Nanaimo bars…oh how I love you. And what a joy it is to have created an authentic low carb nanaimo bar recipe that tastes just as good as the original. The famed Canadian dessert gets a healthy makeover just in time for Canada Day. These low carb, sugar-free nanaimo bars will blow you away!
For some of you, many of whom are probably above the 49th Parallel, this recipe will have you dancing for joy. For others, most of whom are probably south of the longest undefended border in the world, you will be scratching your heads a bit, wondering what the heck a Nanaimo bar is.
You probably aren’t even sure how to pronounce it, what it’s made of or if it’s any good. Don’t worry, it’s good (very very good!) and I will give you the full explanation in a moment. Some of you who have followed me for a long time might even know that I already have a low carb Nanaimo Bar recipe on All Day I Dream About Food, but it’s one that includes an ingredient I no longer wish to use, namely sugar-free Jello Pudding. So this was a great Canadian treat in much need of a healthy update.
What are Nanaimo Bars?
So for my confused peeps, let’s start with a pronunciation lesson, a geography lesson and a wee bit of a history lesson. First of all, it’s pronounced Na-Nigh-Mo. Nanaimo. It’s a small city on Vancouver Island, in the western-most province of British Columbia. The word itself is the anglicized version of a First Nations word meaning “big, strong tribe”.
And it is where what might be the most beloved Canadian dessert was supposedly invented, although that is somewhat contentious. Similar recipes for this confection all appear around 1953/1954 in Nanaimo, Vancouver, and all the way across the country in New Brunswick.
Okay, blah blah blah, Carolyn, hurry up and tell us what Nanaimo bars actually are! Very well, it’s a lovely no-bake treat with a chocolate crust usually made with graham crackers, a vanilla buttercream distinguished by the addition of custard powder, and melted chocolate poured over the lot.
And it’s truly delicious. No matter where they were invented, they became very popular all over the country. There is nothing quite like a Nanaimo Bar to make you look back fondly on your Canadian childhood. They were my favourite dessert growing up, competing mightily with the other beloved Canuck dessert, the butter tart. (and yes, I have a low carb version of those too…).
How to make Keto Nanaimo Bars
I was so, SO delighted with myself when I first created low Nanaimo Bars. That was almost 6 years ago now and it was probably the moment where I thought…okay, I can really do this low carb thing for life.
Figuring out the crust was the easy part, since graham cracker crumbs and almond flour are quite similar in texture.
But custard powder was a whole ‘nother issue and it doesn’t come in a low carb form (it contains cornstarch). Not being quite as adept at low carb dessert as I am now, I relied on artificially sweetened sugar-free pudding mix. There was so much in there that I really didn’t like but it was worth it to recreate Nanaimo Bars.
But I always had it in the back of my brain to go back and figure out a way to make it truly healthy, with no aspartame or other unmentionables. And this past weekend, I tackled it to great success. Since I can’t use custard powder, why not actually create a vanilla custard and turn THAT into a buttercream for the filling?
I also got quite a kick out of bringing them out for friends on Saturday night and saying “who wants a Nanaimo Bar?”. The blank looks and choruses of “a WHAT bar?”, followed quickly by “oh man, these are good, can I have some more?” were priceless.
Don’t be daunted by the long ingredient list and instructions. These are actually quite easy to make, require no baking and are undoubtably worth it. And you get a little taste of Canada into the mix.
Nanaimo Bars
Ingredients
Pastry Cream:
- ⅔ cup whipping cream
- 2 egg yolks
- ¼ cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- Pinch salt
- 1 ½ tablespoon butter cut into two pieces
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Crust:
- ½ cup butter
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ cup Swerve Sweetener
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup almond flour
- ¾ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Vanilla Filling:
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup butter softened
- Pastry cream
- 6 tablespoon powdered Swerve Sweetener
Chocolate Topping:
- 3 ounces sugar-free dark chocolate such as Lily's, chopped
- 2 tablespoon butter
Instructions
Pastry Cream:
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring whipping cream to a simmer. In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks with sweetener and salt until well combined.
- Slowly whisk about half of the hot cream into the yolks to temper, then stir the yolk/cream mixture back into the remaining cream in the saucepan and cook until thick and glossy, about 3 to 4 minutes, whisking continuously.
- Remove from heat and whisk in butter and vanilla. Let cool to lukewarm.
Crust:
- In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Stir in cocoa powder and sweetener, and then slowly whisk in the egg.
- Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, almond flour, shredded coconut and nuts. Press crust into a 9x9 or 8x8 square pan evenly and refrigerate until firm.
Filling:
- Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the cooled pastry cream until well combined, then beat in additional powdered sweetener. Spread filling over crust and refrigerate until firm, at least one hour.
Chocolate Topping:
- Combine chopped chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir until melted and smooth. Spread over filling and let set.
Kristine says
I made these today! Multiple inspirations, a big one was I was making a meal for a friend who has had surgery. They came out like th picture but I need to work on my tempering technique.
Christine Millette says
Amazing! Better than the originals!
Carolyn says
Thank you!
Perry says
My mistake… Sorry just found I used granular sugar in the pastry cream and filling instead of powdered sugar. Sorry.
Will try this again another time as it sure tasted like a Nanaimo bar.
Perry says
I followed the recipe exactly and the filling set in the fridge for 3 hours. When I pulled it out for dinner it all turned to liquid. We ate it like a sundae in a bowl with a spoon, the taste was perfect, just a runny filling. Any ideas what went wrong? I didn’t make any substitutions and attempted to cut it as soon as it came out of the fridge.
Carolyn says
Hmmmm, that is very odd. I haven’t had anyone else say that… you didn’t use a different sweetener?
Cindy says
Carolyn, this Canuck thanks you to bits for this fabulous recipe. As a T2D, Nanaimo bars came off my Christmas baking list until I discovered your recipe. My entire family (non-diabetics except for lucky me) prefer this version to the original. I make it every year. And what’s this I have just discovered? Butter tarts!!! Seriously, woman! Well done, hey! :p
Jen says
Ummm… What is “pastry cream” ? Im in Scotland and have never seen anything called that here (also don’t remember seeing in Canada or the US but its been a long time….) even though we have all sorts of “cream”
Carolyn says
It’s custard and it’s built into the recipe. Follow the recipe as written.
Robin says
These are delicious. I also tried something new that worked out well. I left out the chocolate in the crust and then used Slim Fast lemon fat bombs instead of chocolate chips in the topping – delicious lemon bars!
Diane Levac says
First time making these Nanaimo bars. Quite easy to make and so delicious!
Carolyn says
Thanks so much!
James says
Hi Carolyn, my filling looked velvety smooth until I added the final 6 tbsp of sweeter. This has caused it to go grainy and almost split. Can you please tell me where I went wrong?
Carolyn says
What sweetener did you use?
karen says
What is pastry cream, please? Am I the only one who’s never seen this in a recipe before? I’m in Mexico and wondering if I can even get it here…
Carolyn says
It’s kind of like custard and it’s built into the recipe. It’s not something you purchase… you make it! And again, it’s right there in the recipe.
Miri says
Be still my heart! Keto Nanaimo Bars and Butter Tart recipes! You have made this Canuck Abroad very happy! Thank you!
Carolyn says
Enjoy!
Caroline Nielson says
Okay Carolyn these were absolutely amazing! They were just like the real thing but even better. Nanaimo bars can be so sickly sweet, but not these! They were perfect!
The only trouble I had was cutting them in the pan. The topping cracked a lot. Just like the real ones. I think maybe I should have left them at room temp for a bit before slicing? What do you think?
Anyway, another absolute keeper 😊
Carolyn says
I like that the cracked top is just like the real ones! 😉 But yes, it’s easier to cut through if you leave them at room temp for 10 minutes or so.