Free Printable: Low Carb & Keto Food List
Get It NowHappy Halloween! If you don’t feel like gorging on sugar but don’t want to miss out on candy, did you know that you can make your own low carb chocolate bars? It’s actually pretty quick to do. And, making your own keto chocolate bar is actually much cheaper than buying one!
Is Dark Chocolate Keto?
Strictly speaking, almost all commercial chocolate is not low carb or keto friendly. Sugar is almost always the main ingredient. Some people following a low carb or keto lifestyle choose to occasionally eat very dark chocolate (think 70% or more cacao!) in small amounts, because it has lower sugar content than others.
You can also buy sugar-free chocolate. Unfortunately, often times this is sweetened with maltitol, which actually has a significant glycemic impact and is not really suitable for low carb or ketogenic lifestyles.
A few sugar-free chocolate varieties use stevia, which is better, but not everyone likes the taste. Besides, the price can add up.
So, I’ve been on a mission to make a keto chocolate bar recipe for a while now. This one has gone through about half a dozen trials, and it’s finally ready for you!

How Low Carb Dark Chocolate Works
The thing is, making chocolate is a bit of an art and a bit of a science. Even regular, sugar-filled chocolate can be finicky. It can seize, melt too easily, be too sweet or not sweet enough, have the wrong texture… the list of possible issues goes on.
It becomes harder when we want a keto chocolate bar. Stevia can have an aftertaste, monk fruit usually isn’t ideal on its own, and erythritol resists dissolving.
But when you bite into the perfect, luscious chocolate bar, you know exactly why they are worth all the testing.
So, after many trials and poring over commercial chocolate ingredient labels, it came down to the right ingredients first and foremost.
Here are the ones that work best:
Choose (food-grade) cocoa butter.
Some homemade chocolate recipes use coconut oil or even dairy butter. While you can do this, I don’t recommend it.
Real cocoa butter creates a deeper chocolate flavor, and more importantly, it keeps the chocolate solid at room temperature. You can try substituting coconut oil in this keto chocolate recipe if you must, but just know that it will melt pretty easily.
Baking chocolate over cocoa powder.
Baking chocolate can be expensive, so I attempted homemade keto chocolate bars with cocoa powder several times. I tried, I really did.
And please, please, please… trust me when I say not to do it with cocoa powder.
Cocoa powder is too dry and yields a chalky, gritty result. Even with plenty of cocoa butter.
Baking chocolate creates that melt in your mouth result you’re looking for.
If all you have is cocoa powder, you’re better off making keto fudge like this instead.

Sweeten with powdered Besti.
Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Allulose Blend provides sweetness that is closest to sugar, and unlike erythritol, it dissolves pretty easily and doesn’t crystallize. Most other sweeteners contain erythritol (even those labeled “monk fruit” or “stevia” are over 99% erythritol in disguise!) and can leave your chocolate gritty.
Cut the sweetener with inulin.
You may notice that many commercial low carb chocolate bars contain inulin. Sometimes it’s even included in regular chocolate that contains sugar!
So, what is inulin? It’s a natural, prebiotic fiber. In this keto chocolate bar recipe, it adds a bit of sweetness and improves the texture.
Stabilize with lecithin.
Virtually all chocolate – whether you’re looking at keto chocolate bars or just plain chocolate with sugar – contains lecithin. Usually it’s soy lecithin, which isn’t great, as soy can be estrogenic.
The purpose of lecithin in chocolate is to act as both an emulsifier and a stabilizer. It helps give chocolate that silky smooth consistency and prevents ingredients from splitting.
My low carb chocolate recipe uses sunflower lecithin, so you can get the benefits of the lecithin and still avoid the soy. In this case, it even helps the sweetener dissolve a little better.
Enhance flavor with vanilla and salt.
You might think that you can skip the vanilla extract, or that salt doesn’t belong in chocolate. But, you need a bit of both to bring out the flavor in your low carb chocolate bars.

How To Make Keto Chocolate Bars
Now that you know the basics of what each ingredient is for and how it works, let’s talk about the basic technique.
The good news is, making a keto chocolate bar is pretty straightforward with the right tools and ingredients. There are 4 basic steps:
Get a double boiler.
A double boiler is basically a heatproof bowl or saucepan sitting over another saucepan on the stove, with boiling water in the lower one. The one on top heats up from the steam coming from the boiling water, but never touches the boiling water or the heat directly.
Please, please don’t try to make chocolate right on the stovetop without a double boiler. You will burn the chocolate, or make it seize, or just end up with an inconsistent texture.
Melt the cocoa and baking chocolate.
To make your low carb chocolate, melt together the cocoa butter and baking chocolate in the double boiler.

Gradually include the sweeteners, stabilizers, etc.
Whisk in the powdered Besti a little at a time, then whisk in the inulin gradually. The trick here is to whisk a lot and try to get them to mix in without clumping.
Stir in the sunflower lecithin and sea salt, then heat and stir until it all dissolves.
Add the vanilla extract last, after removing from heat, because extracts lose their potency when heated (except in baking).
Chill to solidify.
Pour your liquid keto chocolate into molds and chill to firm up.
See? Nothing complicated about the process, as long as you follow the directions. 😉
How To Store Store Chocolate Bars
Like any chocolate, you can store low carb dark chocolate in a cool, dark cupboard. You can also refrigerate it if you want it to be more firm and melt less easily.
Feel free to use the chocolate for other recipes too, like keto turtles.
Tools To Make Low Carb Chocolate Bars
Tap the links below to see the items used to make this recipe.
- Double boiler – For melting the chocolate. I thought I could get away without one for years, and wondered why my melted chocolate would curdle or burn so easily. This works so much better!
- Chocolate bar molds – The silicone makes the chocolate pop out effortlessly. And, this one comes in a set of 4 so that you can make multiple bars at once.
- Chocolate chip molds – Try these instead if you want to make sugar-free chocolate chips shaped just like real store-bought ones.
- Mini whisks – These are handy when working with liquids in small amounts or in a shallow container. They’re perfect for making low carb chocolate, because sugar-free sweeteners can take a bit more effort to dissolve.

Keto Chocolate Bar (Easy Recipe)
Learn how to make low carb chocolate bars! This is the best way to make a keto chocolate bar that tastes like the real thing. Includes which sweeteners to use and the best method.
Instructions
[ See step photos ]Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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Melt cocoa butter and baking chocolate in a double boiler over low heat.
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Stir in the powdered Besti, a little at a time. Stir in the inulin, a little at a time. Stir in the sunflower lecithin and salt. Heat until everything is smooth and dissolved. Adjust sweetener to taste if needed and make sure it dissolves.
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Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract.
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Pour the melted chocolate mixture into molds. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, until firm.
Did you make it? Leave a review or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram!
Maya's Recipe Notes
Recipe makes 2 standard-size chocolate bars.
📖 Want more recipes like this? Find this one and many more in my Keto Ebook Bundle!
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
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© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We'd LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead.
Low Carb Keto Chocolate Bar Recipe

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198 Comments
Jacqui
0Hi, I made this chocolate exactly as per instructions, it was looking really good, then added the vanilla extract and it seized. So I added almond meal and coconut and made choc almond balls… any idea what I did wrong?
Many thanks
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Jacqui, It could be a sudden temperature change. Either the chocolate was too hot (most likely) or the extract was cold. Great idea to save it by making chocolate almond balls!
Amy
0Hi I made this chocolate last weekend, then used it to make fat bombs (PB cups, almond butter cups, coconut butter cups, etc.). I really like the recipe, thank you! Have you tried this with Pyure or Stevia or another sweetener though? I don’t like the way erythritol tastes. I know it’s what most people suggest for keto sweetener but I dislike the “cooling” mouth feel.
Antoniette Mora
0Lakanto Monkfruit sweetner in GOLDEN works for me (it has erythritol. I bake iwth it all the time). For some reason the Classic has that cooling effect but the Golden does not. I put it in a very dry Bullet to make it into powder.
Hope this helps!
KC Texan
0I made cookies with the Lakanto Golden and the cooling effect was horrible. I guess it just depends on the person.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Amy, I’m glad you liked it! You can try another sweetener, yes, but can’t vouch for results since chocolate is pretty finicky and I had to test a lot to make the recipe as written. If you use a granulated sweetener, you’d need to powder it super fine. A liquid sweetener will dissolve more easily, but can shock or seize the chocolate if there is a sudden temperature change.
Christina
0What’s a good substitute for the sunflower lecithon?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Christina, Making chocolate is a pretty finicky process, so unfortunately there is no substitute.
Darla
0The link for the double boiler is for the InstaPot. Is this correct?
Wholesome Yum L
0Hi Darla, thanks for pointing that out. It was not supposed to link to the instant pot. I updated the link.
Kristen Wood
0I’ve never attempted making something like this. I’ve been trying to cut down on sugar so I look forward to giving this a go!
Tere
0Hi! Great recipe! Thanks so much!! I made my first batch today, easy to follow steps, except that I understand from the writing that the erythritol actually does dissolve. Does it? I used Lakanto monk fruit and erythritol blend and whisked for a long time and it never dissolved. Is this normal?
My bars turned out sandy. Taste is great but texture is off. Also, should I temper my chocolate?? Did you temper yours??
Thanks so much!!!
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Tere, it sounds like you used granulated erythritol instead of powdered. The granulated version is much harder to dissolve.
Darryl
0I have not tried this yet, but am interested in giving it a go. How much does a serving weigh in ounces or grams? Or, do I have to weigh the end product and divide the total weight by 4 to figure this out? Thanks.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Darryl, Yes, you’d have to weigh the end product and divide by the number of servings.
Nicole
0Is it possible to make this without using silicone forms? I was planning to put on a lined (metal) baking sheet or tiny cupcake forms?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Nicole, Yes, you can make the chocolate in any shape you like. A baking sheet might be too big, though.
Beverly
0Hi! This is great and BRAVE of you to try. As a former baker, chocolate work can be frustrating. I am wondering about the shine and stability of your end product. I am interested in giving it a whirl but I don’t see any mention of the tempering process which coincidentally gives your chocolate that lovely shiny look and ability to maintain its texture at room temperature. I am thinking I might try adding in an extra hunk of that baking chocolate at the end to temper the melted chocolate. Of course that could mess up the balance of sweetness in the finished product. Any thoughts on this? This is kind of an exciting/anxiety-producing recipe, I think I want to give it a try!
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Beverly, This chocolate recipe is not tempered and is best stored in the refrigerator. It won’t melt in room temperature, but it will be a lot softer and melt easier than a conventional store-bought chocolate bar (sugar-free or otherwise). You could definitely try to temper it using the seed method, but I would think the result would be better if you used store bought sugar-free bars and not baking chocolate. Best of luck to you in experimenting! I would love to hear how it turns out if you decide to try it.
Victoria Daskalos
0How do you measure out 3 ounces of cocoa butter?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Victoria, I measure using a kitchen scale. If you don’t have one, you might be able to portion out a fraction of the bag you have since that probably has the total weight on it. For example, if you have an 8 oz bag, you can use 1/4 of the bag. It would be less precise though, so a scale is best.
Kirsten
0What about making these more “milk chocolate” tasting by adding heavy whipping cream… have you tried that? 🙂
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Kirsten, I haven’t yet. It’s on my list to experiment with it, but let me know if you try it.
Rebecca C
0Hi! I’m so excited to make this! I have been experimenting with oils, sweeteners, etc too and this looks like the perfect combination!! Is the inulin a powder or liquid? There’s no link connected to it, so I want to make sure to get the right thing. Do you think powdered sunflower lecithin might work? I have it in powdered form, but not liquid. Thank you!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Rebecca! Sorry about that, I updated the recipe card to include the inulin link. I haven’t tried powdered sunflower lecithin, it might work. Let me know if you try it and if it works!
Laurie Larson
0I love, love your recipes and grateful for all the hard work you go to, to get them. I’m going to try the chocolate but it’s getting close to the holidays and our family started Keto this year. We love the food and I have been trying not have people feel deprived of their favorite foods. Our once a year, at Christmas treat is Chocolate Caramel Crunch bars. It had an oatmeal crust with chocolate and drizzled caramel. Do you have a recipe like this?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you so much, Laurie! I don’t have one like that yet, but will add it to my list. I do have a sugar-free caramel recipe here that you can use if you try something like this.
Daniel Barrett
0Is the nutritional information correct on this low carb chocolate? Did I miss something in the article because how can any food have zero calories? Also, this is described as low carb but I don’t see any carbs listed. This recipe looks great but I’d like to see accurate nutritional information. Thank you
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Daniel, I apologize, there was an error and the chocolate is not zero calories. The nutrition info should look correct now!
Charlotte Benfield
0Zero calories?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Charlotte, So sorry about that – it was an issue with the nutrition label. It’s not zero calories and I updated it.
Lisa Dykstra
0Are you sure all the nutrition facts are zero. According to the keto list the unsweetened chocolate has calories and carbs
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Lisa, So sorry about that – it was an error. Yes, of course unsweetened chocolate does have calories and carbs. The nutrition label has been updated!