Is Beef Jerky OK on the Carnivore Diet?

Yes, beef jerky is technically fine on the carnivore diet since it is made from beef, which is an animal product. However, the vast majority of commercial beef jerky is loaded with ingredients that are not carnivore-friendly, including sugar, soy sauce, teriyaki flavoring, and various preservatives. The key is finding jerky made with only beef and salt, or making your own at home.

Why Is Most Beef Jerky Not Carnivore-Friendly?

Pick up any bag of beef jerky at a gas station or grocery store and flip it over. You will almost certainly find a long list of non-carnivore ingredients. Here are the most common offenders:

• Sugar and brown sugar: Used to create that sweet-savory flavor profile most people expect from jerky
• Soy sauce: Contains wheat and soybeans, both plant-based
• Teriyaki flavoring: A combination of soy sauce, sugar, and other plant-derived ingredients
• Worcestershire sauce: Contains molasses, sugar, and tamarind
• Corn syrup or dextrose: Added as sweeteners and to improve texture
• Maltodextrin: A plant-derived filler and flavor carrier
• Liquid smoke with additives: Often contains plant-based carriers

A typical serving of commercial beef jerky can contain 5-10 grams of sugar. That adds up quickly, especially since jerky is easy to snack on mindlessly. For a carnivore dieter, this is a significant amount of hidden plant-based ingredients.

What Should Carnivore-Friendly Jerky Contain?

The ideal beef jerky for the carnivore diet has a very short ingredient list:

• Beef
• Salt

That is it. Some carnivore dieters are comfortable with basic spices like black pepper or garlic powder, but the strictest approach sticks to beef and salt only.

When shopping, here is what to look for on the label:

• No sugar in any form (sugar, brown sugar, cane sugar, honey, corn syrup, dextrose)
• No soy products (soy sauce, soy protein)
• No wheat or grain-based ingredients
• No fruit juice concentrates (sometimes used as “natural” sweeteners)
• Minimal preservatives (sodium nitrite is animal-diet neutral, but many prefer to avoid it)

What Are the Best Beef Jerky Brands for Carnivore?

Several brands have recognized the demand for cleaner jerky products:

• Carnivore Snax: Made specifically for the carnivore community. Their products use only meat and salt with no fillers or sweeteners.
• Paleovalley: Uses 100% grass-fed beef with minimal ingredients and no added sugar.
• The New Primal: Offers some sugar-free varieties, though you need to check the specific flavor.
• Epic Provisions: Some of their products have clean ingredient lists, but read each label carefully as their lineup varies.
• Local butcher shops: Many butchers make their own jerky with simple ingredients. Ask about what goes into their recipe.

Expect to pay more for clean jerky. The sugar and soy sauce in conventional brands are cheap flavor enhancers and preservatives, so removing them means using higher quality beef and relying on salt and smoke for flavor.

How Do You Make Your Own Carnivore Beef Jerky?

Making your own jerky is the most reliable way to ensure it is carnivore-compliant. The process is straightforward:

What you need:

• 2-3 pounds of lean beef (top round, eye of round, or flank steak)
• Salt
• A dehydrator or oven

Basic method:

1. Trim visible fat from the meat (fat does not dehydrate well and can cause spoilage)
2. Slice the beef into thin strips, about 1/4 inch thick. Cutting against the grain makes chewier jerky; cutting with the grain makes it easier to tear.
3. Season generously with salt
4. Arrange strips on dehydrator trays or wire racks over a baking sheet
5. Dehydrate at 160 degrees for 4-6 hours, or use your oven on its lowest setting with the door cracked open
6. Jerky is done when it bends and cracks but does not snap in half

Homemade jerky should be stored in the refrigerator and consumed within 1-2 weeks, or frozen for longer storage. Without commercial preservatives, it does not have the same shelf life as store-bought varieties.

Is Beef Jerky Good Enough to Be a Meal Replacement?

No. Beef jerky should be treated as a convenience snack, not a meal replacement. Here is why:

• Low fat content: The drying process removes moisture and most of the fat. Jerky is very lean, and the carnivore diet relies heavily on animal fat for energy.
• Expensive per calorie: You would need to eat a lot of jerky to match the calories in a ground beef patty, and the cost adds up fast.
• Not satiating enough: The combination of low fat and low moisture means jerky does not fill you up the way a proper steak or burger would.

Use jerky for road trips, hiking, office snacking, or other situations where cooking whole meat is not practical. For actual meals, whole cuts of beef and other meats are always the better choice.

Is Pemmican a Better Carnivore Snack Than Jerky?

Pemmican is arguably the superior portable carnivore food. Unlike jerky, pemmican combines dried meat with rendered fat (tallow), making it a complete food with both protein and fat. It was the original survival food of Indigenous peoples across North America and sustained explorers for centuries.

Where jerky is lean and sometimes leaves you wanting more, pemmican is calorie-dense and satiating. It also has exceptional shelf stability. If you are looking for the ultimate carnivore travel food, pemmican deserves serious consideration.

How Does Beef Jerky Compare to Other Carnivore Snacks?

Here are some alternatives to consider alongside or instead of jerky:

• Pemmican: Higher in fat, more satiating, longer shelf life
• Hard-boiled eggs: Inexpensive, nutrient-dense, easy to prepare in advance
• Cold cooked bacon: Portable and flavorful, though needs refrigeration
• Canned fish: Sardines and tuna are shelf-stable and nutrient-dense
• Cheese sticks: If you tolerate dairy, these are convenient and satisfying
• Pork rinds: Zero carb, crunchy, satisfying (check for clean ingredients)

Beef jerky earns its place in the carnivore toolkit as a convenient, portable option. Just make sure you are buying or making the right kind. For a complete guide to what you can eat, visit our carnivore diet foods hub page.