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Pecan Turtle Candy – Sugar Free!

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Homemade pecan turtle candy that’s sugar-free and low carb? Oh baby! These delicious keto caramel pecan clusters are a truly special treat. Be ready to fight with your loved ones for the last of them!

Keto Turtles Candy in a stack

When I was a kid, Pecan Turtles were the epitome of high class dessert in my mind. Despite the fact that they were sold in every drugstore and convenience mart, we didn’t get to have them very often. They were special treats, usually reserved for the holidays.

But oh, oh that combination of chewy caramel, toasted pecans, and rich chocolate. It was magical stuff and I always considered Turtles to be something to aspire to. Not until later did I realize that they were fairly plebeian and the brand was not even of the highest quality.

Still they retained near mythical proportions in my my head, especially when I got a chance to try the caramel pecan turtles from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. Now those were something special, my friends! Pure sweet chocolate-y happiness.

Caramel Pecan Clusters on a baking tray

Sugar Free Pecan Turtles

Until recently, I never wanted to try my hand at a sugar free version because I knew I couldn’t get the caramel gooey enough. I knew that although they would be tasty, they wouldn’t live up to the mythical pecan turtles in my head if the caramel part recrystallized.

But once I mastered my gooey, soft sugar free caramel sauce, I knew I had a chance at making truly delicious, chewy keto Turtles. Now, the caramel here isn’t exactly the same as my caramel sauce, it’s formulated to be thicker so it doesn’t run all over the place. But the flavour profile is very much the same.

You will also notice that I only put 3 or 4 pecans per cluster. You could do five and make it in the shape of a proper turtle. But it’s easier and a bit lower in carbs if you just do 3.

Delicious pecan turtles with sea salt

Tips for Sugar Free Turtle Candy

The caramel sauce is critical here. You need the right consistency and the right thickness, so that it clings to the pecans and doesn’t run all over your pan. To achieve this you need:

  • Swerve Brown or another brown sugar substitute (such as Sukrin or Lakanto)
  • Another sweetener that doesn’t harden or recrystallize, such as Bocha Sweet, allulose, or xylitol (no, you can’t use Lakanto or Sukrin here. They are both erythritol based, just like Swerve, so they will recrystallize too much)
  • Xanthan gum to help thicken the sauce after boiling
  • No water added to the sauce, you don’t want to thin it out
  • To let it cool for a while after it’s finished cooking

Tips for making sugar free pecan turtles

Only then can you spoon it over the clusters of pecans. Make sure you do this on a rimmed cookie sheet, spread with parchment or a silicone baking mat.

Then you’re going to set the whole cookie sheet in the freezer for an hour or so, to help it firm up. Trust me, this is a necessary step so that you can get your turtle clusters off the parchment or silicone.

For the chocolate topping, you want to use butter to melt the chocolate. Normally I prefer to melt chocolate with cocoa butter or coconut oil. But those both make it too thin for this purpose. Butter tends to thicken the chocolate a bit more, again so it doesn’t run everywhere as you are trying to coat your turtles.

You can use milk chocolate instead of dark, if you prefer. Lily’s milk chocolate would be delicious.

To salt or not to salt? The turtle candies of my youth did not have sea salt on them. But oh my heavens, it’s a delicious addition. I highly recommend!

Seriously. Keto Pecan Turtles, where have you been all my life???

Sugar Free Pecan Turtle Candies on a white cake stand

More Keto Candy Recipes

Keto Peanut Butter Cups

Sugar Free Marshmallows

Chocolate Coconut Cups

Sugar Free Twix Bars

Keto Butterscotch Candy

Cream Cheese Mints

4.79 from 19 votes
Keto Turtles Candy in a stack
Print
Sugar Free Pecan Turtle Candies
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Chill time
1 hr
Total Time
35 mins
 

Homemade pecan turtle candy that's sugar-free and low carb? Oh baby! These delicious keto caramel pecan clusters are a truly special treat. Be ready to fight with your loved ones for the last of them!

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Homemade Turtles, Turtle Candy
Servings: 24 candies
Calories: 242 kcal
Ingredients
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the sweeteners and 4 tablespoons of the butter. Bring to a boil and cook 3 to 5 minutes, watching carefully so it doesn't burn. Remove from heat and add the cream. The mixture will bubble vigorously. 

  2. Return the mixture to heat and bring back to a boil. Boil 3 minutes, watching carefully. Sprinkle the surface with xanthan gum and whisk to combine. Whisk in the salt. Let the caramel cool until thickened but still pourable, about 1 hour

  3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350F and line a cookie sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat. Spread the pecans out on the mat in a single later and bake 7 to 10 minutes, until toasted. Arrange the pecans in clusters of 3 or 4, making about 20 to 24 clusters. 

  4. Drizzle a few teaspoons of caramel over each pecan cluster, making sure some caramel is touching each of the pecans. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer to set the caramel.

  5. In a small bowl set over a bowl of barely simmering water, combine the chocolate and the remaining tablespoon of butter. Stir until melted and smooth, then drizzle over the chilled clusters.

  6. Sprinkle with sea salt if desired, and let set. 

Nutrition Facts
Sugar Free Pecan Turtle Candies
Amount Per Serving (2 turtles)
Calories 242 Calories from Fat 215
% Daily Value*
Fat 23.9g37%
Carbohydrates 6.6g2%
Fiber 3.6g14%
Protein 2.4g5%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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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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Comments

  1. I have blue agave in my cabinet. Could I use that instead of Bocha Sweet? I bought it for a keto recipe, but never saved the recipe!

    Reply

    • Hi Christina, thought I’d mention this in case you aren’t aware, but do forgive me if you know this already: agave is 15-16 grams of pure sugar per tablespoon, and has almost double the fructose content of high fructose corn syrup. Fructose is processed into glucose by the liver, and excess fructose is stored as fat. It’s not a sugar alternative: it is sugar, and really not keto-friendly. Of course, you are free to make your own decisions about sugar and sweeteners! 🙂

      Here’s a good article on sweeteners:
      https://ketodietapp.com/Blog/lchf/Top-10-Natural-Low-carb-Sweeteners

      Reply

  2. I have been thinking about turtles ever since I got some allulose and started experimenting with it. I originally bought it to make a caramel sauce I had heard about. The sauce was great and have been trying all kinds of things with allulose since.
    Thanks for this recipe, can’t wait to try it. You are a godsend to lazy people like me! ; )

    Reply

  5. 5 stars
    You’re AMAZING! My husband and I are celebrating our one year wedding anniversary this weekend and as we are both low carb we decided the top layer of our cake was not even remotely appealing. I will make these for him instead and I know he will be SO SO happy! Your brown butter blondies have become a mainstay in our home. Thank you, Carolyn!!!

    Reply

  6. I’m definitely making these for Valentines Day. My kids and husband will love these (and so will I)! I’ve always had such a huge sweet tooth and was worried when I began my low carb lifestyle, that I wouldn’t be able to enjoy desserts and treats the same way. Boy was I wrong. It still feels so indulgent, yet without the guilt. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  7. Any suggestions for recovering the caramel if it starts to separate? I used Swerve brown sugar and stevia, and boiled it according to your instructions. It worked for me once, but now mysteriously separated this time. Any ideas?

    Reply

    • I’ve never used stevia in this caramel and I suspect that’s part of the issue. You could try blending it to bring it back together. It works with chocolate.

      Reply

  9. 4 stars
    I just made these and they are great. I was lazy so I just spread the pecans out and poured the caramel evenly over. After setting, I just pours the melted topping over then after that set broke in to pieces. Not as pretty but same great taste.

    Reply

  17. 5 stars
    I attempted this recipe today and although it is absolutely delicious I feel like my caramel didn’t set properly. It is more of a caramel paste then a chewy caramel. Do you have any advice on how to get it to that chewy stage?

    Reply

  18. Thank you for the delicious recipe. When measuring out the Swerve Brown, do you “pack” the sugar like you would regular brown sugar?

    Reply

    • Excellent question. It kind of doesn’t let you do anything BUT pack it a bit, because it’s so dense.

      Reply

  19. I too have wonderful memories of these Turtles. They were my mom’s favorite candy and whenever I would visit I would always bring her a few packets if I couldn’t find the bag. I’ve been missing her a lot lately so I feel this is nudge from her to make these. BTW, Bocha Sweet is the Bomb when it comes to sweetners!
    Thank you for your dedication to helping us low carbers maintain some semblance of normality!

    Reply

  20. Hi Carolyn,

    I need help.. i followed your instructions to the letter and before i even got my butter sweetener mix to boil it started smoking.. i used lakanto golden and bocha sweet with unsalted butter..

    Im not sure what happened..any advise?

    Reply

    • It’s perfectly normal for it to smoke. erythritol does that when caramelizing. That doesn’t mean it was burning.

      Reply

  21. Aloha..I used brown sugar swerve & xylitol but my caramel is quite soft – not chewy like “normal” caramel. Soft to the point of sticking to fingers even after freezing overnight. Any suggestions? Could it be because I used coconut cream instead of heavy whipping cream? Does the caramel get “hard & chewy” ?

    Reply

    • Could be the coconut cream, could be the xylitol. Could be it needed to be cooked longer! Caramel is a tough one… you really can’t get truly chewy caramel if you don’t use sugar. We have to find weird ways around it…

      Reply

  22. 5 stars
    Thanks sooo much! Most keto sweets just don’t live up to the real thing and I’ve wasted so much product. These turtles are just as good if not better and I’ve used the caramel recipe in other concoctions too! I usually make these with macadamias and I’ve also added unsweetened coconut on occasion. Again, I thank you for a fabulous treat that also keeps me healthy.

    Reply

  24. 5 stars
    More and more people are looking for a sugar free option. It makes sense to use sugar-free chocolate and turn this keto winner into reality. Well done. They look fabulous!

    Reply

  26. 5 stars
    I loved the idea of this recipe because I haven’t been able to achieve my experiment yet however after using your directions above for the caramel I may be very close!! I’m trying to make caramel filled chocolates sugar free of course! I tried making caramel with erythritol but I ended up with this creamy concoction that tasted a bit like caramel but I tried even putting it in a mason jar and in the microwave for 30 secs at a time and I felt like a mad scientist I never achieved a darker caramel but I did get something that I could add any color and flavour to and put into molds and freeze and then insert into chocolates and I ended up with chocolates with lovely cream filled center in so many flavours! But I still wanted caramel, so I tried your recipe above and I used Surkin gold and allulose (was finally able to find it in Canada!!) I added the butter and I let it bubble and to my sheer joy I had the dark amber color I was sooo excited! Until I discovered I didn’t have any heavy cream in the house yikes!! But I did have heavy cream powder so I added it and ended up adding 5 tablespoons and whipped it in to the hot caramel and it turned it the perfect shade and as the pot was cooling it was naturally thickening…I debated whether to add the xanthan gum but decided I would because I really want a nice soft chewy centre for the chocolates. I filled my small cylinder molds and I put a couple peanuts per mold in my square mold because they are larger and I thought when I pop those out I can just cover in chocolate. Versus the cylinders I push into various chocolate style molds while the chocolate is still warm and then I cover the bottom with a little extra chocolate. I did notice that when I was trying to pour it into the molds that my hands shake and I was getting a lot of caramel on the top of the mold instead of in the holes so I tried to do what I do when using chocolate and sort of push the caramel into the holes I noticed as the caramel cooled it was cooling faster then I could even work with it and I’m talking maybe ten mins after adding the xanthan gum could that be the reason it began to sort of solidify on me so fast? I only used an eighth of a teaspoon I was very careful with my measurement. Maybe it’s not require if I don’t add the liquid of heavy cream -maybe just adding the heavy cream powder will ensure a thick chewy straight out of the mold? I’m definitely going to try this again to get it perfected but in the meantime thank you soooo much! Your recipes truly inspire me to go above and beyond for the special man in my life who deserves as much sweetness as I can give him in return for all his love and devotion over the years. He was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes but I believe with diet and intermittent fasting he can reverse his insulin resistance as Dr. Jason Fung states. If you are diabetic and haven’t heard of this amazing doctor I highly recommend checking him out. He provides a lot of hope and makes a lot of sense to someone like me who honestly knows very little about how the body actually processes food…but I’m learning ! Thanks again, I love your recipes!! If I could post a photo here I would.

    Reply

  27. My caramel looked great then within about ten minutes of cooling separated 😩 I always share with others how all your recipes always work- I have no idea what I did wrong- used swerve brown And allulose- any suggestions for my second attemp? Could it be the type of butter?

    Reply

    • I honestly can’t say why it separated. It shouldn’t but you can always whisk in a bit more xanthan gum to help bring it back together. I also don’t use allulose because it upsets my stomach, so it may be better with Bocha Sweet.

      Reply

  28. I didn’t have a Lily’s baking bar, so I melted 4 oz of Lily’s chocolate chips. Just so you all know, this doesn’t work – it seizes almost instantly when heated on a double boiler. So I tried some Bake Believe dark chocolate chips, and those melted nicely and made a smooth topping. Next time, I’ll make sure I actually have the ingredients before starting the recipe….

    Reply

    • Hi Karen, I melt Lily’s chocolate chips all the time without issue. They’re pretty much the only Lily’s product I use for melted applications, because they’re less expensive than the bars. It’s important to note that unless you add cocoa butter or another fat, the chips melt into a very thick paste when heated (probably because of the stabilizers added to help them withstand baking). This can resemble seized chocolate, but it’s not actually seized. Perhaps this is what you experienced? Melting gently over a double boiler shouldn’t cause the chips to seize, unless they came into contact with water in the process. Just some thoughts that might be helpful…

      Reply

          • 4 stars
            I put my pecans in at 350 for 10 minutes the first time and they were all burnt. I used 5 minutes the 2nd time and they were fine. The Carmel turned out good. I just have to keep them frozen or the carmel is too soft to get off the parchment paper. I would definitely make them again. The extra sea salt on top really adds to the flavor.

  30. 5 stars
    Oh these recipes are wonderful. Thank you for posting for us. Having to change the way I cook, hubby has just been diagnost with Diabetes and so many of these recipes I can use. After 59 years of cooking for him he is game with anything I come up with. Thanks again and back to checking things out.

    Reply

  32. 5 stars
    Sweet mary, mother of god! These are off the hook! Please tell me when you perfect a recipe like this, you do a happy dance, punch the sky, and holler “f*** yes!!!” Or at least something similar…..because that’s what I just did! THANK YOU.

    Reply

  34. 5 stars
    This is the bomb! Followed the recipe exactly and it turned out perfect. I melted chocolate chips in the microwave at about 10 second intervals. It’s a fine line between melting and seizing. I used pecans and didn’t have enough so made the rest with sliced almonds which also tasted equally good! Thanks for your recipes, never a failure and always tastes great!

    Reply

  37. 4 stars
    I love these and have made them three times now! The only reason it didn’t make 5 stars for me, is I just can’t get the caramel to harden at all. I just keep them in the freezer. They are still fantastic! I’d just like something I could serve to keto guests. These are too soft for that, unfortunately. Any hints or other “candy” type recipes I can try, I’ll take it!! Thanks for all you do! Lauren

    Reply

    • Hey Lauren, what sweetener(s) are you using? It’s also not supposed to be hard, but it does sound like yours is too soft…

      Reply

  38. Hi Carolyn, I am using xylitol and Swerve brown. They definitely have to be kept in the freezer. Do yours? Thanks for everything you do! Keto is super tough without you!!

    Reply

    • So I think the xylitol is the issue here. I used BochaSweet and although xylitol is similar, it’s producing a caramel that’s TOO soft. You need to use less of it.

      Reply

  39. Hiiii, not sure if you are still replying to these messages but I thought I would still ask. Is is possible to use roasted pecans for this deliciousness? Will the carmel and chocolate stick to them? I’ve only been doing Keto for almost 2 yrs (intermittently) but your site makes me a believer and that I CAN do this long term and have all the foods and sweets I thought I would miss. Thank you

    Reply

  40. Carolyn,

    Thank you for this delicious recipe. My husband is diabetic and has a real sweet tooth. If I don’t provide him with healthier alternatives to stave off the beast, he’ll binge on sugar-loaded candy and pastries, so these types of recipes are literally a life-saver. Just wanted to leave a note for folks who are, like me, rather impatient. I makes these in my mini muffin silicone molds. I put the pecan halves in the bottom and pour the caramel right from the pan into the molds so I don’t have to wait an hour. By the time I melt the chocolate the caramel is usually cool enough to pour the chocolate over it. Also, this way I can melt the chocolate with cocoa butter and not have to worry about the chocolate running all over the pan. These are absolutely delicious.

    Reply

  41. Hi
    Can I use 2 cups of peanuts, instead of pecans
    Will that make a difference? I’m sure that will change the nutritional value as well?
    Thanks
    Tameeka

    Reply

  42. 4 stars
    These taste great, although my caramel never really “set” even sitting in the freezer overnight. They’re still super gooey. I’m wondering if it’s the sweeteners, or if I should have let the mixture “cook down” more… I used the last of my Swerve (2.5T), filled in the rest with Lakanto Monkfruit (3.5T), and Xylitol (3T). It’s possible I slightly overshot the butter. I’ll have to look into getting some Swerve Brown and Bocha Sweet for next time. My link is an instagram pic of how they turned out.

    Reply

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