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.
Sarah says
Oh you wonderful lady! I miss Nanaimo bars since I had to go sugar-free and they were my absolute favorite. Now I can have them again! Blessings to you!
Mike says
I made these yesterday as our dessert for Christmas Dinner; what an awesome recipe! Thank you!! FYI I chose to go with xylitol instead of erythritol (because I forgot to buy some before 10 pm on Christamas Eve – oy!) and the bars turned out so sweet and wonderful. Honestly, Nanaimo Bars can be a major temptation for me – as in “eat the whole box full” if I’m in a derailable-from-keto mood – so knowing that these exist is a big deal. Love your site. Now…how do I go about buying a nut flour company? 😉
Carolyn says
Glad you liked them so much.
Gillian says
Can I substitute out almond flour for coconut flour? If so how much ?
thanks!!
Carolyn says
No, not in this recipe. it would be awful!
Deb says
What is pastry cream? I googled it and it has sugar in it.
Carolyn says
Please read the recipe more carefully. I give you instructions for making your own pastry cream (without sugar) in step 1, which you then use in the filling in step 3.
Carol D says
Wow, amazing. A godsend for the diabetics, gluten-free and keto dieters at last night’s Christmas party.
edna says
help help help………went to make your nanimo bars……lost the recipe I had written out and used before but found this one of yours………the HELP I need is the pastry cream?????? I do not remember this before …..QUESTION……..in all your recipe you do not say where or when to put in the pastry cream???? or am I missing it……..please respond soon as I have been craving these for a week now……edna midland Ontario canada
Carolyn says
It says very clearly, under the FILLING section, to “beat in the cooled pastry cream”. Unless I am misunderstanding your question?
edna says
my apologies Carolyn but I sure missed that even though read it all a few times before commenting…….even after your reply it took me twice reading it before I saw it……guess this old 70yr old had better not read recipes at night …..hahahaha……sorry to have bothered you but as I stated I am been craving them for a week now and have been so upset I lost the recipe……it was found only because I was trying to get your recipe for your peanut butter chocolate chip blondies that I found this one and I got so excited……once again thanks for putting up with the old gal…….edna
Carolyn says
That’s okay, I just wasn’t sure if you were asking something else and I was misunderstanding. You can always ask!
Mary Van Meter says
These are to die for. The weather has been really warm here on the West Coast so we love eating these frozen. Thank you so much for all your hard work and sharing the recipes with us. You are amazing.
Carolyn says
Glad you like them! Frozen is a great idea.
Laurie Chuhaniuk says
These were so delicious and easy to put together. My filling was a bit squishy even after refrigeration but who cares…yummy!
Jackie says
Mine were squishy as well…I thought perhaps next time I’d let set longer but then I remembered the originals were squishy so I guess mine were perfect 🙂
Lesley says
Today is my birthday and I made them for myself as a birthday treat. Awesome! Just like the originals – very rich. I have issues with any sugar alcohols, they upset my stomach terribly, but these are darn near perfect and it’s hard to stop at 1… The crust is perfect! My filling didn’t set up like it should I think – a little soft. I might have to make them again to make sure my technique was correct. 😉
Kathy says
Do you have to use the coconut in the crust? These look WONDERFUL!
Carolyn says
You will need something else to help give the crust structure if you skip the coconut. More almond flour would probably work.
Amanda says
Do you think adding maybe a 1/4 coconut flour and adding another 2 eggs would work in place of the shredded coconut? My husband has a thing with shredded coconut, but I don’t want to add more almond flour if I can get around that
Mary says
Could I use the two egg whites in the crust instead of a whole egg? Thanks!
Carolyn says
I can’t see why not!
Jackie says
Add me to the people that think this recipe is amazing! I think I rushed them thou…when I cut into squares the custard fill squished out so they are a little messy looking – they still taste great!
StephanieS Deal says
I made these yesterday for Father’s Day and they were a huge hit — SO yummy. My only problem was that I wasn’t paying attention (multi-tasking) and overcooked my chocolate (duh)! They didn’t look as pretty as yours — but the taste was heavenly. I’m going to try them again in 2 weeks (for some company) and this time I’ll pay closer attention to the chocolate topping layer. THX — this is now my new favorite low-carb dessert!!!
Paulette says
Just mage this today. Used unsweetened bakers chocolate and some Swerve because i didn’t have Lily’s chocolate, and it turned out great. You are my favorite recipe creator! All your recipes are delicious, and the instructions are so clear. Thank you!
Carolyn says
Thanks, Paulette!
Stephanie Deal says
I’m with Paulette — all of your recipes ROCK! You’re my fav blogger and my husband and I thank you for all your great recipes. 🙂
Carolyn says
I love yoooooooouuuuuuu!
Tracy says
Absolutely wonderful!! This is the first I’ve heard of Nanaimo Bars, but I’m so glad I tried them. Thank you for sharing!
Carolyn says
I’ve made a Canuck out of you. 😉
Steven says
I made this twice last week. Both pans are gone. I am deeply ashamed of myself but it was so worth it!! I enjoyed the custard too prior to mixing it with the cream cheese. I want to make banana cream pie next!! What is your go to graham cracker crust recipe if I may ask?
Nancy says
Where is the vanilla in the vanilla cream ingredients list?
Carolyn says
It’s in the pastry cream.
Dawn says
This looks amazing! I would like to make a batch to take on vacation. Wondering how much pastry cream to use? I assume this is comparable to heavy whipping cream? Thanks much. I have tried a lot of your other recipes and have been very pleased with them.
Carolyn says
I think the recipe says how much pastry cream to use, yes? I am a little confused…
KetoLeah says
It took me a little bit to figure that out, too! But the pastry cream listed later in the vanilla filling section is something you have to create (see earlier part of recipe instructions).
Nancy says
My son made the traditional sugar filled Nanaimo bars, so I made your recipe as a keto challenge. The keto version was hands down the tastier of the two! I never thought I’d be able to enjoy Nanaimo bars with my keto lifestyle, but you’ve proven it’s not only possible, it’s preferable! Thanks so much, Carolyn!
Carolyn says
That’s so great to hear!
Jennifer Dunn says
Carolyn, you have outdone yourself yet again with this recipe! Made these 3 days ago, cut them into small squares, and my husband and I will be eating the last of them with our lunches tomorrow! Then I’ll have to make another batch! Your site is the one I go to for any sfgf goodie!
Carolyn says
So glad you like them!
Anita says
I made this and it was fabulous! My husband loves it. I was wondering if by any chance you ever tried to make low carb cannoli shells? I think that pastry cream would be excellent for them. You are definitely my go to low carb lady! Thanks for your recipes!?
Carolyn says
I haven’t yet made cannoli shells but i have made Pizzelle and if you shaped them around a cannoli shaper when they were still warm, they’d work!
Anita says
Thank you so much for your quick response. I will try them this week!?