4 Kinds of Keto Sweet Treat You can Have on Your Keto Diet
I have been low-carb for so long now (over 10 years), that I find most sweet things far too sweet for me. It is even worse since I have been keto. Foods I enjoyed before low-carb are now too sickening sweet to be a keto sweet treat for me. I really have lost my sweet tooth.
Even so, I do like a bit of sweet now and again. And some people really never lose their sweet tooth (such as BH). Even if I do not eat sweets BH does. So I have to have some kind of keto sweet treat in the house. Here are the kinds of treats that work well with a keto diet.
Fruit
When you are looking for something sweet, the best choice for anyone is fruit. Fruit comes with fiber and other nutrients that are important in any diet. And because of the fiber, the carbs do not impact your blood sugar very much. This means if you use fruit for your keto sweet treat, then you blood sugar levels do not bounce up and down (as they do in the presence of sugar).
The best fruits for keto are berries. Raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries are only about 5 grams of carbs per 3.5 ounce (100 gram) serving.
The next best fruits are between 5 – 10 grams of carbs per 3.5 ounce (100 gram) serving. In order from lowest to highest are lemon, lime, coconut, cantaloupe, plum, peach, orange, clementine, cherries, and watermelon.
Finally fruits over 10 grams of carbs per serving. If you have one of these fruits in a week, you could fit them into a keto diet. But generally you should avoid them. Starting at 12 grams of carbs per serving (100 grams, 3.5 ounces) and going up to 20 grams of carbs, these fruits are apple, pear, kiwi, pineapple, mango, grapes, and banana.
Dark Chocolate and Coffee or Espresso Beans
Very dark chocolate (85% cacao or higher) can be enjoyed in moderation as a keto sweet treat. It does still have carbs, which you need to account for.
If you are used to milk chocolate, you may have to start with dark chocolate around 65% cacao until you get used to the intense chocolate flavor. Then you can slowly increase the cacao percentage in your chocolate. The highest I have found is a Lindt chocolate bar that is 90% cacao. Baking chocolate, cocoa powder, and cacao nibs are 100% cacao and have about 3 grams of carbs per tablespoon. At that intensity, the taste is similar to eating coffee beans.
And speaking of coffee beans, these can also be enjoyed on a keto diet. Each bean is just under 1 gram of carb, so you do not want to eat a lot of them. Of course if you get them covered in chocolate, the number of carbs increases as well. The chocolate ones come in sugar-free versions or you can choose to have them covered in very dark chocolate. They are not hard to make yourself. Just remember, coffee beans are really concentrated sources of caffeine. If caffeine is a problem for you, this may be a keto sweet treat to avoid.
Eat very small amounts of high quality versions of sweets you love
Eating a very small amount of a treat you love is my favorite approach to having a keto sweet treat.
I love dark chocolate turtle candies (whole nuts topped with a bit of caramel and then dark chocolate). One turtle has about 7 grams of carbs, 1 gram of fiber, and 5 grams of fat (depending on the brand and size). I eat just one, slowly, savoring every small nibble. I can have this as a keto sweet treat by being careful of the other carbs I eat that day.
If you have the self-control to eat just a very small amount of a sweet treat, then as long as there are no other issues (such as dairy, tree nut, gluten allergies), go ahead and have that bit of the thing you love. This should not be a daily habit, but something you wait for, anticipate, and let yourself take the time to truly enjoy.
I have found that truly paying attention to eating one perfect chocolate truffle is much more satisfying than consuming a whole cheap chocolate bar. So my advice is to wait for a time you want to make special, choose a high quality version of a sweet you love, have a very small amount, eat it slowly, and really savor it.
Treats made from sugar-free sweeteners
Personally, I really dislike the taste of sugar-free sweeteners. A long time ago I decided that if my choice was sugar-free sweetener or nothing, I’d have nothing. But many people get used to the taste and enjoy that they can have a keto sweet treat such as ice cream, cheesecake, smoothie, cake, and pie. Sugar-free candy has been available for a very long time because it is marketed to diabetics.
There are so many sugar-free drinks and treats on the market, it is obvious that a huge number of people want sugar-free sweets. If you cannot find you favorite sweet in a sugar-free form in a store, someone online or in a cookbook has probably developed a sugar-free version it. If you cannot buy it, you can make the thing you love and want to enjoy for a keto sweet treat.
When baking for yourself, it appears many people like a blend of erythritol and stevia. Erythritol is a sugar alcohol and stevia is a natural sweetener. They do not raise your blood sugar, and the blend seems to cancel out the after taste many people experience with one or the other.
When looking at sugar-free treats, be aware that many recipes list only net carbs. Net carbs are total carbs minus fiber. For my own meal planning, I count total carbs. So I often have to recalculate nutrition numbers for recipes I find online. Sugar-free does not mean calorie free, and many of these sugar-free treats are pretty high in fat and/or protein due to the use of nut or seed flours in the recipe. Watch the calories as well as the number of carbs you are getting with a sugar-free keto sweet treat. Total calories are still important on keto, just like they are on any diet.
Also be aware that not all sugar-free treats are gluten free. For some, a small amount of gluten is not a problem. Some also include dairy and tree nuts. So even if the treat is sugar-free and low-carb, you still may have an issue. If gluten, dairy, and tree nuts are not a problem, and the carbs are low enough, these items can still be a keto sweet treat for you.
Are you inspired to try baking some keto sweet treats at home? There are a lot of keto recipes available. One I highly recommend is The Ketosis Cookbook. It comes with over 370 recipes and 12 weeks of meal plans, of which 29 are desserts like brownies, pudding, popsicles, cupcakes, pie, cobbler, cookies, cheesecake, and even creme brulee. Click this link to get your copy: Ketosis Cookbook
When you buy it, send a copy of your receipt to orders@alifeinharmony.me and I will send you my “10 Problems with Generic Meal Plans (and how to fix them)” as a bonus.
2 disclaimers: I have bought the product myself and am using it to get more ideas for my own home cooking and meal plans. Also, I am an affiliate and will earn a commission if you buy through that link. This helps me pay for maintaining this website.
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