Sugar-free Keto Almond Butter Cups
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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?
Way easy and MUCH too delicious!! I used sunbutter!
So glad you like them! Thanks, Tessa!! Sunbutter is a great idea!!
Yum! These look so scrumptious, and I have to say that since I’ve always been a Reese’s fan, it’s nice to have such a great healthy alternative – and I know I wouldn’t be able to stay out of these either!
Thank you so much, Kari! I can’t keep out of Reese’s either. Well I have been doing a good job just not having them in my house, thankfully!!
Did I read correctly, there’s a cup of Almond butter in the chocolate coating? Thanks!
Yes, that is correct. I just added something to the recipe card that was only in the notes–you can use cocoa butter instead of coconut oil for a firmer candy. Hope you like them!
Awesome thanks! I don’t do so well with cocoa butter so I’ll stick with the coconut oil but thank you for confirming, can’t wait to make these! 🙂
You’re welcome! I so hope you like them! They can get melty but they are yummy!
What form of chocolate are you using in Healthy Reese’s candy,
powdered or regular chocolate bar or chips?
Hi there – it’s cocoa powder. Sorry about that. We transferred recipes over to a new system and there were some glitches along the way. Hope you like them!
Can’t wait to try these.. i like to mix almond butter (~2/3) and Sunbuter (~1/3) to get a taste closer to peanut butter. Still working on the proportions, but since Sunbutter has such a strong flavor, I definitely use less.
I always seem to have trouble sweetening chocolate so that it’s sweet enough without getting bitter. Thoughts or suggestions?
Hi there. Just made these last night! I used all cocoa and they are a tad on the bitter side – do you mean it gets bitter from the stevia?
So my Stevia is a mix between maltodextrin and stevia and I was wondering how I can use my sweetener for the quantity asked for about ( it says you can exchange it a cup for a cup to sugar)
This should help: https://wholenewmom.com/kitchen-tips/stevia-what-it-is-and-how-to-use-it/
I am very happy that I can find such great sugar free recipes but I am having trouble finding out the quantity of 4 scoops . Is it equivalent to 4 Tbsp?
Here you go: https://wholenewmom.com/kitchen-tips/stevia-what-it-is-and-how-to-use-it/
My husband and I made the healthy Reese’s cups with a mini heart-shaped silicone mold that holds 24 individual molds. We were able to get 48 servings from that recipe.
For sweeteners, we used Sweet Leaf Liquid Stevia and Erythritol. For the nut butter filling, we used organic almond butter in the chocolate coating and organic creamy peanut butter for the filling. Instead of carob powder, we used an unsweetened cocoa powder for less carb count. To counter the bitterness of unsweetened cocoa powder, sprinkle a little more salt in the mix.
The macros came out to; Fat: 14g | Protein: 2g | NCarb: 1g per serving out of a total of 48 servings.
Thank you so much for this recipe. My oldest son is picky with dark chocolate, so he doesn’t like it, but my youngest cannot get enough of these. They are perfect for my keto diet, too! I won’t feel left out for Valentine’s Day this year!
YUM!!! I am so happy! Now I need to get moving on making some for us too :)!
I wanted to share some pictures. 🙂
https://i58.tinypic.com/2akkcbm.jpg
https://i59.tinypic.com/igvu4y.jpg
Love it!! Thanks for taking the time to share :)!!!
Just to be clear before I make these (and they look wonderful btw), you have the sweeteners listed this way:
1/2 cup sweetener, as healthy of a choice as possible
4 scoops stevia extract powder (or another sweetener. 1/2 cup xylitol or other granulated sugar, or approx 2/3 cup erythritol.)
Does that mean 1/2 cup sweetener AND 4 scoops of stevia (or another sweetener), or are the 2nd and 3rd lines just examples of the 1/2 cup sweetener?
It means to use both – along the lines of this post: https://wholenewmom.com/kitchen-tips/stevia-what-it-is-and-how-to-use-it/ Thanks!
This recipe looks yummy! I do have one question though….since sugar causes inflammation, I am trying to eliminate it as much as possible from my eating plan. I have tried using splenda and equal, but find that for me they both cause terrible migraines. I am allergic to wheat/gluten & MSG, am a migraine sufferer, have Fibromyalgia, Hypothyroidism, CFS and a few other issues. Would you happen to know what I could use for a substitute for the sugar that will be safe for me to use?
Thanks in advance for your help!
Sharon
Hi there. I just put some links in the post for alternative sweeteners. Let me know if you need more info – thanks! I am working with someone who specializes in thyroid issues if you would like her info. She is very sharp and might be able to assist you. Take care!