Sugar-free Keto Almond Butter Cups
This post may contain affiliate links from which I will earn a commission. Learn more in our disclosure.
These keto almond butter cups are a rich, chocolatey, sugar-free treat that taste just like the classic — without the peanuts, dairy, or refined sugar.
These cups with their smooth and delicious filling surrounded by rich chocolate not only taste amazing, but they're allergy-friendly as they aren't just peanut-free, but they're dairy-free too.
Do you love Reese's Peanut Butter Cups as much as I do?
I've always loved them, but some of their ingredients aren't too desirable, so I wanted to make a healthier option.
Not only did I want to avoid the peanuts and dairy, but there are other things in Reese's that I'm not a fan of like PGPR and TBHQ and lots of sugar: 8 grams in just one cup. And who can eat just one?
PGPR is polyglycerol polyricinoleate which is used to to reduce the fat content of less expensive chocolate products while keeping the “full fat” taste.
Thanks, but I'd much rather eat real fat.
Why I Use Almond Butter Instead of Peanut Butter
I use almond butter in this recipe for several reasons. First of all, our oldest has a life-threatening allergy to peanuts, so we rarely have it in the house.
Second, many people find almond butter easier to tolerate than peanut butter, especially if they’re sensitive to legumes, or dealing with gut issues like candida.
Peanuts are more prone to mold exposure (resulting in mycotoxins) during growing and storage, and even well-sourced peanut butter can be reactive for some people, especially if they're dealing with mold toxicity. Almond butter offers a similar flavor and texture without those concerns, making it a reliable choice for healthier desserts.
Ingredients
- cocoa butter
- low-carb sweetener powdered
- stevia extract powder or alternative
- cocoa – carob can be used but you'll want to reduce the sweetener some.
- almond butter – another nut or seed butter can work as well.
- coconut oil
- vanilla
- salt – a must for every dessert, especially chocolate, in my book.
Directions
- Melt cocoa butter. Add other chocolate ingredients and mix.
- Spoon half of the mixture into muffin tins or molds.
- Make almond butter filling. Freeze.
- Roll filling into balls. Place one ball on each chocolate base.
- Top with the rest of the chocolate.
- Chill to set.
Recipe Notes
- Measuring Cocoa Butter/Coconut Oil: Melting the oil/butter first and then measuring it makes it so much easier. Alternatively, fill up a somewhat large container with some water. Then add the butter/oil until the difference in volume is the amount you need for the recipe.
- Mold Options: I used silicone molds, like this one from Amazon. Of course, you could use any shape, like these cute flower molds. I don't recommend mini muffin tins or other non-flexible option. The candy is just too hard to get out of them and you end up with a crumbly mess (yummy, but crumbly).
- Bar/Ball Options: You can also roll the filling into balls and dip it into the chocolate, to make an alternative to peanut butter balls, or layer the mixtures into a baking pan for bars.
- Money Saving Tip: Cocoa butter is pretty pricey. Use coconut oil for a less expensive option, but you'll want to keep the candies in the fridge or freezer and they'll soften at room temperature.
Substitutions
- Cocoa Butter Alternatives: You can use another healthy fat instead of cocoa butter if you'd like, however they won't stand up as well to warmer temps.
- Sweetener Options: Another healthy sweetener can be substituted instead of stevia. 1/2 cup xylitol or other healthy sweetener will work, but you will want to use a different amount if using maple syrup or honey. Just keep in mind how much of the sweetener is equivalent to sugar.
- Almond Butter Alternatives: You can substitute any nut or seed butter. Cashew Butter or Sunflower Seed Butter are delicious alternatives. Using Homemade Pumpkin Seed Butter would make for a fun “green” treat for St. Patrick's Day.
- Cocoa Powder Alternative: Carob powder can be substituted for the chocolate. Carob is inherently sweet, so you might want to reduce the sweetener.
More Healthy Treats You Might Like
Looking for some other yummy ways to treat those you love (or yourself)? Here are some great options.
- Healthy Almond Joy Bars: a real family fave. GREAT for having on hand to address any “gotta have chocolate” moment.
- Amazing Silky Smooth Bean Fudge: yes, I know, but I promise, you'll love it!
- Sugar-free Mounds Bars: a great healthy treat for coconut-lovers.
- Sugar-free Snickers: another great candy bar copy-cat that's also peanut-free!
After many many attempts at making these chocolates, everyone in my very patient family said that they were wonderful. I personally (ahem) couldn't really keep out of them, which makes them a winner in my book.
I think these stand up well against any store-bought filled chocolate and they're fun to make as well!
Keto Almond Butter Cups—Sugar-free
Ingredients
Chocolate Coating
- 32 ounces cocoa butter
- 1/2 cup low-carb sweetener (powdered, or alternative)
- 1/8 teaspoon stevia extract powder (or alternative)
- 1 cup cocoa
- 1 cup almond butter (or alternative)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Filling
- 1/2 cup almond butter (or alternative)
- 4 1/2 teaspoons coconut oil
- 1/4 cup low-carb sweetener (powdered, or alternative)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Melt cocoa butter or alternative over very low heat. This is important. If you heat the oil too high, the chocolate coating won't blend well.
- Add other chocolate ingredients and mix well. An immersion blender works great for this.
- Spoon a small amount of the melted chocolate to the molds, using just enough so you have the thickness that you'd like the chocolate cup coating to be.
- Place mold in fridge to harden while you make the filling.
- For filling, combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
- Place filling in freezer to firm.
- When filling is more firm, remove from freezer and shape into tiny balls.
- Place one small ball of filling into each mold, on top of the hardened chocolate.
- Spoon the remaining chocolate all over the filling and fill the mold.
- Level off the mold with a knife, if desired, for a nicely shaped candy.
- Chill until firm and store in fridge or freezer (if you can keep out of them that long).
Notes
- Cocoa Butter/Coconut Oil: Cocoa butter is solid at room temperature, while coconut oil softens easily. For easier measuring, gently melt first, then measure the amount needed. You can also use the water displacement method if preferred.
- Mold Tips: Silicone molds work best for easy removal. If you don’t have molds, you can use lined muffin cups. Avoid rigid pans, as the cups can stick and break when removing.
- Sweetener Tips: If using stevia, amounts can vary depending on the brand and form (liquid vs. powdered). Adjust to taste, and see my guide to using stevia for more help.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It may vary depending on ingredient brands, substitutions, and preparation methods. Optional ingredients are not included. Net carbs are typically calculated by subtracting fiber and sugar alcohols (such as erythritol) from total carbohydrates. This information should not be relied upon for medical or nutritional purposes.
What is your favorite candy?
For the chocolate coating can I use raw honey as the sweetener? Can I also substitute the powder stevia with a liquid? If so, how much do you think?
I think honey should work just fine. You mean sub w/ liquid stevia drops? I don’t use them much but of course you can. I would try maybe 2-4 drops for 1/32 to 1/16 of a tsp extract. Hope that helps.
This is too funny. I just got this email from my sister to your link for this recipe, only, I just made this exact thing (hearts and all!) and they are in the freezer as I type. These are SO good!
Glad you like them!!!
I’m a little new to all of this, so 2 questions: (1) Is that 1 cup chocolate POWDER or roasted carob powder? Both are powders? If I can’t get either, is cocoa powder okay? (2) I only have one mold, so if I have chocolate left over, should I reheat it on low later to make more? Will that wreck it? Better to dip some pnut butter balls into it right away and use it up? Thank you!! =]
Either one will work. Slightly different taste and carob is a little sweet. If you reheat it low it should be OK. Enjoy!
One more question….on the 1/2 cup sweetner – does that mean like 1/2 cup powdered erythritol? Thanks
The measurements are for non-powdered – so just measure before you powder it. I think you’ll get a nicer result if you powder the sweetener :).
Since I live in the Buckeye state and its football season, we make “buckeyes” which are peanut butter balls dipped halfway up in chocolate. Since I’m doing low carb, sugar free, I had to figure out how to make them legal. Ended up similar to your version. Used my silicon heart molds and baby muffin tins which looked like mini Reese’s. my question is, why is nut butter mixed in the chocolate coating? Before I make my next batch, which will be your recipe, I just wanted to make sure I actually mix the nut butter w/chocolate AND have my nut butter mixture for the middle of the candy? Thanks so much. i absolutely love your recipes and hard work to make healthy homemade alternatives of all our “bad” favorites!!!
You know, I am not sure why I did that now :-). But they sure do taste good. Of course, you could use any chocolate coating that you like! Thanks for the kind words!!
Hi Adrienne,
What lovely Chocolates and a very special treat. I have noted the correction in the recipe to 1/2 cup pwd. sugar. I can’t wait to make this treat! Thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday. Hope you have a great week end and come back soon!
Miz Helen
Adrienne,
This is a great recipe. This post is featured on the Living Well Blog Hop post on Jo’s Health Corner today. Thanks for sharing this with us.
Thanks, Jo!
I just came across your site and must say genius!!! In two days I have made half of your desert recipes and they ALL taste amazing. I am a health food junkie and love your ideas! Just a question, do you list serving size or nutritional value anywhere?
Hi Ashley. My understanding was that it would cost a lot of money to do that, but I have found a site that you can do it on. I don’t know that I could handle the extra work load, but I could consider it. I’ve always found serving sizes to be arbitrary, but it’s an option. You’re the second person who has asked. One problem is that I think when you are looking at more “whole food” recipes, the fat level tends to be higher and it would steer folks away from it, when in fact it is healthy. So that would be a real concern that I would have about listing nutritional info. What are your thoughts?
Here is a link to the site if you’d like to try it out yourself in the meantime:
Hi Adrienne, Thanks for the response, I completely agree about the fat content and your right most people don’t know that although it’s higher fat its good fat and doesn’t get stored as fat in the body, rather gets used as energy. I just wanted a rough estimate on the portions and such. I keep track of daily nutrition for school/ fitness comps.
Also, I think you forgot to post the link!
Thanks again. I’m making the mint ice cream tonight, I can’t wait!
Did I not send it in another reply? Just let me know. I am busy most of the rest of the night but I’ll try to get back to you. Hope you like the ice cream!
They look delicious Adrienne! Great job!
Thanks for linking to a Round Tuit!
Hope you have a fabulous week!
Jill @ Creating my way to Success
https://www.jembellish.blogspot.com/
Your peanutbutter hearts look lovely and delicious! I continue tweeking recipes too. 🙂