Is Popcorn Keto? + A Simple Keto Friendly Popcorn Recipe

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Last Updated on July 23, 2023 by Toya

Is popcorn keto? This is the question that thousands of people are asking.

My answer is this: You can eat popcorn on keto. Just not the type of popcorn that you’ve become used to. Keep reading to see your options.

Can you eat popcorn while on a low carb diet?

In its original state, you cannot eat popcorn on the keto diet. Popcorn is made from a grain called corn, which is extremely high in carbs. In fact, 1 cup of corn kernels contains 39 grams of carbs. Not good for any low-carb lifestyle. 

To take this further, in every 100 grams of popcorn, there are about 74 grams of carbs. This is not something you want to eat when you want to reach your goals and remain in ketosis. Therefore, when people ask,

Is popcorn keto?

The answer is it depends. If the popcorn is made out of corn kernels, which contain a lot of carbs, then no. However, if the popcorn is made out of substitute ingredients like cheese, it can work. This is because cheese is low carbs and can fit well into a low-carb lifestyle without kicking yourself out of ketosis! 

Keto popcorn recipe

If you’re looking for a keto popcorn recipe that you can enjoy guilt-free on the keto diet, then you’ll be glad you came here. This low carb recipe is made with a few ingredients and tastes so good, you’ll no longer crave the real thing.

Many diets, including keto can seem very restrictive, especially when it comes to eating out or snack time. In this case, if you’re looking for a way to enjoy popcorn again, whether it’s because you feel like having some popcorn, or, you’re looking for some easy-to-make keto movie snacks, then these are sure to become your go-to popcorn recipe.

 

Tips to make low carb popcorn:

This recipe is made with cheese. Here are some tips to make the recipe amazing.

• Tip 1 – Before you start you must know your cheese. Gouda cheese was used in the recipe, which is semi-hard cheese. You can use Gouda cheese or you can also use hard cheese. Do not go with soft types of cheese as you will not be able to make popcorn with these.
  
• Tip 2 – Cutting matters – if you cut your cheese into very small pieces, you will end up with melted cheese instead of crunchy low carb popcorn. Cut your cheese into ¼-inch pieces or slightly larger, but not over that. The smaller the cubes, the less time they will need to dry out.
• Tip 3 – Drying is very important. You have two choices: you can either use only the cheese rind with a thin layer of the cheese on it, and air dry for 1 hour, or use the entire block and dry the cheese for 3 hours. You will see how cheese “sweats” during that time. Make sure you pat the cheese dry before use.
• Tip 4 – Baking is very important. You will start baking the ‘keto pop corn’ at a very low heat then turn it up to make the cheese pop and turn.

By following these tips plus the instructions below, you be able to make some delicious cheese popcorn with just one ingredient that has amazing texture and flavor. Now, let’s see how to make this crunchy keto popcorn with cheese!

 

Ingredients to make the keto cheese popcorn

For this simple recipe, all you need is one ingredient which is:

• Semi-hard Gouda cheese

How to make keto friendly popcorn

Grab your piece of Gouda cheese to start your preparation.

Next, you will cut the cheese into ¼-inch cubes.

 

Then you will arrange the cheese cubes on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.

 

Let the cheese air dry for 3 hours. Make sure you pat the cheese dry with a kitchen towel.

Once the cheese is dry, preheat your oven to 140F.

Next, place the cheese on a middle rack and bake-dry for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, increase the heat to 300F and bake for a few minutes. After a few minutes the cheese will start popping.

 

Remove the cheese after 3 minutes of baking at a higher temperature and cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.

Serve these afterward. Also, feel free to read these low carb popcorn substitutes here for more ideas.

Tools used to make easy keto popcorn

These are the tools we used to make this easy recipe:

• knife
• cutting board
• baking sheet
• baking paper

More keto snack ideas

• Easy Keto Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Low Carb Peanut Butter Protein Bars
• Keto Zucchini Pizza Bites
• Easy 4 Ingredient Keto Cheesy Garlic Breadsticks