Homemade Pork Rinds
Published March 20, 2023 • Updated June 7, 2026
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Boil, dry, and fry pork skins for homemade pork rinds that puff up light and airy. Three ingredients, zero carbs, and crunchier than anything from a bag.
Most homemade pork rind recipes skip the boiling step, and that is exactly why they turn out rock hard. Boiling the skins for 30 minutes softens the collagen and renders out enough fat so the skins puff up properly when they hit the hot oil. I learned this the hard way. My first batch without boiling came out like chewing on a leather belt. Now I never skip it.
After boiling, I scrape off the remaining fat layer with a spoon or butter knife. The skin should be translucent and flexible at this point. Once it dries in a 200 degree oven for about 4 hours, those thin pieces puff up like popcorn in about 15 seconds when dropped into 400 degree oil. I always fry a test piece first to make sure my oil is hot enough. If it sinks and sits there, the oil needs more time.
Three ingredients. That is it. Pork skin, oil (I use avocado oil or lard), and salt. Zero carbs, 8g of protein per serving, and a fraction of the cost of store-bought bags. I buy pork skin from Asian or Mexican grocery stores for around $2 per pound, which makes about 3 bags worth of chicharrones. For something this simple, the quality of the skin matters. I look for pieces that are evenly thick with minimal fat still attached.
These fried skins work anywhere you would normally reach for chips. Eat them straight out of the bowl, scoop up dip, or pile them with toppings. I bring a big bowl to every football Sunday and they disappear before halftime. They hold up to heavy dips better than store-bought versions because the fresh texture has more structure. I keep them next to my keto tortilla chips and garlic parmesan wings for game day.
Leftovers (if you have any) turn into one of the most useful keto pantry staples. Crush them in a zip-lock bag and you have pork rind breadcrumbs for coating chicken katsu or bacon wrapped chicken tenders. The pork panko adds a savory depth that regular breadcrumbs cannot match, and I use it in at least two recipes a week.
One batch makes about 6 servings at 80 calories each. I usually double the recipe because the dried skins (before frying) store well in a zip-lock bag for up to 3 weeks at room temperature. That way I can fry a small handful whenever I want fresh homemade chicharrones without going through the whole process again. I keep a bag of dried skins in my pantry at all times.
How to make homemade pork rinds
The process takes about 5 hours total, but most of that is hands-off drying time. I spend about 30 minutes of active work between the boiling, scraping, and frying.
- Remove the pork skin. If starting with skin-on pork belly, separate the skin from the fat layer using kitchen shears or a sharp knife. Cut as close to the skin as possible.
- Cut into pieces using kitchen scissors. I aim for roughly 1 by 1 inch squares or 1 by 2 inch strips. They do not need to be uniform.
- Boil the pork skins in salted water for 30 minutes to soften the collagen. Strain and discard the water.
- Scrape away excess fat from each piece. After boiling, the fat slides off easily with a spoon or butter knife.
- Dry the pieces on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a 200 degree oven for 4 hours. They should be hard and translucent when done.
- Fry in batches in 400 degree oil (lard or avocado oil) for about 15 to 30 seconds. They puff up almost immediately.
- Season with salt right after frying while still hot.
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Ingredients
1-2 lbs pork skin (or ~ 6 lbs skin-on pork belly) -
1-2 teaspoons salt + more for seasoning
-
avocado oil or lard for frying
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Remove skin
If starting with pork skin, you can skip this step. If starting with pork belly with the skin on, cut the pork belly into 1 inch strips. Using kitchen shears or a sharp knife, cut the skin away from the fat, cutting as close to the skin as possible without cutting through the skin.
Cut into bite sized pieces
Using kitchen shears or a sharp knife, cut the pork skin strips into bite sized pieces, either 1 x 1 inch strips or 1 x 2 inch strips.
Boil pork skins to soften them
Fill a large pot halfway with water. Add 1-2 teaspoons of salt and pork skins to the water. Bring to a boil. Let boil for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Strain water
Remove from the heat and pour the water off of the pork skins by straining it through a colander.
Remove excess fat
Once the pork skins are cool enough to handle, trim away any excess fat from the skin. Take a paring knife and scrap or slice the fat off the skin of each piece. It’s okay if a little bit of the fat remains. These edges just might be a little softer and may not puff up as much.
Scatter on a baking tray
Scatter the pork skins on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil. Sprinkle salt or desired seasoning. Toss to evenly coat. Then evenly space the pork skins on the tray so they don’t touch each other. Place them skin side up.
Bake to dry out
Bake at 200 degrees for 4 hours. Once done baking, remove from the oven. This is a stopping point where you can store your dried pork skins overnight in an airtight container.
Heat oil
To fry, fill a large saucepan with 1-2 inches of avocado oil, lard or any other oil with a high smoke point. Heat oil to 350 degrees.
Fry pork skins
Once oil is hot enough, gently drop in a few pork skins by lowering them into the hot oil with a slotted spoon. Gently stir to help separate the pork skins to keep them from sticking to each other. After a few seconds the pork skins will start to pop like popcorn corn and puff up into a crispy pork rind. Let them cook for 2-3 minutes, gently stirring to ensure they are cooked through and will remain crispy. Pulling them right after they puff will cause them to deflate a bit and they won’t be as crunchy. Once they are done cooking, remove them with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Season again if needed. Repeat with remaining pork skins.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a dehydrator instead of the oven to dry the skins?
I have not personally tested a dehydrator for this, but readers have told me it works well at 170 degrees for 6-8 hours. The goal is the same as my oven method: get the skins completely dry and hard so they puff when fried. I stick with my 200 degree oven for 4 hours because I like the results and do not own a dehydrator, but if you have one, it should work for making homemade chicharrones as long as the pieces come out translucent and snap-dry before they hit the oil.
Why did my pork rinds not puff up?
I have had this happen twice, and both times it came down to one of three things. First, skipping or shortening the boil. When I tried frying without boiling, the skins stayed flat and dense like leather. Second, not drying them long enough. If there is any moisture or trapped fat left, the skins will not puff. Mine need the full 4 hours at 200 degrees. Third, the oil was not hot enough. I always fry a test piece first. If it sinks and just sits there, I wait another few minutes before dropping in the batch.
Can I season the skins before drying instead of after frying?
I season after frying, not before drying. The reason is simple: seasoning before the oven step can burn during the 4-hour dry, and the flavors turn bitter. When I season right out of the fryer, the skins are still glistening with oil and the seasoning sticks perfectly. I have tried both ways and the post-fry method wins every time.
How many carbs are in pork rinds?
These have zero carbs, which is why I reach for them constantly on keto. The only time carbs sneak in is when sugar gets added during the flavoring process with store-bought brands. My homemade version is just pork skin, oil, and salt, so the carb count stays at zero.
Can I make pork rinds in an air fryer?
I have not had success making puffy fried skins in an air fryer. The puffing action requires the skins to be fully submerged in hot oil. In an air fryer, the heat is not surrounding the skin the same way, so I get flat, hard pieces instead of light, airy chicharrones. I stick with deep frying for this recipe.
Are pork rinds healthy on keto?
I consider them one of my go-to low carb snacks. Each serving of my homemade version has zero carbs, 8g of protein, and about 80 calories. There is no sugar, no flour, no fillers. The fat content comes from the frying oil, and I use avocado oil or lard, both of which I am comfortable cooking with. Store-bought brands can add questionable ingredients, which is one of the reasons I started making my own.
What are pork rinds?
Pork rinds are pieces of pig skin that have been dried and then deep fried until they puff up into a light, crunchy snack. I make mine by boiling the raw skins first to soften the collagen, drying them in a low oven for 4 hours, and then frying them in hot oil where they puff up in about 15 seconds. The result is a zero carb, high protein snack with a hollow crunch that store-bought bags cannot match. In Latin cooking they are called chicharrones, and I use the terms interchangeably.
Can I make these from store-bought pork skin that is not fresh?
I buy my pork skin from Asian and Mexican grocery stores, and it is usually sold fresh or frozen. Frozen works fine. I thaw it overnight in the fridge, then follow the same boil, dry, fry process. I have not tried pre-cooked or pre-seasoned skins from a deli counter, and I would not recommend them since the texture after boiling would be unpredictable. Look for raw, unseasoned skin with minimal fat still attached.
How should I store leftover fried pork rinds?
I store my leftovers in a paper bag or an airtight container lined with paper towels at room temperature. They stay crunchy for about 3 days this way. I never refrigerate them because the moisture makes them go soggy. The paper towel trick absorbs any residual oil and keeps them crisp.
Never made pork rinds from scratch. Trying this week. One thing I'm unsure about: do the skins need to refrigerate overnight after boiling, or can I fry them the same day? Really don't want to get all the way to the frying stage and have them not puff up.
Pop after pop in the oil, I kept stealing them straight off the skimmer. Season while hot, not after. Salt won't stick once the skin sets and you lose half the punch.
Jessica, I season the second they clear the oil. Even a 30-second wait and the salt just slides off.
Zero carbs and they taste like home.
8g protein for 80 calories, I was sold. Didn't expect it to be this easy to prep ahead though. The boil-and-dry is where most of the time goes; once that's done, frying a serving is maybe five minutes. I do a Sunday boil, dry overnight, and fry fresh mid-week when I need something crunchy. One warning: don't rush the drying. I tried it once and there was no puff. This is the first fried food I've ever successfully batch prepped and I'm unreasonably excited about it.
Overnight dry pulls more moisture than the 4-hour oven run. I've been landing on longer dry times for exactly that reason. The mid-week fry is the right call.
Six or seven batches in and these are just part of the regular rotation now. The boil and dry before frying felt like extra steps at first, but that's what gives you the hollow crunch instead of the dense bag stuff.
Six batches in and you nailed the part most people skip. The boil is what softens the collagen so it can separate when it hits the oil. Skip it and you're just deep frying skin, which is a completely different (worse) thing.
Never deep fried anything before this. Was genuinely nervous about the oil temp but when those skins hit and just puffed up I couldn't believe it worked. Way crunchier than anything from a bag, and zero carbs is still messing with my head. Already planning a batch for the pool this weekend.
Pool batch is going to disappear in ten minutes. They hold at room temp fine, just season heavy right out of the fryer.
Brought these to a pool day cookout last Saturday and set them out next to a bag of regular chips kind of as an experiment. The pork rinds were gone in about eight minutes. One of my buddies who isn't doing keto picked up the empty bowl looking for more, then started asking what was in them like he expected a catch. Fried these in lard like the recipe suggests and I think that's what made the crunch so different from anything out of a bag, cleaner and way more substantial. Bigger batch next time for sure.
I've fried enough things to know that homemade pork rinds seemed like one of those "just buy them at the store" projects. Had a pound of pork skin in the freezer from another recipe and finally committed last weekend. The moment they hit the oil and started puffing up I genuinely freaked out a little, because I did not expect that. So much crunchier than the bag stuff, which I didn't think was possible. Knocked a star because mine came out a bit uneven, probably rushed the drying step, but I know what to fix next time.
Freaking out a little is the correct response. I still watch the pot when those go in. The drying step is the one part you can't rush.
Swapped avocado oil for lard and the puff was noticeably better. No idea if it's the smoke point or just the fat, but worth trying if you want them crunchier.
Smoke point, probably. Lard just handles the heat differently.
Spent way too long wondering why mine weren't puffing until I realized I wasn't trimming the fat back far enough. Got more aggressive with that step and they puffed up way better. Worth the extra five minutes.
Yeah, too much fat left on and the skin won't separate right when it hits the oil. I aim for close to translucent when I'm trimming.
First time making these and the way they puffed up in the oil genuinely got me. Used lard instead of avocado oil because that's what I had, and I'm not sure I can go back to the bag stuff after this. Any idea if cutting the drying time short affects the puff much?
I prefer lard for these actually - better flavor and it handles the high heat fine.
Short drying time will hurt the puff. The skins need to be completely hard before they hit the oil. When I've cut it short they come out smaller and denser instead of that hollow crunch you got on your first batch.
Brought these to a backyard cookout last weekend and my friend who is literally never without a bag of Takis kept reaching for these instead. Yeah, worth the effort.
Takis person picking yours over their bag. That's the real test right there.
Fourth or fifth batch now and I finally figured out the drying time matters more than I expected. The ones I rushed through after boiling were decent, but when I let them dry a full 24 hours before frying, they puffed up almost double and had this hollow, crackly texture that I don't get from the bag stuff. Worth the patience. Still 4 stars because trimming the fat consistently takes a bit of focus, but I'll keep making these.
Yeah, 24 hours is the difference. I've cut corners on the drying time and you can see it in the puff. Fat trimming gets faster once you know what you're looking for.
Bag-bought ones taste flat now that I know what fresh out of the oil is like.
You've ruined bag pork rinds for yourself forever. The fresh ones have a hollow crunch to them that the bag version just doesn't.
Used lard instead of avocado oil and the puff was noticeably better. Way more lift, and the flavor went from nothing to actually tasting like a chicharrón. Didn't think the fat would matter that much.
Avocado oil is neutral on purpose. Lard brings the pork flavor back into the skin. That's what chicharróns are supposed to taste like.