Spicy Maple Keto Pork Belly Bites

Low Carb Spicy Maple Pork Belly Bites

These keto pork belly bites will disappear quickly if you serve them at your next tailgating event, holiday party or family gathering. They are the perfect balance of spice with sweet and fat from the juicy flavorful pork belly. And the air fryer gets these keto pork belly bites crispy on the outside but keeps them juicy inside.

Serve these bite sized keto appetizers alone or with your other low carb favorites!

What is Pork Belly?

Pork belly is a cut from the underside or ‘belly’ of a pig. It is a boneless cut of pork that is served fresh and not cured or smoked. It is succulent and is rich in flavor thanks to all the fat.

What's the Difference Between Pork Belly and Bacon?

Pork belly and bacon both come from the same region of the hog. In fact, bacon comes from pork belly, but pork belly is not bacon. The main difference between pork belly and bacon is that bacon is smoked or cured while pork belly is uncured and not smoked – it is fresh.

Spicy Seasoning

To achieve the spicy flavor of this rich pork belly dish, we use 6 spices – chili powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper, salt and garlic powder. If you wish to increase the level of heat, just add more chili powder or cayenne pepper.

Sugar Free Maple Syrup

To offset the spicy flavor, we toss our final cooked keto pork belly bites in a couple tablespoons of sugar-free maple syrup. There are lots of keto approved maple syrups available to purchase. You may also find some at your grocery store. Here are some of my favorites.

• ChocZero Maple Syrup
• Lakanto Maple Syrup
• Pyure Maple Syrup

Air Fryer Pork Belly

For the most crispy pork belly bites, I recommend frying these keto appetizers in the air fryer. The benefit of using an air fryer is that it keeps your pork bites juicy in the inside but gets they crispy on the outside. Plus they don’t take as long to cook and clean up is easier too.

Oven Instructions

If you don’t own an air fryer, you can bake these keto pork belly bites in the oven! I recommend placing your pork belly chunks on top of a wire rack that sits on top of a baking tray. This will allow the fat to drop down as the pork belly bakes and allows for air to reach underneath the bites for even cooking.

Make sure you line your baking tray with aluminum foil for easy clean up. Then bake in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. Of course, you may need to adjust the cooking time depending on the thickness of your pork belly.