Are you curious about trying the keto diet but worried you won’t be able to treat yourself to a sweet treat? While keto sometimes gets a reputation as an “intense” diet, you can still indulge in a sweet treat while following the diet! Read on to discover more about a few keto-friendly candies and sweet treats (AKA keto fat bombs), then try the keto candy recipes at home.
What is the Keto Diet?
The ketogenic diet, or “keto diet”, is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate, moderate protein diet that has been attributed to weight loss, improved brain health, and even prevention or reduction in symptoms of certain diseases. When following the keto diet, the goal is to enter ketosis, a metabolic state where the body becomes more efficient at burning fat for energy.
Some versions of the keto diet may allow for more protein or carbohydrates to be eaten due to increased exercise or other health concerns.
History of Keto
While weightlifters, athletes, and celebrities may have brought keto into the mainstream, in reality the ketogenic diet has been around for almost 100 years. It was initially discovered in 1921 by endocrinologist Dr. Rollin Woodyatt who found that acetone and beta-hydroxybutyric appeared in people who adhered to a fast or a diet low in carbohydrates and high in fats.
From this discovery, Dr. Russell Wilder at the Mayo Clinic, began using a 4:1 ratio of fat to protein and carbs (90% of calories come from fat, 6% from protein, and 4% from carbs) to treat children with epilepsy. Thus, the original Ketogenic Diet was formed.
What Does A Ketogenic Diet Look Like?
When the average person eats a meal rich in carbohydrates, their body converts those carbohydrates into glucose for fuel. When carbohydrates are present, glucose is the body’s main source of fuel. However, on a keto diet, little carbohydrates are eaten which allows the body to utilize other forms of fuel to keep the body working efficiently. This is why eating healthy fats is important.
What Is Ketosis?
When the body is powered entirely by fat it enters a state called ketosis, which is a natural metabolic state for the body when all sugars and unhealthy fats have been removed. With the lack of carbohydrates, the liver uses fatty acids within the body and produces ketone bodies to act as the new fuel source for the body.
Ketosis has many benefits such as rapid weight loss, improved overall health, decreased blood sugar levels, decreased inflammation, and improved mental and physical performance.
What You Can and Can’t Eat
The ideal keto diet should be composed of:
- 75% Fat
- 20% Protein
- 5% Carbs
Acceptable foods of the keto diet
- Grass-fed meats (lamb, beef, goat, venison)
- Wild caught fish and seafood
- Pastured pork
- Poultry
- Eggs
- Salt free butter
- Cheese
- Heavy cream
- Nut butters
- Coconut oil
- Avocados
Foods not allowed on the keto diet
- Grains
- Beans and legumes
- Starchy vegetables
- Low-fat or diet products
- Highly processed sugar-free products
- Processed foods
- Unhealthy fats
- Alcohol
- Fruit
- Sugar
- Milk
You might be wondering how you can have keto-friendly candy when sugar is not allowed. While your traditional chocolate bars, gummy bears, and hard candies are not acceptable due to their use of white sugar, keto candy uses keto-approved sweeteners to sweeten the candy. Read on to learn more.
How to Make Keto Candy
There are two main components to the best keto candy recipes. The first is finding keto-approved sweeteners. The second is to use a lot of healthy fat. That might be why one of the best keto treats is the keto fat bomb.
Keto-Approved Sweeteners
Stevia. Stevia comes from the leaves of the South American plant, Stevia rebaudiana plant, a relative of the sunflower family. Stevia has no calories and no carbs and doesn’t raise your blood sugar or insulin levels. Stevia is extremely sweet being 200 to 350 times sweeter than sugar.
Erythritol. Created from fermented corn or cornstarch, erythritol is a sugar alcohol that naturally occurs in very tiny amounts in grapes, melons, and mushrooms. It can only partially be absorbed and digested by the body, which sometimes can cause digestive upset. It has no calories and no carbs and doesn’t raise blood sugar or insulin levels. In its granulated form, it can easily replace real sugar in recipes.
Monkfruit. Derived from a round, green fruit that has been cultivated for centuries in Southeast Asia, monk fruit, also known as luo han guo, the monk fruit contains fructose and sucrose. The monk fruit does not raise blood sugar or insulin levels and is zero calories. It has a powerful sweetness – about 200 times as sweet as sugar. It has less bitterness and after taste, than stevia. It does not cause digestive upset.
Xylitol. Xylitol is another sugar alcohol that is derived from plants. It is created by chemically extracting the fibrous, woody parts of corn cobs or birch trees. This results in a granular crystal that tastes like just like sugar, but with half the calories. Xylitol is low carb, but not zero carb and has a minimal impact on blood sugar and insulin levels (when used in tiny amounts). It can be used 1:1 in place of sugar in recipes. It also been shown to help prevent cavities and is commonly used as a sugar-free sweetener in gums and mouthwashes.
Keto-Approved Healthy Fats
The most common keto-approved healthy fats are coconut oil, butter, heavy cream, or cream cheese. For sweets you can also play around with sugar-free nut butters, lard, ghee, cashew cheese, coconut cream, or cocoa butter.
I personally like to use a combination of nut butter and coconut oil as I find that it solidifies easier than some of the other fats. But you can totally play around with them and find what works right for you.
How to Make Keto Candy (AKA Keto Fat Bombs)
Traditional Chocolate Keto Fat Bombs
Ingredients
- 1 bar of bakers chocolate
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup almond butter
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 10 drops liquid Stevia
Directions
- Put all ingredients in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 3 minutes.
- Take out of microwave and stir until silky smooth.
- Pour into candy molds (I like THESE) and freeze for 1 hr.
Makes about 30 servings.
Cocoa Cream Cheese Keto Fat Bombs
Ingredients
- 1/2c coconut oil
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/2c cream cheese
- 1 bar 100% dark/bakers chocolate
- 20-30 drops vanilla cream Sweet Drops
Directions
- Add coconut oil, cocoa powder, bakers chocolate in a microwaveable bowl.
- Microwave for 2 minutes or until melted.
- Add cream cheese and sweet drops and blend until smooth.
- Pour into silicon molds or paper cupcake cups
- Freeze for 1-2 hrs
Makes about 30 servings
