Biltong with no added sugar is dried beef made without any sweeteners, and it is worth seeking out because most dried meat on the shelf is quietly sweetened. Our biltong is air-dried spiced beef with over 60g of protein per 100g, about 3g of carbs and no added sugar at all. What you taste is beef and spice, not syrup.
If you want the full picture on how dried beef stacks up, our guide on whether biltong is healthy goes deeper into the numbers behind the label.
Why does most dried meat contain sugar?
Most of what people think of as dried meat is jerky, and jerky is usually cooked with a sweet marinade of sugar, honey or syrup. Sugar adds flavour, helps the texture and hides the taste of cheaper cuts. It also nudges you to eat more.
Biltong takes a different road. It is air-dried for about five days rather than cooked, so it does not need sugar to work. The flavour comes from the beef itself and a short list of spices.
What is in biltong with no added sugar?
Our biltong is built on six ingredients: Portuguese beef, apple cider vinegar, Worcester sauce, sea salt, black pepper and toasted coriander seeds. There is no added sugar, no artificial preservatives and nothing you would not recognise. That short list is the whole point.
When a food has six ingredients, you can actually read and understand the label. Compare that with a sweetened jerky that lists sugar two or three times under different names, and the difference is plain.
Is biltong with no added sugar better for you?
For most people, cutting added sugar is a sensible move, and biltong lets you do that while still getting a big dose of protein: over 60g per 100g, with only about 3g of carbs. You get the protein without the sugar riding along with it.
That makes it a straightforward choice if you are watching your sugar, eating low-carb, or simply want food that does what it says. It is protein you can carry, not a sweet treat pretending to be healthy.
How do you check a label for hidden sugar?
Read the ingredients, not just the front of the pack. Sugar hides under many names: cane sugar, dextrose, glucose syrup, honey, maltodextrin and more. If you see several of those, the food is sweetened even if the front says something reassuring.
Then check the carbs per 100g. Dried meat with a lot of sugar will often show much higher carbs than the roughly 3g per 100g you get with plain biltong. The number tells the story.
Does no added sugar mean less flavour?
Not at all. Good biltong gets its flavour from the beef, the coriander, the black pepper and the slow air-drying, not from a sweet coating. If anything, without sugar you taste the meat more clearly, which is how it should be.
We make three flavours from the same clean base: Lean, Garlic and Piri Piri. Each one leans on real spice rather than sweetness, so you get depth without any added sugar.
Who is biltong with no added sugar for?
It suits anyone keeping an eye on what they eat: people cutting added sugar, those following low-carb or keto, athletes wanting clean protein, and parents looking for something better to hand round than a sweet bar. Because there is no added sugar and no artificial preservatives, it fits a wide range of ways of eating without any small print.
It is also for people who are simply tired of reading long ingredient lists. When a food is beef and five other things you recognise, you do not have to study the label to trust it. That honesty is worth seeking out on its own.
How is biltong with no added sugar made without sweeteners?
It comes down to method. Biltong is air-dried for about five days rather than cooked, and the drying itself concentrates the flavour of the beef. Where jerky often relies on a sweet marinade to carry the taste, biltong leans on the meat, the vinegar, the salt and the spice to do the work. No added sugar is needed because none of the flavour depends on it.
Our six ingredients are Portuguese beef, apple cider vinegar, Worcester sauce, sea salt, black pepper and toasted coriander seeds. The coriander and pepper give warmth, the vinegar and salt cure and season, and slow air-drying does the rest. It is an old way of preserving meat that never needed sweetening in the first place.
Does biltong with no added sugar keep well?
It is easy to carry, but it does belong in the fridge. Our cut biltong is made without chemical preservatives, so after delivery take it out of the vacuum bag and keep it sealed in a tray in the fridge, where it lasts up to 5 days. Take the day's portion with you whenever you want real protein rather than something sweet.
The lack of added sugar does not change any of that. Kept this way, it is ready whenever you want real protein, and it travels well for the day.
Does all biltong have no added sugar?
Not always, so it pays to read the label. Ours has no added sugar, but some brands add it, so check the ingredients before you buy.
Is biltong with no added sugar the same as jerky?
No. Jerky is cooked and usually sweetened. Biltong with no added sugar is air-dried and unsweetened, with a shorter ingredient list.
How much protein does biltong with no added sugar have?
Lean biltong gives you over 60g of protein per 100g, with about 3g of carbs and no added sugar, so you get the protein without anything riding along with it.
Does no added sugar make biltong taste bland?
No. The flavour comes from the beef and the spices, so without sugar you actually taste the meat more clearly.
Looking for beef protein without the sugar? Shop our biltong and taste the difference. Packs are 17.50 EUR, and a monthly subscription keeps you stocked. It is made by hand in Portugal and ships within Portugal.
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