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
- 1/4 cup Swerve Brown
- 1 tbsp butter
- 3/4 cup roasted almonds, unsalted
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 2 oz cocoa butter
- 1 1/2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 1/3 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp 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.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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I gotta get me some swerve!
Looks so good and I love that it’s a healthier option!
This is such an easy way to satisfy a sweet tooth but not go overboard. Just a few pieces and I’m one happy lady!
oh my God! decadent!!!
So much cheaper to make yourself too!
If you use Lily’s for this instead of making your own, do you recommend adding some cocoa butter when you melt it, and if so, about how much? Thanks.
Yes, I do, to help it melt more smoothly. About 1/2 an ounce per every 4 ounces of chocolate.
Hi Carolyn. Would like to make this as gifts for Christmas. Found I use walnuts instead of almonds & would the walnuts need to be roasted?
So I love walnuts but I find that the flavor is a bit overpowering when they are roasted. I recommend leaving them raw in this.
Can you use Bocha Sweet in the chocolate?
If you can get the powdered one, yes.
Hi – just googled for a low carb recipe for chocolate bits to be mixed into low carb ice cream. This looks like ti would work – do you have any thoughts, would this work as the ‘chips’ in chocolate chip ice cream? I have seen other recipes that use only cocoa powder, no unsweetened chocolate. I would think the combination of both would be better. Thanks!
Sure, it will work fine!
PLEASE HELP! I can see this recipe has been here a long time but I just discovered it. You are right….addictive and SO perfect for my low carb food plan. Best of all, my family LOVED IT. Absolutely a 5 the first time I made it. I was so excited to make it for company and it was a disaster the 2nd time…..crumbly and dry and didn’t harden and become solid. I used the same ingredients and I thought I did the same thing. So I tried a 3rd time to duplicate the fantastic result from the first time thinking I missed something. I was super careful and it happened again. The same erythritol sweetener, Baker’s chocolate, hershey’s dark powdered and anthony’s organic cocoa butter wafers. These brands resulted in a PERFECT result the first time so now I’m at a loss. What could I be doing wrong? Thanks so much for anyone who can help me.
One thing… I never ever recommend Baker’s brand chocolate. It has a tendency to seize, which is what sounds to me like is happening with your bark.
Keep your heat low low low. In fact, you could even to this double boiler style, where you set a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. That might avoid seizing.
Oh my goodess…I did NOT have the heat low. I am so excited to have a solution and I appreciate so much how quickly you responded. THANKS!
Good luck!
Hi! I hope you still read this ;). I tried it and loved it. But these are my observations. I think 3/4 cup of cocoa powder is too much, bark comes out on the very bitter side. Next time I am doing this (Cause I will), I will use less cocoa powder, less unsweetened chocolate and less cocoa butter. Mine turned out too runny. But this is great and I really love the smell of the cocoa butter. My house smelled like dessert for hours after making this 🙂 Thank you for this great recipe. Aloha.
Just tried making the chocolate part. It’s a thick sludge that won’t allow the Swerve and cocoa powder to be stirred in until smooth. I’m adding more cocoa butter and hoping it will be spreadable as I’m out of energy battling this.
Sounds like it seized. One thing you might do is melt it double boiler style, with more gentle heat. If your stove is electric, it can be too hot for the chocolate, and your pans can make a difference too since non-heavy duty ones can transfer too much heat.
Making this for the 3rd time today. I just use the nutas I have on hand, though. It’s great.
So glad you like it!
Sweet treat with a little bit of salt and added protein! Great after school snack
Seriously so good!
This is absolutely addictive! It’s so nice to have a healthier choice when craving a sweet snack!
This bark is addicting! I love salty-sweet flavor to it!