Balancing desserts with a keto diet
The keto diet entails eliminating nearly all carbs, so enjoying sweet indulgences while on this eating style can be a little challenging. The good news is: It’s not impossible.
“The key is to choose low-carb options that are made with healthy ingredients,” explains Romane Guerot, a registered dietitian, sports nutritionist and lifestyle coach at Foodvisor, an AI-powered personal nutrition coaching app. “There are many delicious keto-friendly desserts available online and in cookbooks. You can also experiment with making your own keto desserts.”
Keto-friendly dessert ingredients
Staying in ketosis — a metabolic state in which your body becomes very efficient at burning fat for energy — requires you to eat certain macronutrients in specific ratios. For a classic keto diet, you’ll need to consume:
— 90% of calories from fat.
— 6% of calories from protein.
— 4% of calories from carbohydrates.
The following dessert ingredients can help you stay within those ranges and should be on your shopping list:
— Almonds.
— Almond flour.
— Avocados.
— Berries.
— Butter.
— Cinnamon, allspice and other spices that add flavor and complexity.
— Coconut flour.
— Cocoa powder.
— Coconut oil.
— Eggs.
— Greek yogurt.
— Milks, including almond and coconut milk.
— Nut butters, including almond, cashew and peanut.
— Sugar substitutes, such as allulose or erythritol.
— Vanilla extract.
Tips for keto-friendly desserts
You can save time and hassle by measuring out the exact amount of each ingredient you need before starting to bake a keto dessert.
Guerot also suggests:
— Choosing desserts and ingredients that are naturally low in sugar and carbs, such as nuts, seeds and berries.
— Using sugar substitutes like yacon syrup or stevia to sweeten your desserts.
— Making your own desserts so that you can control the ingredients and portion sizes.
“Following a keto diet doesn’t mean depriving yourself of delicious desserts,” Guerot adds. “With a little creativity and planning, you can indulge your sweet tooth while staying on track with your health goals.”
Here are seven keto-friendly desserts you can try, along with nutritional information for a single serving. Keep in mind that exact nutritional data will vary depending on the brands used for specific ingredients and how precise measurements are.
1. Keto berry parfait
This delicious and simple recipe focuses on the “natural sweetness of the ingredients without needing added sweeteners. This makes it suitable for a keto diet,” Guerot says.
Serving size: A single serving equals about 8 ounces of parfait.
Ingredients
— ½ cup mixed berries, such as raspberries, blueberries and strawberries.
— ½ cup unsweetened Greek yogurt.
— 2 tablespoons chopped nuts, such as almonds, walnuts or pecans.
— 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
— A dash of cinnamon (optional).
Instructions
1. In a bowl, mix the unsweetened coconut or Greek yogurt with vanilla extract.
2. In serving glasses, layer the yogurt mixture with mixed berries.
3. Repeat the layers until the glass is filled.
4. Top with chopped nuts and a dash of cinnamon if desired.
5. Chill in the refrigerator for about an hour before serving.
Nutritional info per serving
— Calories: 332.
— Fat: 25 grams.
— Protein: 9 grams.
— Net carbs: 12 grams.
2. Keto chocolate peanut butter yogurt bark
This simple and sweet frozen bark “provides a delightful combination of chocolate, peanut butter and nuts without the need for added sweeteners,” Guerot notes, adding that you can adjust the ingredients to suit your taste preferences.
Serving size: A single serving equals about 6 ounces of bark.
Ingredients
— ½ cup unsweetened Greek yogurt.
— 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder.
— 1 tablespoon unsweetened peanut butter.
— ½ teaspoon vanilla extract.
— A pinch of salt.
— Chopped nuts.
Instructions
1. In a bowl, combine Greek yogurt, cocoa powder, peanut butter, vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. Mix well until combined.
2. Line a baking sheet or tray with parchment paper. Spread the yogurt mixture evenly on the parchment paper, creating a thin layer.
3. Sprinkle chopped nuts on top, pressing them lightly into the yogurt mixture.
4. Place the tray in the freezer for at least 2-3 hours or until the bark is completely frozen. Once frozen, break the bark into pieces.
5. Serve and enjoy straight from the freezer.
Nutritional info per serving
— Calories: 302.
— Fat: 23 grams.
— Protein: 11 grams.
— Net carbs: 9 grams.
3. Creamy gelatin
If you’re on the keto regimen, sugar-free gelatin may become a frequent sweet treat option.
There are a couple of different ways to make keto-friendly gelatin. One way is to follow the directions on a package of store-bought gelatin, but substitute the recipe’s ? cup of cold water with whipping cream or coconut milk. These ingredients provide extra creaminess and fat.
Serving size: A single serving equals about 1 ounce of gelatin and about ½ ounce of whipped cream.
Ingredients
— A package of store-bought sugar-free gelatin powder.
— ? cup whipping cream or coconut milk.
Instructions
1. Follow the directions on a package of sugar-free gelatin, but swap ? cup whipping cream or coconut milk for the cold water.
2. Pour the concoction into a rectangular baking dish, and put it in the fridge until firm.
3. Serve in 4 small clear bowls or cups.
Nutritional info per serving
Estimated nutritional info includes macronutrient information for a 1-ounce serving size of any flavor of sugar-free Jell-O .
— Calories: 240 (coconut milk) or 380 (heavy whipping cream).
— Fat: 12 grams (coconut milk) or 29 grams (heavy whipping cream).
— Protein: 12 grams (coconut milk) or 14 grams (heavy whipping cream).
— Carbs: 0 (coconut milk) or 2 grams (heavy whipping cream).
4. Haystacks
Maxine Smith, a registered dietitian with the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, recommends skipping candy and making your own keto-friendly option instead.
Serving size: A single serving equals one candy, which weighs roughly ½ ounce.
Ingredients
— 6 ounces of 85% dark chocolate.
— 1 cup of chopped pecans.
— 1 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes.
Instructions
1. Melt 6 ounces of dark chocolate or a stevia-sweetened chocolate in a microwave or double boiler.
2. Stir in 1 cup of chopped pecans and 1 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes, then spoon out heaping tablespoon-size lumps onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Makes roughly 24 candies.
3. Chill the candies in the fridge until they’re firm.
Nutritional information per serving
— Calories: 80.
— Fat: About 8 grams.
— Protein: About 1 gram.
— Carbs: About 3 grams.
5. Keto-friendly berry smoothies
Boost your energy with a “keto-friendly vegan smoothie that’s low in carbohydrates and full of healthy fats from both avocado and coconut,” suggests Jessica Rosen, a certified holistic health coach and president of Raw Generation, a raw juice business based in Long Branch, New Jersey.
In moderation, berries are one of the few low-glycemic fruits acceptable on a keto diet. That’s good, because berries — including blueberries, blackberries and raspberries — contain exceptionally rich anti-inflammatory properties.
Serving size: A single serving is about 6 ounces.
Ingredients
For a single smoothie:
— ¼ cup fresh or frozen berries.
— ¼ cup avocado.
— ¼ cup full-fat, unsweetened coconut milk.
— 1 cup of water.
— Sugar substitute to taste.
Instructions
1. Add all five of the ingredients to a blender.
2. Blend until smooth, and pour into a glass to enjoy.
Nutritional info per serving
— Calories: 215.
— Fat: 19 grams.
— Protein: 2 grams.
— Carbs: 8 grams.
6. Keto-friendly chocolate pudding
This easy-to-make, rich and creamy chocolate is a simple way to get your daily dose of avocado, Rosen says. Avocados are low in carbohydrates and rich in healthy fats, which helps with ketosis.
Serving size: A single serving is about 5.5 ounces.
Ingredients
— 1 ripe avocado.
— 1 tablespoon cocoa powder.
— Pinch of vanilla extract.
— Dash of cinnamon.
— Sugar substitute to taste.
Instructions
1. Place all ingredients into a blender, and blend until smooth and creamy.
2. Serve with a handful of coconut or berries.
Nutritional info per serving
— Calories: 250.
— Fat: 23 grams.
— Protein: 4 grams.
— Carbs: 16 grams.
7. Keto cheesecake
Flour and sugar are the major culprits keeping regular cheesecake from keto status, says Pamela Nisevich Bede, a registered dietitian and keto diet expert with Abbott, a global health care company headquartered in Chicago.
However, there are simple tweaks that can make the popular dessert keto friendly.
For the crust, use ? almond flour and ? coconut flour instead of conventional flour. As for other ingredients, be generous with melted butter, and instead of sugar, use a non-sugar substitute like monk fruit or stevia.
Use regular (not low-fat) cream cheese for the filling.
Serving size: A single serving is ? of the pie.
Ingredients
For the crust:
— 1½ cups almond flour.
— ¼ cup melted butter.
— 2 tablespoons powdered erythritol or your preferred keto-friendly sweetener.
— A pinch of salt.
For the filling:
— 24 oz. (about 3 packages) cream cheese, softened.
— ¾ cup powdered erythritol or your preferred keto-friendly sweetener.
— 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
— 3 large eggs.
— ½ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt.
— A pinch of salt.
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Prepare the crust. In a mixing bowl, combine almond flour, melted butter, cocoa powder (if using), sweetener and a pinch of salt. Mix until well combined. Press the mixture into the bottom of a greased 9-inch springform pan to create an even crust. Bake the crust in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes, then remove and let cool while preparing the filling.
3. Prepare the filling. In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Add the sweetener, vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. Beat until well combined.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
5. Mix in the sour cream or Greek yogurt until the filling is smooth and creamy.
6. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the prepared crust in the springform pan.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for about 45 to 55 minutes or until the center is set and the top is lightly golden. The edges may puff up a bit, but they will settle as the cheesecake cools.
8. Allow the cheesecake to cool in the pan, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight for best results.
9. Once chilled, remove the cheesecake from the springform pan, slice and serve. You can add sugar-free toppings or a keto-friendly berry compote as well.
Nutritional info per serving
— Calories: 350 to 400.
— Fat: 35 to 40 grams.
— Protein: About 8 grams.
— Carbs: About 8 grams.
Top keto-friendly desserts to try
— Keto berry parfait.
— Keto chocolate peanut butter yogurt bark.
— Creamy gelatin.
— Haystacks.
— Keto-friendly berry smoothies.
— Keto-friendly chocolate pudding.
— Keto cheesecake.
More from U.S. News
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Best High-Protein Foods: Meals, Snacks and Desserts
Is Dark Chocolate Good for You?
7 Easy Keto Desserts Everyone Will Love originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 02/09/24: This story was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
