Khloud, the high-growth snack brand founded by Khloé Kardashian, has announced the launch of Khloud Protein Chips. The move represents the brand's first major category expansion since the successful debut of its Protein Popcorn in April 2025. By entering the tortilla chip segment, the second-largest category in salty snacks, Khloud is positioning itself as a cross-category competitor in the functional nutrition space.
The "Good Stuff, Zero Fluff" philosophy that defined the brand’s entry into the popcorn market is now being applied to one of the most culturally embedded snack formats in the United States. The product is scheduled for an exclusive retail rollout at Target and on Target.com beginning April 8, 2026.
Clean Label Formulation and Ingredients
Khloud Protein Chips are engineered to address the "permissible indulgence" market, where consumers seek traditional snack textures but demand higher nutritional standards. Unlike legacy tortilla chips that often rely on highly processed fats and synthetic additives, Khloud’s formulation emphasises ingredient transparency.
Key technical specifications include:
Protein Fortification: 7g of protein per serving, achieved by baking pea protein directly into the tortilla chip.
Oil Profile: Formulated exclusively with avocado oil, completely removing seed oils from the production process.
Grain Quality: Made with non-GMO real corn masa.
Clean Label Standards: Focus on "ingredients you can pronounce," avoiding artificial fillers and synthetic dyes.
The debut includes three anchor flavours designed to mirror mainstream chip preferences: Sweet Heat, Nacho, and Buffalo.
Retail and Target Exclusivity
The decision to launch exclusively with Target underscores a "high-velocity" retail strategy. Target has become a primary incubator for creator-led brands, providing a high-traffic environment for "better-for-you" (BFY) innovations.
Despite being under a year old, the Khloud brand has achieved rapid national penetration, currently stocked in more than 29,000 doors. Its existing retail network includes:
Mass & Grocery: Target, Walmart, Kroger, and Albertsons.
Speciality & On-the-Go: Starbucks.
Digital: Amazon.
Jeff Rubenstein, CEO and co-founder of Khloud, noted that the Protein Chips are a clear signal that the company is building a "modern, cross-category snack brand for the next generation."
The Protein Trend
For B2B stakeholders, the launch highlights the massive shift toward functional snacking. Market data suggests that protein-forward snacks are growing three times faster than the broader snacking category. By integrating protein into the tortilla chip format, Khloud is capturing "share of stomach" from consumers who are transitioning away from empty-calorie salty snacks.
Khloé Kardashian, Founder of Khloud, stated that the brand was created to remove the choice between "snacks you crave and ingredients you feel good about." This positioning allows the brand to compete simultaneously in the "wellness" and "mainstream snack" aisles.
The transition from a single-product brand (popcorn) to a multi-category platform (chips) is a critical milestone for Khloud. For retail partners, this diversification reduces the risk associated with single-category performance while providing a unified "functional snack" destination on the shelf.
As the company moves through the 2026 season, industry observers expect the success of the Protein Chips to dictate future expansions into adjacent categories such as crackers or bars. By leveraging a high-profile founder with a massive digital reach and a "function-first" R&D philosophy, Khloud is setting a new benchmark for how creator-led brands can institutionalise quality and scale rapidly within the competitive CPG landscape.
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