Creamy keto chocolate custard in perfect individual servings! These deliciously rich chocolate pots de crème are the ideal sugar-free dessert for chocolate lovers.
When it comes to chocolate desserts, I don’t play favorites. I love almost anything made with that enticing, dark bean from the tropics.
I love it in baked goods, like Keto Chocolate Cake, and I adore it in creamy desserts like keto chocolate mousse. And don’t even get me started on how much I love keto chocolate cheesecake.
Chocolate is beautiful in all sorts of shapes and sizes. And it’s particularly tasty in these amazing pots de crème. Creamy smooth perfection!
What is pot de crème?
If you’ve never had pot de creme, get ready for a mind-blowing chocolate experience. This luscious dessert is a French-style baked custard, and the keto sugar-free version is every bit as good as the original.
I bet even those of you who don’t speak French can figure out what the name means. “Pot of cream” sounds pretty delicious to me!
It differs from keto chocolate pudding in a few key ways. You typically cook pudding on the stovetop, stirring until it thickens. And you usually need a thickener, such as glucomannan or xanthan gum, to help it set properly.
While you do heat the cream on the stovetop, pots de creme are oven-baked. They rely solely on the egg yolks and the baking process to set, so you don’t have to add thickeners or starches.
Lightened up keto pots de creme
I’ve had this recipe for keto pot de creme on the blog since 2015, but I wasn’t perfectly happy with it. While the flavor was amazing, I found that the custard set a little too much.
It was more like eating keto chocolate fudge than custard! I finally figured out where I went wrong, and that I was using too much heavy cream. Cream thickens far more during cooking than milk, and with the fiber in the unsweetened chocolate, it was setting too firmly.
By switching out half of the cream for some unsweetened almond milk, I got a much better consistency. Still unbelievably rich and chocolatey, but with a more custard-like texture.
Ingredients
This keto pot de crème recipe takes 6 basic ingredients that you can find at almost any grocery store. You will need:
- Heavy whipping cream
- Thin non-dairy milk such as almond milk or hemp milk
- Powdered sweetener
- Unsweetened chocolate
- Vanilla extract
- Egg yolks
If you feel a little fancy, try adding some flaked sea salt to the top of the finished custards.
How to make Keto Pot de Crème
Pot de creme is simple to make and results in a silky smooth chocolate dessert experience. Here are my best tips for getting it right:
- Gently heat the cream and milk: You don’t want it to boil, or even come to a strong simmer. Just look for some bubbling around the edges and then remove from heat.
- Use unsweetened chocolate: Chocolate that has sweeteners doesn’t set as well as unsweetened, so your custard may be too thin. Also this way, you can sweeten it to your liking.
- Let the chocolate melt: Let the chopped chocolate melt in the warm cream before whisking it in.
- Slowly whisk the chocolate mixture and egg yolks: To keep the yolks from curdling, you need to slowly drizzle the chocolate in, whisking continuously.
- Set up a bain-marie: This is just a fancy term for a water bath, and it helps the custards bake more evenly and slowly. I give full instructions for setting this up in the recipe.
- Cover with foil: Covering the whole dish with foil helps steam the pots de creme and give them the right consistency.
- Look for the jiggle: Don’t bake until fully set! You need the center to have some jiggle so that the custard isn’t too hard or firm after it cools. Remember that they keep cooking for a while, even after they are out of the oven.
- Chill completely: Pot de creme needs to chill completely to set properly so be patient!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Simply replace the heavy cream with full-fat coconut cream. It may take slightly longer to bake through but it works well.
Possibly, but I have only used erythritol based sweeteners in this recipe. Swerve and Lakanto should be fine, but allulose and BochaSweet can make custards very soft and they may take a lot longer to set properly.
If you do try, please report back and tell me how it works!
It’s already built into the recipe! You can use a nut-free milk like hemp milk.
Store custard desserts like this in the fridge at all times, covered tightly to ensure that they don’t dry out. The pots de creme should last up to 4 days.
I do not recommend freezing this recipe as it will change the consistency of the custard.
More creamy keto desserts
- Keto Coconut Flan
- Easy Keto Banana Pudding
- Keto Key Lime Pie
- Mississippi Mud Pie
- Vanilla Rhubarb Custard
- Custard Pie with Raspberries
Keto Chocolate Pots de Creme Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup unsweetened almond milk (hemp milk for nut-free)
- ⅓ cup confectioner’s Swerve Sweetener
- 1 ¾ ounces unsweetened chocolate chopped
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large egg yolks
- Pinch salt
- Lightly sweetened whipped cream (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300ºF. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the cream, almond milk, and sweetener. Heat until the mixture just begins to simmer, whisking frequently.
- Remove the pan from heat and add the chopped chocolate. Let sit 3 or 4 minutes, until the chocolate is melted. Add the vanilla extract and whisk until smooth.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks and salt until well combined. Slowly pour the chocolate mixture over the egg yolks, whisking constantly to combine.
- Divide the custard among 4 small ramekins (4 ounce capacity each). Set into a larger baking dish and fill with enough boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
- Cover the whole baking dish with foil and poke several holes in the foil. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, or until custards are set around the edges but still jiggle slightly in the center.
- Remove from the water bath immediately, let cool, and then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Sprinkle with a touch of sea salt, if desired. Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream.
Lisa @ Wine & Glue says
YES! I need this! This always happens to me too, I need just like a little bit and end up wasting so much! I love ginger too. Like a TON. So I know I would love these!
Angie | Big Bear's Wife says
Those are beautiful. So glad that you’ve fallen in love with ginger! haha it’s pretty great!
Rose | The Clean Dish says
I agree – ginger is an acquired taste! For the longest time, I only liked it in sweets but I’ve definitely come around to it! These chocolate ginger pots de creme look delicious!
Jessica (Savory Experiments) says
These are just perfect for a holiday party. I bet they taste AH-mazing!
Kirsten/ComfortablyDomestic says
Pots de Creme is such a simple and decadent dessert. Ginger paste is such a great idea. No more wasted ginger root!
Heather | All Roads Lead to the Kitchen says
I am definitely a ginger fan, but I’m always forgetting about it and letting it get moldy…so I love GG ginger paste! These pots de creme look so decadent – lovely for the holidays.
Nicole says
Oh my, these look amazing! I love that you added a kick of ginger!
Erin @ Texanerin Baking says
That ginger pastes sounds amazing! It’s such a hassle to peel and grate fresh ginger, especially when you use it often. And this looks like such a delicious treat. 🙂
Karyn says
I love the heat from the ginger paired with chocolate! These sound a delightful dessert for a quiet night in without the kids!
Lora @savoringitaly says
I’m with you and was the same as a kid. I love to add ginger to so many sweet and savory recipes. I have to check out this paste and your pots de creme look crazy good!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Pot de creme is my achilles heel! These look awesome!
sue|theviewfromgreatisland says
Those acquired tastes are always the most fierce — think coffee, bourbon…Brussels sprouts!
Carolyn says
Good point!
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust says
I’m totally the same way – when I was a kid I didn’t like “real” Ginger and now I do! These look delish!!
Ann says
I love ginger, and grow much of my own, which means, of course, that I have a lot of it in spring! So I cut it into approximately 1Tbsp chunks , roll it in paper towels and freeze it. No more mouldy ginger, and It works just as well as fresh ginger as long as you peel and grate/chop it while it’s still frozen. It goes a bit watery and soggy if you let it thaw. At least it does in my hot, humid climate.
Carolyn says
Good to know, thanks!
Bethany @ Athletic Avocado says
I used to not like ginger until the beginning of this year! Now I can’t get enough of it! This chocolate and ginger dessert looks amazing!!
Lauren Kelly Nutrition says
I absolutely love all things ginger and these look perfect!
Ashley @ Wishes and Dishes says
Ginger was a taste that also grew on me over time. Now, I love it! What a great dessert 🙂
The Food Hunter says
love the flavor combination of this dessert
Joshua Hampton says
I wasn’t crazy about ginger when I was younger. Still not that crazy about ginger, but I’d love a bite of this chocolate treat. Yum.
naomi says
this is always a holiday favorite! I love the addition of ginger to it!