It's quick and easy to make creamy keto milk chocolate at home! All you need for this simple sugar free recipe are 4 ingredients and a silicone chocolate mould.
Since going sugar free a few years ago, I've been opting for dark and darker chocolate. Chocolate with 90% cocoa solids contains only 7 grams of sugar for a whole 100g/3.5 oz bar - perfectly fine for a low carb diet.
I then started to make my own, TOTALLY sugar free dark chocolate (sweetened it with powdered erythritol) and posted my recipe for low carb chocolate on the blog. Check it out - it's delicious and the post includes plenty of recipe variations!
But. Sometimes it's just got to be milk chocolate, right?
Jump to:
Can you have milk chocolate on keto?
Shop-bought milk chocolate contains around 50% sugar. Not a good idea for anyone, basically. And all the shop-bought sugar free milk chocolate bars I have tried so far have been more or less disappointing. Firstly, they are expensive, And secondly, they may be sweetened with stevia or erythritol, but the taste.... meh.
So. Here's my homemade version. Simple, rich and super-milky!
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you'll need:
- Cacao butter - do not substitute this with coconut oil or regular butter. It has to be cacao butter.
- Thick heavy cream or double cream - can be subbed with coconut cream for dairy-free chocolate.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Powdered sweetener - I used powdered erythritol, but for a completely smooth chocolate use powdered allulose. With erythritol based sweeteners there is always a residual graininess as it re-crystallises as it cools.
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.) Heat double cream / heavy cream in a frying pan until it stats to bubble, thicken and reduce.
2.) Keep stirring with a spatula so the cream does not burn. I used ¼ cup / 60g of cream. After a few minutes, my cream had reduced by half and I was left with 2 tablespoon / 30 grams. Can you see how thick it has become?
3.) While the cream cools in a bowl, melt your cacao butter.
4.) Add in the powdered sweetener and cacao powder and stir until combined.
5.) Here's a CRUCIAL step. You have to wait for the cacao butter / cocoa mass to COOL DOWN. You want the reduced cream and the cacao butter to be of a SIMILAR TEMPERATURE. Stir and combine them...
6.) .... and pour the mixture into a silicone chocolate mould. Chill in the fridge or freezer until set.
Tips and tricks
The key ingredient in regular milk chocolate is whole milk powder. There are Keto chocolate recipes out there that use heavy cream powder, which has less carbohydrates. Cream powder is a specialist ingredient and not cheap. And I did not want to buy a huge pot of milk powder that I KNOW I will NEVER use again.
Therefore, I settled on using REAL double / heavy cream in this recipe and simply reduced the liquid by half. It does make the chocolate softer. I don't recommend keeping it at room temperature - it turns into the consistency of a creamy praline. Store it in the fridge or freezer!
I've mentioned above how important it is that the chocolate mix and the cream need to have a similar temperature when mixed. This is ESSENTIAL! I have made the mistake for you here, guys. If the temperature difference is too great, THE CHOCOLATE WILL SEIZE AND SEPARATE!!!!! You don't need fancy equipment - just test with your finger and combine the two when the time is right.
The amounts given will make you only 1 chocolate bar. Which is not a lot, but I thought it's better for you to try first before making a larger batch. Double or triple the recipe as you wish.
You can use either cacao powder or cocoa powder in this recipe. Cacao has the added benefit that it contains more antioxidants and nutrients as it is not roasted.
If you wish, you can add vanilla to the recipe. As it's a no-bake recipe, I'd go for quality here. Regular vanilla extract contains alcohol, which you would be able to taste. Go for a vanilla powder instead, or even splash out on a vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds.
A chocolate bar mold is great for this recipe, but not essential. Just put parchment paper on a plate and pour in your chocolate. Freeze, then break into pieces. Voila - keto milk chocolate bark. Alternatively, make pralines with a silicone ice cube tray!
Storage
Store this chocolate in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
If you store it in the freezer, you'll get a great snap.
Related recipes
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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Recipe
Creamy Keto Milk Chocolate Recipe
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
- 1.5 oz / 40g cacao butter
- ¼ cup / 60g thick double cream / heavy cream
- 1 ½ tablespoon cacao powder unsweetened
- 1 tablespoon allulose powdered (use an additional ½ tablespoon if you like your chocolate sweet), or use powdered erythritol
Instructions
- Heat the cream in a pan until it bubbles. Lower the heat and stir regularly so the cream does not burn. Cook it until it has reduced by half and has become thick and slightly yellow in colour. Pour into a bowl and set aside.
- Melt the cacao butter in a pan. Stir in the cacao powder and the powdered sweetener.Â
- Once the cream and the cacao mix have the same (lukewarm!!) temperature, combine them and stir. Pour into a chocolate bar mould and place in the freezer or fridge until set.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Katrin Nürnberger
I have a high speed blender which mixes everything and anything to incredible smoothness immediately. I think if you took a little more time to mix using a regular mixer, it should also work.
Margaret
Thank you for the recipe-so delicious. Would it be possible to substitute the double cream with coconut cream?
Katrin Nürnberger
I haven't tried yet, but I think it's possible. Just make sure you store the chocolate ideally in the freezer for a proper snap.
Rob
Hi great idea especially how expensive store or online bars are.
Wondered how could you make a salted caramel or white choc versions same with the choc chips version too. Any ideas other than flavouring extract or stevia flavour added to these recipes?
Katrin Nürnberger
You could make my caramel sauce and drizzle it into the mould. You would have to store the bar in the freezer though to ensure it has a nice snap.
Jan
Hi there . I’m new to your page and am so excited to try making this . Can you please tell me if I can use Stevia as the sweetener instead? If yes, how much do you recommend. Thank you in advance. Jan x
Katrin Nürnberger
I'm assuming you're talking about stevia drops? Check your bottle - 4-5 drops are normally equivalent to 1 teaspoon of sugar. I used 1 tablespoon of powdered erythritol, which is equivalent to 3 teaspoons of sugar. Therefore, you'd need to use 12-15 drops of stevia or more, depending on how sweet you like it.
Jan
Thank you for replying Katrin. I have the powdered form of stevia but as long as I can use it as a plan B sweetener I will work it out .
Katrin Nürnberger
What a shame! It could be that you heated the ingredients too much. That's when separation can occur in cooking. Do you think this could have been the case? you can fix it by simply stirring the ingredients back together.
Jan
Thank you for replying Katrin. It tasted lovely once frozen so nothing ended up being wasted. I’m about to make another batch , so fingers crossed I’ll make it perfect this time x
Janis
Same happened for me so I'll try the reheating
Vivian
Hi, can i substitute the heavy cream with skimmed milk ?
Katrin Nürnberger
No, that is too watery and would not work.
Vivian
How about skimmed milk powder?
Katrin Nürnberger
I've never tried it, but it could work!
Brenda Bellamy
I wondered what you'd do different if using the recipe for coating off other keto candies. Thanks for all great recipes and tips.
Katrin Nürnberger
I would try the same, although I would let is cool so it's to so liquid.
NS
Great easy recipe and ingredients. I only had to remake it due to my sweetleaf powdered sugar turning into crystals mini rocks when the cocoa butter was too warm. In my 2nd attempt I stirred the sugar powder into the melted cocoa butter while room temperature and that worked perfectly then continued on...added macadamias into my chocolate molds...which I've been long craving!
Katrin Nürnberger
Oh, that sounds delicious!
JT
Hi, I have a few questions: Would this recipe work with bakers unsweetened chocolate and allulose (instead of cacao powder and Erythritol)?. Also, here in Canada the highest percentage cream sold is 35% m.f - is this sufficient?
Katrin Nürnberger
Yes, that would probably work.
Linda
How much milk powder would I use in this recipe in place of the heavy cream
Katrin Nürnberger
I would try up to 1/4 cup / 30g.
Heidi
My husband and I have been doing Keto for many years now, and plan to make it a lifestyle for life, so having a good chocolate that you can control the ingredients/sweeteners and not break the bank is so exciting! I have been creating Keto recipes for years and am an avid cook. I have not tried making your keto milk chocolate recipe yet, but I wonder if melting the cacao butter with the heavy cream after reduced and then adding the cacao powder and sweetener would work, then you wouldn't have any temperature issues incorporating them at the end. Did you try that already? Or even melting the cacao butter separately and then adding it right as the heavy cream is reduced. I can't wait to try the recipe as written, but am wondering if you've tried these ways yet. This is my first time to your site, so I will have to take a look at what else you have here. Thank you for this recipe!
Katrin Nürnberger
No, I haven't tried this yet, but it's a good idea!
Millie
So I went out and purchased the cocoa butter and I’ve made this recipe at least three times. My disappointment is how do I get the cocoa butter to stop separating from the chocolate. It leaves a white haze on one side. Or am I doing something wrong?
Katrin Nürnberger
This has never happened to me. Maybe it is a temperature issue? Take care to heat the cocoa butter only as much as necessary. Often, separation occur when food becomes too hot.
Mel Mensinger
Hey Millie. I had the separating issue today and I solved it by blitzing the mix in my blender. It became super smooth. I’ll do that straight away from now. The chocolate has a very smooth texture. Hope that helps. Cheers from Sydney.
Herbert Holland
Hello !!! I just love your recipes. You're my go-to name when I'm searching for a recipe. I made this last night and the chocolate is delicious .... But, it turned out flimsy. It didn't get hard but came out of the molds .... just flexible. Ps. I made the white chocolate and dark chocolate both were fantastic .... Thank you for your hard work
Katrin Nürnberger
The chocolate stays a little softer because we're using the cream. You have to keep it in the fridge or in the freezer to make sure it has a nice snap. If you use heavy cream powder instead it's firm at room temperature though.
Aerin Sizelove
I'm going to try this recipe with coconut powder as I'm also trying to be dairy free for a bit. Any idea on ratios for this by chance? You mention using powders but curious what you recommend on coconut powder. I literally want to create a chocolate that I never have to feel guilty about eating while I eat healthy.
Katrin Nürnberger
I would start with 2 tbsp and give it a stir. Add 1 more after that if you feel it needs it.
Quirino W. Jacques
If you wanted to add pecans or walunts how many ozs would you recommend
Katrin Nürnberger
I would add a small handful.
Sena
Hello! I’m excited to try this out. Would using 100% cacao chocolate (baking chocolate) work in place of the cacao powder? I’ve heard homemade chocolate with the powder is a bit gritty and was considering of purchasing backing chocolate.
Katrin Nürnberger
It's not the same thing - you'd add more fat as there's cacao butter in the baking chocolate (plus cheaper fats). But of course, it's something you can try. Personally, I think the best thing you can do to avoid grittiness is to use allulose instead of any other sweetener - it does not re-crystallize
Stacey
can you use coconut milk from a can instead of the cream?.
Katrin Nürnberger
Yes you could try that. Put the can in the fridge so the cream separates from the milk. And use only the firm part - the cream.
Angel
Would you still boil the coconut cream as you do the heavy cream?
Katrin Nürnberger
Yes, definitely. It is all about reducing the liquids as much as possible so you get a firm chocolate.
Pete
This looks amazing and I cNt wait to try it as my wife hates dark chocolate. Could this be used in other recipes instead of dark chocolate such as making brownies or no bake cookies?
Katrin Nürnberger
Yes, of course!
Janet
Hi, this looks great! If I were to replace the cream with milk powder or cream powder, what quantity would I need for this recipe?
Katrin Nürnberger
I would use 3-4 tbsp.
Sherri
Hi Janet. Did you replace the cream with the powder? If so, how much did you use and how did it turn out?
James White
This was easy and awesome. Thanks for the warning about the similar temperature. I have lost a many mixtures before.
Rosemary Hearn
Can I substitute regular butter for the cocoa butter?
Katrin Nürnberger
No, that wouldn't work, unless you kept it in the freezer. Cacao butter is very neutral in taste AND it's firm at room temperature.
Ida
The cacao butter link to Amazon is powdered. Is that ok? If so, what is the measurement for the powder?
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi Ida, Amazon gives different results depending on your location. You need to get cacao butter, not cacao powder. It should be white, like in my images and comes either in pellets or in pieces.
Cassie
Thank you so much!
Mina
I don't understand the nutrition. Is this per portion? There are 6 portions. So, I have to multiply the given nutrition with 6, if I want the nutrition in total?
Katrin Nürnberger
Yes, I always calculate the nutrition per portion. So, if you want the nutrition for the entire recipe, you'd have to multiply by the number of portions.
Kaidi
I'm so happy I found your chocolate recipe. I'm dying to try it out.
In my country it's impossible to find chocolates with stevia or erythritol, so it's such a relief to finally be able to make my own chocolate and have a possibility to make all these delicious chocolate desserts and cakes.
I was wondering though if this chocolate will melt completely in chocolate chips cookies and muffins? Normal chocolate usually doesn't melt completely if you cut a bit bigger pieces than the chips are.
Do you have any recommendations or experience?
Katrin Nürnberger
It will get very liquid, unless you use an emulsifier like soy lecithin. But I have a recipe for sugar free chocolate chips where I added cacao paste - this made them nice and firm.
Kaidi
Thank you for the tip. I'll definitely try it out.
Cassie
I have both lecithin and milk powder here at home. I'd like to make this recipe so that it's stable for baking. How much lecithin should I use or how should I add in the milk powder? Your recipe for the sugar free dark chocolate was absolutely divine btw. Thank you.
Katrin Nürnberger
I would use 1/4 tsp lecithin. And just replace the cream with milk powder. 🙂