This easy keto caramel slice is just so good! It's a cheat's version of millionaire's shortbread, minus the carb load. There's a quick no bake almond flour "shortbread" base, a creamy keto caramel layer and a crisp dark chocolate top. Low carb dessert heaven!
I love my sweet treats! There. I said it.
We all know that in an ideal world we should be choosing celery sticks over desserts. But hey, life is all about balance. And when the heart says dessert, the mind has to listen. As long as you make it sugar free and keto!
This keto caramel slice combines three layers of yumminess into one awesome dessert. And did I mention how easy and quick it is to make?
You can prep this beauty in just 20 minutes - then all you need is cool it in the fridge or freezer until your treat need strikes!
Traditionally, millionaire's shortbread has, as the name suggests, a shortbread base. To save on the time and effort of baking, I've simply replaced it with a no bake almond flour crust. It's nutty and seriously delicious.
We're topping the base with homemade keto caramel (lots of tips and variations on this further on in the post) and a layer of sumptuous dark chocolate.
Let me talk you through the recipe steps.
Here are our ingredients, from dark chocolate to almond flour (or ground almonds) to almond butter and coconut cream (top left).
Note: Use the coconut cream from a can. If you can only get hold of coconut milk in a can, place it in the fridge before opening so the cream splits from the liquid. Use only the firm part and keep the liquid for a curry or mix into yoghurt / smoothies.
How to make Keto caramel slice (millionaire's shortbread) - step by step:
1.) Melt the coconut cream, coconut oil and sweetener plus 1 tsp of vanilla extract in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to medium. Let the mixture bubble away, stirring regularly, until it thickens and has reduced by half (about 10-15 minutes).
2.) While the caramel is cooking, place all the ingredients for the "shortbread" in a mixing bowl and stir together.
3.) Line a small baking tray (24cm x 16cm) with greaseproof paper. Press the mix inside to form a base.
4.) Let the caramel cool for 10-15 minutes. Then pour it over the base and spread with spatula. Place in the freezer for 10 minutes while you make the chocolate layer.
5.) Melt the chocolate and coconut oil in a heatproof bowl over a pan of boiling water (bain marie). Alternatively, melt in the microwave in 30 second bursts.
Tip: It's important to not over-heat the chocolate or it can split. If you choose to microwave, stop at the point where you still have a few pieces of firmer chocolate in your bowl. Melt those by stirring the mix.
6.) Pour the chocolate on top of the caramel layer. Then cool your Keto caramel slice in the freezer for an hour or in the fridge for around 3 hours.
Once it it fully set, remove from the pan. Grease or wet a sharp knife and slice into squares or slices. Clean the blade in between cuts. This will keep your slices free of crumbles and neat.
Can I make this keto caramel slice with butter and cream?
Absolutely! I have kept this recipe dairy free. But you can replace the coconut oil in the base and in the chocolate layer with butter.
And you can use double cream (that's heavy cream in the US) instead of the coconut cream when you make the caramel.
Tip: If you're using butter instead of the coconut oil in the caramel, you can even brown the butter first before adding the cream. This way you'll get a deeper colour and added flavour.
Allulose vs erythritol in the caramel sauce
Let's talk about the caramel. I have a great recipe for keto caramel on my website already that uses allulose.
Allulose is a fairly new zero carb, zero calorie sweetener on the block. It has about 70% of the sweetness of sugar (same as erythritol) and no glycemic impact.
The great thing about allulose is that it BEHAVES like sugar. It melts and does not re-crystallise like erythritol. This means it makes wonderfully gooey, stretchy caramel, as you can see in the pictures.
But, since allulose is so new, you cannot get it everywhere. It's available in the US (link in the recipe card) on Amazon. In the UK and Europe you can order it from a website called Mydietshop. They sometimes sell out, but it is always back in stock after a while.
I have a bag of allulose at home. But I want to make sure that all of you can try this recipe. That's why I also made the caramel using golden erythritol.
The erythritol re-crystallises slightly and turns the caramel a little grainy when cooled.
If we would be using the caramel to pour over, say, sugar free ice cream, all you'd need is to re-heat it and the graininess would disappear. But we're eating it cold here and don't have that option. I still thought it tasted delicious (AND I MEAN THAT!!!).
You can also use xylitol in this recipe! It does not re-crystallise as much as erythritol. Or alternatively, make my sugar free caramel sauce with fibre syrup, which also stays perfectly smooth.
How much sweetener should I use?
I've given a range of ¼-1/2 cup in the recipe card.
We all have such different ideas of what's just right and what's too much. Therefore, I think it's best to choose according to your sweet tooth.
The erythritol caramel worked fine for me with ¼ cup / 50g. The allulose sweetened caramel was great at ½ cup.
Try less first and taste, then adjust if necessary...it's half the fun!
The dark chocolate layer
A quick word about the chocolate.
I used 90% Lindt chocolate in the recipe. It contains only 7 grams (less than 2 tsp of sugar) in the entire bar of 100g. If you can't get hold of 90%, make sure your chocolate has at least 85% cocoa solids to keep the sugar content low.
You can also use a sugar free chocolate such as Lily's (available in the US) or use an unsweetened chocolate (aff links). Here in the UK Montezuma's Absolute Black is a good option.
Note: I used 1 tbsp of coconut oil for the chocolate layer in the images. This resulted in a crunchy chocolate topping. That's why I increased the amount of coconut oil to 2 tbsp in the recipe card (and for my second try). This way, your chocolate won't crack when you slice the bars.
How to store keto millionaire's shortbread
You can store your keto caramel slice in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 week or in the freezer for 3 months. Do not store it at room temperature, this would make the caramel too runny.
Can you freeze low carb caramel slice?
Yes, this recipe is great for freezing. Be sure you cut the slices or squares first (after 1 hour in the freezer, while it's still softer). It tastes delicious straight from frozen.
Other easy keto desserts you'd like:
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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Keto Caramel Slice
Note: The servings slider only changes the first amount in each line and not any subsequent amounts. Please make your own calculations where necessary. ***As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
Base
- 1 ¼ cup / 125g almond flour or ground almonds
- 3 tbsp / 34g granulated sweetener (So Nourished)
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp / 42g coconut oil or butter, melted
- 2 tbsp / 32g almond butter unsweetened
Caramel
- 2 tbsp / 28g coconut oil
- ¼-1/2 cup / 50-100g granulated allulose or erythritol***
- 1 cup / 240 ml coconut cream
- Optional 1 tsp vanilla extract but I recommend it!
Chocolate topping
- ½ cup / 120g dark chocolate 85% cocoa solids minimum or sugar free chocolate, melted
- 2 tbsp / 28g coconut oil
Instructions
Caramel
- Melt the coconut cream, coconut oil and sweetener in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to medium. Let the mixture bubble away, stirring regularly, until it thickens and has reduced by half (about 10-15 minutes). Let the caramel cool for 10-15 minutes.
Base
- While the caramel is cooking, make the almond flour base. Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir together. Line a small baking tray (24cm x 16cm) with greaseproof paper. Press the mix firmly into the tray.
- Then pour the cooled caramel over the base and spread with a spatula. Place in the freezer for 10 minutes whilst you make the chocolate layer.
Chocolate Topping
- Melt the chocolate and coconut oil in a heatproof bowl over a pan of boiling water (bain marie) or in the microwave. Pour on top of the caramel layer and place in the freezer for an hour or until fully set.
- Remove from pan. Grease or wet a sharp knife and slice into squares.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Caleb says
I have all ingredients for this tho only the white granular erythritol as I couldn't find brown. I have made loads of batches of normal salted caramel and wondered if I boil the erythritol with a hint of water to dissolve it then add the cream which is what I've done to make normal caramel. Now I'm doing keto I wasn't sure if using the white erythritol if the caramel would brown up and have caramel taste. Also is the 90% Lindt chocolate ok to use?
Guess I'm a bit worried that my carb count will be different to the 4.4g per slice .
Thank you for this recipe though its def lowest carb sweet tooth thing I could find to make.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Definitely grind down your erythritol to a fine powder before you make the caramel. Erythritol re-crystallises and you don't want to end up with crunchy bits in the caramel. Using the white sweetener should be fine - you will get a lighter colour though. THe 90% Lindt chocolate is very low in sugars and I use it all the time. Just don't eat the whole lot in one go!! 🙂
Caleb says
Thank u i just have the caramal setting in the fridge its definatly lighter so would love to try it with the brown ethritol, its a bit coconutty lol and very sweet so might put slightly less in than 1/4 cup but should be a good health sweet snack for my cravings lol thank you so much for replying 🙂
Deb says
I made full dairy version...heavy whipping cream, butter, and a mix of Besti Monk Fruit Brown/Allulose...delicious! I also used the Besti brown sugar substitue (MonkFruitAllulose) in the crust. Theses are full-flavored and delicious. Thank you, Katrin!
Johanna W. says
These are delicious! I made the dairy version with butter and heavy cream, and I used Swerve brown sugar replacement. Also, I baked the almond layer for 12 minutes at 350. Amazing! I used an 8x8 inch square pan and cut them into 1" squares which I keep in the freezer....1 or 2 after dinner hit the spot! Thanks!
Marianne says
I have not made these yet put plan on making them this week. In the past for other treats such as these I've used cupcake liners in muffin pan for portion control and to take care of the chocolate layer cracking when trying to cut squares once cooled. Do you think this would work here if I built up the base a bit on the sides so caramel layer doesn't stick to liner? Or can also use silicone liners. I plan on using the dairy version pluse allulose.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Of course! That would work well. When you keep it in the fridge or even freezer the caramel won't be sticky
Chloe says
I absolutely loved this recipe! It tastes great and is low on calories which is perfect! I did have the same issue as in your pictures though where the chocolate started cracking and breaking when I cut the slice after taking it out of the freezer. I followed your recipe exactly though with 2 tbsp of coconut oil (chocolate melted for 60 seconds in the microwave) so I was wondering if you had any clue what I might be doing wrong? Thanks!
Katrin Nürnberger says
I guess it has to do with temperature. You must have cooled it very well, and the chocolate got too hard. When I cut my second batch it had been in the fridge, but I had let it sit on the counter for a while. I would be hesitant to add more coconut oil because then you're starting to lose the lovely chocolatey taste.
Ketofoodiesg says
Found my sweet dessert fix! These are to die for! Ive been looking for the perfect keto dessert and ive found it. I used the butter/ cream version. Ill try with allulose next 🙂 ive started OMAD just so I can justify eating these yummy squares multiple times im one sitting .
Sue says
This was amazing! I used golden erythritol and it worked a treat.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Glad you liked it Sue!
Molly says
I made this today. Not sure where I went wrong with the caramel filling, after letting it bubble away for over 20 minutes it didn’t reduce by half. The filing definitely tastes of coconut and not caramel. I wasn’t able to get allulose but used monk fruit/ Erythritol, 1/4 cup. It’s way too sweet. I’d appreciate knowing where I went wrong even though I measured the ingredients or if you had the same problem getting it to reduce.
It’s definitely grainy as you said it would be too.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Molly, I'm wondering if your filling had the texture and thickness of caramel and whether the bars set ok? If it did then I don't think anything went wrong. Sweetness is very much a personal thing, so if you think it's too sweet, you should halve the amount of sweetener next time. If you don't like the taste of coconut, use cream and butter the next time. It's just important to reduce the liquid in the coconut cream to a point where it thickens sufficiently. Hope this helps! 🙂
ray harrington says
I THINK I LOVE YOU lol thanks for sharing
Sue says
Hi Katrin,
Do all the coconut items used leave a coconut flavor or are they just used for sweetness? I don’t mind a little taste of coconut, but am not a huge fan of it.
Thank you,
Sue
Katrin Nürnberger says
I don't think it tastes much of coconut. I could taste the almond butter in the base and the chocolate, with gooey sweetness in the middle. However, if you HATE coconut maybe make the caramel with double cream and use butter instead of the coconut oil. It works just as well.
Helen says
This looks fab! Can't wait to try it. It would be great if you could you provide weight measures for solid fats for the benefit of your non-US readers.
Katrin Nürnberger says
I've added them!
Helen says
Great, thanks!
Ruth Heller says
What a heavenly tasting dessert!
As I couldn't get hold of Allulose, I made my batch with Erythritol I always have at hand. But I'm quite curious about using it for sweetening, when I'll prepare these caramel slices next time.
Thanks for this great idea and in particular for to the foolproof instructions. Your recipes always work!
Katrin Nürnberger says
So glad you liked them!! It's worth giving allulose a try. Keep me posted if you do!