Kristen Fleming holds a Master of Science in Nutrition. Over her 8 years of experience in dietetics, she has made significant contributions in clinical, community, and editorial settings. With 2 years as a clinical dietitian in an inpatient setting, 2 years in community health education, and 4 years of editorial experience focusing on nutrition and health-related content, Kristen's expertise is multifaceted.
Keto candy recipes are genuine! Tame your sweet tooth. You can eat sugar-free keto candy without the guilt. That said, it’s okay to wonder how you can make candy keto-friendly. After all, you don’t want to disrupt ketosis from feeding a sweet tooth.
Fortunately, our keto candy recipes deliver craving reducers, without having to worry about breaking ketogenic rules. We’ll show you what is and isn’t allowed and reveal the tastiest but most keto-friendly sweet treats on the keto diet. Let’s dive in before things get any sweeter.
But first, let’s discover more about keto-friendly candy.
Keto Candy 101: What Sweets Are Allowed on Keto?
The keto diet doesn’t need to be absent of treats in moderation. However, you should know which candy you can eat on keto. Let’s explore the best candies for keto and what to look for.
Can a Piece of Candy Take You Out of Ketosis?
A piece of candy won’t disrupt ketosis if you limit net carbs. Medicine Net suggests that most people limit carbs to 5-10% of their daily intake on keto (6). Anything more than 50 grams of carbs is thought to disrupt ketosis, the process in which your body burns fat for energy.
Eating too many carbs on keto provides your body with plenty of carbohydrates, which it prefers as an energy source. However, limited carbs won’t stop ketosis, especially if you count net carbs. Net carbs is the difference between the total carbohydrates in a food, and the fiber, which is not digested or used for energy (15). Recommendations vary and can change whether you count total or net carbs, but some people like to keep their net carbs under 30 grams daily. Net carbs=total carbs-fiber.
What Is the Lowest-Carb Candy to Enjoy in Moderation?
Healthline suggests which lower-carb candies to enjoy in moderation. They include dark chocolate, hard candy, gummies, coconut milk candy, peppermint candy, and truffle fat bombs (20). However, you still have to count any carbs the candy provides, toward your daily total or net carb goal (6, 15).
Read the labels, calculate the net carbs, and allocate them toward your daily intake. Look at the labels to find other key ingredients that make candy keto-friendly. For example, allulose and Stevia are typically well-tolerated on the keto diet because your body doesn’t use them as energy (18).
Additionally, Finnish researchers suggest that erythritol is well-tolerated because it doesn’t cause digestive distress unless you overeat it (4). Note, it doesn’t have the same negative impact as other polyols, thanks to the smaller weight and configuration of compounds in erythritol.
Candy with monk fruit sweetener also works for keto because it contains zero calories (8). Furthermore, pick candy with the following guidelines (20):
Contains high-fat and low-sugar
Uses nuts, nut butters, or oils to increase the fat content
Only uses low or 0-calorie sweeteners, like monk fruit, stevia, or erythritol
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Best Keto Candy Recipes – Full Recipes!
Our keto candy recipes will have your mouth watering for favorites, chocolate, and sugar-free options. Some keto candy recipes aren’t as fast or easy as others, but you’ll enjoy every bite when making your candy at home. Let’s see the top keto candy recipes.
Easy Keto Candy Recipes – Favorites!
Easy keto-friendly candy recipes should deliver sweet favorites with minimal net carbs per serving. In addition, the ingredients list should be short for an easy treat.
Keto Hard Candy Recipe
Keto Focus highlights our monk fruit hard candy recipe (13). Keto-friendly hard candy is a favorite because it lets you snack on candy when your sweet tooth rises. Alternatively, alter the recipe’s instructions for a keto lollipop variation. You’ll find that variation after this recipe.
Servings: 30
Prep:
Cook:
Ingredients:
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
5 tsp. Monk fruit sweetener
¼ cup of sugar-free syrup
A pinch of salt
Food coloring (optional)
Directions:
Melt the butter over medium-high heat in a saucepan,
Reduce the heat to medium-low,
Add the remaining ingredients, stirring to bring to a slow boil,
Let the ingredients boil slowly until they foam or froth,
Cook for another 3 minutes until you can pull the mixture away like a ribbon,
Remove it from the heat, quickly pouring it into candy molds,
Refrigerate for 1-2 hours until set
Macros per serving: 11 calories, 0.2 g net carbs, 0.7 g fat, 0 g protein, and 1.5 g fiber (13)
The hard candy recipe works well for keto lollipops if you boil the above recipe until large bubbles form (13). It takes about 2-3 minutes longer, and you’ll quickly pour the mix into molds to make keto lollipops with the same ingredients.
Keto Lemon Drop Gummies Recipe
Keto Summit is our lemon drop gummies recipe (12). Gummies are a nostalgic childhood favorite that allows you to enjoy a few more candies before hitting the net carb allowance. Also, the lemon drop flavor inspires even more nostalgia.
Servings: 4
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
¼ cup of lemon juice
1 tbsp. water
2 tbsp. erythritol
2 tbsp. gelatin powder
Directions:
Heat the lemon juice and water in a small saucepan over medium heat,
Stir the erythritol and gelatin powder in slowly, stirring constantly until dissolved,
Pour the mixture into molds or an ice tray,
Refrigerate for 2 hours to set.
Macros per serving: 15 calories, 1 g net carbs, 0 g fat, 3 g protein, and 0 g fiber (12)
Keto Peppermint Bark Candy Recipe
All Day I Dream About Food arose from our keto-friendly peppermint bark candy (17). You’ll notice repeated ingredients, but peppermint bark comes in layers. Keep the ingredients separate to ensure you build a delicious layered bark candy for the keto diet.
Servings: 12
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
4 oz. 70% or more of chopped dark chocolate
½ oz. cocoa butter
½ tsp. peppermint extract
2 oz. cocoa butter
½ cup of coconut oil
3 tbsp. Allulose (or erythritol)
½ tsp. peppermint extract
2 sugar-free peppermint candies
Directions:
Combine the chopped chocolate and ½ oz. of cocoa butter in a microwave-safe bowl,
Heat on high for 30 seconds before stirring, repeating the increments until smooth,
Stir the first ½ teaspoon of peppermint extract into the bowl,
Spread a thin layer over parchment paper to set in a freezer before you continue,
Combine the other cocoa butter, coconut oil, and allulose in a microwave-safe bowl,
Heat on high for 30 seconds before stirring, repeating the increments until smooth,
Let the mixture cool slightly before pouring it over the first layer,
Sprinkle the peppermint candies over the top and freeze for 10-20 minutes.
Macros per serving: 131 calories, 1.89 g net carbs, 13.86 g fat, 0.47 g protein, and 1.89 g fiber (17)
Keto Chocolate Candy Recipes
Keto chocolate candy recipes are plentiful and worthy of a keto-friendly splurge to combat that sweet tooth. Many people love chocolate. Dark, unsweetened chocolate is suitable for keto.
Chocolate Covered Katie is a delicious and flexible chocolate candy bar recipe (9). The macros below are for the original recipe, but you can use different nut butter, like almond, cashew, or macadamia, or add raw nuts for a crunchy texture.
Servings: 40
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 0 minutes
Ingredients:
9 oz. sugar-free dark chocolate chips
½ cup of peanut butter
½ cup of nuts or seeds of choice
Directions:
Line your 8” pan with parchment paper,
Chop the nuts finely to spread them better in the bars,
Gently warm the peanut butter in the microwave for 2 minutes,
Melt the chocolate in the peanut butter until nearly melted,
Stir all the ingredients together until smooth,
Spread the mixture in your parchment pan,
Let it freeze for 10 minutes before cutting it into 40 bars.
Macros per serving: 53 calories, 4 g net carbs, 4.6 g fat, 1.3 g protein, and 1.3 g fiber (9)
Keto Mint Chocolate Fudge Recipe
Pretty Pies is an awesome recipe for mint chocolate fudge (5). The recipe is keto, paleo, and vegan, with a surprising ingredient you wouldn’t expect in candy. Fudge is a classic, and making it minty tastes refreshingly sweet. Note, this is an overnight recipe.
Servings: 25
Prep: 8 minutes
Cook: 0 minutes
Ingredients:
2 ripe medium avocados
½ cup of room-temperature coconut oil
2 tbsp. and 1 tbsp. cashew butter
3 tbsp. erythritol (or 35-45 drops of Stevia)
2 tsp. mint extract
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. cacao
Directions:
Add all the ingredients to a blender, except the single tablespoon of cashew butter and cacao,
Blend the ingredients until thick and smooth, scraping the sides,
Spread ⅔ of the blender ingredients over a 5×5” baking sheet with parchment paper,
Freeze the sheet for 30 minutes or until set,
Mix the cacao powder and a single tablespoon of cashew butter with the ⅓ leftovers from the first batch,
Blend the mixture on high until smooth and thick,
Spread the layer over the first, letting it set overnight,
Slice into 1” squares.
Macros per serving: 67 calories, 1 g net carbs, 7 g fat, 0 g protein, and 1 g fiber (5)
Gnom Gnom will make your mouth water for this keto-friendly chocolate truffles recipe with an ultra-low-carb count (1). The calories are pretty hefty for a single truffle, though. However, the decadent truffles have a mere 1.3 g of net carbs per serving. Prepare to lick your lips for this recipe.
Heat the coconut cream, allulose, cocoa powder, and espresso powder in a saucepan over medium heat,
Whisk the saucepan ingredients until smooth and the coconut solids are gone,
Sprinkle the xantham gum in bits while mixing,
Air bubbles are okay, but make sure you avoid lumps from the xantham gum,
Add a teaspoon of water at a time if the mixture thickens too much to stir,
Remove the mixture from the heat, refrigerating it until it cools until set,
Scoop enough of the mixture to make spoonful rounds at a time,
Dust your palms with cocoa powder while rolling the truffle balls,
Work fast to prevent melting the truffles,
Freeze them for 10 minutes.
Macros per serving: 81.4 calories, 1.3 g net carbs, 8.4 g fat, 1 g protein, and 0.8 g fiber (1)
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Keto Candy Recipes (No Sugar)
Some sugarless recipes let you use erythritol and other keto-friendly sweeteners as optional extras. However, sugarless keto candies appeal to those who don’t like their candy too sweet, while cutting carbs to a minimum.
Keto Sugar-Free Peanut Clusters
All Day I Dream About Food is a delightful sugarless keto candy for those who need less sweetness from their treats (2). It’s another fabulous 3-ingredient recipe with a salty twist. You could also change the nuts, but the macros are related to using peanuts.
Servings: 24
Prep: 40 minutes
Cook:0 minutes
Ingredients:
½ cup of peanut butter
6 oz. sugar-free milk chocolate
10 oz. salted peanuts
Sea salt to sprinkle
Directions:
Let a pan barely simmer over medium-low heat,
Put a microwave-safe bowl over the gently simmering water,
Stir your peanut butter and chocolate in the bowl until melted and smooth,
Add the peanuts, stirring to coat them with chocolate,
Drop rounded spoon fulls on wax paper until you have 24,
Sprinkle them with sea salt, and let them chill for 30 minutes.
Macros per serving: 132 calories, 4 g net carbs, 11.3 g fat, 3.9 g protein, and 2.5 g fiber (2)
Keto Coconut Fat Bombs Recipe
Our keto fat bombs with coconut recipe are inspired by the Keto Diet App (10). Sweetener is optional, so you can go sugarless with this delicious, high-fat candy for the keto diet. Rather than a sweet flavor, this recipe has a rich one, with a hint of toasted coconut.
The Best Keto Recipes are inspired by our keto crock pot candy without sugar (11). The calories and carbs per serving are higher than some of the other recipes, but the lack of sweetener is what helps this recipe make our top picks. Also, the candy is unusual enough to satisfy you while soothing your sweet tooth.
Servings: 50
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 1 hour 30 minutes
Ingredients:
9 oz. sugar-free dark chocolate chips
9 oz. sugar-free white chocolate chips
16 oz. dry-roasted peanuts
½ cup of creamy peanut butter
Directions:
Heat a crock pot over low heat before adding all the ingredients,
Gently heat the candy ingredients for 1 ½ hours,
Spoon the mixture onto parchment paper until you have 50 clusters,
Allow it to cool for 15 minutes.
Macros per serving: 102 calories, 5.2 g net carbs, 8.5 g fat, 2.5 g protein, and 3.4 g fiber (11)
Neither sweetener is known to raise blood glucose levels, but they have different potential side effects. Erythritol may cause digestive distress when consuming too much (3). Stevia can lower blood pressure because it acts as a vasodilator, which can be a concern for some, especially those who also take medication to lower their blood pressure (14).
Why Is Erythritol Better Than Stevia?
Erythritol is a naturally occurring compound that can also be man-made (3). Erythritol naturally comes in fruits, vegetables, and fermented foods. On the other hand, stevia is a natural sweetener derived from the Rebaudiana shrub (19). Both sweeteners have no calories or impact on blood sugar levels. Neither is better or worse than the other – the one you choose will depend on personal preferences or the application you’re using it for.
Is Erythritol as Safe as Stevia?
Both are considered safe sugar alternatives with slightly different potential side effects if over-consumed. Erythritol may be as safe as stevia regarding your gut health. Research from Pennsylvania found that erythritol and stevia compounds had no negative effects on the gut microbiome of monkeys (7).
What Is the Healthiest Alternative to Sugar?
There are many healthy alternatives to sugar. Erythritol is one healthy alternative to sugar when used in moderation. Austrian research suggests that your intestines absorb erythritol, but your body excretes it through urine without changing it (3). Additionally, erythritol is a natural sugar alcohol found in various fruits, vegetables, and fermented foods (7).
How Much Erythritol Is Equal to 1 Cup of Sugar?
In many recipes you’ll use 1 ⅓ cup to 1 ½ cup of erythritol to replace sucrose in recipes. Research suggests erythritol has 60-80% of the sweetness of sucrose (3). Erythritol lets you compare recipe measurements more closely than other sweeteners.
The Bottom Line
Our keto candy recipes will delight your taste buds and have you whipping up treats in no time. Try one of our recipes today to make low-carb keto candy, where you control how many net carbs you eat daily. And remember to eat your treats in moderation, to keep carbs low.
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