These keto butter tarts are the real deal! Tender grain-free pastry with a rich, gooey caramel custard center. The famous Canadian dessert made low carb and sugar free.

 

This one goes out to my fellow Canucks, because only they can truly understand how momentous this recipe for Keto Butter Tarts really is.

But even if you’re not Canadian, even if you don’t have a single drop of Canadian blood, I suggest you stick around. Chances are that many of you have never heard of butter tarts, but they are worth getting to know!

Along with my Keto Nanaimo Bars, these sweet custard tarts have a very special place in my heart. They remind me of my childhood. They remind me of my father. And to re-create them in a healthier way brings me great joy.

Why you must try this recipe

If ever there was a national food of Canada, butter tarts are it. There are other uniquely Canadian dishes but these treats are loved and appreciated nationwide. In my home province of Ontario, there are even butter tart festivals and bake-offs, with everyone and their mother claiming they have the best recipe.

At their best, butter tarts are made of tender, flaky pastry with an incredibly gooey, sweet custard filling that usually contains raisins or dried currants. The filling is similar to pecan pie but even more gooey. So gooey that it should ooze out all over your face as you take a bite.

Traditional butter tarts are the stuff of a low carb dieter’s nightmares. They are made with copious amounts of brown sugar and corn syrup, and a large one can come in at a whopping 84g of carbs. Yikes!

Never one to resist a challenge, I simply had to create a keto recipe. I used the pastry from the Mini Keto Quiche, which holds together well. The filling uses a slightly sweeter version of my Keto Caramel Sauce but with some allulose to make it extra gooey. I also deliberately under-baked them, taking them out of the oven when the very center still looked a little wet. It was perfect!

Ingredients you need

• Almond flour: Almond flour is the best option for the crusts. If you really need to be nut-free, you can try sunflower seed flour. Keep in mind that it will affect the appearance and flavor of the tarts.
• Sweeteners: For the best consistency, you need several different sweeteners. The crust takes a powdered erythritol sweetener such as Swerve. The keto caramel filling needs brown sugar replacement as well as some allulose or BochaSweet to have a gooey consistency.
• Xanthan gum: This ingredient helps gluten-free baked goods have a bit more structure. I don’t use it often, but it helps with things like this tart crust.
• Eggs: You will need eggs for both the crust and the filling.
• Butter: You can’t have butter tarts without butter! Use unsalted so that your tarts don’t turn out too salty.
• Heavy cream: This helps create a rich, silky caramel sauce for the filling.
• Caramel extract: I like to use caramel flavor in the filling to really boost it. But you can also use vanilla extract.
• Raisins or chopped nuts: Raisins are quite high in carbs, so I only use 2 tablespoons and chopped them up. But you can also use chopped walnuts or pecans.

Basic steps

1. Make the pastry: In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, xanthan gum, and salt. Stir in the egg and butter until a cohesive dough forms. Split the dough into two portions.

2. Cut out the crusts: Dust a work surface lightly with more almond flour and transfer one portion of dough to the work surface. Cover with waxed paper or parchment paper and roll out to an even ⅛” thickness. Use a 3 1/2 inch cookie cutter to cut out as many circles as possible. Repeat with remaining dough.

3. Bake the crusts: Use an offset spatula to carefully lift each crust off the work surface. Press the crusts carefully down into lightly greased muffin cups. Bake the crusts 12 minutes at 325ºF, then remove and let cool completely to firm up.

4. Make the caramel sauce: Combine the butter and sweeteners in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook 3 to 5 minutes, watching carefully to make sure it doesn’t burn. Remove from heat and add the heavy cream and caramel extract. (The mixture will bubble vigorously, this is normal). Sprinkle the surface with the xanthan gum and whisk vigorously to combine. Whisk in the salt.

5. Fill the shells: Let the mixture cool to lukewarm, about 10 minutes. Once cooled, whisk in the egg. Divide the chopped raisins or pecans among the tart shells and spoon the filling over top. Fill each crust almost all the way to the top.

6. Bake the tarts: Bake 15 to 22 minutes, until the tart edges are golden and the filling is mostly set with a little jiggle in the center (it should still look a little wet in the very center of each tart). Remove from oven and let cool completely, then use a knife to loosen each tart.

Expert tips

Tips for keto pastry crust

• Use a non-stick metal muffin pan and grease it lightly, to avoid sticking.
• Dust your work surface with a little more almond flour. This helps the pastry rounds release more easily. Wiggling a small offset spatula under the rounds also helps.
• Cut the circles about 3 1/2 inches in diameter. A cookie or biscuit cutter works well, but if you don’t have one the right size, try a round drinking glass or plastic container.
• Bake the crusts empty first, to allow them to brown and crisp a little bit before adding the custard filling.

Tips for butter tart filling

• This uses a sweeter, thicker version of my Keto Caramel Sauce. But this time I used some allulose to really get a gooey center. BochaSweet and xylitol would be the best substitutes. If you use all erythritol based sweeteners like Swerve or Lakanto, your filling will recrystallize some as it cools.
• Let the sauce cool to lukewarm before adding the egg. Otherwise it will cook the egg and your filling will curdle.
• For truly gooey butter tarts, remove them from the oven when the very center of the tarts still look a little wet. They will continue to firm up a bit as they cool.

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