You know those foods that flood you with nostalgia and a warm remembrance of happy childhood days? These Keto Rum Balls are that food for me right now.
Biting into one of them is like stepping back through time Toronto, circa the 1980s, during the holidays. A family friend always made us a tin of her homemade rum balls. I can’t say I enjoyed them all that much back then.
They always looked so enticing, rolled in chopped nuts or chocolate sprinkles, but that rum and chocolate combo was too much for my young palate. However, times change, tastes evolve, and these keto rum balls are now one of my favorite holiday treats!
They look so pretty on the cookie tray, along with some keto snowballs and keto shortbread cookies.
What readers are saying
“Just finished making these. Super easy to make and the sample I tried was amazing. They’re a little soft still, but I know they’ll firm up a bit more after sitting out for awhile. They remind me of the rum balls that my grandmother would make every Christmas. Another wonderful recipe from Carolyn!” — Tamie
Why You Will Love This Easy Recipe
It’s so lovely to re-visit those old memories with this low carb, gluten-free rum ball recipe. They are healthy version of a holiday classic, and I know many of you love them too.
These truffles are very easy to make, so you can whip them up before a holiday party or cookie exchange. But they can also be made in advance and frozen for several months.The recipe makes a big batch, which is perfect for sharing and gifting. But you can cut the whole recipe in half if you need fewer treats.
A serving of two rum balls has only 2.6g net carbs. A far cry from the sugary version we had as kids!
Ingredient Notes
- Unsweetened chocolate: This is chocolate with no sweetener in it whatsoever, so it’s 100% cacao. But I’ve had readers make the truffles with Lily’s or ChocZero quite successfully.
- Butter: You can also use coconut oil for a dairy free version.
- Powdered sweetener: In a no-bake recipe like this, you want powdered sweetener to avoid any grittiness.
- Dark rum: Dark rum is standard in rum balls, but you can use light rum as well.
- Almond flour: For a nut free option, you can also use sunflower seed flour.
- Shredded coconut: If you don’t like the flavor or texture of coconut, try using an extra cup of almond flour instead.
- Pantry staples: Vanilla extract, kosher salt
- Garnish: Cocoa powder, additional powdered sweetener, and additional coconut.
How to Make Keto Rum Balls
1. Melt the chocolate: In a double boiler, combine the chopped chocolate and the butter. Stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat.
2. Add the rum: Whisk in the sweetener until well combined, then whisk in the dark rum, vanilla extract, and salt. The mixture will thicken considerably when adding the liquid.
3. Stir in the dry ingredients: Add the almond flour and shredded coconut and stir in until the mixture forms a cohesive dough. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls.
4. Roll in coconut: If you are using shredded coconut to garnish, roll them immediately in shredded coconut.
5. Refrigerate: Place the rum balls in the freezer for 1 hour to firm up. If you are rolling in cocoa powder or sweetener, do this after they firm up.
To dip in chocolate:
If you prefer chocolate dipped rum balls, freeze them first. The melt some sugar-free chocolate like Lily’s or Choczero with a little coconut oil to thin it out. Dip the rum balls and place on a waxed paper lined baking sheet to firm up.
Expert tips
I was experimenting with this recipe recently and found that I needed to treat them a little differently depending on the coating. For shedded coconut, it sticks much better when the rum balls are still warm. But the cocoa powder and sweetener stick better then the balls are cold.
This is a no bake recipe, and the rum flavor can be a little intense at first. Make them a few days in advance and store them in the fridge in a covered container, and they will mellow out.
You can make them entirely nut-free by using sunflower seed flour instead of almond flour. And you can make them completely coconut free by replacing the shredded coconut with more nut or seed flour of your choice.
For an alcohol-free version, try using some rum extract and then add water to make up the liquid. I would start with 1 teaspoon of extract. But you can taste and adjust to your liking, since there are no eggs in the batter.
Sweetener Options
As I mentioned above, you need a confectioner’s style sweetener for these keto rum balls, to avoid grittiness. Almost any powdered bulk sweetener should work.
You can also use a high-intensity sweetener like stevia or monk fruit extract, or a combination of powdered sweeteners and sweetener extracts. Do keep in mind that stevia and chocolate together can taste very bitter, so I don’t recommend using it as your only sweetener.
For myself, I like to use Swerve Confectioners with a little additional stevia/monkfruit sweetener like this one from Whole Earth.
More Bite-Size Keto Treats
Keto Rum Balls Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 ounces (170.1 g) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 1/3 cup (54.5 g) coconut oil, or butter
- 1/2 cup (62.5 g) Swerve Confectioners
- 1/8 tsp monk fruit extract, or more Swerve
- 1/2 cup (118.29 ml) dark rum
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 2 1/2 cups (280 g) almond flour
- 1 cup (80 g) shredded coconut
Instructions
- In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, combine the chopped chocolate and the butter or coconut oil. Stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat.
- Whisk in the sweetener until well combined, then whisk in the dark rum, vanilla extract, and salt. The mixture will thicken considerably when adding the liquid.
- Add the almond flour and shredded coconut and stir in until the mixture forms a cohesive dough. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls. If you are using shredded coconut to garnish, roll them immediately
- If you are using shredded coconut to garnish, roll them immediately. Spread a few tablespoons of shredded coconut in a shallow dish and roll the rum balls. Then refrigerate for an hour to help them firm up.
- If you are using cocoa powder or powdered sweetener, refrigerate them for one hour prior to rolling, to help the coating stick better. Again Spread a few tablespoons in a shallow dish and roll the rum balls.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Conventional rum balls can contain as much as 20g of carbs per truffle! But this keto rum ball recipe has only 5.6g of carbs and 3g of fiber per serving. That comes to 2.6g net carbs for two rum balls.
You can store these keto rum balls in a covered container on the counter for a few days or in the fridge for up to two weeks. These also freeze well! Wrap them in foil and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
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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These rum balls are so amazingly delicious! I love your recipes!
Thank you
So glad you like them!
I made your recipe for rum balls exactly as stated. You said the Rum flavor would be intense. You were spot on. I was the only one who ate them. The men in my family said they thought it was like doing a shot and the chocolate flavor did
not come through. I do want to make them again if there is a way to make the rum flavor not be so dominant.
Thank you,
Did you read the part about letting them sit for a few days???
Hi Carolyn,
I know you get a lot of requests, but could you please make some “Quest like” protein bars one day?
Love your recipes and love to see savory recipes here too!
Thank you and Merry Christmas!
Where is the Nutritional information? You only give the additional carbs if dipped in chocolate .
Nope… scroll down further in the recipe card, it’s all there!
can I just use Lilly’s chocolate?
Can I use cocoa powder instead of chopped unsweetened chocolate?
No, it will throw off the consistency too much.
Easy and Delicious!
Just finished making these. Super easy to make and the sample I tried was amazing. They’re a little soft still, but I know they’ll firm up a bit more after sitting out for awhile. They remind me of the rum balls that my grandmother would make every Christmas. Another wonderful recipe from Carolyn!
Husband hates coconut, can I use coconut flour instead of the chopped coconut? It’s a texture thing with him.
No, it would be come terribly dense and awful. I’d think you want another 1 cup of almond flour instead.
Can you substitute rum extract/flavoring for the actual rum?
Sure, and make up the difference in liquid with plain water.
These look fabulous (and I plan to make them), but a word of warning: Many rum distillers add sugar to the finished product. It makes the rum much tastier, but if you are watching your sugar intake make sure that you are using rum that has no ‘Added’ sugar (the sugar used during distillation is eaten off by the alcohol) Jamaica, Barbados and any of the French Caribbean islands specifically mandate that it is illegal to add sugar to the finished product, so to be safe make sure your rum is produced and bottled on one of those islands.
This recipe does not use a huge amount of rum for the large amount of servings, so a rum with added sugar probably wouldn’t affect you for this recipe, but if you decide to start sipping on the rest of the bottle -you might find that it does make a difference.
I lived in Barbados for 6 months and they take their rum seriously. I often buy Mount Gay because I know it’s good!
Thank you so much for this keto version! Rum balls are my favourite holiday treat to make for family and friends (and myself, of course)!
Maybe the recipe itself should be updated to say “wait 2-3 days for the flavors to blend and mellow”. When I made regular (non-keto) rum balls, waiting at least 3 days was MANDATORY, with a week being optimal, IMO! 🙂
Excellent idea.
Can I just use Lakanto Monk fruit sweetener instead of the Swerve and Monk fruit extract?
Sure, that’s fine.
Can these be kept in the freezer for a few months? Thank you fir the recipe.
You bet! They freeze well.
Can light rum be substituted for dark rum? And if so, is the measusrement the same? Thanks so much!
Yup, sure thing!
Delicious! I used Lilly’s chocolate chips for the mixture and the coating and used coconut oil to thin sufficiently and they turned out great. A nice, dark rum like Kracken was used for this batch and might try a deep, spiced rum for another batch.
Thanks for this just in time for Christmas entertaining!
Heather
So glad you liked them!
I am out of unsweetened chocolate bars but have the sugar free chips. Will these work instead?
It’s hard to know. Sometimes sugar-free chocolate has less fibre than unsweetened and so the resulting batter or mixture is thinner. It’s worth a shot and if you need to thicken it, add cocoa powder until you can roll it in your palms without it being too sticky.
These are wonderful. I am wondering if I could use sugar free chocolate chips in place of the unsweetened chocolate and sweetener as an option in the future?