A crunchy keto cereal the whole family will love! It’s crispy, chocolatey, and super easy to make. And it’s nut-free and sugar-free, for a healthy breakfast treat.
I am not kidding, this whole batch of homemade keto 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 low carb chocolate 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.
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 keto cereal? Now that, my friends, is the way to a kid’s heart.
Making Nut-Free Keto Cereal
This is actually a very similar recipe to my Keto 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 for everyone. 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 making crispy keto cereal
I’ve already discussed the sunflower seed flour above. If you don’t have nut allergies, feel free to use almond flour instead. It measures almost cup for cup the same as sunflower seed flour.
Beyond that, here are a few more 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. Check out my guide to keto sweeteners to find out more about how they affect your baked goods.
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 silicone 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.
Can I make keto cereal in advance?
You bet! Dry-baked keto treats like this can last for up to 7 to 10 days. I recommend storing it in an airtight container on the counter.
If you live in a very humid environment, it may become less crispy as it sits. Simply pop it back into a warm oven (200F) for 10 to 15 minutes. It should become crispy again as it cools.
More Delicious Keto Cereal Recipes
- Low Carb Cinnamon Crunch Cereal
- Low Carb Banana Nut Cereal
- Keto Peanut Butter Granola
- Coconut Frosted Flakes Cereal
- Maple Pecan Granola
- Keto Granola Clusters
Chocolate Keto Cereal
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup (185 g) sunflower seed flour
- 1/3 cup (28.67 g) cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup (60.67 g) Swerve Sweetener
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) salt
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300F.
- 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.
- 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!).
- Remove the top piece of parchment. Use a sharp knife or a pizza cutter to score into small squares, about 3/4 inch wide.
- 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.
- Break into pieces and serve.
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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Could I substitute 1.75 cup (253.75 grams) of sunflower seed flour with 63-64 grams/ 0.5 cup of coconut flour and 2 or 3 more large eggs?
The sunflower seed flour would be fine but I am unclear on the purpose of the coconut flour. Besides which, I think you will find it makes for a not very crisp cereal…
Hello, I haven’t tried this yet but am planning on doing so. Would this work with Sukrin gold? The ingredients are: Sukrin granulated (all natural sweetener erythritol made from cornstarch), tagatose, glycerol, malt extract (gluten free), stevia (steviol glycosides).
Thanks!!
I can’t guarantee it will crisp up properly although I think it should be okay.
I’ll give it a try, thank you 🙂
Absolutely loved this ! It’s a race to see who gets more hubby or me lol ! Thank you so much for this awesome recipe!
OMG!!! Amazing!!! I have been kept for 2 years and have missed cereal soooooo much! I used to eat cereal for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, midnight snack, study snack, car snack… basically anytime of day.
I’m not entirely fond of almond milk but with this cereal, the chocolate flavour over powered the milk and I was right back in my youth, eating cereal watching Sunday morning cartoons. Lol, well maybe no cartoons but I did close my eyes and travel back in time.
Ordered your cookbook from amazon, still waiting for it to arrive but I feel it will be well worth the wait. Thank you for all you do!! 🙂
So delighted you liked it!
If I could give this negative stars I would. This was terrible. I don’t know if the taste was so bad because I’m not used to eating Keto cereal but I couldn’t even bare to eat anymore than one bite. I followed the directions exactly and had no problems up until the taste. I can’t describe the taste it is something I’ve not tasted before but I’d say don’t get your Hope’s up on this recipe if you are new to making keto cereal.
Hi Annie… what sweetener did you use? $10 it’s because you have a palate that doesn’t enjoy the sweetener you use.
In future, I’d love it if you reached out to ask me what might have gone wrong instead of giving “negative stars”. I can usually determine the issue.
How would Pyure work in this recipe vs the Swerve since it is also Erythritol based?
As long as you are indeed using the one that is mostly erythritol, then yes, I think it would be fine.
How did you calculate the nutritional information for this recipe? When Iimported it into My Fitness Pal, it told me it was 12 grams of carbs per serving!
Hi there… I have a nutritional disclaimer at the bottom of every post, explaining that I use MacGourmet. This is paid software that pulls from the USDA database so it is much more reliable than online programs like MFP. You should take a close look at the nutritional info, as it’s probably counting the erythritol, which shouldn’t be tallied.
I like the cinnamon crunch recipe better than this one. Good alternative, though. I must have used a lot of elbow grease rolling these out as they burned after 10 minutes. I really liked that thickness of cereal, so I would make again that thin and just bake for 6-8 minutes. Seems like this one isn’t as sweet as the cinnamon one…maybe that is why I like it better? In the end, thanks for another keto recipe. I like trying them and this was easy to assemble. 🙂
Can I use carob powder instead of cocoa/cacao powder, I don’t like caffeine in the little ones before 9 am; and I’m lactose intolerant and Dutch processed cocoa almost 99 percent of the time is treated with a milk derivative.
I don’t use carob powder but I am sure it’s worth a try.
Love the taste but not crisping up, we don’t use swerve due to several reaction reasons, so we have to use monk fruit with Eythonol instead. I did see you stated it might not crips up and you’re right, even if we leave it in longer it started to burn the sides still didn’t crisp up. we use it as a snack instead not in almond milk cause it might just fall apart. too bad we can’t find one with monk fruit instead, oh well great taste tho!
What would you recommend for someone, who has to avoid all 8 top allergens, to use as a substitute for eggs and butter?
I wouldn’t advise this recipe. Sorry, I don’t have a recipe that fits that bill.
I so enjoyed making this, (although I call it a labor of love, beginning with grinding my own sunflower flour). It was delicious, and gave hope to all my keto children who miss cereal. Thanks again!
So glad you liked it!
Amazing recipe! I’ve made it twice now, and I’m addicted! I used almond flour instead of sunflower, just because it’s more available and I can tolerate nuts well. On my second batch, I made some modifications: I was a couple TBSP short on almond flour, so subbed some keto friendly chocolate protein powder instead. I also accidentally went a little too crazy with the baking powder, but the end result had a lighter crunch, almost like cocoa puffs! Might be worth experimenting and rolling them into little balls instead of cutting squares (if I can find the patience haha), I’ll do that next time and report back, if anyone is curious.
Hey Antonia! Just curious to know how you went with the puffy balls style?
Used 2 small eggs and so added some golden flaxseed meal and some hulled hemp seeds. Delicious!!
Whole Foods sells raw organic sunflower seeds in bulk.
Can’t rate yet, as haven’t tried…but my autistic son on KETO so looks forward to your desserts & he said he would gladly “be a guinea pig for this one.” But was wondering about options for cereal ingredients…
QUESTIONS:
–Have you attempted to use OAT FIBER in any cereals as it is Zero Net Carbs? Or a combo of Flax Seed Meal & Oat Fiber…maybe?
–Do you have thoughts on using CARBQUIK Baking Mix in general (son wants to make own biscuits)?
–BTW…your link to Bob’s Red Mill Sunflower Seeds 4 pack is now $44 and one package & 20 ounce is $20. Too pricey for me… so looking elsewhere.
Thank you , Thank you… I have 4 of your books. And have printed off many of your pages at ADIDAF website.
Sorry, I don’t think this would work very well with oat fiber. Too dry and unpalatable. I don’t like the carbquick mix, I don’t think it bakes very well. There are plenty of other places to buy sunflower seeds.
okay… I have bought four of your books, love your recipes (obviously)… thought I was AIDING you in high price change online you might think appropriate to know…. but guess not.
I didn’t say THIS RECIPE I asked about ANY RECIPES trying OAT FIBER. If you haven’t thought of using Oat Fiber yet, then okay. But at Zero Net Carbs along with Vital Wheat Gluten, Flax meal, etc of
–Dierdre’s Kitchen, she makes a GREAT STANDMIXER LOW CARB YEAST BREAD using Oat Fiber which I made today and it’s the BEST KETO BREAD EVER. DietDoctor.com rates it at 2-2.5 carbs with 16-17 slices per loaf. Maybe you should check it out and expand you ideas on Oat Fiber.
Hope you have a better day.
Clearly I have upset you, although I am not sure how. I was simply answering each of your questions one at a time. When someone asks about a certain ingredients on a certain post, it’s often because they want to sub it in to that recipe. That’s how yours sounded. I have tried oat fibre… many times. I don’t love it. Great that you do though!