For those uninitiated, Nanaimo bars are a quintessential Canadian dessert. Originating from Nanaimo, British Columbia, this no-bake treat has gained immense popularity, even being voted ‘Canada’s Favorite Confection’. This article explores a keto-friendly version of this classic, allowing you to indulge without compromising your low-carb lifestyle.
What are Nanaimo Bars?
Traditionally, a Nanaimo bar consists of three distinct layers: a base of wafer, nuts, and coconut; a creamy custard filling; and a rich chocolate ganache topping. Variations abound, with different flavors and ingredients incorporated into each layer. The traditional layers in a Nanaimo include a wafer, type of nut, and coconut base, custard filling, and chocolate ganache.
Why Keto Nanaimo Bars?
This keto Nanaimo bar recipe recreates the beloved flavors and textures of the original while adhering to ketogenic principles. By replacing high-carb ingredients with low-carb alternatives, you can enjoy this classic Canadian treat guilt-free.
Keto Nanaimo Bars Recipe
This recipe features a rich chocolate topping, a creamy vanilla custard filling, and a tender coconut chocolate crust, just like the classic Canadian treat. This no-bake keto dessert is so perfectly sweet and satisfying, you won't believe it can still fit into your keto lifestyle.
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
- 1/4 cup chopped nuts (such as walnuts or pecans)
- 1/4 cup sweetener, powdered
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- Pinch of salt
For the Filling:
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons almond or hemp milk
- 1/4 cup sweetener, powdered
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp custard powder (optional, see notes)
For the Chocolate Topping:
- 4 oz sugar-free chocolate, chopped (such as Lily's dark chocolate)
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Prepare the Crust: In a bowl, combine your almond flour, coconut, walnuts and salt. In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Stir in the cocoa powder and the sweetener, and then slowly whisk in the egg. Then to add your egg, just whisk tiny bits of the hot cocoa/butter mixture into the egg ITSELF in a separate little bowl, whisking constantly and adding more every now and then until the egg is mixed with about 1/4 of the total mixture. Now you can add your egg mixture to the pot with the rest of the ingredients and whisk constantly until the mixture starts to become thick. Once the mixture has thickened, remove it from the heat and add it to your dry ingredients from earlier. Stir well until everything is combined. Press the chocolate dough into the bottom of an un-greased 11×7 inch pan (or 8x8inch pan). Try your best to make it as flat and even as possible. Refrigerate until firm.
- Make the Pastry Cream (Custard): In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the whipping cream and almond milk to a simmer. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sweetener and salt until well combined. Slowly whisk about half of the hot cream into the yolks to temper, then stir the yolk/cream mixture back into the remaining cream in the saucepan and cook until thick and glossy, about 3 to 4 minutes, whisking continuously. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla. Let cool to room temperature.
- Complete the Filling: Beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the cooled pastry cream until well combined, then beat in the powdered sweetener. Spread the filling over crust and refrigerate until firm, at least one hour.
- Prepare the Chocolate Topping: The chocolate topping is simply made of sugar-free chocolate and butter. Combine the chopped chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir until melted and smooth. Spread the chocolate over the custard layer, smoothing it out to be as even as possible.
- Chill and Serve: Place back in the refrigerator to harden for 25 minutes. Now you can slice your squares using the knife method I mentioned in the tips of this post! Serve the Nanaimo Bars chilled and store the leftovers in an airtight container between layers of wax or parchment paper in the fridge or freezer.
Tips for Perfect Keto Nanaimo Bars
- Hot Knife for Clean Cuts: Chocolate toppings like this can crack as you try to cut them into bars. I recommend heating up your knife so that it slices through the chocolate more easily. I do this over the flame of my gas stove but dipping it into a glass of hot water works as well.
- Customize Your Nuts: Feel free to add different chopped nuts to the base of these bars!
- Custard Powder Alternative: Traditionally, Nanaimo bars use custard powder for the unique texture and flavor. But custard powder contains cornstarch which isn’t keto friendly. My solution is to create an actual vanilla custard (aka pastry cream) to add to the filling.
Variations and Substitutions
- Dairy-Free Option: If you can’t tolerate dairy, you can use coconut cream and your favorite butter substitute in the pastry cream. For the crust and topping, coconut oil or another butter substitute will work nicely. Cut back to 6 tablespoons of coconut oil for the crust as it can be more greasy.
- Nut-Free Option: Replace the almond flour with sunflower seed flour and use hemp milk or another nut-free milk for the pastry cream.
- Sweetener Choice: The sweetener you choose for this recipe definitely has an impact on how it turns out. The crust can be made with your favorite powdered sweetener, but the filling is more finicky. I’ve made it with both erythritol and allulose, and while both technically work, allulose can make it extra soft. This means it takes longer to set properly and it can be a little squishy when you try to cut the bars. So I recommend erythritol for the filling. If you want to cut back on it more, you can use a little concentrated sweetener like stevia or monk fruit extract.
- Nut Flour Alternatives: Yes, you can substitute almond flour with other nut flours like hazelnut or cashew flour. Just keep in mind that it may alter the flavor slightly.
- Monkfruit Substitute: If you don't have monkfruit sweetener, you can use erythritol or another keto-friendly sweetener. Just make sure to adjust the quantity based on the sweetness level.
- Omit Coconut Flakes: Yes, you can omit the coconut flakes if you're not a fan, but they do add a nice texture.
Storage and Meal Prep Tips
Nanaimo bars can take a bit more time to make than, say, a brownie since you need to make each layer and chill each layer. But the good news is that each layer can be made in stages ahead of time. Since there aren’t any raw ingredients, Nanaimo bars can stay fresh for a long time. They are freezer-safe and can be stored in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Store leftover Nanaimo bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. With a long freezer life, you can make larger batches at a time!
Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers
Nutritional Information
This keto nanaimo bar recipe has 6.8g of carbs and 3.3g of fiber per serving. That comes to 3.5g net carbs per bar.
Read also: Keto Calorie Counting: A Detailed Guide
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