Keto-Friendly Beef Jerky Brands (Names & Qualities)

There are not that many things people expect keto-friendly brands of beef jerky to do -- in fact, having little to no carbs pretty much covers it. However, meeting this requirement is not as straight-cut as it may sound. 

Though it’s true that the natural composition of beef is nearly all protein and fat (of which the latter is mostly removed through the curing process), carbs can sneak their way into the jerky through hidden sugars. This can happen especially with sweet flavors of jerky when companies opt for corn syrup over healthier, natural sweeteners such as pineapple or raspberry juice. 

Thankfully, not all beef jerky is made alike, and there’s no reason why jerky can’t be a perfectly delectable, guilt-free and keto-compliant snack. Here are a couple things you should seek if you’re looking for keto-friendly brands of beef jerky.

Pssst...If you want a quick way to discover keto jerky brands on auto-pilot with no further reading, subscribe to LOLJerky. You’ll discover clean craft jerky that complies with the keto diet every month, delivered to your doorstep!

What to look for in ketogenic beef jerky

Low carbs & low sugars (especially important when it comes to keto-friendly beef jerky brands)

Clearly, a keto-friendly brand of beef jerky must be low in carbs and sugars. Checking this is usually very straightforward: just look at the nutritional label. For beef jerky, 8 grams of sugar is a moderate amount, with some varieties going even lower. Some brands will pack in higher amounts of sugar (often using corn syrup) -- so just watch out!

Low calories

There may be several reasons why you’re on a keto diet, but if one of them is maintaining your figure or losing weight, then you’ll definitely want your keto-friendly beef jerky to be stingy with the calories. There are many excellent brands of beef jerky that make keto-friendly jerky with under 100 calories per a 1-ounce serving. 

Healthy fats & fat levels

Beef is typically associated with high levels of saturated fat, but this actually depends a great deal on the beef. While it’s true that red meat is generally higher in saturated fat than fish meat, there is a quite a lot of variation in fat levels depending on how the animals were raised. After all, you are what you eat, and this goes for cows too! 

It has been shown that when compared to grain-fed beef, grass-fed has much lower levels of saturated fat yet significantly higher in healthy omega-3 fats. The most ketogenic brands will therefore use 100% grass-fed beef, to help you maximize the healthy fats you eat. 

What are some keto-friendly brands of beef jerky?

Keto-friendly brands of beef jerky may vary based on who they are for, as different people may have different calorie requirements, which ultimately affects how many grams of fat, protein, and carbs is recommended for you on the keto-diet. 

The standard keto diet typically calls for 70% fat, 20% protein and 10% carbs -- the high-protein ketogenic diet often has a ratio of 60% fat, 35% protein and 5% carbs. This will mean very different things for a person on a 1500 calorie diet and another on a 3200 calorie diet, so it’s hard to find “one size fits all” answers when it comes to keto-friendly foods. However, jerky brands that fulfill the points mentioned above and have few or no carbohydrates can be quite easily worked into a number of different keto diet varieties and meal plans. 

Here are just a couple examples of keto-friendly brands that you can find in LOLJerky’s monthly subscription boxes:

Think Jerky (Keto-Friendly Jerky Made by a Chef!)

As one of the highest-protein jerky brands on the market while keeping carbs to a minimum, Think Jerky is an excellent candidate for a delicious keto-friendly snack.

The Classic flavor includes an incredible 12 grams of protein and a moderate 6 grams of carbs packed into a delicious 70-calorie serving. Even their sweeter flavors have a very similar profile, with the Sriracha Honey, for example, comprising 12 grams of protein, 6 grams of carbs, and 60 calories. All Think Jerky beef snacks use 100% grass-fed beef, and their turkey jerky is free-range turkey.

Think Jerky - Classic	Think Jerky - Sriracha Honey
Ingredients: 100% Grass-Fed Beef, Water, Brown Cane Sugar, Sea Salt, Orange Concentrate (Oranges), Granulated Garlic, Onion Powder, Black Pepper	Ingredients: Free-Range Turkey, Gluten-Free Tamari, Brown Cane Sugar, Sriracha Powder, Honey, Onion Powder, Cayenne Pepper Contains: Soy

Try Think Jerky in our monthly subscription box! 

 

Righteous Felon

One of the most keto-friendly flavors of beef jerky is by Righteous Felon with their Black Garlic Biltong jerky. It boasts a whopping 16 grams of protein per serving, with not even 1 gram of carbohydrates -- the best guilt-free keto snack!

Even their more seasoned flavors still fit the bill: Habanero Escobar, for instance, has only 5 grams of carbohydrates (coming from brown sugar) and a mere 60 calories. In any case, their ingredient lists have no questionable items, with no antibiotics and hormones used in the raising of the cattle to produce top-quality meat that has lived happy, wholesome lives. 

Try Righteous Felon jerky in our monthly subscription box! 

Roy Rogers

Roy Rogers Filet Mignon Jerky is another meat snack that followers of the high-protein ketogenic diet will love! A 1oz serving contains 10g of protein, along with 6g of sugars and 6g of carbs. While not as high in protein and low in carbs Righteous Felon's Black Garlic Biltong jerky, it's a great product for mixing up your jerky routine.

 

Ingredients: Filet mignon beef, brown sugar, soy sauce (soybeans, wheat, water, salt), apple cider vinegar, celery juice powder, sea salt, paprika, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, ginger, natural hickory smoke flavor.

Contains: Wheat, soy.

Try Roy Rogers' jerky in our monthly subscription box!

Summary

As you can see from the keto-friendly jerky brand examples above, there can be quite a bit of variation not just between brands, but also between jerky flavors within the same brand.

You won’t get the exact same macro and micro nutrient composition from any two jerkies, but the best quality brands make sure to minimize sugars and calories and maximize healthy fats no matter the flavor. When you look for keto-friendly jerky brands, keep the points mentioned above in mind and make sure to read the nutritional facts and ingredient lists carefully to see if the jerky fits your dietary needs. 

Subscribe to a Keto-Friendly Jerky Box Today

If you’d rather not spend the time looking, feel free to try LOLJerky, a gourmet jerky of the month club box. We send you up to 8 surprise flavors of lean 100% grass-fed and low-carb jerky every month. You will most often receive keto-friendly brands like the ones listed above. 

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