Keto Chocolate
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This keto chocolate is an easy candy bar recipe made with just 3 ingredients. Crispy, chewy, and ready in 5 minutes, each bar has just 2 grams of net carbs.
Can you eat chocolate on keto?
As you’d expect, standard grocery store chocolate and chocolate candy bars are not keto-friendly. They are loaded with sugar. One small candy bar has more carbs than someone on a keto diet can have in a week.
While there are some keto-friendly chocolate brands, they are extremely expensive. A standard keto candy bar is over $8- simply not worth it.
Luckily, you can make your own at home for a fraction of the cost. Here’s why I love this keto bars recipe:
- 4 Ingredients. Technically, you don’t even need the almond butter, but I love how firm the bars are when using it.
- Ready in 5 minutes. No baking required. The hard part is waiting for them to firm up.
- Just 2 grams of net carbs per serving. I tested a few combos to keep the carbs as low as possible.
- Easy to customize. Add flavor extracts, nuts, seeds, coconut, or my favorite- crumbled keto chocolate chip cookies.
- Affordable. Make them yourself, and you pay a fraction of the cost of buying the pre-made kind!
I’ve been making these for years, and they’ve become the most requested treat I bring to parties- everyone I’ve served them to says they taste like a keto crunch bar.
★★★★★ REVIEW
“So yummy. One of the best keto bars I’ve ever eaten.” – Bibi
Key Ingredients
Here’s what goes into this keto bar recipe, along with my kitchen notes. Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
- Unsweetened chocolate– Also known as Baker’s chocolate, these candy bars are 100% unsweetened and have very few carbs. On their own, they are not edible, but when mixed with sweet ingredients, they add the chocolate element necessary.
- Sugar free maple syrup– Skip the expensive store-bought kind and make your own keto maple syrup. I don’t recommend granulated sweeteners because they leave the bars gritty.
- Coconut oil– Choose the refined variety to avoid any coconut flavor. I also tested these with unsalted butter, and it worked well.
- Almond butter– Smooth and drippy almond butter with no added sugar. Peanut butter and nut-free alternatives also work. I sometimes make it with sunflower seed butter.
- Crushed nuts and seeds– Optional, but I like using chopped almonds and pepitas to make these taste like crunch bars.
How to make keto chocolate bars
Start by adding the chocolate, syrup, coconut oil, and almond butter to a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave everything in 30-second spurts until the chocolate has mostly melted. Gently mix until smooth.
Next, fold through your crushed nuts and seeds until combined. Transfer into a square pan and refrigerate for thirty minutes, or until firm.
Once firm, slice them into chocolate bars.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Melt in increments. Microwave the mixture in 20-second spurts to avoid burning the chocolate.
- Bars over chips. Avoid using chocolate chips, as they don’t melt anywhere near as well as a chocolate bar.
- Measure by weight, not volume. 1 1/2 cups of chopped chocolate weigh about 8 1/2 ounces, which is useful if you’re working from a bar rather than measuring by volume.
- Candy molds. Pour the mixture into candy molds instead of a pan for individual chocolate bars that look professionally made. I do this for Christmas and Halloween.
- Add a caramel drizzle. Before refrigerating, I like to drizzle some keto caramel sauce over the top. It seeps into the bars beautifully before it sets.
Flavor variations
The base recipe acts as a blank canvas, so here are some tested variations worth trying:
Milk chocolate– Use keto milk chocolate chips instead of unsweetened chocolate.
Peppermint chocolate– Add 1/2 teaspoon of pure peppermint extract to the mixture. I make this every Christmas- it’s a fun holiday dessert.
White chocolate– Use sugar free white chocolate instead of unsweetened chocolate. Just a warning, though- the bars will be very sweet.
Toffee chocolate– Fold through half a cup of crushed keto candy pieces. My partner can polish this version off on his own.
Orange chocolate– Add 1/2 teaspoon of orange extract to the mixture. This is such an underrated combination (hello, Terry’s chocolate orange).
Storage instructions
To store: This keto chocolate is stable at room temperature in a sealable container. It will keep well for up to four weeks. If you’d like it to keep longer, store it in the refrigerator.
To freeze: Place leftovers in a ziplock bag and store it in the freezer for up to six months.
Frequently Asked Questions
The only keto-friendly Hershey’s products are their Dutch-processed cocoa powder (2 grams net carbs per serving) and dark cocoa powder (1.5 net carbs per serving).
The lowest carb candy bar is Ghirardelli unsweetened baking chocolate, which has just 3 grams of net carbs per serving.
There are just 2 grams of net carbs in these keto bars.
Keto Chocolate (Crunch candy bars!)
Video
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened chocolate 8 1/2 ounces
- 1 cup almond butter Can sub for any nut or seed butter of choice
- 1/2 cup keto maple syrup
- 1/4 cup coconut oil optional * See notes
- 3 cups nuts and seeds optional
Instructions
- Line an 8 x 8-inch baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a microwave-safe bowl or stovetop, combine your chocolate, almond butter, sticky sweetener and optional coconut oil and melt until combined.
- Add your nuts/seeds of choice and mix until fully combined.
- Pour the chocolate mix into the lined baking dish and spread out using a spatula. Refrigerate or freeze until firm.
- Slice into chocolate bars.
Notes
Nutrition
More keto chocolate recipes to try
- Keto chocolate cake– Moist, rich, and full of chocolate flavor.
- Keto brownies– I make these brownies far too often. Even non-keto friends love them.
- Keto fudge– Just two ingredients are needed to make this rich and creamy fudge.
- Keto chocolate mousse– It’s light, airy, and needs just 3 ingredients.
If I use baking chocolate, how many ounces? 9, as in the same number of ounces in 1 1/2 cups of chips? Trying to figure out why my chocolate mixture was so thick. Tastes good…
Hi there! Exactly the same as the chocolate chips, so weigh it out
I dont undertand.. if I make the chocolate myself, the recepie is still the same? I have to wait for the chocolate to firm to use it? Because now it is liquid so if I keep adding the ingredientes for the bars I believe its going to be more liquid..
You need to make the chocolate separate, it’s easier to just use keto chocolate chips.
The ones with rice krispies are not keto ( the video) only nuts and seeds would work
First time caller, lone time listener… ? Looove your recipes, have made many (and veganized them – sorry, I used the “V” word). Quick thought, hemp seeds….do you think I should decrease the volume using them since they are more ‘dense’ packed in a cup?
Thanks!
-VV
Hi there! I would still keep it the same, but I’m not too familiar with hemp! The beauty of these bars is that you can decrease the crunchy add-ins and it will still be fine 😉
Is that three cups of combined nuts or three of each nut.
Hi it is combined!
This was delicious! I didn’t have sticky sweetener, so i added 2 Tablespoons chia seeds and used granule sweetener. Came out great! Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe!
You are so welcome, Olivia! 🙂
Do you use a specific crispy rice cereal? and what kind do you recommend? thank you
Hi, this doesn’t use rice cereal 🙂 But I like brown rice crispy cereal
Hello finding it hard to liquid sweet can it be improvised dying to try your recipes
Hi! This is the only one I’ve tried- Omitting it will yield crumbly results.
Delicous! I added ground flax seed and they are still nice and crunchy. Thank you for the great recipe!
That sounds like a fabulous addition 🙂
I just finished making these awesome bars. How many servings does a pan make. Thanks in advance
Hi Jenny! 8-12 depending on how big you want them 🙂
These bars are amazing! I make them once a week and it curbs all my cravings. Thanks a million
Can u replace coconut oil with olive oil ?
You’d be better off using butter!
I made these 2 weeks ago and they’re my new obsession. I’m making another batch next week because I’m running low. So good!
😀 LOVE IT!
Thank you! The bars are soooo good and rich. They really satisfy my need for chocolate.
😀 Love it!
Can you use oatmeal with the nuts ?
Sure can buddy!
Is there anyway to make this stick together/hold without the sweetener? I have SIBO and have been told by my consultant to avoid all sweeteners, even natural ones ?
It’s needed for the recipe 🙂
Bummer! ? Could I perhaps improvise with sticking it together with some egg white and adding vanilla extract to sweeten?
I haven’t tried so feel free to experiment and see