Keto Popcorn Cheese Puffs are so tasty and perfect for low-carb diets as they have no carbs and are super tasty. If you love cheese, you’ll love these.
This recipe takes a little bit of waiting, but the results are well worth the wait.
We use pre-sliced cheddar cheese for this recipe. It’s already sliced thin and makes it easier to cut into squares.
Keto Popcorn Cheese Puffs Recipe (1 Ingredient - Zero Carbs)
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Instructions
- Cut the cheese into small ¼ inch squares.
- Before baking, this recipe must be prepared 24 hrs beforehand
- Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and cover with a clean tea towel (dish towel).
- Leave the cheese to dry out for at least 24 hours (you might need to leave it longer if it is humid where you live).
- The next day preheat your oven to 200C/390F and bake the cheese for 3-5 minutes until it is puffed up.
- Leave to cool for 10 minutes before enjoying.
Nutrition
The baking can get pretty messy with the cheese popping around. We place the cheese on the lower shelf and cover the base of the top shelf with foil for easier cleanup.
This recipe makes four serves.
Please note that the weather has an impact on how long you will need to dry your cheese for. This recipe was developed in very dry conditions. It may take up to 72 hours drying time, depending on your local weather.
Ingredients for Making Keto Popcorn Cheese Puffs
Keto popcorn requires just one ingredient, cheese.
- 4 ounces of Cheddar Cheese, sliced
That’s it, just one ingredient.
How to Make Keto Popcorn Cheese Puffs
- Cut the cheese into small ¼-inch squares.
- Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and cover with a clean tea towel (dish towel). Leave to dry for at least 24 hours (you might need to leave it longer if it is humid where you live).
- Preheat your oven to 200C/390F and bake the cheese for 3-5 minutes until it is puffed up.
- Leave to cool for 10 minutes before enjoying.
How to Store Keto Popcorn Cheese Puffs
The Keto popcorn cheese puffs can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week if they last that long.
Be aware that the cheese puffs are very susceptible to weather conditions, and humidity will make them go soft.
To make extra keto popcorn, simply double the ingredients.
My husband and I LOVE these. We used cheddar… I think we might try pepperjack next. Yum!!
So glad you enjoyed them Andie. We might try the pepperjack too, thanks for the tip.
It worked!
I let the cheese sit for 3 days because I really wanted it to be successful!
Amazing how it pops.
This was awesome. Did not disappoint.
Thank you for sharing this recipe. It’s so fun!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Sarah! It’s a long time to wait, but always worth it 🙂
Wondering if you could dehydrate thecheese faster than leaving it set out
Hi Tammy,
You could, as long and your dehydrator can be placed on a low enough temperature so that the cheese doesn’t melt.
I used some Tillamook snack cheese and cut it in to 1/4 in. Pcs as well as some tiny rounds of gouda snack cheese which were a bit thicker. UNFORTUNATELY, I just got a tray of melted cheese chips. What did I do wrong g? Do the pieces need to be like a cube and equal on all sides, or could it be the type of cheese I used?
Hi Suzie,
I looked up the cheese brand (as it’s not available where we are) and it appears to be unprocessed, and the shape of your pieces of cheese doesn’t make a difference – so that rules those out. You haven’t mentioned how long you dried them for, without knowing that, I can only suggest that they needed a longer drying time.
Hello, I am just getting back in to keto and this might be the thing that helps me stay.
I was wondering if you would share the brand names of the cheeses you have success with. I want this to be a bang on recipe and I think using what you did will give me the hand up on getting you success!
Thanks for all your hard work. Great site!
Hi Junnetta,
I’m not sure if our cheese brands will help, as we may not be in the same country! Try looking for hard craftsmen style cheeses like vintage cheddar.
Hi! I was wondering if these would be possible to season? I have keto ketchup and garlic seasoning (dry spices). If so, when would you season? Before drying out? Before putting in oven?
Thanks!
Hi Sabrina,
After drying and before baking would be best 🙂
This is amazing Gerri,
I am so excited to try this. Can’t wait to get home in the morning to get some out to dry.
LOVE these! I’m trying this with Pepper Jack now. Can’t wait to bake these tomorrow!
I love this recipe and make it every week. My question is this- what do I do with the oil left after the baking? It seems like it should be good for something so I hate to waste it. Any ideas would be appreciated , thank you.
Hi Laurie,
I’m so glad you enjoy them! I honestly have no idea about using the leftover oil, you could try using it for fried eggs and see how it goes. I’d love to hear how it goes!
Wow, what a great idea! I’m going to try this AND your trail mix. What’s best is I already have all of the ingredients on hand. 🙂
I used pepper jack cheese….they are amazing! This is first time making them…I will leave out dry for 48 next time as I only left these to dry for 24 this time.
Tastes like cheeze-itz! I let mine dry for 4 days. (I live in a humid environment) And put them in the oven for 4 min. Some popped some didn’t. But still tasted great.
Well, those disappeared fast.
They certainly do Lauri! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
For Tanya, The reason popcorn pops is there’s a tiny bit of moisture in the kernel. I wonder if you’re leaving your cheese out to long? Are you in a very dry environment?
For storage I don’t have a vacuum seal could I put them in Tupperware and leave them out or do they need to be refrigerated after they’re cooked?
Hi Rebecca,
They can be left on the counter in an airtight container.
We have tried these 3 times now and they just don’t turn out. This last time we let them dry for 6 full days and still no. They don’t pop or do anything. We used mild cheddar slices each time and followed directions exactly.
Hi Tanya,
If you have used the same brand/type of cheese each time, there might be something wrong with the cheese or it could be more processed that you think! Maybe try a different brand or type.
Thank you Gerri! 🙂
This is a win/win recipe. The pieces that dried enough puff like popcorn and the ones that didnt are crunchy like cheese nips!! Oh so so good.. I used cheddar cheese slices. Just be sure to make enough and be patient so they dry out! YUM!!!!!
Thank you for this recipe!
I’m so glad you loved them Mary! Thank you for your kind words 🙂
Could you pop these in a popcorn popper?
Hi Carol,
I haven’t tried it! If you give it a go, please let me know how it turns out.
Does anyone else have any issues with the cheese “popping” all over the oven?
That’s exactly what it’s meant to do Deder 🙂
I tried the first batch and they just melted and was coated in a ton of oil. What did I do wrong. Still good eating like chips but really hoped for puffed cheese
Hi Carrie,
It’s possible that they weren’t dried for long enough. It can take up to 72 hours drying time for them to be dry enough – think of them like popcorn; popcorn pops because steam builds up in the center of the kernel and explodes it open.
Hi-
So I have a setting on my microwave for convection oven- I dried out Colby jack sliced cheese for 24hrs- and no matter how long I cooked them (20min) only 1-2 puffed up.
I think they needed to dry longer and then it would work.
Hi Lacey,
Sounds like you are on the right track, with 1-2 puffing up then you are getting close to being them dried enough! A bit longer and they’ll be popping all over the place!
I have tried this recipe now twice. I let them dry for 3 days and they always end up just melting in the oven. Not crispy at all. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Sheri,
Are you using the same brand of cheese each time? It could just be that the cheese you are using has been overprocessed, maybe try another brand 🙂
Hi , can we do this using a microwave ??? I do not own an oven….
Hi Agnes,
I haven’t tried using a microwave to make them, if you give it a try I’d love to know how they turn out!
Can these be stored? If so how? Impact on crunchiness?
Hi Laura,
The longer they’re exposed to air the quicker they will lose their crunch as they draw in moisture.
Obviously, that would happen quicker in humid climates.
You could try vacuum sealing them but I think making them to eat is your best bet.
Hope you enjoyed them.
Matt
Maybe this is a dumb question.. but isnt it not very safe to leave a dairy product out at room temperature for over 24hrs? Perishable?
these look amazing and I want to try them but hesitant in getting sick
Hi Molly,
Bacteria requires a few things to grow the big 3 are warmth, moisture and oxygen, since we’re drying them out that takes away one of those elements. If you are really concerned, you could dry the cheese out in a dehydrator.
Silly question, but do you let the cheese dry in or out of the fridge?
Hi Annette,
Out of the fridge on the bench, apologies if my instructions were unclear.
Have you tried it with bigger pieces? Like 1/2″ instead of 1/4″? Making these now and just wondering because all of these tiny cheese squares omg…..LOL!
Hi Noelle,
You could give it a try, they will take longer to dry out though.
Do you recommend a clean sheet of parchment or a bare cookie sheet for the baking?
Hi Deb,
I always recommend lining your tray with parchment, mainly as it makes washing up so much easier!
Do you think you could use a food dehydrator to speed up the process of drying out the cheese?
Hi Keto Mom,
You sure can, just make sure you line your dehydrator with parchment to prevent the cheese from potentially melting through the gaps.
Can you tell me what kind of cheese you used? Thin slices, thick slices, specific brand, etc? Thanks!
Hi Tracy
We have used cheddar, gouda, and manchego for this recipe (the cheddar is pictured), any hard cheese will work. Thick and thin slices both work, but the thicker your pieces of cheese, the longer they will take to dry out. Hope that helps 🙂
Is a tea towel similar to a cheese cloth?
Hi Amber,
Tea towels can also be called dish towels or drying-up cloths. I hope that helps
Oh MY! The cheese pops turned out perfect! I left mine to dry for about 40hrs and they popped up really good. So worth the wait, but we gobbled them up in about 30 seconds
Hi Ellen,
I’m so glad you liked them! Thanks for stopping by to let us know 🙂