For those following a ketogenic diet, finding convenient and satisfying breakfast options can sometimes be a challenge. Keto-friendly breakfast bars offer a delicious and nutritious solution, providing a quick and easy way to start the day while staying within your carb limits. These bars are not only convenient but also versatile, allowing for a variety of flavors and ingredient combinations to suit individual preferences.
Why Choose Keto Breakfast Bars?
Traditional breakfast bars are often loaded with sugar, grains, and other ingredients that are not suitable for a keto diet. Keto breakfast bars, on the other hand, are specifically formulated to be low in carbohydrates and high in healthy fats, making them an ideal choice for those looking to maintain ketosis.
These bars offer several benefits:
- Convenience: They are easy to grab and go, perfect for busy mornings.
- Nutrient-Dense: Packed with healthy fats, protein, and fiber to keep you feeling full and satisfied.
- Customizable: You can adjust the ingredients to suit your taste and dietary needs.
- Versatile: Can be enjoyed as a breakfast, snack, or even a dessert.
Key Ingredients for Keto Breakfast Bars
Creating keto breakfast bars involves using ingredients that are low in carbs and high in healthy fats and protein. Here are some of the key ingredients you'll need:
- Nuts and Seeds: Almonds, walnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds, and sesame seeds provide healthy fats, fiber, and protein.
- Nut Butter: Almond butter, peanut butter (no sugar added), or sunbutter (for a nut-free option) act as a binder and add healthy fats and flavor.
- Coconut: Shredded or desiccated coconut adds texture and healthy fats.
- Almond Flour: A low-carb flour alternative that helps bind the bars together. Use a finely ground, blanched almond flour to help the bars hold together a little better.
- Sweeteners: Monk fruit sweetener, erythritol, stevia, or a combination can be used to add sweetness without the carbs.
- Collagen Protein: Collagen protein powder adds texture and nutrition to these breakfast bars. It also helps them hold together better.
- Coconut Oil: Adds healthy fats and helps to bind the ingredients.
- Sugar-Free Chocolate Chips: Adds sweetness and flavor without the sugar.
- Eggs: Act as a binder and add protein.
- Spices: Cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla extract add flavor and warmth.
Recipe Ideas
Keto Pumpkin Breakfast Bars
These tender keto pumpkin bars have an oatmeal-like texture for a satisfying breakfast treat. Full of healthy fats and 10g of protein, they are perfect for busy weekday mornings. These keto pumpkin bars are everything you want them to be. They have a texture similar to keto oatmeal, but they hold together better so you don’t have to scoop them into a bowl to eat them. They have just the right balance of pumpkin and spices, and the keto chocolate chips make them super tasty and visually appealing.
Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers
Ingredients:
- 1 cup pumpkin seeds (shelled raw pumpkin seeds)
- 1/2 cup flaked coconut
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 1 cup finely ground, blanched almond flour
- 1/2 cup Brown Swerve (or other sweetener)
- 1/4 cup collagen protein powder
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (make sure your pumpkin puree isn’t too watery)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup melted butter (or coconut oil/avocado oil for dairy-free)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup sugar-free chocolate chips
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (175°C) and grease a 9x9 inch metal baking pan.
- Place the pumpkin seeds, coconut, and sliced almonds in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles oat flakes. You want them fairly well ground up, but some larger pieces are okay.
- Transfer to a large bowl. Add the almond flour, sweetener, collagen, baking powder, pie spice, and salt and mix well.
- Stir in the pumpkin puree, eggs, butter, and vanilla extract until well combined. Stir in 6 tablespoons of the chocolate chips.
- Spread the batter in the prepared baking pan and top with the remaining chocolate chips.
- Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the top is firm to the touch.
- Cool completely before cutting into bars.
Tips:
- Make sure you blend up the nuts, seeds, and coconut until they resemble raw oats. They should be relatively small, with some larger pieces. If you leave them too coarse, the bars will be more crumbly.
- You can use other brown sugar replacements or granular sweeteners in this recipe. But remember that allulose based sweeteners will make the bars brown much faster. I recommend dropping the temp to 325ºF if you use allulose.
- You cannot use other protein powders in place of the collagen. Whey and egg white protein will make the bars more cake-like. Collagen provides moisture and some chewiness to the bars.
- The baking time listed is for a 9×9 inch metal pan. Glass and ceramic pans don’t conduct heat as efficiently and may take quite a bit longer to bake through properly.
Keto Cinnamon Roll Breakfast Bars
These amazing bars are only 145 calories and taste like a cinnamon roll in healthier, gluten-free form. Think of this breakfast like an irresistible cinnamon roll, rich and aromatic, but in easy bar form. It’s got all the swirls of spicy cinnamon and sweet goodness, alongside the cream cheese flavor you expect when you take the first bite into a fresh-from-the-oven pastry.
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup monk fruit sweetener
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Frosting:
- 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons monk fruit sweetener
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line the bottom of an 8-inch pan with parchment paper, rubbing the sides generously with oil or nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and monk fruit until fluffy and combined, scraping the sides as needed.
- Add in the egg, yolk and vanilla and beat until combined.
- Add the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt, and stir until well mixed.
- Transfer to the prepared pan and press out evenly (using VERY lightly damp hands will help a lot here.)
- Bake until the edges are golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes.
- Let cool COMPLETELY in the pan.
- Once cool, whisk the softened cream cheese and monk fruit together for the frosting.
- Spread the frosting over the cooled bars.
- Cool the bars completely, then store them with parchment or wax paper between them in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
No-Bake Keto Granola Bars
With these keto granola bars, grabbing a quick snack to fuel up has never been easier. Even better? This is a keto granola bar that is sugar free, gluten free, and there is no baking required!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup mixed nuts and seeds (almonds, walnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, etc.)
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
- 1/4 cup nut butter (almond butter, peanut butter, etc.)
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons sweetener (erythritol, monk fruit, etc.)
Instructions:
- Line a 9×9 inch square pan with parchment paper.
- Melt the peanut butter and coconut oil in the microwave for 30 seconds. Reserve 1 tbsp peanut butter and 1 tsp sweetener in a seperate bowl to make a peanut topping later.
- In a large bowl combine the nuts, seeds, desiccated/shredded coconut, and sweetener together.
- Once mixed pour the melted peanut butter and coconut oil over your granola. Toss until all the nuts, seeds, and coconut are fully coated.
- Pour the granola into the square pan. Use a spatula to spread the granola evenly across the pan and firmly press the granola down.
- Place your pan of granola in the freezer for at least 1 hour to harden.
- Once your granola has hardened lift it from the pan and cut into 18 bars using a knife.
- The peanut butter drizzle will harden as it touches the frozen granola.
Tips for Making the Perfect Keto Breakfast Bars
- Grind Nuts and Seeds Finely: Use a food processor to grind the nuts and seeds into coarse crumbs. This helps the bars stick together better.
- Pack the Mixture Tightly: Press the granola bar mixture firmly into the baking pan to ensure that the bars hold their shape.
- Cool Completely: Allow the bars to cool completely before cutting them. This will prevent them from crumbling.
- Cut Straight Down: Use a large, sharp knife to cut the bars into squares or rectangles.
- Experiment with Flavors: Don't be afraid to experiment with different combinations of nuts, seeds, sweeteners, and spices to create your own unique keto breakfast bar recipes.
Storage Tips
How you store your keto granola bars will depend on the weather and climate where you live. In the colder months, you can store your granola bars on the countertop in an air-tight container. During the warmer months, you will want to store your granola bars in the refrigerator or freezer. Your bars will stay fresh on the counter for up to a week or 2 weeks in the refrigerator. I usually store my granola bars in the freezer because they will stay fresh for 2-3 months when frozen.
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