THE CARNIVORE DIET BENEFITS
One of the biggest challenges in starting the carnivore diet - or any really restrictive diet for that matter - comes down to coping with cravings. So many of your old favorites are no longer on the menu, and finding carnivore diet snacks that taste good and fit the regimen’s confines is hard.
The Carnivore Bar was born out of this struggle. It’s not to be confused with the typical protein bar - the only similarities it shares are its shape, appearance, and portable nature. Carnivore Bars are more of a modern-day pemmican, made from grass-finished beef and other whole-food ingredients.
It’s a great meal replacement for those trying to fill in the gaps in their daily eating plan, but it’s really expensive and not really ideal for on the go snacking. Plus, the taste and texture aren’t for everyone.
The good news is you won’t have to look far for a Carnivore Bar alternative. Here at Carnivore Snax we’ve developed the best low calorie high protein snacks for carnivores or anyone trying to limit processed ingredients without sacrificing on taste or texture.
Our meat chips are the simplest snack you can have in your rotation, with just two ingredients: meat and salt. We source from the most elite, ethical regenerative farms in the nation, too. The flavor and overall experience are one-of-a-kind - try it today and see for yourself!
“This is the most amazing snack I’ve ever had. It’s moist but crispy. Salty but fatty. It is almost like a chip that melts in your mouth but it’s good for you. I have been so tired of not finding a snack I can use in case of emergencies. And as a working single mom of 3 I have a lot of those. Everything else healthy I have tried, I’ve had to force myself to eat. This is actually delicious and I would choose it over junk food any day.” - Alicia
“Addictive! Carnivore Snax is worth every penny, but beware...I've never tried drugs in my life, but I'm pretty sure that this meat snack would rank right up there. It is soooo good that once you open the bag, there is no stopping until it is all gone. You've been warned...in the very best way.” - Joanne
“I was hesitant to try another meat/carnivore chip because I tried another company and didn’t like them. But I am SO glad I tried these! The chicken sliders are insanely good. The flavor and texture are out of this world. I also like the pork loin and the brisket. I love that this company sources the best meat using companies that care about the animals and the planet.” - April
Overview of the Carnivore Bar
The Carnivore Bar is one of the most popular low carb high fat foods on the market. This replacement bar is designed for people who follow a strict carnivore, ancestral, or keto diet and need something portable and shelf-stable.
Each bar is made from grass-finished beef, beef tallow, and salt - sometimes with added honey or seasoning depending on the flavor. At 400-420 calories per bar, they’re dense, high-fat, and built to fuel people on the go.
The brand was started by a former Army medic frustrated with MREs and junk food in the field. Soldiers, travelers, emergency preppers, and hardcore carnivore dieters alike deserved better than what was available - and this modern spin on pemmican was born.
The idea isn’t new, though. Pemmican is one of the oldest survival foods known to man. It’s a great choice if you’re hiking through the Rockies or flying overseas with zero clean options. But you’ll notice something jarring when you go to buy yours - it’s $20 per Carnivore Bar!
Why is the Carnivore Bar So Expensive?
So what’s the deal - why is the Carnivore Bar so expensive? More specifically, is it worth it? A six-pack of Carnivore Bars runs about $95, so you can get better value by stocking up. But that’s a tough sell for something you’ve never tried before.
Be clear, you’re paying for quality when you buy a Carnivore Bar: grass-finished, regeneratively raised cattle from Joyce Farms, rendered tallow, and a low-volume/high-labor production process.
We’re always down to pay a premium for high-quality food, as health is wealth. Don’t overlook the top-tier sourcing, but you’re still paying a hefty price per gram of protein and fat. Many customers have a hard time justifying that price.
This is just one reason you might be looking for a Carnivore Bar alternative, too.
Other Reasons You May Want a Carnivore Bar Alternative
Cost aside, the Carnivore Bar isn’t right for everyone - or every scenario. From taste to practicality, here are just a few more reasons customers come to us looking for a Carnivore Bar alternative.
Not Everyone Likes the Taste or Texture
Taste is subjective, but reviews speak for themselves. Some people enjoy the fatty, dense bite of The Carnivore Bar. Others compare it to eating sand. One reviewer said it reminded them of Snowpiercer’s protein blocks - others found it flavorless, chalky, or impossible to finish.
The bar is loaded in rendered fat, which gives it a pretty waxy mouthfeel. You’re left with just a highly concentrated beef-fat taste without any spice or sear to carry the flavor. It’s rich - sometimes too rich.
More of a Meal Replacement Than a Snack
If you’re looking for something you can eat as your carnivore diet meals when you don’t have time or energy to cook, the Carnivore Bar is a compelling choice.
It’s high in calories (400+), high in fat (35g), and very satiating. Sounds great, right? Well, not when you just want something to hold you over between meals.
The fact that it’s a bar makes people think they can enjoy it as a quick afternoon snack, but you’ll end up either choking down the whole thing or throwing half of it in your bag, greasy wrapper and all.
It’s not made for grazing. It’s not snackable. And it doesn’t hit the spot unless you’re truly hungry and ready to eat a whole bar of dense beef fat and protein in one go. Don’t worry - we’ll introduce you to the best low-carb snack that actually satisfies in just a moment.
Limited Flavors and Cuts
The Carnivore Bar offers six versions, but every one of them starts with the same base: ground beef and tallow. They’ve added honey, salt, garlic, and even organ seasoning to diversify things, but you’re still eating the same bar-shaped base.
This is fine every once in a while, but you want a snack you can count on day in, day out. The Carnivore Bar will get monotonous after a while. There’s no textural contrast, crispy edges, or variety in cuts.
What Real Users Say
We think the best way to get a sense of what you can expect from something is to hear firsthand accounts from people who actually tried it. In other words, digging into the reviews.
The Carnivore Bar has a pretty solid 4.3/5 star rating, but the issue is with the negative feedback. 10% of reviews are 1-star. Nearly 20% of reviews are 3-star or lower. In other words, people have pretty mixed opinions on the bar. Here are a few reviews that jumped out at us:
“I did not care for the crunchy bits that nearly broke my teeth and the taste was not palatable for me. I think if I had tried the ones with honey I could have gotten through the bar, but I could not as I did not enjoy the taste or texture at all.” - Diane
“Tiny bars for a lot of money! Not something anyone who isn’t wealthy can afford. These are so small and not that filling! I’m very disappointed!” - Shelley
“I ordered the salted bars. They are flavorless and not enjoyable at all. I have 5 unopened bars that the company will not accept as a return, so I guess they will sit in the cabinet and will come in handy if we completely run out of food and need an emergency source of protein and fat to keep us alive. I definitely will not ever buy again. They are VERY expensive and taste awful!” - Dawn
The Best Carnivore Bar Alternative That Won’t Break the Bank
We love how the folks at Carnivore Bar share our values for ethical sourcing from elite regenerative farms - and we can resonate with the challenges of creating something that tastes great and is great for you.
That said, you shouldn’t have to choose between cost, taste, or nutritional value. You can have it all with the best Carnivore Bar alternative. Discover why our carnivore chips are a must-try and how they stack up to other alternatives to the Carnivore Bar below!
Carnivore Snax Meat Chips
Carnivore Snax delivers everything you love about animal-based eating without the price tag, dense texture, or survival-ration vibe. It’s a clean, zero-compromise alternative to Carnivore Bars - and we’ve earned the business of 110,000 customers and counting so far.
We use just two ingredients: regeneratively raised meat and salt. That’s it. No tallow blends, no organ dust, no flavorings. Each bag starts as a full pound of whole-muscle meat, slow-cooked into airy, melt-in-your-mouth chips.
They’re light, crispy, and wildly satisfying. We’ve had customers call them a meat pastry! You won’t get this kind of crunch and richness from a compressed fat bar. But variety is another area where we stand apart. You’ll never get bored with so many cuts of meat to choose from:
Each cut has its own unique taste, fat content, and mouthfeel - try them all and find your new favorite snack! Our meat chips are super versatile, too. Eat them plain or dip them. Add them to other dishes. Take them on the go. The possibilities are endless.
Clean, portable meat. No chew fatigue. No compromise. No bull. Find out for yourself why this is the #1 Carnivore Bar alternative today and see what keeps customers coming back for more!
Biltong and Beef Jerky
Jerky and biltong might seem like obvious swaps for a meat-based bar. They certainly check some boxes. They’re meat-based, shelf-stable, and high in protein. You’ll start to see gaps when you dig deeper, though.
Most store-bought jerky is tough, dry, and loaded with sugar, soy sauce, or artificial smoke flavor. It’s processed to death to increase shelf life, but that comes at the cost of taste, texture, and ingredient quality.
Even the “better-for-you” versions usually include added spices, vinegar, and preservatives that don’t belong in a true carnivore diet. That’s why you might end up searching for a beef jerky alternative in the end!
Biltong is a slightly cleaner option that’s usually air-dried and softer. Still, it typically has spices and flavorings. Sourcing transparency tends to leave a lot to be desired, too. Most brands don’t tell you where the meat comes from, let alone whether it’s regeneratively raised.
Carnivore Snax beats both on texture, flavor, and sourcing. Ours isn’t chewy or rubbery. It’s crisp and rich, and there’s no guessing games about what you’re really eating.
DIY Carnivore Bars
There’s an obvious Carnivore Bar alternative if the only sticking point is cost: make your own DIY meat bars! This is a great way to save money while controlling every ingredient. Simply choose your own beef, render your own tallow, and shape the bars however you see fit.
The problem is, it’s rarely as simple as Redditors would leave you to believe. It takes hours of prep, access to the right tools, and a good understanding of shelf stability, food safety, and fat ratios.
You’ll need to dehydrate the meat fully, blend it with rendered fat, portion it out, store it properly, and pray it doesn’t go rancid or develop mold if left unrefrigerated.
But really, the reason people end up looking for an alternative to Carnivore Bars comes down to flavor. Rendered tallow is an acquired taste, to say the least. Most people who try DIY carnivore bars end up with a dense, greasy, bland block that’s hard to enjoy.
At the end of the day you’ll spend time, money, and effort trying to recreate something that’s still less satisfying than a handful of crispy Carnivore Snax. We’ve done the heavy lifting, bringing our meat chips to life so you can indulge without the hard work!
Traditional Protein Bars
Protein bars are everywhere, and to be fair - they’re convenient. This seems like a no-brainer alternative to Carnivore Bars, but there’s more to it than meets the eye.
Most protein bars (even the so-called “clean” ones) are packed with things like whey isolate, seed oils, sugar alcohols, gums, flavorings, and artificial sweeteners. They may advertise 20+ grams of protein, but it’s rarely from whole food sources.
The macros are often skewed, too, with low-fat, high-fiber labels that appeal to the general wellness crowd but fall short for carnivore or keto eaters who need nutrient-dense animal fat and real food.
They’re also sweet. Even “unsweetened” bars lean on chocolate, peanut butter, or stevia to mask the taste. Protein bars simply don’t align if you're serious about eating ancestrally or sticking to a carnivore lifestyle.
Meat Sticks Like Chomps and Slim Jim
The other popular meat snack on the market is the meat stick, popularized by brands like Slim Jim, or more recently, Chomps - a “cleaner” alternative.
The appeal is obvious. They’re portable, easy to find, and relatively high in protein. But like beef jerky and biltong, these meat snacks have their shortcomings.
Slim Jims, for instance, are ultra-processed. We’re talking mechanically separated meats, corn syrup, soy protein, maltodextrin, and shelf-stabilizing chemicals. You deserve a healthier Slim Jim alternative.
So does Chomps deliver? Sort of - these meat sticks are definitely a step up in terms of quality, sourced from grass-fed beef without sugar. But they still include ingredients that raise eyebrows, like encapsulated lactic acid, celery juice powder, and collagen casing.
At any rate, you end up with a vinegary, rubbery stick that might hit your macros but doesn’t taste or feel like real food. We give you the same nutritional value and then some without any red flags, no casing, no chewiness. You get whole-muscle cuts that melt in your mouth.
Boiled Eggs and Other Carnivore Staples
Hard-boiled eggs, seared steaks, leftover pork belly - there are so many other staples Mother Nature has provided that you can rely on when cravings strike. They’re affordable, real, and nutrient-dense. But they all share the same shortcoming: they’re not portable.
Boiled eggs stink in a backpack. Leftover meat needs refrigeration. Carrying a tub of cold ground beef around all day isn’t exactly convenient. They’re ideal at home or when you have access to a fridge/kitchen but won’t work when you travel, commute, or just need a quick bite.
Carnivore Snax fills that gap. You get the simplicity and nutrient profile of real meat without the stress of spoilage, smell, or cleanup. No cooler or prep needed - just open the bag and snack on actual meat, wherever you are.
Parting Thoughts on Carnivore Bar Alternatives
Hopefully, you feel confident in all your options when you want an alternative to the Carnivore Bar that still checks all your boxes: approved on the carnivore diet food list, economical, and perhaps most importantly, delicious!
Don’t get us wrong, Carnivore Bars serve a specific purpose - they’re a great meal replacement for carnivores and ancestral eaters. That said, they’re too dense, too expensive, and not something you actually look forward to eating. You deserve better.
There are plenty of choices at your disposal, but only one is the BEST Carnivore Bar alternative: our meat chips at Carnivore Snax. You get the same clean, animal-based nutrition without the waxy texture, the chew fatigue, or the steep price tag.
Just real meat, real salt, and a snack that tastes as good as the nutrition it delivers. Don’t just take our word for it, though. Snack clean without compromise at Carnivore Snax today!
