Every so often, I make something so insanely good that I can’t stop dreaming about it. And these Keto Salted Caramel Butter Bars are IT! It is dangerous for me to have them around too much, as I will keep nibbling at them here and there, every time I pass through the kitchen.
It’s that combination of almond flour shortbread and keto caramel sauce that does it for me. Consider me obsessed!
I really do love a good shortbread crust. They are simple to make and are great a playing a supporting role to other flavors. I perfected my keto version a long time ago and I use it in so many dessert recipes. Everything from Keto Pecan Pie Bars to Keto Lemon Cheesecake Bars.
But these Salted Caramel Butter Bars are next level good. Your tastebuds won’t believe they’re low carb!
What readers are saying…
“Absolutely delicious, nobody believes they are keto! The caramel sauce is better than store bought, and hard to keep a spoon out of! I had all the ingredients and was so easy. I’ll be making these bars often!!” — Patricia
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Keto caramel sauce: While I highly recommend making your own sauce (and my recipe is easy!), you could use a store-bought version instead.
- Almond flour: There really isn’t a great replacement for this ingredient. You could try sunflower seed flour for a nut-free version but it will affect the appearance.
- Sweetener: The crust really requires an erythritol based sweetener. Please see the Sweetener Options for a more detailed discussion.
- Coconut flour: This helps give the crust a delicious crumbliness. You could add more almond flour (about 1/3 cup) but it does change the texture.
- Pantry staples: Butter, vanilla, salt
How To Make Salted Caramel Butter Bars
- Make the caramel: You want to do this first, because it should be cooled to lukewarm before pouring over the crust.
- Prepare the crust: whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, coconut flour, and salt. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla until the dough begins to clump together.
- Bake the bottom: Press a little over half of the dough into the prepared baking pan and bake 10 minutes. Let cool.
- Add the caramel: Pour the caramel sauce over the crust and spread to the edges. Sprinkle with the sea salt.
- Sprinkle with more crust: Take the remaining crust mixture and crumble it over the filling, pressing lightly to adhere.
- Bake: Bake another 20 to 25 minutes, until the filling is bubbly and the topping is golden brown.
Tips for Success
Use a metal pan: Metal and ceramic bake very differently. This recipe will work much better in a metal pan, as it allows the crust to firm up more evenly and quickly.
Line with parchment: I usually cut a piece of parchment that covers the full bottom and two of the sides, so I can lift the bars out in one piece. It makes for easier cutting. But you can also simply grease the pan.
Par-bake the bottom crust: Baking the bottom crust on its own for 10 minutes helps it to firm up a lot better. This way, the caramel sauce doesn’t make it soft and soggy.
Let some of the filling peak through: When you sprinkle the remaining crust overtop, allow some of the caramel to peak through. It makes them even more mouthwatering to look at!
Let cool completely: Don’t try to take the bars out of the pan while they are still warm, or they will fall apart! Exercise a little patience and let them cool down properly.
Sweetener Options
The crust really requires an erythritol based sweetener, as allulose will make it very soft and it will over-brown. You can cut back on the erythritol by about 1/4 cup and make up the sweetness with some stevia or monk-fruit extract.
For the caramel sauce, a mix of erythritol and allulose or xylitol works best. If you use only erythritol, it will recrystallize and become hard. Using just allulose can work for caramel but it is often too soft and gooey and takes a long time to firm up. I also find that using allulose on its own produces a slightly sour taste that I don’t enjoy.
More Delicious Keto Caramel Recipes
Keto Salted Caramel Butter Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups (224 g) almond flour
- 1/2 cup (91 g) Swerve Sweetener
- 2 tbsp (14.2 g) coconut flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp (85.21 g) butter, melted
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 recipe sugar-free caramel sauce
- 1/4 tsp sea salt, (more if desired)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line an 8×8 inch metal baking pan with parchment paper. Allow some of the parchment to overhang the sides for easy removal.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, coconut flour, and salt. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla until the dough begins to clump together.
- Press a little over half of the dough into the prepared baking pan and bake 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool 10 minutes.
- Pour the caramel sauce over the crust and spread to the edges. Sprinkle with the salt (add more if you like). Then take the remaining crust and crumble it over the filling, pressing lightly to adhere.
- Bake another 20 to 25 minutes, until the filling is bubbly and the topping is golden brown. Remove and let cool completely, then lift the bars out by the parchment overhang and cut into bars.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
You might be surprised at how good sugar-free caramel sauce can be! I make my keto version with brown sugar alternative and some allulose. It’s easy to make and comes out just as richly flavored and gooey as high sugar recipes. My readers swear by it!
You can make a dairy-free version of my caramel sauce with a vegan butter alternative and coconut milk. It tends to be thinner and more runny so you may need to add more xanthan gum. The crust can be made with butter alternative or coconut oil.
These Keto Salted Caramel Butter Bars have 3.8g of carbs and 1.8g of fiber per serving. That comes to 2g net carbs per serving.
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.
Free Bonus: Secrets to Keto Baking!
Sign up for your favorite recipes delivered straight to your inbox plus get our FREE bonus: Secrets to Keto Baking!
You’re killing me, Carolyn! Your recipes are so dang good, I cannot stop myself from making another one as SOON as the current one is almost gone. I made these caramel bars last night and ate half the pan before it was cold. I topped the bars with Carb Smart vanilla ice cream, it was amazing. Once again, you rock.
So glad you like them!
Hi Carolyn, first I’d like to say I’m an avid fan of yours and I own almost all of your cookbooks! Pretty much every meal includes at least one item from a DIDAF. I just made this recipe, without any changes???? and this time My caramel sauce did not harden at all, definitely operator error, So it just soaked into the butter cake which became absolutely delicious caramel cake. I doubled the caramel sauce recipe and even in the refrigerator it is really still pourable. Any suggestions as to what I could’ve done wrong? I’m thinking maybe I didn’t cook it long enough? I did it for about 3 1/2 minutes. Anyway thanks for all of your work and your recipes and thanks if you can offer any suggestions!
Hmmm, not really sure without being in your kitchen with you! Did you use the xanthan gum?
Hi Carolyn!
I’m really wanting to try this out!
Is there a replacement for Bochasweet? It’s a bit pricey on Amazon
Hi David, if you read the section “How to make…” you will see I give an alternative.
Carolyn!! I made these in the wee hours of the morning before working a weekend shift. It was the PERFECT remedy for a seriously crazy morning. I had about 1/3 of your caramel recipe leftover from the holidays when I made cheesecakes. Even the little bit of caramel was enough to WOW me. I forgot to add the salted before baking so I just grid a little straight out the oven -Pure Perfection. You have the BEST caramel recipe out there!!
Thank you!
I’m not a big fan of caramel but I think these would be awesome with some sugar-free fruit preserves or chocolate in the center!
Sure! I have some blueberry breakfast bars that are kind of similar.
Hi, I’ve already made the Caramel sauce (so good–glad I doubled the recipe!), but I was wondering how I can store these bars after I make them. Will they freeze well? Just trying to decide when to actually cook them for the holidays… Since I have family coming to visit…
Honestly, I have not tried freezing them but suspect it would change the consistency a lot.
I can’t say enough about this recipe, my son and I love it. I’m wondering if the crust would work with more choices like maybe a pumpkin custard or some type of preserves. I may experiment with it. Thank you for an amazing recipe.
Made the Salted Caramel Butter Bar tonight. My husband and I enjoyed them very much. The homemade caramel sauce is amazing, tastes exactly like the real thing. Every recipe I have tried from this site have been top notch. I appreciate the variety of the recipes.
Thanks so much, Lori!
I made this recipe as a birthday treat for a diabetic friend and he loved it!!! It IS delicious for sure. I would prefer mine to be a little sweeter so would adding a bit more Swerve cause any baking issues? And …the caramel sauce is to die for!!! Thanks for sharing your recipes!!!
I think maybe you asked this on Instagram too? I will answer you here… yes, you can add about 1/4 cup more Swerve to the bars.
I’ve been strict keto for a year now and have tried many recipes – these are by far my favorite dessert!! I added a can of pumpkin this time around and it’s really yummy!!!
Your caramel sauce is my absolute favorite. Do you think I could make these bars without the crumb topping and have the caramel still be set? I’m trying to replicate a family favorite.
Excellent recipe. I followed it exactly as written and it turned out beautifully!
I finally got around to making these and I must confess that my husband and I almost ate half the plan the day I made them! At least they are low carb right? I had actually only had one meal that day so it fit, lol.
These are amazing and so easy to make! These and the peanut butter fudge brownies are making my husband a very happy man and me a very tired woman because he wants them all the time now! They are so worth it though.
I look forward to you newest book coming out this fall, I can not wait to see what you have in store for us this time. I know that it will be amazing.
just found you. we’ve been ketoing for just over one yr. i especially love sweets! so we’ve tried many many recipes. THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST DANG ONES. i now vow to work my way through your page and try everything delicious thing. thanks
I am so happy to hear that!
Mine are cooling now and can hardly wait to try them! I do have a question about the caramel sauce. Do you stir it while it is trying to come to a boil? I’ve made your caramel sauce twice now using Swerve both times (since that is what I have on hand) and I don’t mind at all that it starts to crystallize! I tasted it just before washing the pan and OMG I put in enough salt and it is perfect! So excited! Thank you for your wonderful recipes.
I just made these and they are delicious! The caramel sauce is so yummy. I have a question though…my crust browned beautifully but didn’t get crispy. It basically holds together when I cut the bars but it’s very soft. Yours looks like it’s more sturdy/crunchy. Did I not bake them long enough or is the crust supposed to turn out pretty soft? Thank you fur yhr wonderful recipes!
Mine is soft too, not crisp. That’s as a good crumb bar should be. It holds together well, still.
These are sooooooooooooo freaking amazing!!! Thank you, thank you!!! They taste like gooey butter cake. How in the world are these Keto?!! How?!! I’m so in love. I could go on and on and on!! Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe. You are the absolute best!!!
There are some recipes that really are hard to believe it’s keto! 🙂