber, more protein, and other healthy nutrients while still being lower in carbs.
This post will dive into understanding the basics of carbs and net carbs, followed by a list of some of our favorite options as well as tips for choosing or making your own low-carb chips.
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Understanding Carbs and Net Carbs
Carbohydrates are not off limits for people with diabetes by any means, but carbs do turn into sugar in the body. When we eat too many carbs at one time, it can make it hard to control blood sugar levels which can make low carb alternatives to certain foods appealing.
Net carbs are the number of carbohydrates in a food that are actually absorbed by the body. They are calculated by subtracting the fiber and sugar alcohol from the total carbohydrates.
Calculating net carbs is popular with some low carb and keto diets. When it comes to managing blood sugar levels, we do not recommend utilizing net carbs because some of the fiber and sugar alcohol may still have a small impact on the blood sugar. Check out our post about Carb Counting to learn more on this topic.
A typical potato chip has around 15 grams of carbs in a serving, for example, Lay’s Potato Chips contain 15 grams of total carbs for one serving which is 15 chips. This by no means makes potato chips a poor choice, but the problem often is that it is hard to stop at just 15 chips. Potato chips also tend to have a high amount of fat and sodium and very little protein or fiber.
Our Favorite Low Carb Chips
So what are some alternatives to typical potato chips that are still just as delicious and satisfying – maybe even more so? Let’s look at some of our favorite options!
Low Carb Snack Crackers
- HighKey Almond Flour Crackers
- The HighKey Almond Flour crackers are made from almond and lupin flour. They contain 9 grams of fiber and 7 grams of protein per serving and they come in several flavors including Sea Salt, Cheddar, and Everything Spice.
- Flackers Flaxseed Crackers
- These plant based flaxseed crackers have all natural ingredients and are packed full of fiber and protein as well as omega 3’s and other vitamins and minerals like magnesium and thiamine. They come in several flavor varieties as well – savory garlic, onion, basil and red chile pepper are linked here.
- GG Fiber Crispbreads
- Another high fiber option made with oat bran, flaxseed, and sunflower seeds that can help control hunger. These crisps are the perfect vehicle to load hummus, cheese, or chicken salad on top of for a filling snack.
- Wasa Crispbreads
- These crunchy crispbreads are fairly bland on their own but they contain only two ingredients (whole grain rye flour and salt) and work well as a vehicle to load your favorite protein on.
Low Carb Chips
- Quest Chips
- Quest Protein Chips are incredibly filling with a whopping 19 grams of protein per bag. They come in many nostalgic potato chip flavor such as sour cream and cheddar, sour cream and onion, and BBQ.
- Atkins Protein Chips
- Another high protein, low carb option that is easy to spot at most supermarkets and widely available online. These chips come in several flavors including ranch, nacho cheese, and chipotle BBQ.
- Wilde Protein Chips
- These unique chips are actually made from chicken and egg whites! They have a satisfying crunch to them and come in Sea Salt and Vinegar, BBQ, Himalayan Pink Salt, and our personal favorite Chicken and Waffles!
- Legendary Foods Popped Protein Chips
- These chips are brand new and somewhat harder to find but if you are able to find them, stock up! They have a delicious “popped” texture and contain 20 grams of protein and only 5 grams of total carbs per bag making them a fantastic post workout snack or the perfect addition to a satisfying lunch meal on the go. Flavor options are BBQ, Nacho Cheese, and Ranch and there have been rumors of a pizza flavor hitting shelves soon!
- Hilo tortilla chips
- Low carb tortilla chips in delicious and unique flavors made with almond flour? Sign us up! These delicious chips are full of flavor and can sometimes be found in a family sized bag at Costco!
Cheese Chips
- Parm crisps
- Not exactly a chip, but these oven baked parm chips are made from one single ingredient (aged parmesan cheese) and make the perfect addition to a salad for some extra crunch or eaten alone as a satisfying snack.
- Moon Cheese
- How could something called Moon Cheese not be amazing? These tasty cheese balls are made 100% of cheese and come in several flavor varieties including cheddar, cheddar bacon, gouda, and pepper jack. They are the perfect on the go snack! You may even spot these on the shelves at some Starbucks locations.
Make your own Low Carb Chips
- In addition to store bought low carb chips and crackers, you could also try baking your own kale chips, zucchini chips, pepperoni chips, or even cheese crisps at home.
- Low carb tortilla chips are another easy home made low carb chip option. All you have to do is cut up some your favorite brand of low carb tortillas, brush with olive oil, sprinkle with your favorite seasonings, and bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes!
- All of these home made options are even more delicious with spices and herbs so don’t be afraid to get creative and try out some different flavor combinations.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are many options of low carb chips and crackers to buy or make when you are craving a crunchy, salty snack. Many of these options are low in carbs and high in protein and/or fiber making them satisfying while still tasting great. An added bonus is that they will not cause large spikes in blood sugar that you may see from typical chips.
Don’t forget to check out our post about carb counting to learn more about how carbs can fit into your overall eating plan. Let us know your favorite low carb chips or crackers in the comments below!