Making your own homemade low carb chocolate is easy, quick and much cheaper than buying ready-made sugar free chocolate. A delicious Keto snack or dessert when your chocolate craving strikes!
Hands up who else loves chocolate? I ALWAYS have chocolate in my fridge. To me, it's one of the best desserts ever invented. It's instant pleasure!
Science has proven that chocolate has a whole host of proven health benefits. It's a powerful source of antioxidants, can lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease, to name a few. Read more about the positive effects the nutrients in chocolate can have here!
Of course, not all chocolate is good for you. Shop-bought milk chocolate generally contains over 50% sugar and is therefore not a healthy choice AT ALL. (My homemade Keto milk chocolate is a much better option!)
Is there carb free chocolate?
In my recipes, I use either unsweetened chocolate such as Montezuma (8g of carbs for an entire bar of 100g/3.5 oz) or dark chocolate with a cocoa content of 90% such as Lindt. A whole bar of this chocolate (100g) contains only 7 grams of sugar. To put this into perspective, 4 grams of sugar are equal to 1 teaspoon. The Lindt chocolate has 10 squares, which means it's 0.7 grams of sugar/1.4g carbs per portion.
Then there is the option to buy Keto chocolate. (By the way, stay away from chocolate sweetened with maltitol - this sugar alcohol raises blood sugar almost as much as regular sugar and is definitely not Keto (source). It's also a diuretic.)
I have tried several brands that make low carb chocolate bars. Nicks is a good choice in the UK, my personal favourite is the Kexbar. In the US, there is stevia-sweetened sugar free chocolate such as Lily’s, which I have also sampled. Lily’s sells chocolate bars as well as chocolate chips. The only issue is that low carb chocolate brands are EXPENSIVE!
I decided I needed to make my own sugar free chocolate to nurture my chocolate addiction whilst staying low carb and not go broke.
There are various recipes online that make Keto chocolate using coconut oil and/or butter. The problem with these ingredients is that neither stay firm at room temperature. If you use unsweetened chocolate you run the risk of the chocolate seizing once you add the erythritol.
To make proper low carb chocolate that has all the health benefits we want you need to use cocoa butter and combine it with cocoa powder and powdered erythritol.
How to make homemade low carb chocolate - step by step:
1.) Melt the caca0 butter in a pan.
2.) Take off the heat and add the cocoa powder and powdered erythritol.
Recipe Tip: If you only have granulated erythritol, blitz it in a food processor or in the attachment of your stick blender until it is powdered. It's important to use a powdered sweetener as erythritol does not melt like sugar does and tends to re-crystallise when it cools down. The granules will sink to the bottom and won't be evenly distributed in your chocolate.
3.) Stir until dissolved!
4.) Pour into silicone chocolate moulds and cool in the freezer or fridge until set.
Tip: Make sure you place your moulds on a firm surface such a tray so you're able to carry them once you've poured in the low carb chocolate mix. 
5.) Aaaaand... chocolate time!!
There are many ways to customise your low carb chocolate.
- 1 tsp orange zest (which is absolutely delicious)
- cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom for a wintery vibe
- pinch of chilli for a fiery kick
- sprinkle of sea salt
- vanilla scraped from a vanilla pod (I tried vanilla extract, but did not like it - you can taste the alcohol)
- a handful of low carb granola or peanut butter granola or...
- any nuts and seeds you like!
It's also not necessary to own a chocolate bar mold to make homemade chocolate. I want to show you 2 easy ways how you can make sugar free chocolate without it.
4a.) Add any chopped nuts and seeds or ⅓ cup homemade granola to the molten low carb chocolate mix. I used my grain free peanut butter granola.
5a.) Spread the mix on a firm surface lined with parchment paper. Cool in the fridge or freezer until set....
6a.) ......and you've got yourself some chocolate bark.
If you're after something a bit more showy, you could also go for this option:
5b.) Using a spoon, drop little blobs of the low carb chocolate mix onto parchment paper, freeze or refrigerate until set...
6b.) ...and in just a few minutes you could be munching on one (or two) of these gorgeous low carb chocolate clusters!
Whichever recipe variation you decide to go for, homemade keto chocolate is a life-saver when the need for a sweet treat strikes.
It keeps forever in the fridge if you store it in an airtight container or simply have it on the kitchen countertop. Personally, I prefer to have my sweets slightly out of sight. They're just too tempting.
Have you seen my post about sugar free chocolate chips? I have an ingenious hack how to make them.
Love chocolate as much as I do? Try these sugar free chocolate dessert recipes:
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Low Carb Chocolate
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
- 3.5 oz / 100g cacao butter
- 6 tbsp cocoa powder unsweetened (48g)
- 4 tbsp powdered erythritol (32g)
Instructions
- Melt the cacao butter in a pan, stirring continuously.
- Add the cocoa powder and powdered erythritol and stir until combined.
- Add any optional extra (1 tsp orange zest/pinch cinnamon/pinch of sea salt/pinch of chili/1/3 cup (50g) low carb granola/handful of nuts and seeds and stir
- Fill into a silicone chocolate mould to make chocolate bars. Or pour onto parchment paper to make chocolate bark/clusters.
- Freeze 5 minutes until set.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Lilly says
Have tried this a few times with Droste cacao powder and it was wonderful, thank you. I did have a question about the cocoa butter measurements. My bars seem to melt rather quickly upon removing from fridge, even a day later there will be chocolate on my hand while gently removing from the mold. Do you think it is the cocoa butter being too much? Is there anything else to add to maintain shape.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Lilly, to make the chocolate firm at room temperature, you would have to add cacao paste, also called cocoa mass. I have used in in my recipe for sugar free chocolate chips. The other option is to simply store it in the freezer.
Malachi says
Hey I'm about to try these out with orange zest. How do I add the orange zest? Do I mix it in the pot after adding all the other ingredients?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Yes, that's what I would do 🙂
Malachi says
These turned out lovely, thank you!
DEB FLANEGAN says
Just learning how to make these keto recipes and having a wonderful time learn all the different ingredients. These responses to your recipes is GREAT! I can't wait to get to the and start cooking.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Keep me posted on how the recipes turn out for you! I love hearing about tweaks and am happy to answer any question you have.
Deana Chadwick says
It came out delicious! I added a few roasted walnuts and made a bark. My problem is that I ate way too much!! Probably more than half of the batch. I will order some silicone molds and exercise some self control next time.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Sounds like a success! 🙂
Cynthia Holling-Morris says
Amazing!!!!! I used a Montezuma bar with cacao nibs and added some dehydrated raspberries. I don't have a blender so I used regular erythritol and I actually like the bit of crystallized yumminess it adds to the texture.
K says
If you added coconut powder (I can't find heavy cream powder) would it be easy to make this into milk chocolate?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Yes, that would work. You can check it out in this post about keto milk chocolate.
Brad says
I am so glad to have found your website and recipes.
I have been type 1 diabetic for 21 years and my son was diagnosed with it at 18 months old. Carb counting can be a real pain sometimes as can injections. So I decided to go keto to reduce injections and not worry about having to count carbs all the time.
Having recipes like this keto chocolate is a gift and will be trying very soon and I'm sure me and my son will enjoy it very much.
Thank you so very much
Brad and zach
Katrin Nürnberger says
So glad you found my website! Really hope you'll like the chocolate. For an extra smooth version use allulose. If you can't get hold of it, powdered erythritol also works well.
Karen says
I make this recipe quite frequently, making different variations by adding different nuts or combinations. It is so easy and delicious. I also like to use it for making “dipped” chocolates.
My favorite candy growing up was Niederegger Marzipan, from Germany. The little individually wrapped ones were my absolute favorite because there was more of that dark chocolate coating. But of course I wouldn’t turn down one of the larger bars! Haven’t had this in years.
Anyway, I couldn’t believe it when I discovered Fooddreamer’s marzipan hearts recipe. So good... but I do leave out the rose water. I use your recipe to dip them in. Absolutely heaven! Best of both worlds. I use it to dip different kinds of truffles as well.
Thanks so much for coming up with this recipe and sharing.
Margaret says
Hi there if I can’t find cacao butter is there an alternative or can I make the butter in some way. I’m new to the keto recipes at the min my partner found it the best way for him to lose weight so I’m trying to cook normal meals for him that are keto friendly that way he doesn’t feel he’s missing out and still sticking to his diet. I’ve used a few of your recipes and found them great thank you
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Margaret, where are you based in the world? Here in the UK you can get cacao butter in health food stores (or at larger supermarkets such as Ocado). You can also get it online. It's just not going to taste that great with a substitute such as coconut oil (also, you'd have to store it in the freezer).
David says
I couldn't find any coconut butter in the local stores so I bought some on Amazon called 'Kevala's Organic Coconut Butter'. I heated it on the stove and it turned to liquid but then started to solidify to the consistency of fudge. The longer I kept it on the stove the thicker it got. Like a dummy I poured in the cocoa and erythritol which turned everything into a powdery, gooey mess. Being a chocoholic I'm going to eat it anyway but, where did I go wrong?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi David, you bought coconut butter and not cacao butter, that's where you went wrong 😉 Cacao butter is made from the cacao bean and coconut butter from coconut. I do LOVE coconut butter and you can use it to make fudge or even just eat it by the spoonful (which I sometimes do). Look out for cacao butter (sometimes also called cocoa butter).
Daniela says
Can you use honey instead of erythritol? If so, how much should you use?
Katrin Nürnberger says
I would use the same amount. However, as you're adding a liquid you may have to store the chocolate in the fridge or in the freezer.
Colleen says
Absolutely spot on ....again. these are so delicious, i cannot believe that i made them! Thank you for all your great recipes, we really appreciate them.
sam says
Can you tell me is it cocoa butter or cacao butter that you need to use for this chocolate
Katrin Nürnberger says
I used cacao butter. But I think sometimes they call it cocoa butter. It should be white, like in my images.
N. Rosado says
This was such an easy recipe to follow! I added 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract and lined my chocolate molds with pink sea salt. They were so good! This is a good base recipe for keto chocolate. Thank you!
Deborah says
How do you adjust the recipe for dark chocolate?
Katrin Nürnberger says
This chocolate is VERY dark 🙂
BB says
Thank you so much for this! Would liquid stevia work instead of a powdered sweetner?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Yes, absolutely.
Chari says
Wow! Just finished making 3 different types of chocolates, one deliciously plain, one with toasted coconut and lastly one with a few chopped sugar free candied pecans. Used mini silicon ice cube trays. Worked amazingly. So inexpensive but taste like a million dollars or pounds( what ever fits)
Katrin Nürnberger says
So glad you like it!!!!
Joanne says
Can I use this to substitute for 100% unsweetened baking bars in baking recipes? As they don't sell that in my country.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Yes, I think that should work (though I have not tried it yet!!). You may also want to experiment using half cacao butter and half cacao mass. I have not used cacao mass in this recipe. I've only just ordered some and want to experiment with it. I think it will result in a thicker chocolate mix when it's melted.
Craig says
Did you ever try this with the cacao mass?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Not yet, but I have just bought some. I think using half cacao mass and half cacao butter would work well.
Rob says
This looks awesome. Have you ever tried adding peppermint flavor to this? If so would you have any recommendations for flavoring it? Excited to try this recipe! Thank you
Katrin Nürnberger says
I've had a reader writing in and telling me she did exactly that! I have tried the recipe with orange zest and also with cardamom, cinnamon and nuts.
Jordan P Dennany says
Is that total carbs or net carbs?
Katrin Nürnberger says
The nutrition panel always states the total carbs. To get the net carbs, simply deduct the fibre from the total carbs.