Healthy keto energy bites that taste just like your favorite brownies! So easy to make and filled with healthy fats from ghee and cocoa butter. These paleo friendly fat bombs are always a hit and they store and travel really well. Perfect for keto meal planning.
I first made these brownie fat bombs for a Facebook live video almost a year ago. It was one of those last minute recipes that I threw together one day and it worked so remarkably well, they became an instant success. I decided I had to give these tasty energy bites their very own recipe.
I have several other delicious fat bomb recipes, and all of them are easy to make. If you want something a little different, try the Peanut Butter and Jam Cups. The Raspberry Coconut Bark is also delicious. And both are dairy-free!
Technically, these brownie fat bombs are not dairy free as they contain ghee, which is a form of clarified butter. But it is considered paleo and almost dairy-free, as it has no lactose in it and is appropriate for those who have any kind of dairy intolerance.
Do you need fat bombs on a keto diet?
Fat bombs can be a bit of a controversial issue in the keto world. Why is that?
Well, on the one hand, they are a great way to snack without blowing your carb count for the day. But on the other, people come to rely on them too much and eat too much fat, which can stall weight loss.
Yes, you can eat too much fat on a ketogenic diet. When keto was first gaining in popularity, the thought was that fat was an unlimited macronutrient and you could eat as much as you wanted. As long as your protein and carbs were within the target range, you could, in essence, gorge yourself on fat.
It quickly became apparent that this isn’t true. It may seem true at the beginning, for those folks with a great deal of weight to lose. But many people find that the closer they are to their target weight, the more too much fat can impede the process.
And for anyone who follows a keto diet for other health issues and has no weight to lose, too much fat can actually cause weight gain. So you can see why fat bombs have become a bit contentious.
That said, I think there is merit behind the concept, and used appropriately, fat bombs can be a great energy snack that helps you stick to your macros. I find that when I am on the go or traveling a lot, having an easy energy bite like these brownie fat bombs can ward off temptation and keep me on track.
The verdict? No, you don’t NEED fat bombs on a keto diet, but they can also be incredibly helpful. Just don’t overdo them and don’t rely on them too much.
How to make keto brownie fat bombs
These rich fudgy chocolate fat bombs are essentially flourless no bake brownies. And they are full of healthy fats from both the ghee and the cocoa butter. Coming in at less than 5g total carbs and 17g of fat per serving, they really are an ideal keto snack.
The trick to making these healthy energy bites is to force your chocolate mixture to seize. Normally, seized chocolate is a bad thing and you have to throw the whole mess away. But in this case, it helps give the fat bombs structure so you can roll them into balls.
Cocoa butter is prone to seizing when it comes into contact with any moisture. So the cocoa butter is critical to the success of this recipe. I purchase my cocoa butter on Amazon, although I have now started to see it in my local Whole Foods. I like the Terra Soul cocoa butter, as well as the one from Wild Foods.
I also use raw cacao powder here instead of cocoa powder because it too is more prone to seizing. The Thrive Market brand of raw cacao is perfect for these brownie fat bombs.
If, by chance, your mixture doesn’t seize properly, you can add a few tablespoons of a keto flour like coconut flour or almond flour to give it the right consistency. For coconut flour, you’d probably only need about 2 tablespoons. Almond flour would be more like 1/3 cup. (Obviously this will raise the carb count a little).
In the end, you want a mixture that you can roll easily into balls without having to refrigerate it first. Your hands will be greasy but the mixture shouldn’t stick to them.
Make ahead keto fat bomb recipe
The fabulous thing about these chocolate fat bombs is that they don’t require any refrigeration at all and can be stored for use to a week. Which means they are great for meal planning and they travel well too. I even took them with me all the way to Australia last summer!
The trick is the fats you use. Unlike butter, ghee is stable at room temperature for months. And while nut butter can go rancid eventually, it’s fine at room temp for a week or two.
Cocoa butter is completely solid at room temperature, which gives the energy bites some solidity and structure. They will be soft like a brownie, but they won’t goo all over the place or melt in your hands.
Store them in a covered container and they can go with you anywhere. If you do want to keep them longer than a week, the fridge is your best option. They should keep for up to a month that way.
Looking for more more dairy-free keto snacks?
Healthy keto energy bites that taste just like your favorite brownies! So easy to make and filled with healthy fats from ghee and cocoa butter.
- 1/4 cup ghee
- 1 ounce cocoa butter
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp raw cacao powder
- 1/3 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 2 tbsp water
- 1/3 cup almond butter
- 1/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)
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In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt the ghee and cocoa butter together.
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Whisk in the cacao/cocoa powder, sweetener, vanilla extract and salt. The mixture should be thin and smooth.
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Add the water and whisk until the mixture thickens - it will seize, this is normal. It should be the consistency of thick chocolate frosting.
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Using a rubber spatula to stir in the nut butter until the mixture resembles cookie dough in consistency. Stir in the chopped nuts.
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Roll into 16 balls (about 1 inch each) and refrigerate until firm.
Amy O'Day says
Thank you, Carolyn, for another dairy-free snack!!
Carolyn says
Welcome!
Pabsonator says
Could you recommend a good cardiologist?
Carolyn says
I don’t have one, nor do I need one. Most people find keto is very good for their heart health. I’m assuming that’s what you’re driving at?
gjeanieg says
Perfection! You nailed it again, Carolyn! And for the record, all three of us are significantly healthier in every way since going keto almost 2 years ago!
gjeanieg says
What does recipe does NOT have, is grain or sugar! That will automatically make almost anybody healthier. 🙂
Claire Daniels says
What could I use instead of cocoa butter? I have everything else!
Carolyn says
Sorry, but that’s what makes these stable at room temperature
Anne Hause says
Hi!! Can you use natural peanut butter instead of the almond butter??
Carolyn says
Sure!
Michelle says
Hmmm… Tried these tonight but they didn’t set up. Mixture was like thick frosting after I added the water, but with the almond butter, became smooth again. What did I do wrong?
Donna Houchins says
Don’t know if it’s my Florida climate but they did not seize even after adding coconut flour. I’ll just eat a spoonful here and there
Patty says
I had the same issue as the 2 comments above. It never set up. I tried adding more swerve, then added 2 Tbl coconut flour. Still very thin. I spooned into mini muffin cups and put them in the freezer. Still delicious though!
I used all ingredients exactly as listed (ghee, terrasoul cacao butter, justins almond butter, etc.) Any suggestions for the next time?
Carolyn says
The trick is to get the chocolate mixture to seize before continuing and it usually does. It does for me every time – that’s where the thickness comes in. I can’t say why yours isn’t for sure, though. I am sorry it’s thin but it sounds like it worked out okay.
Patty says
I just kept whipping and whipping and whipping thinking “So, this is how Carolyn gets her arms so toned!” LOL They’re fine in the fridge and are so delicious. I’ll try again when these run out because they’re too tasty not to make again. Thanks for the tip!
Erica B says
Just thinking out loud…since water makes chocolate seize immediately with very little stirring, and since vigorous whisking can actually re-emulsify seized chocolate (especially when something fatty like nut butter is added), excessive stirring/whisking might be part of the problem. Perhaps minimal stirring and more folding just until the ingredients are combined would be better?
Kathleen Saage says
These are so good. I made them last year when you put the Facebook Live feed up and loved them then. Forgot about them, though. I’m so glad you officially put them on the blog. I made them yesterday using butter and the batter was not thick enough to scoop so I put it in the refrigerator and until it was set enough to scoop into delicious little truffle-like bites. I rolled some of them in cocoa powder, as would be done for a classic French truffle. Tried the recipe again today using ghee and the mixture seemed to seize better but when I added the almond butter it thinned out again. I don’t have raw cacao powder; couldn’t find it at the grocery this morning, so I’m using my standard Guittard cocoa powder. I will get my hands on some raw cacao powder to see if it makes a difference in thickening the batter. The little Brownie Bites have a perfect consistency when eaten right out of the fridge, but I’m pretty leery of trying to let them be at room temp. I added 1/8 tsp of raspberry extract to the second batch. Delicious! Depending on one’s mood, one could try adding coffee or 5-spice powder or orange extract or even chile powder if that appeals.
Carolyn says
Why not leave one or two out at room temp and see how they fare? I’d be interested to know if they are firm or too soft, given your changes.
Kathleen Saage says
I left one of each — one made with butter, the other made with ghee but both made with cocoa powder rather than raw cacao — at room temp (79 degrees) for a couple hours. Neither of them melted or even lost shape but picking them up was a delicate task. They were very squishy. Delicious, but squishy.
Carolyn says
Good to know!
Erica B says
Thank you, Carolyn. I was intrigued enough to make this recipe this morning, but I used ingredients stocked in my pantry: Lakanto instead of Swerve, Rodelle dutch cocoa powder instead of raw cacao, and sunbutter instead of almond butter.
My experience was similar to others: the chocolate mixture seized after the water, but thinned out and became smooth after the sunbutter, even with minimal stirring. I even used cold water and cold sunbutter to try to shock the chocolate mixture. It was a bit grainy, but nowhere near cookie dough consistency. 2 T coconut flour brought it back to frosting consistency. I scraped it into a small loaf pan lined with plastic wrap, chilled it, and cut it into 18 squares. They’re soft (definitely not suitable for the counter) but the flavor is delicious and it’s a very pleasant fat bomb. Pretty sure my husband will enjoy them and won’t care that they have to be eaten out of the fridge.
I don’t know if my changes affected the outcome significantly. I get the impression from my experience and that of others that this recipe is quite dependent on the specific ingredients listed, and perhaps even brand-dependent, in order to get results like the photos.
Carolyn says
I don’t think it is entirely specific to brands, because many people have made these with no issues whatsoever. I will make them again soon and see what happens.
Erica B says
After having another go at the recipe, I suspect the raw cacao powder is the key ingredient for a successfully seized end product.
I used the same ingredients as I listed above, but coconut oil instead of ghee, and the mixture didn’t really seize at all after I whisked in the water, and it was very thin after I added the sunbutter. How odd… I added 1 T coconut flour and a couple ounces of Lily’s chocolate chips so it would firm up enough in the refrigerator. Same process as before: loaf pan, squares, etc. It does taste good.
It’s just a matter of following the recipe exactly, I’m sure. I don’t really like raw cacao, so I’ll have to put up with the consequences of my own adamancy. 😄
Ruby says
Hi can you use coconut cream/butter or nut butter instead of ghee?
Carolyn says
It will be too thin and won’t seize the way it’s supposed to.
Jen says
Hi Carolyn,
I had similar issues with the recipe becoming runny after the addition of the almond butter. The batter seized a little after adding the water, becoming a bit grainy but then soupy with the nut butter. I added the chopped nuts and just let it sit for a half hour or so (room temp) to cool a bit. I was able to then roll it into balls by hand, no problem. I am wondering if those of us having these issues are heating the cocoa butter/ ghee mixture too hot? Next time I think I’ll watch it closer. Thank you sooo much for all your delicious keto recipes. Been enjoying your blog for 4 years now!
Erica B says
An interesting theory, Jen. I didn’t see the need for a double boiler and melted my ghee and cocoa butter in a pot, but I did remove it from the heat before it simmered, and I whisked to melt the remaining cocoa butter chunks. I don’t know if heating the fat a little more would impact the structure of the finished product…🤔 I could see that happening with butter, but it seems less likely with pure fat like ghee and cocoa butter.
Katerina @ diethood .com says
YUMMY!! I can’t wait to try these!! They look SO good!
Cyd says
These are so easy and so so good! Thanks for sharing!
Anna says
These are scrumptious! Thanks for sharing!
Beth Pierce says
This is exactly what I need to get over the mid day exhaustion! So easy and delicious too! Yum!
Katie says
Helps satisfy that chocolate craving when on a diet!
CD says
I finally made these today. I just wanted to chime in with the chorus. The flavor was spot on and tasted like fudgy brownie butter. Delicious! I had to force myself to stop licking the spatula or my fingers as I was mixing. However, I too couldn’t get it to seize. I did use coconut oil and cocoa powder so who knows. I ended up adding extra water and then as a result added 1 cup of almond flour to make it thick. Naturally, after I refrigerated it the butters firmed up and now I regret adding all that flour. I will still hold on to this recipe because as I mentioned the flavor is so delicious! I think I like brownie batter better than cookie dough batter now!
Melissa says
I love the recipe, but it turned out way too sweet for me. I think if I reduced the sweetener by a lot, I’ll really love it. Very happy to have some non-dairy keto options!!
Nina Garcia says
These are amazing. I’ll be making them again and again!
April says
Wow I really messed this up! Didn’t realize I didn’t have coco butter until I started melting the ghee! And then I accidentally used granulated swerve! I carried through anyhow and I have to say. Not bad at all! And looked like brownie batter when I was done! Yummy! Just a little graining because of the sugar mess up! Thanks!
Carolyn says
At least you still like it! 🙂