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.
-
Melt cocoa butter and baking chocolate in a double boiler over low heat.
-
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.
-
Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract.
-
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.
Add Your Notes Your Notes
© 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

Shop
My
Custom











198 Comments
Janet
0Hi Maya! Just found your site and am excited to try some of the recipes. I have a condition called SIBO so am on a very low carb diet. Similar to keto but with more limitations, fiber being one of them. I want to try your chocolate bars but can not have inulin or any other prebiotic fiber. All of the other ingredients in the recipe are fine. Can I just leave the inulin out, or do you have other suggestions? Thank you.
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Janet, I wouldn’t recommend leaving the inulin out since it plays a pretty important role in the recipe. You might enjoy my recipes for easy chocolate fat bombs or sugar-free peanut butter cups instead!
Bob
0My new favorite sugar substitute is Xylitol! I first heard about it in your Ultimate Chocolate Cake recipe! You provided a wonderful description comparing several sugar substitutes – including their positive and negative attributes. Xylitol measures the same as sugar, NO aftertaste (cooling or otherwise). The only negative is that I’ve only been able to order it granulated. But whenever a recipe calls for powdered, it can easily be converted in a Bullet blender! Have you tried xylitol in chocolates?
Wholesome Yum
0I usually prefer erythritol over xylitol, but that’s great to hear! Thanks for sharing, Bob.
A MacDougall
0The bars look like I bought them from a chocolate shop. I made low carb salted almond bars as an anniversary gift for my husband. He thought they were amazing. I may try and up the chocolate content next time, since there is more cocoa butter than chocolate and I would like the bar to have a firmer texture. I am being super picky with trying to vary the bar slightly. However, I want to try it. I purchased Dagoba chocolate instead of using Bakers, This recipe is a keeper. I wanted store quality bars…not a melt something in the microwave and throw it together. Thank you!
Marcelle
0Does the lecithin have to be liquid or can I sub powder?
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Marcelle, it should still work but you may have a harder time dissolving it.
Andreea
0I tried to make it tonight, but it separated when I added the inulin :-(. Anybody experience this? Any idea on why it would separate?
I made the sugar free chocolate from scratch using cocoa butter and cocoa. I made it in the instapot using the slow cook setting.
Thank you,
Andreea
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Andreea, my best guess is that you heated your mixture too hot. Keep the heat setting low and slow if you can.
Mandi
0Thank you for this recipe! I am making it right now for the second time (triple batch this time). I tried the last batch in peanut butter cups, buttercream truffles, keto “Butterfingers,” and chocolate chips for cookies! It worked beautifully each time.
Melissa Azore
0This recipe looks amazing. I can’t wait to try it. Also, thank you so much for all the detail. I can’t express how helpful it is! Question: Do you think that this chocolate would work for (chocolate) peanut butter cups? Thanks!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Melissa! Yes, you can do that! I have a sugar free peanut butter cups recipe here.
Alexis
0Would this recipe be considered 70% dark chocolate? If not what percentage would it be? And how could I make it darker?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Alexis, It’s dark chocolate but don’t know what percentage it would be. I haven’t tried experimenting with making it darker so am not sure – sorry!
Amber
0Thank you for taking the time to clarify and answer my questions!
The erythritol link took me to Swerve Confectioners so that helps a lot.
Jana Keeler
0Just made this tonight. Made chocolate chips in a mold and two chocolate bars. Smells good, tastes good too, however–mine is a little grainy. What did I do wrong. I powered my own erithryol into very fine powder in my nutribullet and weighed all the ingredients. Whaaaaah.
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Jana, it’s possible you heated your cocoa butter at too high a heat setting. You definitely want to heat it low and slow if possible.
Amber
0I have 3 questions =)
1. Do you use plain erythritol or Swerve?
2. Do you use powdered or liquid lecithin?
3. Is the inulin a powder?
Thanks for your time. I look forward to trying this recipe.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Amber, This was plain powdered erythritol, not Swerve. The lecithin was liquid and the inulin is a powder. The specific brands I used are links on the recipe card.
Barbara
0I’ve tried the first time, with Swerve instead of pure erythritol – and it works so far. The taste was okay, but it felt a bit sandy on the tongue. Is the chocolate like this or did I make a mistake?
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Barbara, it sounds like your sweetener wasn’t powdered. A granulated form could have caused the sandy texture.
Jules Shepard
0Love the way you walked us through the process – so thorough! Made the recipe very easy to make 🙂
John
0Love the recipe. Especially since I had to go low carb due to diabetes. I decided to experiment with flavor and added a tap of orange extract. Tasted wonderful. Can’t wait to try with other flavors like peppermint or cherry
Andreea
0Hi John
Did you have any issues with it separating when you put the inulin in?
Thank you,
Andreea
Courtney Smellink
0Tried these last night and the taste is perfect, but they’re grainy for me. My Swerve definitely crystallized, would heating it all longer have stopped that? The issue seemed to get worse the longer it heated so I took it off the double boiler, but now I’m wondering if I had persevered if it would have worked itself out.
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Courrtney, was your sweetener powdered? A granulated form could have caused the gritty texture.
Chris
0First, no temperatures were given. I haven’t made chocolate or candies before, but we are starting keto next week and my wife loves chocolate, so looking for “we can do this” recipes. I’m big on sous vide, and thought floating a pot in a precision temp bath would take out some guess work out of a double boiler. Any suggestion on what that temp should be?
Second, would LOVE to hear an update on the milk-chocolate recipe. She loves chocolate…. just not dark.
Wholesome Yum A
0Hi Chris, I haven’t tried sous vide here so I can’t say for certain. A quick search looks like you will want to heat it around 115 degrees F.
Kris Dee
0I’ve been wanting to try these chocolate bars for a while.. I now have everything to make them, minus the sunflower lecithin. Your Amazon link is to a liquid, but I’m curious if you have tried a powdered sunflower lecithin. The commentary on the liquid, says its super thick and sticky, hard to work with etc etc… Do you think the powdered could work for this?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Kris, I haven’t tested it with powdered so am not sure, sorry.
Janet
0Ordered all the ingredients and made the chocolate yesterday. It turned out perfect. Cannot believe I made a chocolate candy bar. Your recipes are wonderful and you are a genius! Thank you so much!
Michelle
0I made this and the chocolate turned out gritty. Did I have to try to melt it for longer?
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Michelle, did you use granulated erythritol instead of powdered? That can create a gritty consistency.
Sasicha
0I don’t have inulin yet. But if I melt erythritol and cocoa butter together then mix it with melted chocolate?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Sasicha, I don’t recommend skipping ingredients in this recipe. Making chocolate can be pretty finicky.