Homemade Sugar-free Chocolate Chips - 3 Ways
Hey there, chocolate lover--looking for healthier alternatives to satisfy your sweet tooth? Well, look no further because I have the perfect solution – an amazingly delicious sugar-free chocolate chips recipe that just happens to be dairy free as well.
Yes, you heard me, I'm talking delightful little morsels of chocolaty goodness without any problematic sugar. Not only will these homemade sugar-free chocolate chips satisfy your cravings, but they're so much healthier than regular chocolate chips.
Not only that, but I've got not just one, but three ways for you to make your own homemade chocolatey morsels, and one of them is frugal beyond belief.
There's simply no need to spend a fortune on sugar-free chocolate chips when, with just a few basic ingredients you can have a stash of delicious sugar-free chocolate chips for using in your favorite recipes or enjoyed straight out of the bag.
So grab your apron and let's get started on this low carb, sugar-free chocolate chip adventure!
Why Make Your Own Homemade Chocolate Chips?
Ever since my son was diagnosed with life-threatening food allergies, baking became a challenge. I really wanted to make him special treats occasionally but some ingredients like chocolate chips were hard to find without dairy in them.
As time went on, dairy-free chocolate chips showed up in the stores, but their price was a little prohibitive for a frugal shopper like myself. (And allergy-free white chocolate chips are still pretty much non existent.)
If you are, like us, on a special diet where you need to avoid
- dairy
- sugar, or you wish to avoid
- trans-fats
- artificial or natural flavorings that are often in store-bought chips?
And maybe you just can't stomach the price of store bought specialty chocolate chips? Like those ones that cost about $4.50 for a measly 10 ounce bag? Ouch!!! Or perhaps you're in the middle of baking and have run out of chips and need some more…..
3 Great Versions
Yes, I could have just had one recipe for these keto-friendly chocolate chips, but I'm sharing three, so you can make whichever works best for you depending on what you need to use them for and/or what ingredients you have.
3 Ingredient Chocolate Chips for No Bake Treats
A great 3 ingredient chocolate coconut oil-based recipe that's super easy but only for snacking and making no bake treats
The Best Sugar-free Chocolate Chips Ever
So that might be a little too ambitious of a title, but--maybe not.
For this recipe you use cocoa butter, cocoa, sweeteners, and a few more extra special ingredients. They're a little more work, but the result just might be your favorite chocolate ever. You're seriously pretty much guaranteed to love this recipe.
2 Ingredient Keto Chocolate Chips
Another super easy recipe where you simply take unsweetened chocolate and sweeten it with your favorite low carb sweetener. Perfect for all your homemade keto baked goods.
How Can You Use These Homemade Chocolate Chips?
You can use these keto friendly chocolate chips for baking and in any kind of regular or keto recipe where you'd use dark chocolate chips, but take care to choose the right version for whatever you're making.
Here are some options:
- of course in sugar free chocolate chip cookies
- as a topping or layered in with frosting for on cake or cupcakes
- as an ice cream mix in or topper
- in or on puddings like this keto chocolate chia pudding
- mixed in or on top of regular or no bake brownies
- in a trail mix or crunchy low carb granola
- in edible chocolate chips cookie dough
- in muffins
- in pancakes
- melted to make a dark chocolate bark, a hard chocolate drizzle on cookies (as seen on these no bake coconut cookies) or other chocolate treats
Basically these chocolate chips are the perfect addition to all of your sugar free desserts.
Ingredients
Here is some information on some of the ingredients for all 3 versions of these delicious sugar-free chocolate chips. For the amounts, scroll down to the Recipe Card where all of the recipe details are included.
- Coconut Oil (or any solid healthy fat. I really like Nutiva brand.)
- Cocoa (for more health benefits, use raw cacao, or use carob (I prefer toasted) for AIP). The Rodele Cocoa I linked to is our favorite--you'll definitely want to stock up when they have it at Costco! They also have an organic version on Amazon.
- Sweetener (both liquid and granulated work fine, but you should powder your granulated sweetener for these recipes. Options include stevia extract (for AIP), xylitol, and erythritol)
- Vanilla Extract
- If using stevia extract, these scoops are pretty much a must have.
Will These Chips Hold Their Shape?
Yes, but that depends.
It depends on which version of the recipe you make.
Coconut Oil Version (aka Don't Try This at Home)
This version will 100% not hold their shape when baking . There are some who say you can freeze the homemade keto chocolate chips first, and I know it worked for me once in the distant past in one recipe, but I've tried it numerous times since and frozen chips or not, it doesn't work.
Here's what you end up with, with an unwelcome bonus of melted burnt chocolate chips all over the bottom of your oven if you use a baking stone like I did.
NOT great.
As our youngest says, that's like saying you can put an ice cube in a cookie and assume it will keep its shape when you bake it.
Not entirely, but you get the picture.
Cocao Butter Option
This option holds together pretty well but it's not perfect. It works better if you freeze the chips first.
The Best Option for Baking
The one that holds together the best for your low carb and keto baking is Version 3.
Recipe Notes and Substitutions
- Pretty much any healthy sweetener can be used for these forgiving recipes. Low-carb sweetener options include organic erythritol, allulose, or stevia extract, or xylitol to taste.
For AIP, use honey, maple syrup (read Choosing Maple Syrup), or sucanat or coconut sugar. If you use a liquid sweetener, I haven't tried it, but it should work, but honey and maple syrup are sweeter, so you might want to use a bit less. Read this post for tips on substituting sweeteners for more information. - For AIP (or to avoid the stimulating effect of cocoa), in addition to changing the sweetener, use carob instead of cocoa. If you do use carob, however, you'll want to reduce the sweetener by about 1/4 to 1/3, since carob is sweeter. If you like things quite sweet, however, then by all means, don't reduce it!
How to Make Homemade Carob Chips
You can use these same recipes to make your own super frugal Homemade Carob Chips too!
As mentioned in the special diet section, however, you'll want to reduce the sweetener by about 1/4 to 1/3, since carob is sweeter. If you love sweet things, you might want to leave the recipe as is.
Homemade Chocolate Chips Molds
Most of the time I make Homemade Chocolate Chunks from this recipe, since it's sooo easy. Here's what they look like.
However, if you want to make cute Homemade Chips like those in the main photos of this post, get these molds!
You can also grab these super cute large chocolate chip molds--aren't they great?
Delicious Flavor Variations
These homemade low carb chocolate chips are so delicious as is, but you can make your own sugar free flavored chips too. How about....
- Mint – Add few drops of Peppermint oil or extract
- Coconut - add a few drops of coconut extract
- Spicy – toss in a few drops of Tabasco or chili powder or chili flakes as desired
- Peanut Butter – add some peanut butter powder to the chips
- Berry – add in some berry powder or ground dried or freeze dried berries
- Almond - add a few drops of almond extract
- Orange - add a few drops of orange extract
- Milk Chocolate - add about 1 tablespoon of powdered milk to the melted chocolate, stirring gently
- White Chocolate - You can use version 2 (the one with cocoa butter and unsweetened chocolate powder) and by leaving out the cocoa powder, can make white chocolate chips. However, this sugar-free white chocolate chip recipe is much better.
How to Store
You can store these easy homemade sugar free chocolate chips several ways--in a bag in the pantry, or in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.
I highly recommend that you don't store them on the counter, because soon you'll have nothing left to store, if you know what I mean.
Recipe
Sugar-free Chocolate Chips--3 Ways!
Ingredients
Version 1: Coconut Oil Sugar-free Chocolate Chips
- 1 cup coconut oil (or any solid healthy fat)
- 1 cup cocoa
- 3 tablespoons low-carb sweetener
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (optional but recommended)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional but recommended)
Version 2: Cocoa Butter and Cocoa Sugar-free Chocolate Chips
- 6 2/3 ounces cocoa butter about 7/8 cup
- 1 cup cocoa
- 1/4 cup powdered low-carb sweetener or alternative
- 1/16 teaspoon stevia extract powder or alternative alternative for 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon chocolate extract (optional but highly recommended)
- 1/2 tablespoon granulated instant coffee (optional but highly recommended)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional but highly recommended)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional but highly recommended)
Version 3: 2 Ingredient Sugar-free Chocolate Chips
- 2 ounces quality unsweetened dark chocolate
- 2 tablespoons powdered low-carb sweetener
Instructions
Version 1
- Melt coconut oil over a very low heat. Remove from heat.
- Stir in cocoa, sweetener, and vanilla. (If you heat over too high of a heat or don't remove from the heat, the coconut oil will separate from the cocoa when cooling. You can still eat it, but it won't be as smooth.)
Version 2
- Melt cocoa butter over very low heat in a medium pan.
- Transfer cocoa butter to a medium bowl.
- Add remaining ingredients and mix well. I've used my Bamix immersion blender with great success. You could also put the mixture in a blender, but it will be messier to clean up :-).
Version 3
- Melt unsweetened chocolate in top of double boiler over simmering water.
- Add sweetener and blend to combine.
To Make Chunks
- Pour mixture into an 8x8 baking pan (other pans will work as well, but your chunks will be thinner or thicker, depending on the size you use.)
- Use a knife or spatula to break large pieces out of the pan. Chop on cutting board to desired size with a sharp knife.
To Make Chips
- If you want to make chips instead of chunks, pour into a chocolate chip mold or put in pastry icing bag, let the mixture chill a bit and then pipe onto parchment paper.
- Let sit to solidify, or chill in fridge or freezer.
- Store in freezer bag or air tight container in fridge or freezer until ready to use. Version 3 may be stored in the panty. Versions 1 and 2 will turn soft at room temperature to varying degrees.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is merely an approximation. Optional ingredients are not included and when there is an alternative, the primary ingredient is typically used. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts since they have been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
How would you use these homemade chocolate chips?
This post was originally published April 25, 2011. An improved recipe was written on July 5, 2012. The posts were combined and more information was added on August 9, 2023.
Have you tried using carob powder instead of cocoa?
Hi Ariel - yes and in fact we used to do that all the time. I just added a section for you--thanks for the good question! I spent a lot of time redoing this post and didn't expand on the carob option. Hope you enjoy them! I'll try to get a dedicated post about carob chips up soon, in fact!
How do you get the drop. Shapes for the carob drops. .
.
Cheers denise
Hi there! I just updated the post w/ the molds - thanks for reading and hope you love them as much as we do - the revised recipe will hold together better - I'll combine them soon most likely!
Hi, can I use liquid coconut oil? Is it ok if I opt out the vanilla extract?For the sweetener is it ok to just use honey ?
No, liquid coconut oil will not harden so that will not work. Melted coconut oil will. Yes, you can try the other alterations--they should work but I have never tried a liquid sweetener. Please let me know how it goes!
Hi, when I made this recipe with carob powder, sadly the coconut oil separated from the rest of the ingredients, leaving a dark carob "lump" behind. Was it my mistake to substitute 3 Tbsp molasses instead of the sweetener called for?
Hi there. Sorry you are having trouble. How much did you heat the oil up? Did you see the link to the improved version by any chance?
Thanks for replying. I wa snt using a thermometer,but i heated the oil over a makeshift double boiler about 3 min,till it was partially melted. Then i stirred it till the solid chunks in it melted,too.
Of course! So you stirred it until the coconut oil melted and then added the carob while it was still over the makeshift double boiler?
Hmm, I stirred the oil till it all melted. Then I added the molasses and whisked, and removed the pot from heat (but kept the inner bowl suspended over the hot water bath). Then I added the vanilla + carob powder.
Hi again--oops I missed this comment. I hope you can try this again w/ a different sweetener!
Hmm, to my recollection, I melted the oil over 2-3 min over the boiling water, storing it at the end to melt it all. Then I added molasses and whisked to combine. Then I removed it from the heat, but left the bowl suspended over the hot-water bath. I added the vanilla and carob powder and whisked it together, and it was then that I saw the carob separating from the oil.
I did some digging and think it's the molasses. Really removing from heat is best so as not to cause chocolate or carob to seize up, but I believe it's more acidic than other sweeteners and is of course more dense. Did you use blackstrap or regular? I wonder if the recipe was just way too thick w/ the molasses.
Ohhh, interesting! I didn't think about the acidity of the molasses. Would it be the acidity or the viscosity that causes the recipe to seize up, do you think? I used regular molasses, I believe. Is there a big difference between that and blackstrap?
Yes, it is interesting. I would bet it's the viscosity. Blackstrap would be more acidic I would think but perhaps there is no difference. I have had this happen over and over when heating the mixture too much, so that's my only other suggestion.
Hi there! Thanks for recipe, have Hashimoto's and been told to eliminate so many things and miss chocolate like a limb... Tried this now and although I melted my solid coconut oil very slowly on the stove and
then took it off it seperated was it because I then mixed everything else in straight away? When I poured it into the tray to put in the fridge I cld see the oil 'leaking out the sides' am desperate to get this right - please help?
Many thanks Brighid
Hi there! Did you powder the sweetener? What do you mean leaking out of the sides...out of the sides of the pan? Take care!!
I think she meant that the oil was leaking out of the mixture, and was pooling around the sides of the pan.
Yes, you are probably right...I just didn't know if she was using a very shallow pan possibly. Must be that it wasn't blended well enough.
Hello again. I just thought you might be interested in joining my new Healthy Living Community on Facebook. You are welcome to join (we'd love to have you) and you can ask anything you like of other group members--it's a pretty good interactive group though it's still small as of yet. https://www.facebook.com/groups/171490083677560/
Can I use cocoabutter insted of Coconut oil? My boyfriend has a tree nut allergy and can't have coconut.
Yes! See this recipe! https://wholenewmom.com/whole-new-budget/homemade-chocolate-chips-carob-chips-recipe-revised/
You might be interested in this post as well: https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/is-coconut-a-nut/
Thanks for this recipe! I used carob since I'm aip and they are so good! After spreading it in the pan I put it in the freezer for about 5 min. till it's set but still soft enough to cut into small squares then freeze again before putting in a bag. You don't have chocolate (carob) pieces flying all over that way.
Nice tip!!! I'm actually craving these right now!
A "healthy" solid fat is a bit of an oxymoron, but the chips do taste great.
I think that depends on what you read. I have read information on both sides of that argument. Hard to know what to believe.
I can't have anything made from palm trees, soy or cocoa. Does anyone know, will lard work in place of the palm/cocoa oil? If so, will the chips work for baking? Im looking to make carob chip cookies & also energy bites.
Hi Sarah. Hmmm...I would think so if it would taste OK. The chips will be softer since lard is softer at room temp. Palm is pretty soft too. I have the best results with the cocoa butter. I hope that helps a bit!
Chips did not hold up at all.. melted to the bottom of the cookies making a big mess. Not to mention wasting a whole cup of expensive coconut oil. Maybe you foodbloggers should make sure your recipes actually work before you publish them on the net.
Hello Medina. I'm so sorry that you had this problem. It's a conundrum...I have used this recipe and had it work out and so have others. Then a few times, it hasn't. I think it might have to do with the type of cookie. In any case, there is an alternative in the post now for using cocoa butter which makes them hold up better. I hope that is of help to you.
I also would recommend purchasing ingredients like coconut oil in bulk like at Costco or in even larger containers. It really helps so that you don't have to spend as much. Also, I'm sure that the cookies were still edible even though they weren't pretty. They would have been a kind of bar after cooling. Hope that helps and sorry for the delay. Your comment got buried and I'm going back through to address older ones. Hope to see you around again :).
What can be used as an alternative to the vanilla? I'm on AIP diet.
Thanks!
Hi there. Sorry for the delay. I had to look this up b/c I thought vanilla wasn't an issue. So turns out that vanilla was kind of a grey area for awhile. Then the beans weren't allowed but vanilla extract was b/c the alcohol would be cooked off (best for hot preparation dishes) or grain free, sugar free vanilla powder. Also, some on AIP use the vanilla beans scraped from the inside of the pod b/c they can be consumed without chewing them. So.....enjoy!
I believe it's the alcohol in the vanilla that's the issue. There is vanilla without it.
I am pretty sure that the beans were an issue for awhile as well but yes. And here is an alcohol free vanilla :). https://wholenewmom.com/recipes/alcohol-free-vanilla-extract/
Hi I am wondering how much real sugar I would use in place of artificial sweetener.
Thank you
Lynn
Hi there! I just updated the post for you - it's more clear now. Also I HIGHLY recommend this recipe instead if you are willing to try it. I'll likely combine the recipes in the near future - hope to at least. The other one is soooo good
Hello, Adrienne!
I want to thank you so much for this recipe. I've recently been diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis (or Painful Bladder Syndrome) and so many foods are off-limits-including chocolate! I've searched everywhere for soy-free carob chips (soy is another no-no) and eventually found your recipe. I made the carob chips (so yummy and they remind me of chocolate) and then made carob-chip cookies. I felt like I was eating a chocolate chip cookie and a little less deprived. I will definitely make a triple batch next time lol.
Thanks again,
Amanda J.
So glad!! Did the chips hold up well for you?