The Best Keto Road Trip Snacks When Traveling
Going on a road trip can present challenges for any type of special diet. While there are certainly some simple hacks to grabbing a keto-friendly bite on the road, finding healthy choices for the ketogenic diet at a gas station or roadside convenience store isn't necessarily always an option.
Being prepared is essential for success. Prepping is more than just mapping out the places you can get a bunless fast-food burger, but that's not out of the question in a pinch. Sometimes for brief moments in your ketogenic life, you'll need to resort to a version of "lazy keto" just to keep your net carbs down long enough to find some veggies.
That being said, packing a cooler of road trip snacks is probably the best way to stave off hunger while keeping your body in ketosis for the long drive ahead. We've come up with 23 of the best keto snacks to rely on when you're hitting the road
3 Best Keto Snacks:
These three snacks are both filling and delicious. Packed with powerful MCT oils and healthy fats, these go-to can be your first line of defense to keep your ketones up and your body burning fats on the road.
#1 Bulletproof Cold Brew Coffee
Any keto coffee will do, but when you're on the go, a pre-mixed, ready-to-drink cold brew is very likely the best bang for your buck. The folks at Bulletproof have blended all the greats into single-serving tetra packs, perfect to toss in your snack cooler.
Buy it here.
#2 SuperFat Nut Butters
No matter which flavor you choose, you're getting the very best fats from macadamia nuts and MCTs oils. Grab a variety pack and bring them all. These don't need to be kept cold either, so save room in your cooler for more on this list.
Buy it here.
#3 Perfect Keto Snack Bars
Choose from six delicious flavors for the perfect mid-day fuel. These bars check all the boxes and are sweetened with stevia, so you get some sweet without the sugar. These are also shelf-stable.
Buy it here.
5 Healthy Snacks:
Like we said, healthy road trip snacks can be a challenge. But being prepared is the key to success. If you plan ahead and pack some keto-friendly goodies, you'll be able to stick to your meal plan til you reach your destination.
#4 Crudité with High-Fat Dip
Cutting up some veggies to dip in a high-fat dip like flavored cream cheese, full-fat ranch, bleu cheese, guacamole, or pesto is a simple way to keep up with your fiber on the road.
#5 Sardines and Flax Crackers
Sardines remain one of the best sources of protein, calcium, and sodium you can get for your low-carb lifestyle. They're contained in a tin until you're ready to eat them, and when paired with a keto-friendly cracker like a flax cracker, you can't go wrong.
#6 Macadamia Nuts
While basically all nuts are keto-friendly in the right quantities, macadamia nuts are packed with a special type of monounsaturated fat that helps promote gut health, stable blood sugar, and more. Try them dry-roasted with sea salt.
#7 Peeled Hard-Boiled Eggs
Hard-boiled eggs might seem boring, but they're about as easy and nutritious as it gets when it comes to a simple snack. High-protein and filled with healthy fats from the yolk, pop one or two of these and you should be good for hours. Take it to the next level by making egg salad with your low-carb crackers.
#8 Avocado
No matter which way you slice it, avocados are good for you. Filled with healthy fats, a big shot of fiber, and incredibly filling, this yummy sugar-free fruit will get you through your road trip. pull over to make some quick guacamole or cut in half and add a little bit of salt and pepper to dig in with a spoon.
5 Snacks For Kids:
These snacks are great for the whole family, but they'll certainly make your life easier with kids in the car. For younger kids, some of these might work best at a pit stop, depending on how clean you like to keep your back seat.
#9 String Cheese
Who doesn't love a good string cheese? Grab a pack of full-fat sticks, and your kids will be entertained and satisfied for hours.
#10 Ants on a Log
A classic kid's snack, ants on a log is celery stuffed with peanut butter and topped with a few raisins (ants). While raisins aren't typically included in a keto diet, making ants on a log with 3 or 4 raisins is probably ok. If you're worried about it, swap them for blueberries. Ants on a log can be done with peanut butter, any other nut butter, or even cream cheese.
#11 Ham and Cheese Roll-up
Simple, easy, clean for the car, and a great snack for the whole family—dress these up however you like. For the picky eater, these two ingredients are enough. For a more sophisticated palette, add a few slices of dill pickle, and some mustard
#12 Mini Babybel Cheese
A perfect sack lunch ingredient, Babybel cheese is great for the road. And if you have a creative kid, they could even sculpt the wax into something when they're done eating.
Available locally - learn more here.
#13 Mini Pizza Muffins
This delicious recipe requires some time in the kitchen before you hit the road, but if you're packing for a few people over the course of a few days, it might be worth it to put in the time. Delicious for the whole family, bite-sized, and who doesn't love cold pizza?
Get the recipe here.
3 Sweet Snacks:
Sweets can sometimes get the short end of the stick on the keto diet. Staying keto and enjoying sweets isn't really rocket science though. It's just a matter of figuring out the type of low-carb sweetener you like and making or finding things that fit.
#14 Highkey Mini Cookies
These delicious treats come in a few flavors, but Chocolate Brownie ones take the cake. Extra rich but not too filling, these erythritol-sweetened treats are high-fat and hit the spot.
Buy them here.
#15 Three-Ingredient Cheesecake Keto Fat Bombs
Another homemade delight you can make in advance, these fat bombs are a quick and easy pick-me-up for the long road ahead. And with only three ingredients, they'll be ready in a snap.
Get the recipe here.
#16 70% Dark Chocolate
Whether you go with a bar of chocolate or chocolate chips, there's nothing like some rich dark chocolate to satisfy a sweet craving and give you a little energy boost all at the same time. Check your carb counts on these, but as long as you're in that 70% and above range, you should be good to go.
3 Salty Snacks:
#17 Jerky
Beef jerky, turkey jerky, pork jerky, elk jerky, even salmon jerky. They're all great for the keto diet if they follow one simple rule: they're sugar-free. Lots of new brands of jerky have fancy flavors like honey lime or Hawaiian. These flavors can add sugar that will mess up your keto meal. Make sure you read the label, and you'll find yourself the perfect jerky.
#18 Cured Meat
Whether you make some bacon in advance of your trip as a quick one-handed road snack or you choose a whole charcuterie of salami, prosciutto, capicola, and the works, quick cured meats are a very easy way to down some protein and fat on the go.
#19 Dill Pickle
This gas station favorite might be one of the few things you'll find that hits the spot along the way. Just make sure there's no added sugar, and drink lots of water with it!
4 Crispy/Crunchy Snacks
#20 Quest Tortilla Style Chips
Quest makes all sorts of diet-friendly foods, but if you're not feeling the Quest bars, these chips will surely turn you into a fan. With lots of flavors to choose from, these crispy, crunchy treats will get you where you need to go.
Buy them here.
#21 Whisps
Cheese crisps aren't just parmesan anymore. Whisps come in 7 flavors, including cheddar, asiago, tomato basil, and more. These crunchy treats take the cake for easy, on-the-go snacking. They're portioned out so you won't overdo it, and they're packed with umami for that craving crush.
Buy them here or in a store near you.
#22 4505 Pork Rinds
These probably aren't your gas station pork rinds—those will work in a pinch—but if you want something a little bit higher quality and more flavors to choose from, include 4505 pork rinds to your grocery store shopping list before you hit the road.
Buy them here or in a store near you.
#23 Keto No-Bake Crunch Bars
Another amazing keto recipe you can bring if you plan ahead, these crispy dessert bars by All Day I Dream About Food will have you wondering why you ever bothered with the Nestle version.
Get the recipe here.
Tips for Snacking On the Go
Keto road trip snacks don't have to involve a bunch of complicated recipes. If you want to spend some time in the kitchen making something ahead of time, great! If not, there are plenty of ready-made options available for you to pack. It's just a matter of being prepared. This list should help get you started.
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Toni Sicola
Toni is a wellness professional with a Master's in Integrative Health, is passionate about spreading health, happiness, and personal fulfillment to as many people as possible. She has a professional background in health and wellness, dietary supplements, and nutrition, and embarks every day to live a well, balanced, happy life.
Published: February 2, 2021
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