Going on a keto diet doesn’t mean you have to deprive yourself, especially when it comes to chocolate. Yes, believe it or not chocolate is 100% okay on keto, so long as it's the right kind. There are plenty of keto chocolate options you can find available online, at the grocery store, or even make in your own kitchen. The most important thing to note is that it cannot be high in added sugar.
Understanding Keto and Sugar Intake
To maintain a state of fat-burning ketosis, a person must consume around 20g of carbs per day. Chocolate bars you see in the candy aisle are loaded with sugar and are not the best options for someone on a low-carb diet. Most of these bars have on average 25 total carbs and anywhere from 16-30g of sugar a piece! That doesn’t even cover the fact that most of the chocolate bar’s carbs are coming from pure sugar. That means there is around 6tsp of sugar a bar (aka 2 WHOLE TABLESPOONS!).
Keto-Friendly Sweeteners
If you like making low carb recipes on your keto diet it makes sense to figure out what sweeteners are actually keto friendly. Before diving into chocolate, it’s important to know what sweeteners have the green light to use on keto so you aren’t consuming something made with a sweetener that knocks you out of ketosis. These sweeteners will maintain the rich chocolate flavor while providing a light sweetness.
Stevia: Stevia is a zero-calorie sweetener that can come in a powdered or liquid form. The liquid form is often recommended because it isn’t bound to any carb base like maltodextrin.
Erythritol: Erythritol is one of the most common sweeteners used in keto baked goods. It's very close to sugar taste-wise, has a minimal blood glucose impact, and makes delicious desserts. Erythritol can also be found easily in many grocery stores and online.
Read also: Easy Chocolate Mousse
Allulose: This sweetener is still pretty new and not as commonly seen in store-bought keto products.
Sweeteners to Avoid
Unfortunately, not all sugar-free chocolate is keto-friendly. Always read the nutrition label and ingredients list to know for sure if your chocolate is low-carb. In particular, avoid sugar-free chocolate/ dark chocolate sweetened with maltitol as cheap sugar alcohols like this actually spike your blood sugar the same way regular sugar does. Avoid Sugar Free Chocolates from brands like Russell Stover and Atkins as they use maltitol as their sweetener.
Dark Chocolate: A Keto-Friendly Option
You can eat dark chocolate on a keto diet, but it’s still important to track the carbs and monitor your intake. In dark chocolate the higher the cocoa percentage, the lower the carb content will be, so stick to 80% or higher. And for reference anything that is below 55% is actually classified as milk chocolate because there is too much sugar and cocoa butter.
Lindt Chocolate
Lindt chocolate comes in a variety of flavors and cocoa percentages, with the 85% or higher options being a good choice for their low carb count. The chocolate is smooth and dark, but not too bitter. You can feel good about eating this ethically sourced, organic chocolate. The brand works with Cocoa Life, whose vision is that empowered, thriving cocoa farming communities are the essential foundation for sustainable cocoa.
Ghiradelli Squares
These dark chocolate Ghiradelli squares are portioned perfectly, individually wrapped, and have a smooth, dark flavor.
Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers
Popular Keto-Friendly Chocolate Brands
While dark chocolate is easy to find, if you dig a little deeper online, you will find all kinds of keto-friendly chocolate options. The benefits of a low-carb diet are too hard to resist and companies are stepping up to meet the demands of keto dieters everywhere. There are so many good low-sugar options, but a few producers truly stand out.
Lily’s Chocolate: Lily’s Chocolate is some of the best-tasting low-carb chocolate you will find on the market and now, even in your grocery store! They also sell baking chips, chocolate covered almonds, and peanut butter cups. Yes, these bars are only 1g of net carbs per serving, making them the best option for keto chocolate on the market. Lily’s is the go-to gourmet keto chocolate maker for baking chips, and their creamy milk chocolate bar is right up there with the best of the best. Impossibly sweet and creamy with zero alternate sweetener aftertaste. Lily's Chocolate Bars are a top pick for keto baking. These bars have low net carbs and use stevia as a sweetener. We love their rich flavor and smooth texture. The bars melt well, making them great for recipes. They come in many flavors like sea salt, coconut, and almond.
ChocZero: ChocZero products are sugar alcohol-free and sweetened with monk fruit which is great news for people who are sensitive to sugar alcohol sweeteners. Their chocolate comes in individually wrapped squares, making portion control a breeze. ChocZero Keto Bark is a game-changer for keto chocolate lovers. We love its rich flavor and low carb count. We find ChocZero's use of monk fruit as a sweetener impressive. It gives a natural sweetness without the aftertaste of some sugar substitutes.
SlimFast Keto Fat Bomb Peanut Butter Cups: Not all of the SlimFast Keto products get the green light, but the Fat Bomb Peanut Butter cups are a hit! They’re low-carb, available at Wal-mart, and satisfy that craving for Reese’s. These low-sugar, perfectly portioned keto chocolate snacks are ideal for road trips and lunch boxes. Throw one in your purse for later or have one as an after-dinner, guilt-free dessert.
Kiss My Keto Chocolate: Kiss My Keto Chocolate offers a range of low-carb treats for chocolate lovers. Kiss My Keto's chocolate bars melt well, making them great for keto desserts. They offer a rich, creamy taste without the sugar spike.
Read also: Keto Calorie Counting: A Detailed Guide
Unreal Snacks: Unreal’s Coconut Bars have just 3 grams of sugar per bar. Unreal’s creations keep it simple, skipping sugar alcohols, stevia and artificial sweeteners going into the minimalist list of ingredients. Unreal Snacks produces an extensive lineup of low-sugar treats available in retail spaces and online.
Russell Stover’s Pecan Delights: That nuts and gooey caramel combo enveloped in chocolate plays out like nostalgic trip to grandma’s secret candy drawer. But guess what? There’s no sugar in the list of ingredients with stevia standing in to deliver the sweet.
Truffettes de France Original Keto Cocoa Bites: These bon bon size bites deliver big time chocolate flavor with zero sugar, no carbs. Only issue? They’re so delicious, might be a challenge to eat just one or two.
Hu Kitchen Organic Chocolate and Snacks: This groundbreaking company makes an extensive lineup of milk and dark chocolate bars with the hazelnut with puffed quinoa topping my all-time faves list. The company’s co-founders Jordan Brown, Jason Karp, and Jessica Karp launched this successful brand with a sharp focus on producing minimally processed chocolates that taste incredible.
Skinny Dipped: The plant protein-packed lineup of chocolates let the supporting characters shine in starring roles. For instance, the peanut butter’s not an afterthought in those tasty cups. The Super Dark + Sea Salt Almonds have easily slipped into the top spot on my greatest hits list when it comes to feel-good snacks. Love the ultra-rich cocoa flavor and the satisfying crunch. Winner! Skinny Dipped is a woman-owned company making some of the tastiest low-sugar chocolate treats currently on the market.
Adapt Ketobar Chocolate Delight: Whey protein powder, which can have adverse effects on blood glucose and ketones, is the first ingredient, but it didn’t cause trouble in this case; the Adapt Ketobar Chocolate Delight easily passed our glucose & ketone tests.
CHOCOperfection Dark European Chocolate Bar: Expect quintessential dark-chocolate flavor only without the usual bitterness.
Luv Crushed Red Pepper and Sea Salt chocolate bar: With toppings of crushed red pepper and sea salt, the Luv Crushed Red Pepper and Sea Salt chocolate bar is extra pretty and unique. The texture of this chocolate is more like a soft fudge with an interactive twist: you have to knead the chocolate in the wrapper before you open it, then it slides up in a solid but soft and chewy form.
KetoManna Chocolate: The main ingredient is coconut, which you can taste along with dark chocolate, vanilla, and Himalayan salt.
The Good Chocolate’s Himalayan Salt bar: The Good Chocolate makes good on its name, or more accurately, crafts delicious sugar-free gourmet keto chocolate. The Good Chocolate's Salted Almond 65% Dark bar is a keto-friendly treat that packs a punch. It's perfect for those on a low-carb diet who crave a sweet and salty snack.
Brooklyn Born's Dark Chocolate Lemon Coffee bar: Brooklyn Born's Dark Chocolate Lemon Coffee bar is a tasty mix of flavors. The bar offers a bold taste that wakes up your taste buds. Its dark chocolate base is not too sweet, making it perfect for keto diets. Huge thanks to the Brooklyn Born Chocolate company for thinking up a lemon coffee dark chocolate keto bar. It seriously blew us away! The flavor is hard to describe; think lemon poppy-seed mocha.
Making Your Own Keto Chocolate
Thanks to a chocolate bar mold we found on Amazon, we’re able to create our very own chocolate at home using ingredients like cacao butter, stevia, and coconut oil.
Keto Chocolate Bar Recipe
- Finely chop up the bakers chocolate and cacao butter and set aside.
- Combine the coconut oil, liquid stevia and erythritol, vanilla extract and salt in a microwave safe bowl.
- Microwave on high for 45 seconds.
- Add the chopped up chocolate to the hot oil mixture and stir using a spoon until all the chocolate has melted, about 30-60 seconds.
Tips for Choosing Keto-Friendly Chocolate
The next time you’re looking to make a keto dessert use these tips to create the perfect recipe.
- Avoid traditional chocolate bars on the keto diet as they are packed with sugar and will put you over your daily carb limit.
- Choose dark chocolate, typically 80% cacao content or higher will have the lowest carb content.
- Look for individually wrapped chocolate squares to help with portion control.
- Lily’s, Choc Zero, Slim Fast, and Kiss My Keto offer low-carb chocolate options.
Keto Chocolate Recipes
You can eat sweets and baked goods on a keto diet, as long as they’re made with low-carb sweeteners and other low-carb ingredients. There are plenty of keto chocolate recipes to choose from on the food blog, perfect for every craving and every occasion. Here are a few examples:
- Keto Cupcakes with Frosting- These use a rich dark chocolate cocoa powder to make the perfect low carb/keto icing
- Keto Blackberry Cobbler- A fresh and fruity take on a keto dessert
- Low-Carb Cinnamon Rolls- Warm cinnamon buns fresh out of the oven remind us of the holidays so we knew it was time for a keto version
- Keto Fudgy Brownies- The fudgest keto brownies you’ll ever eat. Again we came back with the delicious dark chocolate cocoa powder. Plus you have the option to sub coconut oil for butter and have a vegan brownie. Coconut oil adds a lovely nutty flavor when mixed with cocoa powder in these brownies.
- Low Carb Pecan Pie- This pecan pie will knock your socks off!
- A decadent easy keto chocolate recipe that’s done in minutes! Just a few simple ingredients and the toppings of your choice create a new dark chocolate dessert staple.
- This chocolate recipe has a blend of pecans mixed with smooth dark chocolate all in a flakey ketogenic crust.
- If you want to make doughnuts we’ve got the perfect recipe for you. Unsweetened chocolate/ cocoa powder mixed with sugar free sweetener and protein powder to make a flourless cake style doughnut!
- This is a MUST TRY if you’re looking for something refreshing and delicious.
Keto Baking with Chocolate
We know how hard it can be to find the best chocolate for keto baking. Many of us have struggled to satisfy our sweet tooth while sticking to a low-carb diet. Our guide will help you choose the perfect chocolate for your next keto dessert.
Key Factors for Keto Chocolate
Choosing keto-friendly chocolate requires careful attention to key factors.
- Net Carbs: Net carbs are key for keto chocolate. We look at total carbs minus fiber and sugar alcohols. This gives us the net carb count.
- Sugar Substitutes: Most keto chocolates use sugar substitutes to keep net carbs low. Common ones are stevia, monk fruit, and erythritol. These don't spike blood sugar like regular sugar does.
- Sweetener Choices: Choosing the right chocolate is crucial for keto success. We look for keto chocolates with smart sweetener choices. Erythritol, stevia, and monk fruit are top picks. These low-carb options don't spike blood sugar like regular sugar does. Good keto chocolates use sweeteners that taste great without the carbs. We love brands that blend different low-carb sweeteners for the best flavor.
Pairing Keto Chocolate
Moving from sugar substitutes, let's explore how to pair keto chocolate with other low-carb ingredients. We love mixing keto chocolate with almond flour for rich, nutty treats. Berries are great keto-friendly fruits that pair nicely with chocolate. We like to add raspberries or strawberries to our chocolate desserts for a burst of flavor.