34 Keto Popcorn Alternatives Perfect for Movie Night

I love the movies but I hate walking by the concession stand at the theatre. That buttery smell of popcorn is almost irresistible. After all, what goes better with a movie than hot, fresh popcorn?

You might think popcorn is keto, but it’s simply not worth breaking my keto diet.

After all, corn is a grain and just a cup of the stuff can have as many as 5 grams of net carbs. My favorite snack is just not worth it!

Thankfully, I’ve found some Keto-friendly snacks to swap in for my movie nights. All of these recipes hit the same addictive crunchy, savory notes that I crave in popcorn. Cauliflower popcorn even looks the same!

Whether you’re in the mood for a spicy snack, such as Keto-friendly pepperoni chips, or a blast of garlic dill flavor with our cucumber chips, you’re sure to find your new favorite Keto-friendly film food with this list of 35 delicious recipes!

Here are just a few of the Keto Popcorn Alternatives we’ve included:

If you click or tap any of the links above, it will instantly take you to the recipe below. Or download the entire list by clicking on the green button below.

Keto “Popcorn”

– My Keto Kitchen

Ingredients: cheddar cheese.

This keto recipe has only one ingredient and you will not believe it till you try it! After drying out the cheese you simply pop it in the oven for a few minutes and watch the magic happen as the cheese puffs explode into life! So next time you need a tasty snack while you’re watching the game, you can make some of these zero carb treats and tuck in without feeling guilty.

– Maria Mind Body Health

Ingredients: cauliflower, butter or coconut oil, walnuts or sunflower seeds, Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast, Celtic sea salt / fresh cauliflower, Mrs. Dash Table Blend seasoning, salt.

– Maria Mind Body Health

Ingredients: eggs, vanilla egg white or whey protein, vanilla extract (or other extracts: almond, coconut, maple), xylitol (or Swerve confectioners), butter, heavy whipping cream.

This is another low carb snack recipe that would satisfy your sweet tooth without the need for regular sugar. You have crispy ‘popcorn’ smothered in a caramel sauce and baked until the caramel gives a crunchy coating, just like regular caramel popcorn. With only one gram of carbs, this is a definite go-to for game night and you can also give this to the kids to help wean them off sugary snacks.

– Healthful Pursuit

Ingredients: coconut oil, pork belly, grey sea salt, five spice.

Popcorn is normally associated with a trip to the cinema or when you are watching a film at home but it is packed with sugar and has a really high carb level which is not helpful for keto people. That’s where this tasty snack comes in! It is crunchy and satisfying as a snack and comes with a great sticky sauce to use as a dip. This is a dairy, gluten and grain free recipe the whole family will enjoy!

– Foodie Fiasco

Ingredients: cauliflower, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, chili powder, salt.

Isn’t cauliflower amazing? You can even turn it into your crispy snack to enjoy while you watch a film! If you are eating keto for weight loss this would be a great snack as it is very low in carbs and calories so you don’t have any guilty feelings as you eat. This is so tasty because of the garlic and chili, with just a hint of cheesy flavor from the nutritional yeast, but you can play around with the flavors to suit your own palate.

– Lowcarb-ology

Ingredients: cauliflower, butter, taco seasoning, salt.

This keto recipe uses cauliflower as the popcorn, which isn’t exactly the same as the regular stuff, but with much less carbs and a great flavor it could easily become your favorite snack. The popcorn only takes minutes to make and is such an easy recipe that even kids could make this. Taco seasoning is used here, but you can have fun experimenting with different flavors.

– Your Lighter Side

Ingredients: egg whites, cream of tartar, egg yolks, cream cheese, flavored popcorn salt.

This gluten and sugar free recipe would be ideal if you are not a fan of cauliflower, which can sometimes be a popcorn alternative. This is a simple recipe to follow and if you don’t have a dehydrator it gives instructions on how you can dry the snacks in the oven. If you prefer your popcorn sweet, you can omit the cream cheese and add some vanilla and cinnamon instead.

– Stupid Simple Keto Recipes

Ingredients: cauliflower florets, MCT or peanut oil, eggs, almond flour, sea salt, butter.

Here is another great keto popcorn recipe that gives you two snacks for one! There is a cheese puff recipe and the deep-fried cauliflower popcorn one so the choice of snack is up to you. It takes hours to make the cheese puffs as you have to dry the cheese first so this could be a snack to make ahead of time, but if you are looking for a quick fix you can make the cauliflower option in a few minutes.

– Foodie with Family

Ingredients: cauliflower, lime juice, extra virgin olive oil, chili powder, kosher or sea salt.

If you like your keto snacks to have a bit of a kick then this is the recipe for you! It has a good chili heat and the citrus flavor of lime which mask the cauliflower taste and makes it go down well with veggie-dodgers! This gluten and grain free recipe is suitable for vegans and can be stored in an air-tight jar for up to one month. This tastes best once it is cool as it continues to crisp up during this time.

Keto Chips

Ingredients: pepperoni.

Sometimes we need a good salty snack to munch while we are relaxing, so this keto recipe would be just the thing! With only one ingredient this is also a cheaper option than some, but it is packed with flavor. These tasty zero carb and sugar free chips are great on their own or you could serve them with a dip like keto guacamole. Perfect for parties!

– Keto Summit

Ingredients: chia or flax meal, almond flour, Italian seasoning, salt, water.

When you are following a specific eating plan it can be difficult to get crunchy snacks that are not full of carbs, so homemade tortilla chips can be a great snack to try. These ones are easy to make and can be cooked in the microwave or oven, then you can enjoy them with your choice of dip or with salsa or crumbled over salad. Now finding crunch is not a problem!

Ingredients: Honeyville Almond Flour, egg, salt, Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime No Salt Seasoning.

Chile and lime are a great combination of flavor and give these low carb chips a bit of a kick, so they would be great to serve with some keto guacamole or as a side for your next Mexican meal. They are crispy but strong enough to pick up any dip without breaking. To avoid the dough sticking you are best to oil the parchment paper then roll the dough between two sheets with a rolling pin.

– Keto Diet Blog

Ingredients: unsweetened coconut chips, coconut oil, Tandoori seasoning blend.

Coconut is a fantastic ingredient to use for keto snacks because it is low in carbs and can help with regulating blood sugar, but it takes on the seasoning well to give you a tasty treat to snack on whenever you need it. You are best to allow these chips to cool completely as this will crisp them up even more, then they can be stored in a container for up to a week.

– Wicked Stuffed

Photo Credit: Amanda from Wicked Stuffed

Ingredients: cheddar cheese or mexican blend, sea salt, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, paprika, chili powder.

This is one of the simplest low carb cheese chip recipes around and the end results are firm enough to scoop up dips and salsa. They are made only with cheese and spices and don’t involve any grains or gluten, but the flavor is so good that these could become your favorite for snacking or at parties. These can be stored in a bag for a few days if you have any left over.

– The Nourished Caveman

Photo Credit: Vivica from The Nourished Caveman

Ingredients: almond butter, hemp seeds, fish sauce, garlic cloves, coconut aminos, avocado oil, cabbage leaves.

These amazing cabbage chips are flavored with garlic and have a lovely Asian flavor from the fish sauce and aminos, and these would be great as party food served with a low carb dip. You can also cook these in the oven if you don’t have a dehydrator, and the same recipe can be used to make kale chips as well. These can be stored for up to three days if you have any left!

Photo Credit: Kyndra from Peace Love and Low Carb

Ingredients: cucumbers, dried dill, onion powder, garlic powder, apple cider vinegar, sea salt.

It is becoming more common to find chips that are not made from potato, but I was so surprised to find out you can make keto chips from cucumber! These lovely crunchy snacks are flavored with herbs and can be served with any dip you like. If you don’t have a mandolin to cut these thinly you can use a potato peeler instead, although they won’t be quite as thin so might need extra cooking time.

Ingredients: egg whites, cream of tartar, frozen cheddar cheese, almond flour, garlic powder.

The first time I made these fantastic keto cheatos the whole family went wild over them! They are crispy and cheesy and just perfect for satisfying that need for a snack while you are watching a film or following your favorite team. If you like a bit of spice in your snacks you can add a little hot sauce to the mixture, but these taste great just the way they are!

Keto Pork Rinds & Jerky

Ingredients: pork skin, salt and spices of choice (suggestion: Chinese five spice).

Pork rinds make the best and tastiest keto snacks and if you make your own you can control what ingredients you use, making them so much healthier than store bought ones. You have the choice of what flavorings you use – these ones have a Chinese five spice flavor but mild curry flavor is good! And remember that crushed pork rinds can be used as a crispy coating for chicken breast or chops.

Ingredients: beef roast, vinegar of your choice, garlic powder, onion powder, gluten-free tamari sauce or coconut aminos, salt, coriander seeds, ground coriander, black pepper.

With the flavors of coriander seeds, garlic and onion, this beef jerky is very similar to traditional South African biltong, and it can be very useful as a tasty snack for keto people. It is easy to transport and makes a good snack for traveling or hiking. If you are wondering why we use vinegar in this recipe, it is to stop bacterial growth on the beef, so don’t skip this step!

– Keto Summit

Ingredients: bacon, erythritol, curry powder.

Traditionally, candied bacon involved using brown sugar, so I was delighted to find this keto recipe that tastes just as good but is sugar free. If you like your bacon with a bit of spice, you can use a strong curry powder, or a mild one for the curry flavor without the heat. This makes a great snack for parties or just to keep you going till dinner, just try to limit yourself to two bacon slices!

– Paleo Flourish

Ingredients: pork skin, salt, spices of choice (suggestion: paleo cajun seasoning consisting of paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, dried oregano, dried thyme, dried basil, salt).

This is such a simple paleo recipe that will give you snacks for the whole family to enjoy. The choice of flavoring is up to you, but a couple of ideas to try would be mild curry powder or Chinese five spice. These paleo snacks are perfect to enjoy while you relax in front of the tv, or you could pack some in a bag to have mid-afternoon at work or school.

– Paleo Flourish

Ingredients: beef roasting joint, vinegar, cayenne powder, onion powder, garlic powder, gluten-free tamari sauce or coconut aminos, salt, black pepper.

Store-bought beef jerky can be packed with all manner of unhealthy ingredients, so why not try making it yourself so you know it has no ‘nasties’ in it by following this paleo jerky recipe? It keeps well in an airtight container for up to six months, although we doubt it will last that long! When you are preparing the meat, try to remove all the fat before cooking as it goes off really quickly.

– Healing Autoimmune

Ingredients: beef roasting joint, apple cider vinegar, onion powder, garlic powder, gluten-free tamari sauce or coconut aminos, salt, turmeric.

If you are lucky enough to have a dehydrator, this great beef jerky could become your snack of choice when you are traveling as it is easy to pack and very portable. It has the Asian flavors of garlic and ginger, rounded off by the coconut aminos which makes the flavor richer. The jerky can be dried to the level you like and with only one gram of carbohydrate per serving this is a really low carb recipe.

Photo Credit: Tasha from Ketogasm

Ingredients: beef (sub eye round or bottom round as needed), traditional flavor jerky marinade (coconut aminos, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika), salt.

If you are a fan of beef jerky but have realized that store-bought ones have high amounts of carbohydrate in them, you might want to try this smoky jerky recipe. You are going to marinade the meat overnight so this recipe needs a bit of preparation time, but the results are so tasty that it is well worth the time. If you don’t have a meat slicer to get the slices thin enough you can ask your butcher to cut it for you.

– Ditch the Carbs

Photo Credit: Libby from Ditch The Carbs

Ingredients: sheets of pork crackling, oil, salt, herbs or spices.

Crackling has been enjoyed for many years and is a super source of energy, hence the reason why it has even been taken on Polar expeditions! This is a simple low carb recipe but the great snack you get at the end of cooking is very tasty and the only flavoring you need is salt. This will store in an airtight container for a few days, but you probably won’t have any left to store!

– All Day I Dream About Food

Ingredients: pork back fat and skin, sea salt, pepper.

Chicharrones are the Latin American version of pork rinds and can be served as a snack on their own or as part of a meal. Once you have tried these healthy and tasty snacks you will never go back to store-bought ones! Once you have cut the fat from the skin, this can be rendered down to make your own lard, or frozen and kept till the next time you are making keto sausages.

Keto Nuts and Seeds

– Keto Summit

Ingredients: raw almonds, avocado oil, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, salt.

Isn’t it funny how, when you settle down to watch a good movie, you suddenly need salty roasted nuts to snack on? Instead of the usual peanuts and cashews you could try these super-tasty keto-friendly almonds next time. They are well seasoned and have a bit of heat from the cayenne, but if you don’t like spice you could just omit it. These store well in an airtight container or a mason jar.

– Low Carb Yum

Photo Credit: Lisa from Low Carb Yum

Ingredients: almonds, unsweetened flaked coconut, sugar free dried cranberries, egg white, Pyure all purpose or 1/2 cup Swerve, ground cinnamon, salt.

Ingredients: pecans, Swerve or xylitol (we use 5), cinnamon, egg white, flakey sea salt / pecans, Swerve or xylitol, sesame seeds, cinnamon, egg white, flakey sea salt.

This is another great two-for-one recipe for sweet and tasty snacks! Both options are keto-friendly and gluten free and taste amazing, so whether you prefer the classic pecans with blackstrap molasses for a rich flavor or the sesame sugar ones, the choice is yours. If you crush up some of these pecans they also make a wonderfully crunchy topping for ice cream.

– Keto Diet Blog

Ingredients: raw almonds, olive oil, paprika, chili powder, salt, cumin. onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper.

In this keto recipe the nuts are soaked for twelve hours before roasting and this makes the nuts more digestible than regular ones. They are then seasoned and baked till they are crispy and delicious. With all the spices and flavors associated with barbecues, these would make a lovely snack to serve at a drinks party or to nibble on while watching a film.

– Keto Diet Blog

Ingredients: pecans, fresh rosemary, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, pink Himalayan salt, fresh lemon zest, extra virgin olive oil or melted ghee.

I much prefer savory snacks rather than sweet ones, so I found this recipe was perfect. The nuts have a salty and smoky flavor and a lovely buttery texture once they are roasted. Unless you are willing to stand over the oven while they cook, don’t be tempted to use butter instead of the oil as it has a tendency to burn quite easily. These keto snacks are great when you are entertaining.

– Ketogasm

Photo Credit: Tasha from Ketogasm

Ingredients: pumpkin seeds, ghee, sea salt, garam masala.

This recipe uses garam masala which is a blend of Indian spices but does not give any heat. This makes a wonderful flavoring to coat the pumpkin seeds, which can be used as a healthy keto snack to keep you going through the day, or to enjoy while you watch television. Pumpkin seeds are very healthy and give you zinc, magnesium and healthy fatty acids and can help control cholesterol.

Photo Credit: Lisa from Cook Eat Paleo

Ingredients: almonds, walnuts, pecans, garlic infused olive oil, smoked sea salt, smoked sweet paprika, smoked hot paprika.

Nuts can be a great source of energy without increasing your carb intake too much and, if you coat them like the ones in this paleo recipe, can be a super-tasty snack or party food when you have friends round. The paprika adds a lovely smoky flavor and this low-carb snack can help keep you going through the day. Try to use a mixture of nuts for added variety in flavor.

– Next Mile Meals

Ingredients: Simply Lite dark chocolate (sugar-free), almonds, macadamia nuts.

In this low carb keto recipe, the trail mix is a blend of nuts and dark chocolate and does not need cooking at all, so this would be perfect to throw together if you are hiking. This is designed as a snack for active people, and as it is high in calories, it is not for when you are sitting relaxing. You can boost the goodness even more by adding some freeze-dried berries as well.

Keto Movie Snacks

As you can see, there are so many options for swapping out popcorn. All it takes is the right ingredients and a little time in the kitchen. 

But what about Keto snacks for movie lovers who don’t have time to cook? Fortunately there are great keto snack options for those of us who prefer to buy them instead.

Here’s a list of some delightfully crunchy, salty keto popcorn substitutes you can pick up next time you shop:

At Walmart:

At Target:

At Whole Foods:

On Amazon:

* contains dairy

Frequently Asked Questions

How to eat keto at the movies?

What to eat instead of popcorn?

If you’re looking for a keto popcorn substitute the list of options is long and quite tasty! You can select an easy recipe from our list above, or you can shop ahead for nuts, pork rinds, cheese crisps, and beef jerky.