Cheese Chips: Keto-Friendly Or Not?

The keto diet can be restrictive, and it can be hard to find snacks that are both tasty and compliant. Cheese chips are a great keto-friendly snack option, and they are easy to make. They are crunchy, crispy, and can be flavoured in a variety of ways.

Cheese chip recipes

Cheese chips are a great keto-friendly snack option. They are simple to make and can be customised with a variety of cheeses and flavour combinations. Here are some recipes to get you started:

Basic Keto Cheese Crisps

This recipe uses shredded cheddar cheese to create crispy, savoury snacks. You can also use Parmesan, Asiago, or aged mozzarella cheese.

Ingredients:

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions:

• Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
• Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Shred generous amounts of cheese.
• Arrange the cheese into 24 small heaps on the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 7 minutes.
• Cool for 5 to 10 minutes before removing from the baking sheets.

Keto Cheese Chips

This recipe adds some spices to the basic cheese crisps for extra flavour. You can use shredded mozzarella, sharp cheddar, or Parmesan cheese.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella, sharp cheddar, or Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• Pinch of red pepper flakes

Instructions:

• Preheat your oven to 375°F.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Divide the shredded cheese into six fairly equal mounds on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them 2 inches apart. Gently flatten them with your hands.
• Sprinkle the cheese mounds with garlic powder, oregano, and red pepper flakes.
• Bake until the edges are browned, about 15 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let the chips cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

Crispy Cheddar Keto Cheese Chips

This recipe adds some spices and forms the cheese into a large rectangle, which is then cut into triangles after baking.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups cheddar cheese, or Mexican blend
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder

Instructions:

• Preheat your oven to 400°F.
• Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, leaving a little extra on the sides for easy removal.
• In a bowl, combine the cheese and spices.
• Spread the mixture over the baking sheet and form it into a rectangle with straight edges.
• Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until visibly crispy.
• Lift the cheese out of the pan using the parchment paper and place it on a cool countertop.
• After about 1 minute of cooling, use a pizza cutter to cut the rectangle into triangles.

Flavoured Keto Cheese Chips

This recipe uses ground flaxseed meal and your choice of seasonings to create three different flavours of cheese chips: bacon, garlic, and onion; Chipotle spiced; and cumin and smoked paprika.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 3 tablespoons ground flaxseed meal
• Seasonings of your choice

Instructions:

• Preheat your oven to 425°F.
• Form 2 tablespoons of cheddar cheese into small mounds on a non-stick silpat or baking sheet. Spread them out slightly as they will melt and expand while cooking.
• Measure out the flaxseed meal and use it to distribute a pinch of flaxseed over each chip.
• Add your choice of seasonings to the chips. Some suggested combinations include: paprika and cumin; southwest chipotle and cheddar; onion powder, garlic powder, chilli, and celery seed.
• Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and let cool for 1-2 minutes. They will continue to harden and crisp up during this time.
• Transfer the chips to a paper towel to absorb excess grease, then serve.

Keto-friendly dips

Cheese chips are keto-friendly, and they can be made with shredded cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan, or asiago cheese. They can be served with keto-friendly dips such as:

• Keto Caesar dressing
• Keto blue cheese dressing
• Cottage cheese sauce with chives
• Spicy keto pimiento cheese
• Lebanese garlic cream (toum)
• Keto crack dip
• Keto BLT dip

Keto crack dip is a combination of cream cheese, sour cream or Greek yoghurt, ranch dressing mix, shredded cheddar, bacon, and green onions. The BLT dip is a combination of bacon, cream cheese, mayo, sour cream, shredded cheddar, lettuce, tomatoes, and seasonings.

Keto cheese chips can also be served with some keto ketchup or BBQ sauce, or dipped in sugar-free marinara sauce, sour cream, Greek yoghurt, cream cheese, or guacamole.

How to store cheese chips

Cheese chips are best enjoyed straight away while they're fresh and crunchy. If you have some left and want to eat them later, it is recommended to place them in an airtight container and store them at room temperature. They can last for up to a week but will start to lose their crispiness.

To freeze cheese chips, place them in a vacuum-sealed bag or a firm ziplock bag and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months.

• Make sure the container is completely sealed to prevent air from getting in and causing the chips to become stale.
• Store the chips in a cool, dry place. Avoid storing them in a humid environment as moisture can cause the chips to become soggy.
• If you are storing different flavours of cheese chips, it is best to keep them in separate containers to prevent the flavours from mixing.
• To maintain the crispiness of the chips, consider placing a food dehydrator packet or a silica gel packet in the storage container to absorb any excess moisture.
• If you notice any mould on the chips, discard them immediately.

Crisps vs chips

There is a lot of confusion surrounding the terms "crisps" and "chips", especially when comparing usage in the UK, the US, and Canada.

In the US, fried potatoes are typically called "fries" unless they are cut very thin and sold in sealed foil bags, in which case they are called "chips".

In the UK, "crisps" are thin slices of potato that have been deep-fried, baked, or air-fried until crunchy, and then seasoned. "Chips" are similar to French fries and are served hot. "Crisps" are eaten at room temperature.

In Canada, "fries" can refer to any type of fried potato, but thicker-cut varieties are sometimes called "chips". "Fish and chips" and "chip trucks" have kept the term "chips" in Canadian English.

Some other varieties of "chips" and "crisps" include:

• "Crisps" in the UK can include thinly cut wafers of potato that have been fried and sprayed with natural flavours, such as cheese and onion, or chilli and squid.
• "Chips" in the UK are typically thicker than "fries" and are often served with fish as in "fish and chips".
• "Fries" in the US are typically thin and crispy, such as those served at McDonald's.
• "Chips" in the US can refer to thin, shelf-stable shingles of potato sold in sealed foil bags.
• "Kettle chips" or "hand-cooked chips" are premium, thicker chips that are batch-cooked.
• Pringles, while officially branded as "potato crisps" in the US, are often termed "crisps" in the UK to distinguish them from traditional "crisps" that are made from sliced potatoes.
• "Potato sticks" or "shoestring potatoes" are extremely thin versions of French fries that are fried like regular salted potato chips.

Other keto snacks

While cheese crisps are a great keto snack, there are plenty of other options to choose from. Here are some ideas for other keto-friendly snacks:

Sweet snacks:

• Peanut butter keto cookies
• No-bake peanut butter coconut cookies
• Chocolate coconut popsicles
• Raspberry lemon popsicles
• Coconut yogurt
• Peanut butter blueberry frozen yogurt bites
• Keto bars
• Dark chocolate (70% cocoa or higher)

Savoury snacks:

• Deli roll-ups: roll turkey, ham, or roast beef with cheese
• Veggie sticks with guacamole
• Greek yogurt parfait
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Keto trail mix: combine unsweetened coconut flakes, nuts, and a few dark chocolate chunks
• Caprese skewers: thread cherry tomatoes, mozzarella balls, and fresh basil leaves onto toothpicks
• Nut butter dippers: dip celery or cucumber sticks into almond or peanut butter
• Smoked salmon rolls: roll up smoked salmon with cream cheese and a sprinkle of chives
• Pickles and cheese cubes
• Seaweed snacking sheets
• Celery with cream cheese
• Egg salad lettuce wraps
• Chicken meatball skewers
• Chicken bacon asparagus twists
• Bacon cheddar devilled eggs
• Pesto chicken low-carb broccoli parmesan cups
• Everything bagel parm chips
• Quinoa seed crackers
• Chili-lime pineapple cucumber sticks
• Bacon-wrapped Brussels sprouts
• Keto breakfast sandwiches

Frequently asked questions