This easy chocolate cereal is a kid-friendly keto cereal recipe. It’s crispy and crunchy and it actually holds up to milk or cream. Nut-free and sugar-free, for a healthy breakfast treat.
I am not kidding, this whole batch of homemade chocolate cereal disappeared in 48 hours. It was there and then it was gone. I swear I barely blinked, and my hungry children had consumed it all. ALL! Those greedy little monkeys.
But in reality, I was absolutely delighted that they liked this keto cereal so much. They aren’t always easy to please, these monkeys of mine. And getting them fully on board with low carb eating is a struggle, to say the least.
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Let’s just call it a work in progress, shall we?
But kids like cereal. I suppose because it’s crisp and lightly sweet, and so easy to snack on. My kids particularly love cereal because they don’t get to have it very often, so it seems like a special treat.
And chocolate cereal? Now that, my friends, is the way to a kid’s heart.
Making Nut-Free Cereal
This is actually a very similar recipe to my Low Carb Thin Mint Cookies. Those are delightfully crispy and the chocolate wafer is not overly sweet, so I thought it would make a great cereal.
But almond flour isn’t everyone’s friend. Nut allergies abound, especially among young children, and I want this to be a kid-friendly a recipe as possible. So I decided to make a nut-free version of this chocolate cereal recipe.
Easy enough to do, since sunflower seed flour makes a great replacement for almond flour. It’s even easy to make your own sunflower seed flour at home: How To Make Sunflower Seed Flour.
I’ve used sunflower seed flour in a number of recipes, including these Chocolate Blackout Cupcakes, and in some of my favourite low carb chocolate chip cookies.
But before you get all gung-ho on sunflower seed flour, there are a few things you should know:
If you have severe nut allergies, you want to make sure to get the flour or the seeds that aren’t processed on facilities that also process nuts. One brand that is certified allergen free is GERBS, available on Amazon. They sell both the finely ground flour or the raw nuts for making your own.
Sunflower seeds react with leavening agents like baking powder and baking soda, and the inside of your baked goods can turn a funny shade of green. Don’t worry, they haven’t gone bad! You can offset this reaction with a tablespoon of acid such as lemon juice or apple cider vinegar.
For chocolate recipes, like this keto chocolate cereal, you don’t need to worry about the green reaction. The cocoa powder will cover it up just fine.
Tips for Keto Chocolate Cereal
I’ve already discussed the sunflower seed flour above. If you don’t have nut allergies, feel free to use almond flour.
Beyond that, a few others tips for the ultimate keto chocolate cereal experience:
Sweetener: You really need an erythritol based sweetener here, like Swerve. Substituting another may keep your cereal from crisping up properly.
Cocoa powder: Use dutched cocoa powder to keep the cereal from being too bitter. Raw cacao powder is hard to work with and can leave a bitter aftertaste.
Keep stirring: It will seem like there isn’t enough liquid ingredients compared to the dry ingredients but trust me. Use a rubber spatula and keep working the egg and butter into the dry ingredients and the dough will come together.
Dairy-Free? Try subbing any dairy-free oil for the butter.
Roll it really thin! Getting the dough rolled out really thinly, 1/8 of an inch or less, is key to getting the thin crisp cereal bites you’re looking for.
Let it cool completely: It will seem a bit soft when it first comes out of the oven. Let it cool completely to crisp up. If you live in a humid environment, it may go soft on you later but you can always return it to a warm oven to re-crisp.
More Delicious Keto Cereal Recipes
Low Carb Cinnamon Crunch Cereal
The best keto cereal recipe! Crisp chocolate flakes that hold up to the milk or cream. My kids LOVED this and devoured the whole batch in two days.
- 1 3/4 cup sunflower seed flour
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup Swerve Sweetener
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
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Preheat the oven to 300F.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the sunflower seed flour, cocoa powder, sweetener, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the egg, butter, and vanilla until the dough comes together.
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Transfer the dough to a large silicone baking mat or a large piece of parchment paper. Top with another piece of parchment and roll out as thinly as possible (without being see-through!).
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Remove the top piece of parchment. Use a sharp knife or a pizza cutter to score into small squares, about 3/4 inch wide.
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Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until firm to the touch. Remove and let cool completely. If it's not completely crisp, return to a warm oven (175F) for another 20 or 30 minutes.
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Break into pieces and serve.
Betsy says
Well I adore the cinnamon crunch cereal, so I can’t wait to try this little creation. I’ll be using almond flour. Thanks for the tip on the dutched cocoa. I’ve noticed a difference with it as I’ve experimented. Also I’ve found that Swerve really does work best with the cinnamon cereal (I use a homemade Gentle-Sweet style mix for lots of other of your recipes). Thanks again for a new exciting recipe to stay keto!!
Julie R says
I have straight-up erythritol on hand, but not a lot of experience using it yet. Is there a downside to using that rather than Swerve?
Carolyn says
The downside is that straight erythritol is only about 70% as sweet as sugar, whereas Swerve is formulated to be cup for cup with sugar.
Heather White says
So with almond flour you would use the same amount? Also, how do you know if your cocoa powder is Dutch processed? I use Ghiradellis but I’m not sure if it’s Dutch processed.
Carolyn says
Replace in exactly the same amount. You will be good with Ghirardelli. It doesn’t say cacao powder or natural, so my guess is that it is dutch process.
Susan Dunham says
According to what I’m seeing, the Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder is dutch processed.
Carolyn says
Probably, yes. I do find that one more absorbent so it *might* throw things off but I haven’t tried it in this recipe.
Susan Dunham says
How would you store this and – assuming it didn’t get eaten in 48 hours – how long do you think it would last stored?
Carolyn says
I just do a covered container on my counter. If it softens up, just place it back in a warm oven for 15 to 20 and then let it cool again.
Karen says
“Greedy Little Monkeys!” LOL. This cereal looks to make ME a greedy little monkey, too. What a fun breakfast idea.
Brit says
Do you think a flax egg or other egg substitute would work?
Carolyn says
I honestly can’t say, I haven’t tried.
Laura says
Please tell me your children are not on the Keto diet.
Carolyn says
Why shouldn’t they be? They are not fully… but I know many who are.
Karin J. Fisk says
Thanks for posting this recipe! My 17 year old daughter is a cereal addict and is now on keto with me, so this will definitely be on our list of favorites.
I agree, why shouldn’t kids be on keto? It’s insane the amount of sugar humans in this country consume. The diet has been scientifically proven to benefit people with learning disabilities and neurological issues.
Carolyn says
Thanks, Karen!
Summer says
Can’t wait to try the recipe!
We have a Keto community among friends. I can only imagine many of us will be delighted to eat cereals again, because we are all kids at heart after all.
Aimee Shugarman says
This was awesome. I totally indulged in a guilt free breakfast today 🙂
courtney says
This looks awesome, total chocolate lover here!
Kara says
My son is trying to avoid sugar, but he loves cereal, so I’ll have to share this recipe with him. Thank you!
Courtney O'Dell says
I can’t wait to make this again – my husband was so excited to be able to have cereal again!
Jen says
What a great recipe to not have to miss out on this anymore. So perfect!