This keto chocolate bark with sea salt and almonds is easy to make and totally addictive. A little bit salty, a little bit sweet, and a whole lot delicious! Low carb and sugar free chocolate almond bark.
This keto chocolate bark recipe was first published in 2013. I recently made it again and was completely wowed by how good it is. It’s a tasty low carb dessert that stands the test of time. It’s back on the top of my favorite keto candy recipes!
I like to refer to this keto almond bark as addictive, but let’s take a closer look, shall we? Because there are good addictions and there are not-so-good addictions. And this one definitely falls into the good addiction category.
Sugar is addictive. I will venture to say that in the past few decades of nutritional science, this has become indisputable fact. Anyone who has ever tried to break their sugar habit will agree with me, I am sure.
Now that I’ve broken the habit, I look back and I can see just how addictive sugar really was. Eating something sugary always led to the desire for more sugar. The craving for more sugar. This is a common problem in many people eating a standard American diet. Even a little taste of sugar can trigger that uncontrollable desire.
Conquering Your Sugar Addiction
Some people feel you should eschew sweets all together when you go on a keto diet. Whereas others, myself included, feel that having keto sweets allows us to stay on track and stick with the program. Every person has to find their own way through it, their own personal journey. I can’t tell you what’s right for you.
But for me, being able to have a chocolate treat that is free of sugar and still feels like an indulgence is a powerful antidote.
Here’s the thing about low carb and sugar-free versions of my old favorites: they taste just as good, sometimes even better, than the originals, but are not nearly so addictive.
They tend to be much higher in fat, and thus much more filling. And because of the low carb and low sugar content, they don’t kick off that crazy roller coaster of cravings. Sometimes they taste so good that I find myself salivating at the very thought of them and can’t wait to have more, so I suppose that’s a sort of craving. But it’s not quite the same as the serotonin rush brought on by a sugary, carby snack. It’s much more manageable.
Sweet and Salty Keto Almond Bark
This keto chocolate bark was inspired by some dark chocolate sea salt almonds that my husband fell in love with. They were most definitely NOT sugar free, so I decided I had to fight fire with fire.
Keep in mind that this was back in 2013, when good sugar free chocolate that wasn’t loaded with artificial sweeteners wasn’t readily available. So I had to make everything from scratch. I had previously made my own keto sugar free chocolate chips, and I knew that it would make a delicious dark chocolate base for the bark.
The advantage to making your own keto chocolate is that you really control the ingredients. No commercial additives, no junk, no fillers.
I also wanted to capture that salty sweet taste for the almonds themselves, so I made a mixture of Swerve Sweetener and some butter, then tossed the almonds in it. After they cooled, they were like salty almond toffee. Delicious on their own and doubly delicious in the bark!
How to make Keto Chocolate Bark
This is an easy recipe to make, even when creating your own sugar free dark chocolate. You can watch the video in the recipe card for extra tips, but here are some pointers for getting it right:
- Prep the almonds. Bring the sweetener and butter to a boil and cook it for a few minutes, then add roasted almonds and a bit of sea salt. Spread them out on a pan in a single layer to cool.
- Make the chocolate mixture. You do need cocoa butter for this keto chocolate bark recipe. It’s the difference between a firm bark at room temperature, and a melty chocolate mess. You can purchase it online and in some health food stores like Whole Foods. I really like this one from Wild Foods because it comes in little discs and is easy to measure out.
- Use gentle heat. Unsweetened chocolate is finicky and can seize easily. Melt it double boiler style, with a heatproof pan set over a pan of barely simmering water. I like to get my water going over medium heat, but then reduce it to low when I add the chocolate.
- Coat the almonds. Break up your almonds so they aren’t sticking together, and then add most of them to the chocolate mixture. Keep a handful for the top of the bark so that they show through.
- Spread out the bark. You can make it thicker or thinner, as you desire, but try to get the almonds in one layer. Sprinkle with a little additional flaked sea salt, if desired.
- Chill the chocolate bark. Pop the whole sheet pan in the fridge to set the chocolate. If you can fit it in your freezer, it’s even faster!
- Break it up. Use your hands to break the bark into irregular pieces. Now you’re ready to eat!
How to store Keto Chocolate Almond Bark
This sweet chocolate treat should be fine on the counter for several weeks, assuming you don’t live in a very hot environment. It’s also fine in the fridge for weeks.
Store it in an airtight covered container for freshness.
More Delicious Keto Bark Recipes
- Keto Brownie Bark
- Keto Peppermint Bark
- Keto Raspberry Coconut Bark
- Frozen Cheesecake Bark
- Keto Cinnamon Praline Bark
- Keto Vanilla Protein Bark
Keto Chocolate Almond Bark
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Swerve Brown
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ¾ cup roasted almonds unsalted
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 oz cocoa butter
- 1 ½ oz unsweetened chocolate chopped
- ⅓ cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Additional sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the Swerve and butter. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 2 minutes, watching carefully. Stir in the almonds and sea salt.
- Spread the almonds out in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet, breaking up any clumps. Let cool.
- Set a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Combine the cocoa butter and unsweetened chocolate and stir until melted and smooth.
- Stir in the powdered sweetener, then stir in the cocoa powder, until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
- Break up the almonds and reserve about one quarter of them. Stir the remaining almonds into the chocolate until well coated. Spread the mixture out onto the same parchment-lined baking sheet, keeping the nuts in a single layer.
- Sprinkle with the reserved almonds and additional sea salt, if desired. Chill until set, 1 to 2 hours. Use your hands to break into chunks.
Karen says
Mine is dry and crumbly what did I do wrong?
Carolyn says
I can’t really say without more info. What brands of cocoa butter, cocoa powder, and unsweetened chocolate did you use? No one else I know has had this particular issue.
Melanie says
I just got cocoa butter and am looking forward to making this soon! Since “large baking sheet” is very subjective, I’m wondering if you know the size of your pan. I’m guessing it’s rimmed, too? I’m curious about the size of the pan because that will really affect the thickness of the bark once the mixture is poured in. Thanks!
Carolyn says
It’s a rimmed half sheet, probably about 11 by 17. The bark won’t fill up the whole thing anyway, though so if you used a bigger one, it wouldn’t matter.
Melanie says
Thanks!
I was thinking it might spread out all over. Good to know!
Karen says
Where can I find food grade cocoa butter? I cannot seem to locate any. Thanks!
Carolyn says
I get mine on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009XEANGU/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B009XEANGU&linkCode=as2&tag=aldaidrabfo05-20&linkId=CD7UULIBU6O4ZETF
Karen says
Has anyone tried butting bacon bits in this? Just saying, sound like a yummy idea to me. As soon as I get cocoa butter I’m going to make that happen.
Carolyn says
I so appreciate all the recipes you post and that you do lots of experimenting to perfect your recipes. I like to experiment, too, but the cost of some of the ingredients makes that hard, so I’m thankful you post your results. I would like to know more about chocolate, and why you combine it in the proportions you do. I understand that unsweetened chocolate is a combination of cocoa butter and cocoa powder. Why do you use all three? I’m assuming you want to alter the proportions, but perhaps there is another reason. I’d like to figure out how to minimize the cocoa butter, since it costs 2-3x as much as unsweetened chocolate or cocoa powder. If I upped the unsweetened chocolate, could I reduce the butter and powder, and by what proportions? I don’t know if you have time or inclination to answer this technical question or explain why the ingredients work the way they do. If you do, I’d be grateful. Thanks. -the other Carolyn
Carolyn says
I don’t have a technical answer for this, I just felt my way through it until the chocolate came out right. Unsweetened chocolate doesn’t combine all that well with the sweetener on its own, so more cocoa butter in the mix allowed me to get things quite melted and stir in the powdered Swerve.
Laurie says
Hi Caryoln, I made this bark/crack last night and it is over the top delicious. I can’t begin to explain how happy I am that I can eat delicious chocolate and stay sugar free. I myself love dark chocolate but I am wondering for people who prefer a lighter chocolate could you add cream to this and maybe cut the cocoa butter a little?
Barb says
I made this tonite, Carolyn, with the Truvia. It did not darken like the Swerve, but it did smoke, and it coated the almonds nicely. One thing I think I did wrong, tho – it takes less Truvia, and I neglected to reduce the amount of water equally, so that may be why it didn’t turn dark.
I also did not use powdered Truvia, but it mostly melted in the chocolate, and with the almonds, you don’t notice it. Next time, I will find a way to powder it, maybe with my coffee grinder.
I also wanted to portion this evenly, so that I could control/count my caloric intake, so I used a silicone mini loaf mold, and got 36, 1/2 oz bars out of it. I just put two almonds in each cavity, and filled them up with chocolate. I had a bunch of extra almonds, but just bagged them and stashed them in the fridge – I plan another batch tomorrow. It worked well, the portions are all the same so I can control my intake, and the bars are pretty, too! I’m taking a bunch with me to a luncheon tomorrow, and I’m betting they will be the hit of the party. You can believe I’ll be handing out your website a lot! Thanks for all your help!
Carolyn says
Good to know about the changes with Truvia! I like what you did to have small portions, great idea.
Barb says
LOL, took the whole batch with me to the luncheon today, Carolyn, and now I have to make me a batch, ’cause I came home empty handed! The ladies raved about it! Gonna try powdering the Truvia, see if that works any better.
Carolyn says
Wonderful!
Shannon Karczewski says
Carolyn,
A bit late to the game on this one…but I’d like to try making this. Can it be stored out of the fridge? Or must it be chilled until eaten? I’ve made myself a little snack at night by mixing cocoa powder, swerve, a little stevia, a pinch of sea salt, coconut butter and a bit of coconut oil…mixing super well, spreading out and popping it into the freezer. This stays solid for about as long as it takes to eat it 🙂 What I’d expect with coconut oil/butter.
Will yours stay solid after setting due to the cocoa butter? That was a super long winded question!
Carolyn says
I stored mine out of the fridge. There isn’t much in it that will go rancid or bad, as long as you consume within a week or so. It will stay solid…it has the consistency of regular chocolate. The cacao butter makes a world of difference, although I do love the flavour of coconut oil and chocolate together!
Barb Sacco says
I had a similar problem with truffles I make using 72% chocolate and heavy cream, so have switched to this recipe instead. But I have two questions:
Can I sub Truvia for the Stevia in this, and if so, will it still darken and smoke? I know I’ll need less Truvia, and can make that adjustment, no problem.
Other question – I’d like to make variations on this for use with dipping fruit like raspberries or apple slices, or to mix with coconut, etc. Can I just eliminate the salt and almond mix, and just use the chocolate mix? I use 3.5oz Ghirardelli 72% cocoa bars, so I would have to adjust the rest of the items accordingly and swap the Stevia for Truvia, but I think it would work, yes?
Carolyn says
I am not sure how Truvia will behave when you try to caramelize it. I think it should be okay but it may not darken as much. For the dipping, go ahead and skip the salt and almonds etc. That should be fine.
Jane says
Hi! I purchased some unsweetened Ghiardelli chocolate before checking its carb count–14 and 7 fiber for 1/3 of bar! My Baker’s chocolate is only 4 with 2 g fiber. Do you recommend any particular unsweetened? I thought the ghiardelli would be “better” but not at that carb cost :(. Thanks jane
Carolyn says
Hi Jane…this actually comes out to almost the same thing. The tough part is what they are calling a “serving” differs. Baker’s says a serving is 1/2 a square which is 14g (also half an ounce). But Ghirardelli is calling a serving at 42 g, which almost 2 ounces! HUGE difference.
When you do the math, it comes out like this. Ghirardelli has 4.3 g of carbs per half-ounce compared to Baker’s 4 g per half ounce. And Ghirardelli has 2.1 g of fiber. So almost exactly the same.
If you want to check my math, do this… 14 g of carbs x 2.5 servings per bar (I have one right in front of me, that’s how I know the exact numbers!). Then divide that by 4 ounces. Then divide it again by 2 because Bakers says 1/2 an ounce is a serving. Voila!
I prefer Ghirardelli…it melts better, seizes less and tastes better. Just my 2 cents.
Jane says
Gee thanks Carolyn. I really didn’t study the package closely enough. I missed that the Baker’s chocolate was only for 1/2 ounce. Planning to make this recipe as a stocking treat. Am also going to use the chocolate part without the almonds to make some molded chocolate pops. Got some cute Christmas lollipop molds. Plan to make the whatchamacallit recipe too. What’s a stocking with a few treats? Although since we’ve gone low carb my kids say they are really looking forward the orange and apple they usually get in their stocking. In the past apples and oranges sometimes got set aside or forgotten in the stocking–not this year! My son says an apple tastes like candy. Eating this way has readjusted our view back to a time when dessert really was a treat cause it was a bit labor intensive and the ingredients were expensive. And fruit really was a treat cause it was a rarity. We mainly have berries now so an apple is a bit of a rarity 🙂
Thanks again for figuring that out for me–I’ll be more careful in my figuring next time.
Carolyn says
No worries at all. It’s hard when every company considers a serving size very different! I feel like an apple is candy too…I save mine to eat before a workout to help me burn the sugars.
Elaine says
Carolyn, I made this bark for Christmas gifts this year… I am sought after at this point! What a joy… A very ‘sweet’ benefit for me is to witness people enjoying my labor of love. Thank you… Absolutely delicious.
Each batch turned out slightly different. First batch was a mess because my heat was too high on the chocolate (even tho very low) and it wouldn’t pour. Personally the best batches were a very thin layer of bark and extra salt on the almonds during the Swerve coating phase. Also…. Is there a way to get the almonds simply glazed without too much crusted Swerve? I couldn’t figure out what was making the difference in texture….
Elaine
Dolly2 says
Whwn I open my recipes in the Zip it opens, hard to scroll and then shuts down the wholw site. I don”t have this happen in anyother site. If I go to your recipes and open it at that point it stays open. In the ox it says to click for further instructions and that is when it happens. Any suggestions?
Carolyn says
I think you will need to contact the folks at Ziplist directly and see what’s up! So sorry about that.
Dolly2 says
Wow, I had better reread my emails before I send them out. Thank you for your comment. Love your site.
alison says
Tried it last night. Went horrible. So I didn’t read the comments where it clarifies putting the almonds into the chocolate. So I poured the chocolate over the almonds and it resulted it a gooey mess on the bottom. And the sea salt melted into the chocolate. And it never hardened completely so it’s more like fudge.
Carolyn says
I am sorry it didn’t go well for you, but I am not sure that pouring the chocolate over the almonds would result in a gooey mess and it not completely hardening. I am pretty clear in my instructions that all but 1/4 cup of the almonds get stirred into the chocolate, but either way, the chocolate should harden up properly if you are using cocoa butter. What brand did you use? And what brands of chocolate and cocoa powder?
Emily @ one.1.northwood says
My husband and I are currently cutting back on sugar! Can’t wait to try this .. I am craving something sweet!
Allyssa says
Can you use Splenda?
Carolyn says
You can try it but I have no idea if it will work.
Maggie says
Hi Carolyn. I made this over the weekend but I had some trouble spreading the chocolate mixture out in the pan. My mixture was thick and difficult to spread. I even tried putting it back in the pan and heating it for a 5-10 minutes, but it didn’t make a difference. It still tastes good, but it is thicker and doesn’t look nearly as good as yours.
Any idea what the problem could have been? I used powdered Swerve and all the other ingredients, as listed.
Carolyn says
Hmmm, it should be completely pourable. What kind of cocoa butter did you use? Sounds to me possibly like your chocolate seized for some reason.
Maggie says
Thanks for the quick reply. This is the brand I used. It was the only one they stocked at my local health food store. I wonder if this could be the culprit?
http://navitasnaturals.com/product/434/Cacao-Butter.html
Sherrie says
Hi Maggie!
My health food store tried to sell me the same thing and I noticed that it was “ao” not “oa” for Cocoa butter. The person helping was pronouncing it differently than what I was saying so that’s what tipped me off and I noticed the spelling was different.
But good to know that it still tasted really good. I just might try it now.
Carolyn says
Cacao and cocoa are really actually the same thing. Cocoa comes from the cacao plant, and there are cacao nibs, etc. So some people label it as cocoa butter and some as cacao butter.
Carolyn says
I don’t think it would be, because the Navitas brand is supposed to be pretty good. Although it does say it’s raw so maybe that has an affect? I don’t know. But it should be fairly runny when hot, so that you can pour it out onto the tray. If you try it again, go lightly on the cocoa powder at first. Combine the cacao butter and chocolate and sweetener and then do 1 tbsp of cocoa powder at a time until you have a consistency you can still pour.
Maggie says
Thanks for the suggestion. I’m sure I will make it again and I’ll be more careful about incorporating the cocoa powder.
I definitely wasn’t pouring from the pan, but rather coaxing it out with a rubber spatula.
As I mentioned, it’s very tasty, but not as pretty as yours.
Amber Marzahl says
I had the same issue. When I put the cocoa powder into the mixture, it turned into a dough. Is 3/4 CUP the right amount for the cocoa powder? Mine was definitely not pour-able.
Carolyn says
Yup, it’s definitely the right amount. What brand are you using?
Marv says
Carolyn, you are such a gift!!!
FYI for those having trouble finding cocoa butter: I called all the health food stores and got a bunch of “no’s” from them all. I went to one anyway and found the Now brand in Cosmetics. The jar and their website clearly say 100% food grade (Now gets it from a candy company). Don’t give up.
Oh and Carolyn, you’re a gift (again)!!!!!
Carolyn says
Thank you!
dgidaho says
I love this stuff! We are down to the last couple of pieces now. (sniff) A low carb friend mentioned that they really like milk chocolate and I wondered if this recipe could be altered in any way to make it more like milk chocolate? What do you think?
Carolyn says
Milk chocolate requires milk solids to be mixed into the chocolate and that’s not easy to do without heavy duty equipment. I don’t know that I’d even try.
Bindi says
Hey carolyn,
I tried a modified recipe of the bark today and ran into a few problems. Would appreciate your help – my erythritol recrystallized and the bark does not look as smooth as yours. I used butter instead of cocoa butter (thought I’d try it out and if it turned out good would buy the cocoa butter). I used an equivalent amount of butter for half the recipe (4 tbsps) – could that be a reason? Thanks.
Carolyn says
Hi Bindi…what kind of erythritol did you use and was it powdered? And yes, butter will change it a lot, it will be very soft and won’t hold up as well. That might also be the issue for the re-crystallization, but I am not really sure.
Bindi says
I used NOW brand. I usually use Sensato powdered which I get from Netrition but this one says powdered crystalline. I guess that just means finer crystals. But it dissolved completely in the water+butter mixture before putting in the almonds but recrystallized almost immediately.
Carolyn says
Some erythritol will do that, unfortunately. I’ve used NOW brand, a long time ago. I think Swerve is much better for this recipe.
dgidaho says
Made this tonight and it turned out great! Since I have now eat low-carb, one of the things my husband and I have missed is sharing a piece of chocolate at night. But we both love this–thanks for giving us back a evening ritual! 🙂
Now, how do you recommend storing this? Thanks!
dgidaho says
Oh my goodness…..so many grammatical errors! Never edit without rereading….lol….
Carolyn says
🙂 For a second there, I thought this was a comment directed at me and my writing! I do have typos at times…
Carolyn says
Store in the fridge for the most part. I took some up to Maine with me over the weekend, though and it held up just fine. The chocolate did get a little “grey-ish” after 4 days out of the fridge but it tasted just as good.
dgidaho says
Thanks for the response—and sorry about not clarifying that it was MY writing to which I was referring!!!
Another note….took a few pieces of this to work today and shared with some co-workers. They ALL asked for the recipe! I directed them to your blog and will give them a printed copy of the recipe with the URL at the bottom.
One more thing—if it is possible, it was even better today. 🙂
Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl says
All my favorite food groups.. in one! 😉
Looks delicious!
Penny Hadley says
Is ther any reason one couldn’t use sugar. I really have a distaste for the substitutes. And if so, how much. Thanks so much.
Carolyn says
Use sugar in the exact same amount.
Goldiegal says
Hi Carolyn:
I am a bit confused. There are two places where you say to add the almonds into a mixture & spread the almonds in the pan. Do you use just half to mix into the Swerve, water & butter mixture; and then the other half when you mix them into the chocolate mixture ………. or am I just too senile to understand?
Thanks for all the great recipes and ideas – and your hard work.
Carolyn says
Hi. No, you need to spread them in the pan after you’ve covered them in the sweetener/butter/water mixture and let them cool. Then you make the chocolate, and you toss them back in (keep a little out to sprinkle on top). YOu spread the chocolate/almond mixture out again, sprinkle with the few that are held back, and then chill it.
Goldiegal says
Thank you Carolyn.