My homemade keto trail mix stays crunchy for over a week — cocoa butter-coated pork rind clusters, buttery macadamia nuts, and sugar-free chocolate chips at 3.9g net carbs.
I started making this because I couldn’t find a single store-bought version that didn’t have dried fruit, honey-roasted everything, or 30g of carbs per handful. So I built my own from scratch, and the pork rind clusters are what make it. Ground pork rinds mixed with pecans, almonds, and hemp hearts, then coated in melted cocoa butter and a little Swerve. You freeze the slab, break it into chunks, and those clusters stay crunchy for over a week.
I tested the coating with both cocoa butter and coconut oil early on. Coconut oil works in a pinch, but cocoa butter seals out moisture and keeps the crunch intact way longer. That was the turning point for this recipe. Once I figured that out, I started making double batches because the first one never lasted.
The base mix is pumpkin seeds, macadamia nuts, toasted coconut flakes, pecans, and sugar free chocolate chips. All of it goes into a big bowl with the broken-up clusters. Everything in it is naturally gluten-free, so I never think twice before handing a bag to friends who avoid gluten. It’s a low carb snack that actually travels well, and I’ve taken bags of this on road trips, long hikes, and camping weekends. Lately I’ve started using it past straight snacking too: I spoon a handful over full-fat Greek yogurt for a fast breakfast, and I scatter the clusters across a green salad when I want crunch instead of croutons. If you like portable keto snacks, my energy balls use the same mix-and-go approach.
One thing I want to call out: the serving size is about 1/3 cup. I know the recipe says 24 servings and that feels vague, but with all the nuts and the cocoa butter coating, it adds up fast. I measure mine out into small containers first thing or I’ll eat half the batch standing at the counter. Reader Jen has made six or seven batches now and keeps hers in a mason jar in the pantry. She says the clusters are still going strong after a week, which tracks with what I’ve seen.
If you want to mix things up, try tossing in salted macadamia nuts instead of raw. A reader tried that and I can confirm the sweet and salty contrast with the chocolate coating is really good. You could also go savory with a little smoked paprika and olive oil drizzled over the nut mix before adding the clusters. I haven’t done a cayenne version yet, but a pinch of heat with the chocolate and coconut would probably work. The nice thing about building your own mix is you can take it in whatever direction you want.
For more crunchy low carb snacking, check out my Doritos, pasta chips, Cheez-Its, or mozzarella sticks. If you want something to dip with, my hummus and buffalo chicken dip pair well too. They’re all good for batch prepping on a Sunday and keeping in the pantry through the week.
I store the finished mix in big Mason jars with an airtight seal.
How to Make Pork Rind Clusters That Actually Stay Crunchy
The key to this whole recipe is the cocoa butter coating. Melt the cocoa butter with coconut oil in 30-second microwave bursts (it burns fast if you rush it). Once it's liquid, stir in the confectioners Swerve and heavy cream, then pour it over the pork rind and nut mixture. Spread everything flat on parchment and freeze for 15 minutes. That quick freeze is what gives you clean clusters that snap apart instead of crumbling.
I've used multiple brands of plain pork rinds and they all work fine. Stick with plain, not flavored. The seasoning on flavored rinds competes with the cocoa butter coating and the whole batch ends up tasting off. Once the clusters are broken up, toss them with the rest of your mix gently so the coating doesn't flake off. Store everything in an airtight container and it holds up well for a week or more.
For the clusters, combine the pork rinds, pecans, almonds, and hemp hearts. Stir together. In a glass bowl, combine cocoa butter and coconut oil and microwave in 30-second bursts until liquid. Mix in confectioners Swerve and heavy cream. Pour over pork rind mixture and stir. Lay out on a parchment-lined baking tray and freeze for 15 minutes to harden. Break into smaller chunks.
2
Combine it
Combine the pork rind clusters with the rest of the ingredients. Stir well.
3
Store it
Store in an airtight container.
Nutrition
Per serving: 1/24 of recipe
Calories
311
Fat
30.5g
Protein
7g
Total carbs
10.2g
Net carbs
3.9g
Nutrition is an estimate calculated from the ingredients listed. Brands vary, so check labels if you track closely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this without pork rinds?
I'd just leave them out and add more nuts. Extra pecans or macadamia nuts fill the gap nicely. You'll lose the cluster element, but the rest of the mix is still solid on its own. I've had several readers skip the pork rinds and they're happy with it.
Can I make this nut-free?
I haven't made a fully nut-free batch myself, but I'd swap in raw sunflower seeds and extra pumpkin seeds for the nuts. The pork rind clusters don't need nuts to hold together since the cocoa butter does that work. Keep the toasted coconut flakes in for texture.
How long does this stay fresh?
I get a solid week out of mine stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Reader Jen keeps hers in a mason jar and reports the same. The cocoa butter coating is what protects those clusters from going soft. Humidity is the real enemy here, so a sealed jar or container makes all the difference.
What is the serving size for this recipe?
About 1/3 cup. I know that sounds small, but with macadamia nuts, pecans, chocolate chips, and the cocoa butter clusters, it's dense. I portion mine out into small bags right after making a batch. If I don't, I will absolutely eat three servings standing at the counter.
Can I add freeze-dried fruit to this?
I've added freeze-dried strawberries to a batch and it worked well. Just check the carb count on the brand you're using since they vary quite a bit. Toss them in at the end with the dry mix, not with the clusters, so they stay light and crunchy.
Can I make this dairy-free?
Yes. I'd skip the heavy cream in the coating (it's only a tablespoon, so the texture barely changes) and use dairy-free chocolate chips. The cocoa butter itself is dairy-free even though the name sounds like it shouldn't be. I've made it both ways and the clusters set up the same.
What can I use instead of cocoa butter for the coating?
I've tested coconut oil as a substitute and it works, but the clusters soften faster. Cocoa butter sets harder at room temperature and seals out moisture better, which is why my clusters stay crunchy for a full week. Butter also works but you'll want to refrigerate the whole batch if you go that route.
Will this kick me out of ketosis?
I eat about 1/3 cup and it comes out to under 4g net carbs per serving. That's never been an issue for me, and I've been keto since 2012. The fat content from the macadamia nuts and cocoa butter keeps it very satiating, so I don't end up going back for a second helping (most of the time).
What else can I do with this besides snacking?
I use it a few ways beyond grabbing handfuls. I spoon it over full-fat Greek yogurt for a fast breakfast, and the clusters hold their crunch even after sitting in the yogurt a few minutes. I also scatter a small handful across a green salad when I want something crunchy in place of croutons. My kids like it stirred into a bowl of unsweetened coconut yogurt after school. It packs well too, so I keep a jar ready for road trips.
What's the lowest-carb version of this?
When I want the carbs as low as they'll go, I lean harder on macadamia nuts and pecans and pull back on the pumpkin seeds, since macadamias have the best fat-to-carb ratio of any nut I use. I'll also swap the regular sugar free chocolate chips for Lily's dark, which run a touch lower. My standard batch already comes out under 4g net carbs per 1/3 cup, and those two swaps shave it down a little more without touching the crunch.
Use confectioners Swerve, not the regular granulated kind, or you get gritty spots in the cocoa butter that don’t dissolve and the texture is just off. My nephew ate most of it before I mentioned the pork rinds and I got to watch denial, then suspicion, then another handful happen in about thirty seconds, which was the best part.
Confectioners Swerve is already in the recipe but worth calling out loud because I’ve seen granulated show up in comments and it never fully dissolves in cocoa butter. The nephew sequence might be my favorite review this recipe has gotten.
Add the chocolate chips after the cocoa butter mix cools five minutes off the heat. Too hot and they melt in, you just get brown streaks instead of chips. Spread the whole batch on a parchment-lined sheet pan to set. Don’t leave it in the bowl. Way better clusters, and you get clean breaks when you portion it. Annie, your ratios are right. Never had to touch them. Four stars on batch one, full confidence by batch two.
I honestly expected these clusters to fall apart the second I folded in everything else, ground pork rinds don’t inspire confidence as a base. They held. The cocoa butter is doing real work there, and the crunch on day four is noticeably better than day one. My one complaint: the Swerve sweetness doesn’t quite keep pace with the coating, so by the end of the week it reads more savory than sweet to me.
The cocoa butter curing gives that crunch. For the sweetness drift, I’d bump the Swerve in the coating by a tablespoon. The fat mutes it once it’s fully set.
Bag it up in individual portions while it’s still warm, before the cocoa butter sets into one solid mass you have to chip apart. Mine went waxy by day two every single time. This one? Still snapping a week later. The hemp hearts are doing way more than I expected, there’s this quiet nuttiness in there that keeps the pork rinds from carrying the whole thing.
Probably on batch six or seven of this now and I keep eating way more of the pork rind clusters than everything else because the cocoa butter and Swerve coating is SO much more interesting than I expected (there’s this almost butterscotch-y thing happening that I keep trying to name). The hemp hearts nearly disappear but I think they’re doing something to the cluster texture, every time I try to pinpoint what makes these different from just mixing nuts and chocolate chips together I keep landing there. Only tweak I’ve made is a bit more Swerve in the coating, the base amount is subtle and I wanted it more forward.
The butterscotch thing is real. I’ve never found the right word for it either, but something happens when Swerve melts into fat at that temp, and it lands near caramel without going full caramel. Hemp hearts are small enough to fill in the gaps between pork rind pieces in a way bigger pieces alone can’t. I think that’s the texture difference you keep landing on. Go heavier on the Swerve if the clusters are what you’re there for.
Swapped the pumpkin seeds for extra macadamias and used Lily’s chocolate chips instead of generic sugar free. The cocoa butter clings to macadamia pieces in a way that makes every handful feel richer, almost like a coated nut you’d pay too much for at a specialty store. Not a complaint, but I’ve had to start keeping this in the back of the pantry to pace myself.
Macadamias with cocoa butter is just a better ratio than pumpkin seeds anyway. The seeds are in there for texture variety but you’re not losing anything flavor-wise going all macadamia. Pantry is the right call, I keep mine in the garage for the same reason.
Made this twice now and the cocoa butter coating is genuinely brilliant, I never would have thought to use it but it gives the clusters this smooth snap that holds up for days in a bag. Only thing: the pumpkin seeds stay a little softer than everything else, so a quick toast before mixing would probably fix that. Otherwise this is exactly the kind of snack that makes keto feel sustainable instead of punishing.
Brought this on a group hike last weekend and didn’t say anything about what was in it. Two people dug through the bag specifically looking for more of the clusters, and one of them asked if I got them from Trader Joe’s. The cocoa butter coating on the pork rinds just completely transforms them. Making a double batch before my next trip.
The Trader Joe’s thing gets me every time. That cocoa butter coating just looks like something fancy you’d pay $12 for. Double batch is the right call.
On batch five and started pressing the clusters together right before the cocoa butter fully sets. They hold shape so much better in the bag, barely any crumble. That macadamia nut ratio is exactly right and I keep grabbing just one more handful.
Trail mix was the thing I never thought I’d figure out on keto (at least not one I actually wanted to eat). Pre-keto it was basically my whole snack situation, hiking fuel, glove compartment stash, and I just gave it up when I switched and accepted it was gone. Found this a few months back and have made it three times since. The cocoa butter coating on the pork rind clusters does something I wasn’t expecting, something that makes it feel like you’re actually snacking, not just eating nuts out of a jar. I still miss dried mango, which is the honest reason I’m at four stars, but that’s a me problem not a recipe problem. The macadamias and chocolate chips together hit exactly the sweet-salty thing trail mix should deliver. Grateful this is a thing I can eat again.
Made a triple batch Sunday and portioned it into snack bags for the week. Day five now, crunch still intact. I expected the pork rind clusters to go soft after a day or two but they haven’t budged. The cocoa butter coating actually firms up more as it sits. Didn’t see that coming. Already thinking about doubling it just to see how long they actually last.
Taking this on a spring hike but one person doesn’t eat pork. Would extra pecans or coconut flakes hold the clusters together, or do the pork rinds do most of the work?
The cocoa butter is what does the binding, not the pork rinds. You’ll lose the cluster shape without them, but extra pecans or macadamia nuts fill the gap. Coconut flakes stay loose no matter what you do with them.
Probably on batch six or seven at this point. I doubled the macadamia nuts after the first try (worth every extra carb) and keep it in a mason jar in the pantry. What surprised me the first time around was how long the pork rind clusters stay crunchy, still going strong after a week. Keeps me from reaching for gas station snacks every time I head out.
Used to destroy bags of chocolate trail mix on road trips before keto. The cocoa butter coating on these clusters hits different. Four stars because half the macadamia nuts vanish before the batch is done.
I’m back to make this again! Yummo! I’m not a big fan of pork rinds, but REALLY enjoy them this way 🙂
Your recipes are rock solid, so even tho this seemed a bit expensive (what isn’t?) and unusual, I trusted ya! So glad! Keep em’ comin’
There are so many different flavors of pork rinds now… I’m still trying to find my favorite. What flavor would lend well to this mix? If I leave it out, should I swap it will something else?
I love your recipes so much (and your sense of humor)!
I am also curious about, if someone wasn’t a huge fan of pork rinds, if you could just leave that ingredient out or if you would need to substitute 2 cups of something else for the bulk factor? And yes, I realize it would change all the macros if you sub something else!
Thank you! Love your recipes so much!
