Seriously delicious and totally addictive! You’ll be hard-pressed to believe these homemade keto cheetos are packed with all good-for-you ingredients!
Paleo & Keto Cheetos
A 5 Minute Hack!
The easiest recipe in the entire site (I keep saying this, but true fact)! More than a recipe, I might just call it a nice and nifty hack…. that just so happens to taste like pure junk food (in the best of ways).
You see, I consider myself quite the pork rind connoisseur (like every single other Mexican peep out there…!). So when I came across this baked variety (which has 40% less calories!), I couldn’t help but be intrigued. They were awesomely puffy… but also kinda dry and lacked some flavor (i.e. fat).
Because let’s face it fat = taste. So after playing around with a ‘cheesy’ mix to make them a little more extra…. some pretty gorgeous cheesy puffs were born.
And while I do get that pork rinds are not for everyone, I do think it’s important to take a nose-to-tail approach when it comes to our animal produce (and keep them as hormone free, organic, grass-fed as possible). Bone broth is a primary example of this, but the skin is part of this too. And it doesn’t hurt that its fatty macros make it a keto ideal.
For The Crunchy ‘Cheetos’
As mentioned, pork rinds guys! But tbh in order to get that airy crisp bite you’ll want to procure the baked variety (such as these). The pink Himalayan sea salt ones work a charm (not sponsored). It’s also great that they’re antibiotic free etc.
And note that while I think these pork rinds are awesome for these keto cheetos (and would work great as panic breading too!), they’re a bit too dry solo. But less calories guys…!
And did I mention nil carbs?
For The ‘Cheesy’ Note
Don’t kill me, but I’m dropping a cheese alternative on you! The thing is that powdered cheese is generally packed with cornstarch, maltodextrin and food colorings… and it’s a pain to make at home without some form of starch.
So I took the vegan route with nutritional yeast. And before you snob on this wonderful ingredient, trust the paleo and vegan communities in that it really does resemble cheese. Different yes, but seriously delicious.
Fun fact: nutritional yeast is a powerful source of vitamins, particularly rich in vitamin B12, as well as being a complete protein.
(5 Min!) Homemade Paleo & Keto Cheetos
Ingredients
For the 'cheeto' topping
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper to taste
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon kosher salt to taste
For the 'cheetos'
Instructions
- Add all the topping ingredients to a bullet (spice or coffee grinder) and blend until smooth. Nutritional yeast is flaky, so you want it ground smooth. Oh, and feel free to play with the cayenne for a 'flaming hot' version!
- Lightly spray your baked pork rinds with an oil (avocado and olive oil sprays work great), as it'll make the topping adhere properly. Transfer the pork rinds to a plastic bag, sprinkle the topping and give it a good shake. Enjoy!
Explain to me again why you can’t use regular old fried pork rinds. Please!!
Oh you can Sara! I just think the non fried ones work better texture wise here xo!
These are so good!!!
🙂
what size bag of pork rinds do you use for this recipe?
Due to religious convictions we do NOT eat Pork. could I whip up some stiff egg whites and fold in the topping and cheese powder and pipe out some to be baked? would that work?
I’m not sure Denise of the exact ratios, but I do know there are commercially available versions of what you are stating… I’ll add it to the list of ‘things to try’! xo!
Me too! Go on Amazon and order the Howard’s Chicken crackling ! Better tasting and works same. Sabbat shalom!
Ooooh I didn’t know these where a thing!! 🙌🏼
How many ounces or grams of the pork rinds.. I buy the big tub from Costco
Do you have a suggestion for replacing the nutritional yeast? I can’t eat it right now.
The only thing Shauna would be to use actual cheddar cheese powder (I think Anthony’s makes one!) xo!
I love these, have made them quite a few times now. As someone with a dairy allergy finding a keto recipe with no dairy is especially nice. I make a double batch of the seasoning and sprinkle it on salads, zucchini chips and just about anything else I can think of. Thanks so much for sharing.
My pleasure Leanne!