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Those nights when everyone craves something sweet, and youāve sworn off sugar? Our 20 keto dessert recipes are the answer. Theyāre quick, and treats are easy to prepare between homework, diaper changes, and microwave beeps. Think of mug cakes, fat bombs, and no-bake cup desserts. Pretty much an approved pick from the pantry.
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1) Keto Chocolate Mug Cake (microwave, one-minute fix)
IngredientsĀ Ā
MethodĀ
- Mix dry ingredients in a microwave-safe mug.
- Whisk in egg, melted butter, and cream until smooth.
- Stir in chocolate chips if using.
- Microwave on high for 45 to 60 seconds until set but slightly soft in the center.
- Let cool 1 minute before eating.
Itās all one mug, so fewer dishes to clean and kids canāt sneak a spoon before I can get there.
King Arthur Keto Wheat 1:1 Baking Flour
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IngredientsĀ Ā
MethodĀ
- Preheat oven to 350Ā°F and line an 8Ć8 pan with parchment.
- Mix almond flour, powdered erythritol, salt, and melted butter. Press into pan.
- Bake crust 12 minutes until light golden.
- Whisk eggs, lemon juice, zest, granulated erythritol, and baking powder until smooth.
- Pour filling over hot crust and bake 15 to 18 minutes until set.
- Cool completely, chill 1 hour, then slice into bars.
Someone texts and says to bring a dessert, and I have exactly five minutes to spare. These desserts are quick and easy. They are bright and tangy, and do not get mushy when they sit in a cooler. My kids call them āfancy squaresā, and I guess itās a win.
3) No-Bake Peanut Butter Cheesecake Cups
IngredientsĀ Ā
MethodĀ
- Beat cream cheese, peanut butter, sweetener, and vanilla until smooth.
- Fold in whipped cream gently until light.
- Spoon mixture into 6 small cups or ramekins.
- Top with chocolate chips or crushed pork rinds if you like.
- Chill at least 1 hour before serving.
I spend five minutes on the prep, and while they chill, I clean up the cereal boxes. The kids stand around during this time, which is fine because they canāt get into the fridge to ruin things.
The combination of cream cheese, peanut butter, and whipped cream ALWAYS works. Even with picky eaters.
4) Avocado Chocolate Pudding
IngredientsĀ Ā
MethodĀ
- Halve and scoop avocados into a blender.
- Add cocoa, sweetener, almond milk, vanilla, and salt.
- Blend until smooth.
- Taste and adjust sweetness or milk for texture.
- Chill 15 to 30 minutes before serving.
Nobody needs to know there are avocados in this. Iāve served this to four kids and my husband, and no one has questioned it. Itās thick, and itās real chocolate; itās ready in under ten minutes from the fridge to the bowl.
No need for any cream, because the avocadoās silky texture does the job.
5) Flourless Almond Butter Brownies
IngredientsĀ Ā
MethodĀ
- Preheat oven to 350Ā°F and line an 8Ć8 pan with parchment.
- Whisk eggs, sweetener, and vanilla until slightly frothy.
- Stir in almond butter, cocoa, baking powder, and salt until smooth.
- Fold in chocolate chips if using and spread batter in pan.
- Bake 18 to 22 minutes until edges are set and center is slightly soft.
- Cool at least 15 minutes before slicing.
I can make it look like I planned for dessert for hours. There is no need for any elaborate preparation. The only thing that would need to be done would be to take these baked goods out of the oven, and I would be able to pull it off without any extra work.
6) Strawberry Coconut Chia Pudding
IngredientsĀ Ā
MethodĀ
- Whisk coconut milk, chia, vanilla, and sweetener in a jar.
- Stir in half the strawberries.
- Seal and refrigerate overnight.
- Stir well in the morning and top with remaining strawberries and coconut.
All of the morning stress is gone with preparation the night before. I do this during dinner, and when I see it when trying to find matching shoes, it is set to go. If I have to go to a place where the kids and I have to move less, I do.
7) Keto Cheesecake Fat Bombs
IngredientsĀ Ā
MethodĀ
- Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth.
- Add erythritol, vanilla, lemon, and salt. Mix well.
- Spoon into silicone molds or small muffin liners.
- Freeze until firm, about 1 hour.
- Pop out and store in an airtight container in the freezer.
Contrary to their belief that these are treats, I am calling them snack sanity. They go in school lunches, they keep me from standing at the pantry door at 3 p.m., and they take about ten minutes of actual work.
If you need to grab something quickly to eat when youāre on the go, grab one of these from the freezer.
| Freeze time: 60 minutes | Servings: 12
VOIRBLEU Silicone Peanut Butter Cup Molds
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IngredientsĀ Ā
MethodĀ
- Line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl over simmering water, stirring until smooth.
- Stir in coconut oil if using, then fold in half the almonds.
- Pour chocolate onto parchment and spread about 1/4 inch thick.
- Sprinkle remaining almonds and sea salt on top.
- Chill until firm, then break into pieces.
It takes me no more than 15 minutes to make and clean, and I let them believe that convincing the grandparents of how fancy it is satisfies me. They are simple,
9) Cinnamon Roll Mug Muffin
IngredientsĀ Ā
MethodĀ
- Whisk dry flours, sweetener, baking powder, and salt in a microwave-safe mug.
- Stir in egg, melted butter, and vanilla until smooth.
- Mix cinnamon, butter, and erythritol. Spoon a ribbon into the batter and swirl with a toothpick.
- Microwave on high for 60 to 90 seconds until set. Let cool one minute before eating.
These are like little bite-sized cinnamon rolls! The mug cake takes about 5 mins to prep, 1 min in the microwave, and you only have to wash a fork! What a win for me on a Tuesday.
10) Blueberry Almond Crumble (Single-Serve Skillet)
IngredientsĀ Ā
MethodĀ
- Preheat broiler and grease a 4 to 6 inch oven-safe skillet.
- Toss blueberries with sweetener, lemon juice, and 1 tbsp almond flour in the skillet.
- Mix remaining almond flour, chopped almonds, powdered sweetener, salt, and butter until crumbly.
- Sprinkle crumble over berries.
- Broil 2 to 4 minutes until top is golden and berries bubble.
- Let cool 5 minutes before serving.
We have one kid that wants pie, and one kid that wants ājust blueberries.ā This skillet takes about 10 mins to make and warms up and crisps the top just enough to keep the fighting over leftovers at bay!
This is great for those nights when I want something sweet, but do not want to have to wash a whole baking dish after.
Just a quick note about where we are now. We are about halfway through, and I want to highlight that for everything weāve made so far, we have used basically the same 5 ingredients, just in different combinations. Weāre talking almond flour, erythritol, butter, eggs, and cream. Once you have these stocked in your pantry, you will be able to make most of these recipes without going to the store beforehand. That is what makes keto baking so easy to fit into a busy week.
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11) Keto Mug Cinnamon Apples
IngredientsĀ Ā
MethodĀ
- Toss apple, butter, lemon juice, cinnamon, and erythritol in a microwave-safe mug.
- Microwave on high for 1 to 2 minutes until apples are tender.
- Stir in almond flour and salt to thicken. Let sit 1 minute.
- Top with a spoonful of Greek yogurt if you want and serve warm.
This one is fall smells in a mug! I love that my house smells like I did more work than I actually did. Literally all you need is one mug, some pantry staples, and 2 mins!
12) Low-Carb Pumpkin Mousse
IngredientsĀ Ā
MethodĀ
- Chill your mixing bowl and whisk for 10 minutes.
- Whip heavy cream to soft peaks.
- Fold in pumpkin, sweetener, and vanilla until smooth.
- Stir in spices and salt.
- Chill 30 minutes before serving.
When the house smells like cinnamon, and someone asks for āsomething pumpkin,ā this is what I make. Itās light and not heavy. It takes about 10 minutes to whip up. The kids love to lick the spoons, and I pretend not to notice.
Chilling your bowl before whipping cream isnāt fussy kitchen theater. Cold bowl, cold cream, and cold beaters keep the fat globules firm, which means the cream whips faster and holds its shape longer in your mousse. Skip this step in a warm kitchen and youāll end up with a soft, sad puddle instead of peaks.
13) Sugar-Free Chocolate Truffles
IngredientsĀ Ā
MethodĀ
- Warm the cream in a small saucepan until it simmers.
- Whisk in cocoa, sweetener, vanilla, and salt until smooth.
- Chill mixture until firm, about 2 hours.
- Scoop and roll into balls, then coat in cocoa or nuts.
- Keep refrigerated in an airtight container.
These are my go-to for any cookie situations at 9 pm. You can make the base while the kids are fighting over toast, then refrigerate it, and roll them the next day (or the same day if you have 2 hours and some patience!)
| Servings: about 12 truffles
14) Raspberry Lemon Keto Bars
IngredientsĀ Ā
MethodĀ
- Preheat oven to 350Ā°F and line an 8Ć8 pan.
- Mix almond flour, coconut flour, sweetener, and salt.
- Cut in butter until crumbly, then stir in egg and vanilla to form dough.
- Press two-thirds of dough into pan for the base.
- Bake base 12 minutes until pale golden.
- Mash raspberries and stir in lemon juice, zest, and chia or gelatin.
- Spread fruit layer over baked base, then crumble remaining dough on top.
- Bake 15 to 18 minutes until set. Cool completely, chill, and slice.
They are sweet and tart, and they cut nicely into squares when chilled. I make these when the kids want something fruity, and I need a dessert I can cut into 9 squares and still keep track of. The shortbread base is better than youād expect from an almond flour crust.
15) Peanut Butter Chocolate Fat Bomb Sandwiches
IngredientsĀ Ā
MethodĀ
- Mix peanut butter, coconut oil, erythritol, and vanilla until smooth.
- Press half the mixture into silicone molds or a lined mini muffin tin.
- Freeze 10 minutes, then sprinkle cocoa over the remaining mixture and mix briefly.
- Spoon chocolate layer on top of frozen peanut layer and freeze 15 minutes.
- Pop out and store in the fridge.
All weekend naps, kids wanting a sweet treat, and me not wanting to haul out the mixer ā these tick every box. They are little, almost no effort to make, and hold up better in a lunch box than any cookie I have tried!
āThe best keto dessert is the one you actually make. Keep the pantry stocked and the freezer honest.ā
16) Keto Tiramisu Cups
IngredientsĀ Ā
MethodĀ
- Whip mascarpone, cream, erythritol, and vanilla until fluffy.
- Dip ladyfingers quickly into espresso and layer into four small cups.
- Spoon half the mascarpone mix over the soaked cookies.
- Repeat a second soaked-cookie layer and top with remaining mascarpone.
- Dust with cocoa and chill at least 30 minutes before serving.
I keep a jar of strong espresso in the fridge, so this dessert takes me almost no extra effort. After dinner, when someone asks for āsomething sweetā, these are already halfway made.
Mascarpone can be whipped up in no time, and the whole thing is just assembled in layers and chilled. Nobody needs to know it only took 15 minutes.
17) Maple Pecan Blondies
IngredientsĀ Ā
MethodĀ
- Preheat oven to 350Ā°F and line an 8Ć8 pan with parchment.
- Whisk eggs, melted butter, erythritol, maple syrup, and vanilla.
- Stir in almond flour, baking powder, and salt until smooth.
- Fold in chopped pecans and pour into prepared pan.
- Bake 18 to 22 minutes until edges are set and center is slightly soft.
- Cool completely before cutting into squares.
They are chewy and nutty, and just sweet enough to pass as dessert without it being a sugar bomb. I make these for school bake sales and the tired Tuesday nights in equal measure.
18) Keto Snickerdoodle Cookies
IngredientsĀ Ā
MethodĀ
- Preheat oven to 350Ā°F.
- Cream butter and powdered erythritol until light.
- Beat in egg, vanilla, and molasses substitute.
- Mix almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients into a dough.
- Roll dough into balls, then roll in the cinnamon-erythritol mix.
- Place on baking sheet and flatten slightly.
- Bake 10 to 12 minutes until edges set.
- Cool on a rack before serving.
CRUNCH SNOW COOKIES: Snow cookies are made by melting butter and mixing it with flour, sugar, and cinnamon, then rolling them in the sugar and cinnamon mixture and putting them in the freezer to chill before being baked. I love them with a cup of milk.
SNICKERDOODLE COOKIES: The classic version of snickerdoodle cookies gets its flavoring from the cream of tartar. Most keto versions of snickerdoodle cookies do not contain cream of tartar, but if you do a pinch of cream of tartar, youāll be very close to the original flavor.
19) Coconut Flour Banana Bread
IngredientsĀ Ā
MethodĀ
- Preheat oven to 350Ā°F and grease a small loaf pan.
- Whisk eggs, coconut oil, sweetener, vanilla, and mashed banana.
- Stir in coconut flour, baking powder, and salt until thick.
- Fold in walnuts if using and spoon batter into pan.
- Bake 30 to 35 minutes until a toothpick comes out mostly clean.
- Cool before slicing.
BANANA BREAD: I save my bananas past the point of being ripe as the base for this loaf. Itās crumbly, not overly sweet, and is perfect for breakfast when my kids have taken my toast.
20) Keto Salted Caramel Sauce
IngredientsĀ Ā
MethodĀ
- Combine erythritol and 2 tbsp water in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Stir until crystals dissolve and mixture turns light amber.
- Add butter and whisk until melted and smooth.
- Slowly pour in cream while whisking. Simmer 3 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and salt.
- Cool slightly, then taste and add more salt if needed.
FUDGE SAUCE: It does triple duty: drizzle over blondies from recipe 17, spoon onto the pumpkin mousse, and pour onto a spoon at midnight when the kids ate the last cookie. Keeps in the fridge for 2 weeks and fixes anything.
| Servings: about 12 tablespoons
GONE BANANAS: If I had to start anywhere making these, it would be this. With one jar in the fridge, all desserts on the list get better.