This easy keto caramel slice is just so good! It's a sugar-free 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.
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 life is about balance. And when the heart says dessert, the mind has to listen. As long as you make it sugar free!
This keto caramel slice recipe 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.
My keto millionaires shortbread is 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.
In total, one generous slice is just 4.5g net carbs.
Ingredients
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.
Which sweetener is best?
I recommend allulose. It is a zero carb, zero calorie sugar substitute. It has 70% of the sweetness of sugar and no glycemic impact.
Allulose 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. I have a great recipe for keto caramel on my website already that uses allulose.
But, since allulose is so new, you cannot get it everywhere. It's available in the US (link in the recipe card) on Amazon. Elsewhere, you can order it via lucky vitamin.com.
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.
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.
Instructions
(This section contains step by step instructions and photos that show how to make this recipe. Find the recipe card with ingredient amounts and nutritional information at the bottom of the post.)
1.) Melt the coconut cream, coconut oil, sweetener and 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.
2.) Place all the ingredients for the "shortbread" in a mixing bowl and stir together.
3.) Line a small baking tray with parchment paper. Press the mix inside to form a base.
4.) Pour the caramel over the base and spread it with a spatula. Place in the freezer while you make the chocolate layer.
5.) Melt the chocolate and coconut oil in a heatproof bowl over a pan of boiling water. Alternatively, melt it 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.
Variations
Bake the crust. For a golden brown crust with a crunchy texture, bake it in the oven for 12 minutes at 180C / 350F. Let cool completely before adding the caramel layer.
Make a "traditional" caramel. 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 heavy cream instead of the coconut cream when you make the caramel. Tip: For the caramel, brown the butter first before adding the cream. This way you'll get a deeper colour and added flavor.
FAQ
I used 90% Lindt chocolate in the recipe. It contains less than 2 teaspoons of sugar in the entire bar of 100g. 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.
I used 1 tablespoon 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 tablespoon in the recipe card (and for my second try). This way, your chocolate won't crack when you slice the bars.
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!
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.
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.
More recipes like this
Here are more keto dessert recipes that don't require baking!
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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Recipe
Keto Caramel Slice
from Sugar Free LondonerNote: 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
- ¼ teaspoon 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 teaspoon 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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Elaine
This is one of my favourite keto sweets. I use heavy cream and butter in place of the coconut products and bake the base for 10 minutes at 350°and find its then a bit less crumbly and holds together when cut.
Katrin Nürnberger
Thanks for sharing your tweaks! Glad you like the caramel slice.
Toni
Have just made it today. Will see how it goes.
Love your recipes. Thanks for helping me stick with low carb foods. Loosing weight and still have sweets, can't lose!
Katrin Nürnberger
So glad you're enjoying the website. Let me know how these turn out!
Caleb
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
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
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
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.
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
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
Of course! That would work well. When you keep it in the fridge or even freezer the caramel won't be sticky
Chloe
I absolutely loved this recipe! It tastes great and is low on calories which is perfect!
Ketofoodiesg
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
This was amazing! I used golden erythritol and it worked a treat.
Katrin Nürnberger
Glad you liked it Sue!
ray harrington
I THINK I LOVE YOU lol thanks for sharing
Sue
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
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
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
I've added them!
Helen
Great, thanks!
Ruth Heller
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
So glad you liked them!! It's worth giving allulose a try. Keep me posted if you do!