It's smart to evaluate your diet and see where you're getting most of your sodium from. The usual culprits are pizza, lunch meats, chips, and popcorn, but where do cured meats fit in? Is beef jerky high in sodium?
While many traditional jerky options tend to be high in salt, there are lower sodium varieties available that offer the same protein and flavor with less sodium.
Let's find out more and discover what types of low sodium beef jerky could work for you.Â
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Best Low Sodium Beef Jerky Options
These recommendations of low sodium beef jerky are specific products pulled from these brands, so if you switch flavors then make sure you look at the sodium content before buying them.
1. Chomps Original Beef
We know we're tooting our own horn here, but what can we say, we worked really hard to make nutritious and delicious meat snacks on the market, and we're genuinely proud of it.
Our Original Beef sticks have 380mg of sodium per stick, and they are perfect for the office, hikes, family road trips, and keeping no-mess snacks in the pantry that you know are healthy down to the last chomp.
See for yourself why mindful eaters and families all over the U.S. love Chomps.
Sodium per serving: 380mg
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2. Chomps BBQ Beef Sticks
If you love bold, smoky flavor without the sodium overload, our Smoky BBQ Beef Sticks deserve a spot in your snack rotation. Made with 100% grass-fed and finished beef, they're a nutritious source of protein with 10g of protein and also 380mg of sodium per stick.Â
Real ingredients, no artificial flavors, and that satisfying snap. Low sodium beef jerky has never tasted this good.
Sodium per serving: 380mg
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3. Jerky's Gourmet Smokehouse BBQ
Jerky's Gourmet has only 85mg per ounce serving and two servings per bag, making it the lowest sodium beef jerky product we know of.
It's also gluten-free, free from nitrate, and made with meat that isn't filled with antibiotics and hormones. That's my kind of low sodium jerky!
Sodium per serving: 85mg
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4. Baja Jerky Traditional Beef
If the branding alone doesn't convince you, the taste and nutrition facts will. Baja Jerky's Traditional Beef has 200mg per ounce serving, so assuming you don't slam a whole bag in one sitting, then it definitely fits into a lower-sodium diet.
This low sodium beef jerky is also gluten-free, made without hormones, doesn't have nitrites, and is super tender.
Sodium per serving: 200mg
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5. Tanka Bar Slow Smoked Original
Tanka is an awesome Native American company that gives back to its community by building libraries, colleges, and other important public services. They also make fantastic food, and their bison bars only have 260mg sodium per bar to make them a good low sodium beef jerky for your pantry.
Sodium per serving: 260mg
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Top Low Sodium Meat Sticks Beyond Beef
Beef isn't the only low sodium meat snack worth reaching for. If you're looking to mix things up, these chicken, turkey, and venison options deliver the same protein-forward nutrition and bold flavor you'd expect from quality low sodium jerky.
1. Chomps Original Chicken Sticks
Looking for low sodium meat sticks beyond beef? Our Original Chicken Sticks are a great place to start.Â
With just 390mg of sodium and 12g of high-quality protein per stick, they're a convenient, shelf-stable low sodium meat snack that doesn't cut corners on ingredients. Made with antibiotic-free chicken, no added hormones, and no artificial flavors or colors. They’re also free of the top 9 allergens and Whole30 Approved.
Sodium per serving: 390mg
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2. Chomps Savory Breakfast Chicken Sticks
Snacking doesn't have to be complicated.Â
Our Savory Breakfast Chicken Sticks bring a warm, sage-forward flavor to your on-the-go routine. Perfectly spiced with a classic breakfast sausage profile, these low sodium beef sticks have a soft, satisfying chew.Â
Each stick delivers 12g of protein, 0g sugar, and 80 calories. They’re also made with antibiotic-free chicken, thoughtfully-sourced ingredients, and nothing artificial.Â
Sodium per serving: 390mg
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3. Chomps Nashville Hot Chicken Sticks
For those who like their low sodium meat sticks with a kick, our Nashville Hot Chicken Sticks deliver bold, fiery flavor without piling on the sodium. Made with antibiotic-free chicken and real ingredients, these sticks clock in at 12g of high-quality protein and just 390mg of sodium per stick.Â
They’re Paleo Certified, Gluten-Free Certified, and Whole30 Approved. Enjoy near low sodium meat snacks that don't compromise.
Sodium per serving: 390mg
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4. Chomps Original Turkey Sticks
Our Original Turkey Sticks are a lean, protein-forward pick for anyone building out a low sodium jerky lineup. Made with antibiotic-free turkey and no added hormones, each stick delivers 12g of high-quality protein with thoughtfully-sourced ingredients you can actually recognize.Â
With 0g sugar, 80 calories, and just 390mg of sodium per stick, they're near low sodium meat snacks worth keeping stocked.
Sodium per serving: 390mg
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5. Chomps Salt & Pepper Venison Sticks
If you haven't tried venison, our Salt & Pepper Venison Sticks are a great entry point. Made with 100% grass-fed and finished venison and seasoned with sea salt and cracked black pepper, they're a uniquely flavorful alternative to low sodium beef sticks.Â
Each stick delivers 10g of protein, 0g sugar, and just 380mg of sodium. No added hormones, no artificial flavors, no fillers.
Sodium per serving: 380mg
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How to Find Low Sodium Meat Snacks
Shopping for low sodium beef jerky takes a little label literacy, but it's worth the effort. Here's what to look for:
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Check the sodium per serving, not just the label. A product is generally considered low sodium at 5% DV (115mg) or less, while anything above 20% DV (460mg) starts to tip into high sodium territory. Most low sodium beef sticks fall somewhere in between. Always check the nutrition facts panel directly and look for low sodium beef sticks and jerky with sodium content in the 100-400mg range.
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Watch out for soy sauce and excess salt. Many traditional jerky brands rely heavily on soy sauce as a flavor base, which dramatically spikes sodium. Look for products seasoned with natural ingredients like garlic, black pepper, and herbs instead.
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Prioritize quality ingredients. Brands using 100% grass-fed and finished beef or antibiotic-free poultry tend to have cleaner, simpler formulations with fewer preservatives. That usually means more thoughtful sourcing when it comes to sodium, too.
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Consider non-beef options. Turkey and chicken sticks can be a great way to round out your low sodium meat snack rotation. As you saw above, our Chicken and Turkey Sticks come in at just 390mg of sodium while delivering 12g of high-quality protein and 0g sugar per stick.
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Look for third-party certifications. Paleo Certified, Whole30 Approved, and Gluten-Free Certified products tend to have tighter ingredient standards overall. They’re a good shorthand when you're scanning options quickly.
Enjoy low sodium beef sticks that check all of these boxes. With Chomps, you’re eating real ingredients, thoughtfully-sourced protein, bold flavor, and a sodium profile that's meaningfully lower than the traditional jerky category average of ~517mg per serving.
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What Is Considered High Sodium vs. Low Sodium?
It helps to have a rough range when evaluating sodium in food.
Generally speaking, items with 5% (115mg) or less of your DV are items considered low sodium. Anything higher than 20% (460mg) is considered in high sodium.
Some people raise the high-sodium bar to above 40%, but considering sodium is everywhere and a lot of nutrition estimates are rough, I think keeping it at 20% makes more sense.
So if we look at beef jerky with that range in mind, there are almost no products that can be considered low sodium meat sticks. If you keep your serving sizes small, then yes, but we all know how hard it is to keep snacking at bay.
There are, however, beef jerky products that can be considered lower sodium (around the 10% range), and that's what we're going to look at.
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Other Things to Look for When Buying Jerky
As important as sodium is, there are a lot of other ingredients to keep an eye on when shopping for good beef jerky. Here's how to make sure you're buying food that's good for your body and your taste buds.
Avoid MSG and other artificial preservatives
A bunch of jerky and beef products have MSG made from soy protein along with other artificial preservatives that make their snacks have artificially long shelf lives. These ingredients can increase your odds of becoming obese, developing heart disease, and even getting cancer.
Skip the sugar unless it's natural
Outside of cranberries, dates, and other natural sources of sugar, added sugars like high fructose corn syrup are detrimental to both your health and the environment. If the meat is good, then you shouldn't need to dress it up, right?
Stick to a small ingredients list
In general, the shorter the ingredient list, the better the product. Chomps prides itself on using high-quality meat, real ingredients, and good manufacturing practices.
That's why Chomps Original Beef only has:
100% grass-fed and finished beef, water, sea salt, encapsulated lactic acid, celery juice, black pepper, red pepper, garlic powder, and coriander.
Nothing more, nothing less!
Choose companies that prioritize health over efficiency
The modern industrial meat industry is plagued by practices that prioritize efficiency over the health of the animals and our society, and there's no excuse.
One of the best ways we can fight back against hormone and antibiotic-filled products is to choose companies that prioritize our health and our environment.
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The Bottom Line
By nature, beef jerky is created via a process called curing, and curing uses salt to give flavor and preserve meat.
Because salt is made of sodium, this means beef jerky tends to have high sodium content, but there are brands that use more moderate amounts of sodium.
When looking for good low sodium beef jerky and meat snacks, go with companies who clearly prioritize nutrition and high-quality ingredients.
