Calling all carnivore dieters! Ever been in dire need of a quick shot of extra fat but didn’t want to cook up a steak or take a suet shooter? Out of ideas for easy, grabable, carnivore snacks to boost your fat intake? Enter the first ever Keto Carnivore Fat Bomb (!)
In my Frankensteinian kitchen labratory I’ve discovered the secret to a perfect marriage of carnivory, a ketogenic diet, and ultimate SNACKING. And in this easy recipe I’ll spill the secret sauce so you too can make these taste-bud-tingling, semi-miraculous keto carnivore fat bombs for yourself.
Table of Contents
Why They're Awesome
Well, these fat bombs have zero carbs and are made (almost) entirely of animal foods (playful carnivore-ish option pictured here, though these delectable treats can easily be made strictly carnivore by omitting lemon). Plus, they’re dank, delicious, and look like little mini cupcakes.
- Super High Fat: These carnivore keto fat bombs will keep your blood sugar levels rock solid all day long with a super dose of healthy fats. Grassfed beef tallow is the first ingredient and provides essential nutrients such as Vitamins A, D, E and K as well as beneficial fatty acids like conjugated linoleic acid, all crucial components of any healthy diet.
- Free of Plant Foods: Unlike most other fat bomb recipes across the web, these edible treasures can be made entirely of animal products and are free of plant-based foods like coconut oil, cocoa butter, peanut butter, and other keto-trending polyunsatured or monounsaturated fats (think: macadamia nuts and olive oil…)
- Dairy Free: Dairy may arguably be incorporated into a carnivorous, ancestral way of eating for those who came to the diet in an average state of health But for those with serious health issues it may be necessary to adopt a more restrictive diet, since for some dairy can interfere with the health benefits of an all-meat diet. Many existing fat bomb recipes use cream cheese, heavy whipping cream, or other forms of dairy, but these balsy bombs are 100% meat based and dairy-free.
- Animal Protein-Rich: Basically red meat in desert form, these steaks-disguised-as-dessert are made from grass finished beef protein powder and tallow, making them a great way to get your full complement of essential amino acids and to preserve your precious muscle mass.
- Keto Friendly: Sweetened with compounds naturally occurring in meat and containing zero grams of net carbs, this fat bombs recipe is super suitable for any low carb diet. So when it comes to fat loss, these scrumptious little morsels are your new go-to keto friendly snacks.
- Easy Meal-On-the-Go: These delicious fat bombs save well in an airtight container and can be used as a satisfying replacement for breakfast, lunch, or dinner when doing any whole food, animal-based meal planning.
Bottom Line: Best ever keto carnivore fat bombs.
Ingredients & Directions
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UNO: Gather Ingredients
You’ll need protein powder, beef tallow or other animal fat of choice, and a carnivore appropriate sweetener.
Protein Powder
Protein powder gives these tasty lil’ treats a satisfying, chewy mouthfeel as well as an extra punch of protein.
But is it okay to have protein powder on a carnivore diet?
And well you might ask.
Well, I think so. It’s probably not picture perfect paleo appropriate perfectly ancestral, but, hey, we don’t live in that world anymore.
As a compromise—a concession, as it were, to modernity and convenience, a high quality protein powder can be a real life- and sanity-saver. So if you ask me, the answer is most definitely Yes.
What are the Best Protein Powders for Carnivore?
You got yourself a couple options here. If you’re looking for quality first, I recommend and use Amy Myer’s Paleo Protein Powder. Equip Foods Prime Protein is also beef-based, grass finished and top of the line.
If you’re on a budget and want a more affordable option, you can try TrueNutrition Custom Protein Blend for a significant saving. You can customize it to contain only grassfed beef protein isolate. This powder is from grassfed beef but on the website was listed as also containing (probably a negligible amount of) sunflower lecithin, which is most definitely not carnivore. But if you don’t have extreme sensitivities, it’s a super good deal.
If you don’t care about the whole grassfed m’deal, then you can get super cheap bulk Beef Protein Isolate from Bulk Supplements. You’ll be in carnivore fat bomb business for years to come with this megapack. Not to mention all the other yummy goodies you’ll be able to concoct…like Carnivore Breakfast Smoothies (recipe coming soon), Carnivore High Protein Shaving Cream (JK) and so much more….
Anyway.
Beef Tallow
This is a very important ingredient to get just right. If you use the wrong sort your fat bombs will end up tasting very…meaty. Which maybe many of us wouldn’t mind.
But the whole point, in a way, is to have some variety, a brief reprieve from the endless shower of meat…plus if you wanna convert your friends giving them a little mini cupcake that tastes like a cow tit will most probably not do the trick.
So…how do you get tallow that doesn’t taste like it just walked in the door from the pasture. Good question.
It’s one I’ve spent some time, thought, energy, and effort on answering.
So far, I’ve come up with three solutions, listed from easiest and least satisfactory, quality-wise, to hardest and highest in quality.
SOLUTION #1: Buy “grassfed” deodorized tallow processed who-knows-how in bulk from Amazon.
PRICE: $
QUALITY: Two or Three Stars
TIME & ENERGY: None
This is probably a great solution for a lot of people, actually. It’s cheap. It’s easy. Check out Sulu’s 7 Pound Tub of Tallow on Amazon.
The quality of these kinds of tallow products, however, are highly questionable. To me, anyway. Many of these bulk brands purport to be grassfed, although it’s not clear whether they are grassfinished.
I don’t trust industry in general, but if I didn’t have the time, motivation, or funds, I might buy a bucket or two, and I have in the past.
SOLUTION #2: Buy Epic tallow and put it through another round or two of processing.
PRICE: $$$
QUALITY: Four Star
TIME & ENERGY: Some
This a better choice, quality-wise, than Solution #1. But it requires a bit of work, unless you don’t mind Epic’s cowey kinda flavor. If you do mind and want a flavorless, odorless, tallow, you’ll need to buy the tallow and water process it once or twice before using it in this recipe.
You can find Epic Tallow on Amazon.
For step by step instructions on how to water process tallow, check out our comprehensive guide on How to Make Beef Tallow for more information on the best way to render tallow to make it white and pretty and to get rid of that beefy smell.
SOLUTION #3: Buy raw grass-fed suet and body fat trimmings from you local butcher and make your own awesome, glorious, odor-free neutral-tasting beef tallow like the carnivore bada** you are.
PRICE: $
QUALITY: Five Star
EFFORT: Lots
This is obviously my favorite solution. It’s a lot of effort at first, but once you get it down it can fit seamlessly into any home-cooked lifestyle (which, let’s face it, many of us carnivores have been mostly compelled to adopt).
For exact, helpful instructions, visit our comprehensive guide on how to make beef tallow.
Wondering whether you can get suet from the butcher?
You can get suet and other beef fat trimmings from the butcher, but not from Smith’s or Albertson’s . Google search “meat markets near me” for local ‘ma and pa’ butcher shops that will give you the odd parts, like suet, that most people don’t want, and usually for a stupid deal.
You can also visit www.eatwild.com to find local farms that sell organ meats. Or, you can order online from reputable sources such as White Oak Pastures or US Wellness Meats.
Carnivore Keto Sweeteners
Glycine
What in the world is glycine? …and well you might ask. I thought keto sweeteners were like…erythritol or something.
Answer: Glycine is an amino acid. Where do you find amino acids like glycine? In meat! What does it taste like? Well…kinda like sugar. Not quite as sweet, but heck. When all you eat is steaks, glycine is like straight up high fructose corn syrup (in a good way).
It’s awesome because it’s used a supplement to soothe the central nervous system and is also a huge component of collagen, so it’ll make you an even prettier Carnivore Barbie (or Ken Doll) than you already are 😉
Buying glycine in bulk is the only practical way to use it as a sweetener. I use Microingredients Glycine Powder.
If you choose to use glycine, YOU WILL NEED TO POWDER IT YOURSELF.
For this recipe it is crucial that your sweetener be finely powdered. You can powder glycine in a coffee grinder or food processor.
Inositol
If you’re a flexible kinda meat eater, you can combine inositol with glycine to create the ultimate zero net carb carnivore sweetener.
Inositol is a compound naturally found in the mammalian nervous system. It acts as a soothing neurotransmitter, supports adequate liver and detox functions, and is used in supplement form to improve symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder, PCOS, panic disorder, and OCD.
But the best part is that inositol tastes really, really good.
And…the combo of inositol and glycine has a super clean, sweet taste that is remarkably similar to real sugar with none of the carbs or funny aftertastes of sugar or other high intensity zero-carb sweeteners.
Here’s the catch…inositol is manufactured from corn (although you can get it from companies that use GMO corn), so the super purist or very sensitive carnivores among us will probably want to steer clear. Also it’s kinda expensive. But it’s my humble opinion that as an occasional treat inositol may have a place in a long-term carnivore diet.
If you’re not comfortable using inositol, you can simply replace inositol in this recipe with the same amount of glycine.
I use bulk, non-GMO Inositol from Microingredients.
Other Sweetener Options
If you don’t want to go in on these two awesome sweeteners and want something more accesible/affordable, go ahead and replace them 1:1 with organic erythritol or non-GMO allulose.
If you choose to use allulose or erythritol, BUY THEM POWDERED OR POWDER THEM YOURSELF.
For this recipe it is crucial that your sweetener be finely powdered. You can powder granular allulose or erythritol yourself in a coffee grinder or food processor.
For best results, however, buy pre-powdered if possible.
DOS: Melt Tallow
Melt the tallow in a double boiler, like so. Add POWDERED sweetener to the melted tallow and stir a couple times to allow the sweeteners to incoporate.
The mixture should become opaque and milky looking.
Then add the powder a little bit at a time, stirring the hot liquid tallow mixture until the powder is completely incorporated.
The mixture should thicken whilst remaining smooth and creamy, like relatively thick pancake batter.
PRO TIP:
DO NOT USE A GRANULATED SWEETENER!
The first time I tried this recipe it came out like a dream. But next time I tried it, it was grainy and not so great. After continuing to test the recipe, I discovered that this was because the first time I used powdered glycine, whereas the second time I used granulated glycine.
Moral of the Story: The particle size of the sweetener matters. The best way to get it right is to buy your sweetener powdered. Second best is to grind it yourself in a coffee grinder or food processor. Grind until very finely powdered.
TRES: Mix & Freeze
Scoop the tallow, sweetener, and protein powder mixture into a medium mixing bowl.
Add lemon zest and vanilla extract, or any other playful add-ons your lil’ heart might desire. Stir until well mixed.
Place batter in small pastry cups or in a mini muffin pan. Or simply roll into balls and place in an airtight container.
Freeze for ten to fifteen minutes.
Cuatro: Make Tallow Frosting
Place tallow and sweetener of choice in a medium mixing bowl (see recipe card for exact measurements).
Whisk with a rotary beater or a stand mixer until the mixture attains the consistency of buttercream frosting.
PRO TIP:
- For the best, creamiest texture possible, melt tallow in a double boiler and add your sweeteners to the hot tallow, stirring and allowing them to dissolve. Pour the mixture into a bowl and let it solidify at room temperature. Whisk once it’s become mostly solid. This will prevent the sweeteners from giving the frosting a slightly grainy texture.
CINCO: Frost
Once the fat bombs are solid, frost, adorn, and serve.
Then relish the heck outta your super yummy keto carnivore fat bombs (!)
Substitutions
Sweeteners: If you don’t have or want to use inositol or glycine, you can use erithritol or allulose 1:1 instead.
Beef Protein Powder: If you don’t want to buy beef protein powder, you can use unsweetened whey or egg white protein powder instead.
Tallow: If you’re in a dairy lovin’ kinda space these days, replace tallow with butter or ghee. Or, use lard as long as it’s neutral tasting and odor free.
Variations & Addons
You can alsways just make these plain and they’re super nice. But if you wanna shake it up and have some fun, consider these crazy wild variations:
- Lemon: Add lemon zest and vanilla extract to the base and the frosting (pictured here).
- Carrot Cake with Lemon “Cream Cheese” Frosting: Add grated carrots, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves to the base and lemon and vanilla to the frosting.
- Simple & Easy Fat Bomb Balls: Keep it simple and just make the base recipe. Roll into balls and freeze.
- Butter Pecan: Add pecans and ghee to the base. Substitute half the tallow for ghee.
Other Recipes to Savor
Liking what you’re seeing? Check out other sweet n’ tasty offerings:
- Check out our ultimate guide on How to Make Beef Tallow to render your very own homemade fat bomb base
- Whip up our Carnivore Birthday Cake (w/ Tallow Frosting) for your next wild party
- Freeze our Easy Carnivore Russian Custard to serve on the side for a dairy free carnivore ice cream equivalent
Keto Carnivore Fat Bombs
Equipment
- 1 whisk or stand mixer
Ingredients
Fat Bomb Base
- 3/4 cup beef tallow, butter, ghee, or lard If using tallow or lard, make sure it's purified enough to be odorless and neutral tasting
- 1/4 cup carnivore appropriate protein powder I used Amy Myers Unflavored Pale Protein Powder
Base Sweeteners (CHOOSE ONE)
- 1/4 cup each inositol and powdered glycine OR
- 1/2 cup powdered glycine OR
- 1/2 cup powdered erythritol or powdered allulose
Optional Fat Bomb Base Addons:
- 1 tablespoon raw honey
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Tallow Fat Bomb Frosting
- 3/4 cup beef tallow, butter, or ghee
Tallow Fat Bomb Frosting Sweetener (CHOOSE ONE):
- 2 tablespoons each powdered glycine and inositol You can powder glycine and/or inositol in a coffee grinder. If you don't have a coffee grinder, simply dissolve the powdered sweeteners in the hot, melted animal fat of your choice.
- 1/4 cup powdered glycine Won't be as sweet in intensity as glycine with inositol. Add some pure monk fruit extract if you want a more intense sweet flavor.
- 1/4 cup powdered erythritol or allulose
Optional Frosting Addons:
- 2 teaspoons raw honey
- 1 pinch monk fruit extract (for more intense sweet flavor)
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Fat Bomb Base
- Melt 3/4 cup of beef tallow in a double boiler or in a saucepan on very low heat. Add powdered sweetener or sweeteners of choice and mix until creamy and smooth.
- Slowly add protein powder to tallow and sweetener mixture. Stir until the mixture is smooth and slightly thickened.
- Place batter in small pastry cups or in a mini muffin pan and freeze or refrigerate to harden. Alternately, allow the mixture to cool before rolling into balls.
- Place in an airtight container and freeze or refrigerate.
Tallow Frosting
- Place frosting ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk with a rotary beater or a stand mixer until the tallow is creamy, like whipped butter.
- Once the fat bombs are solid, frost, adorn, and serve.
9 Responses
Thank you!!!
You’re welcome! Hope you enjoy, I’d love to hear how they turn out if you feel inspired to share.
I made these the first time with Tallow and honey as my sweetener because I was out of erythritol. They were sooooo creamy and ahhhhhmazing.
The second time I used ghee and erythritol and they were bad. The protein and erythritol bound together in a weird way and hardened into a grainy clump and separated from the oil. The second time I used ghee and honey, and it was better (nice and creamy) but still separated from the oil.
I’m going to keep experimenting because these are so stinking good when they turn out right.
Hannah, thank you so much for your feedback. That’s really helpful. If you figure out how to have more consistent results I’d love to hear how.
I have a suspicion it has something to do with whether the mixture is heated or not. I think I may mention this in the recipe somewhere, but I noticed during recipe testing that when I heated the mixture and thoroughly combined the ingredients, making sure to dissolve the sweetener into the fat and protein via gentle heat, the texture was really good.
When I didn’t apply heat to dissolve the sweetener and thoroughly combine the ingredients, the texture was quite grainy and not so great. Maybe something worth experimenting with.
UPDATE:
I tried the recipe again with ghee and erythritol and think I figured out why these sometimes come out unpleasantly grainy and with a poor texture.
When I went through another round of recipe testing, I made the fat bombs with granulated erythritol and I had this issue, even when I heated the mixture. Apparently erythritol is not fat soluble so heat is not the solution.
However, when I tried the recipe with POWDERED erythritol and used a specific order of operations the texture was amazing and creamy like fudge.
I slowly heated the ghee until it was liquid, then added the powdered erythritol, stirring until the mixture was well-incorporated, creamy, and milky-looking.
I then added the protein powder and stirred until the mixture was even creamier and a bit thick, like pancake batter.
I froze the batter in a mold and the fat bombs came out with a delicious, fudgy texture.
Could hydrolized collagen be a good substitute for the protein powder?
It seems likely but I haven’t tried it for myself, so I can’t say for sure. I’ll give it a shot and get back to you with the results.
Has anyone tried this with whey or gelatin instead of the listed protein powder?
Thanks!
Someone recently asked this same questions, so I’m going to give the gelatin/collagen a go and see how it works. I’ll let you know and update the post with the results.