3 Ingredient Keto High Protein Cheetos

These crunchy cheesy homemade Cheetos are low carb, high protein and keto-friendly. The Cheetos need just 3 ingredients and are easy to make. They come out crunchy and crispy.

These homemade cheese puffs are an easy and crunchy snack. Everyone in my family enjoyed these. They also happen to be low carb, high protein, keto-friendly and carnivore.

Ingredients

• Chicken thighs
• Cheddar cheese
• Egg

Chicken: I made these with boneless skinless chicken thighs, which add more flavor to the Cheetos without the need for salt or other seasonings. You can use chicken tenderloin or chicken breast but the cheese puffs will turn out drier and not as flavorful.

Cheddar cheese: The cheddar cheese is the key to helping these crisp up. The cheese needs to be frozen first. If you don’t freeze the cheese, it will melt off the Cheetos as they bake.

Egg: Egg is used as a binder to hold the ingredients together.

How to Make High Protein Cheetos

• The chicken thighs are pulsed in a food processor until broken down into smaller pieces.
• Add the cheese and egg and continue to mix in the food processor until the mixture becomes like a paste.
• Transfer the mixture to a piping bag and use a round piping tip to pipe the Cheetos. You can pipe them straight, wavy, or whatever design you prefer.
• If desired, you can also spray cooking oil on the Cheetos before baking. This makes them extra crunchy but they will still get crunchy without it.
• Bake until crispy and golden.

Texture

These Cheetos are crispy and crunchy soon after they are baked. They do lose some of their crunch when stored in the fridge, but reheating them will make them crunchy again. I have another homemade Cheetos recipe that stays crunchy even when stored.

Expert Tips

• Make sure your cheese is frozen before using. Otherwise, it will melt off the cheese snacks as they bake.
• You can replace chicken thighs with chicken breast or tenderloin but the puffs come out drier and less flavorful.
• You can add salt and seasoning to suit your personal tastes.

More Snack Recipes

• 1 Ingredient Chicken Tortilla Chips
• 3 Ingredient Crackers 
• 1 Ingredient Cottage Cheese Chips

5 from 1 vote

3 Ingredient Keto High Protein Cheetos

Crunchy, cheesy, and made with just three real ingredients—these baked Cheetos-style snacks are low-carb, high-protein, carnivore and keto-friendly. Made from chicken, eggs, and cheddar, they’re a fun, savory bite that’s great for post-workout fuel, lunchbox snacks, or keeping little hands (and big cravings) happy.

Servings: 6 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 10 minutes mins

Total Time: 25 minutes mins

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Ingredients

• ▢ 2 cups (160g) shredded cheddar cheese
• ▢ 5 oz (142g) boneless skinless chicken thighs, raw, (about 1 large)
• ▢ 1 large egg

Instructions

 

• Line a plate or small cookie sheet with parchment paper. Add the shredded cheese on top and put in the freezer until frozen, about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. (See note regarding another way to make these with a lower baking temperature.)
• Add the chicken to a food processor. Pulse a few times to break up the meat until it’s at least coarsely chopped.
• Add the egg and frozen cheddar. Process the mixture—scraping down the sides as needed—until it forms a thick, sticky paste. It should be smooth enough to pipe, but not runny.
• Transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with fitted with a small round tip (about ¼ inch wide).
• Pipe thin strips, about 2-3 inches long directly onto the parchment-lined baking sheet (you can also pipe them wavy to look more like Cheetos). Leave a little space between each strip. Optional step to make them more crunchy: Lightly mist the tops with cooking oil spray. This is optional as they will still crisp up without it but the cooking oil spray will make them even crunchier.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the sticks are golden brown and slightly puffed. Let them cool for 10-15 minutes on the tray to firm up before serving. You can also toss the puffs in salt or seasoning before serving, but I liked them just as they are.
• Store any uneaten puffs in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. Reheat to make them crispy again before serving.

Notes

• You can add salt or seasonings to the paste before piping. You can also add optional seasonings after they are baked. I liked them just as they are.
• I recommend using chicken thighs for more moisture and flavor but the recipe does work with chicken breasts. I used fresh boneless skinless chicken thighs.
• You do need to freeze the cheese beforehand.
• Baked version 2: The original version of this recipe produces crispy, lightly crunchy cheese puffs. But they do lose their crunch once they are cooled or stored in the fridge. This is because it is the cheese that is crisping up the puffs. Since then, I've experimented with ways to make the puffs stay crunchy longer and I did figure out a way. If you want to do this method, you bake the puffs until the chicken is completely dried out, making very crunchy cheese puffs. Some might find it to be too firm/crunchy, so it will really depend on your personal preference. If you want to try this method, set your oven to 350F. Bake the cheese puffs for about 30-35 minutes or until the chicken has turned a medium brown (they will be darker than the puffs in the picture and they will shrink a lot more because you are eliminating all the moisture from the chicken). You will still need to store these in the fridge or freezer but they still maintainn their crunch even after being refrigerated. 
• This recipe yields approximately 6 dozen cheese puffs, but the amount will vary depending on how long and wide you pipe them. Estimated nutrition is for 1/6 of the recipe.

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 145kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Sodium: 204mg, Sugar: 0.03g, NET CARBS: 1

The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. This is not a comprehensive list of all the nutrients in the recipe (i.e., does not include vitamins, cholesterol, etc). I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.

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