These keto butter tarts are the real deal! Tender grain-free pastry with a rich, gooey caramel custard center. The famous Canadian dessert is now low carb and sugar free.
Along with my beloved Keto Nanaimo Bars, these are the ultimate treat for Canada Day! Or any day, really.
This one goes out to my fellow Canucks, because only they can truly understand how momentous this recipe for keto butter tarts really is.
But even if you’re not Canadian, even if you don’t have a single drop of Canadian blood, I suggest you stick around. Chances are that many of you have never heard of butter tarts. But they are worth getting to know!
I actually first posted this recipe for keto butter tarts back in 2014, so it was time for an update. There have been so many developments in keto products and sweeteners in the intervening 7 years, I knew I could make them even more gooey and luscious than ever.
And to my utter delight, I was right! These sweet, gooey tarts are slightly larger, with a tender almond flour crust and a rich, caramel scented filling. They take me straight back to my childhood.
What are butter tarts?
If ever there was a national food of Canada, butter tarts are it. There are other uniquely Canadian dishes but butter tarts are loved and appreciated nationwide. In my home province of Ontario, there are even butter tart festivals and bake-offs, with everyone and their mother claiming they have the best recipe.
At their best, butter tarts are made of tender, flaky pastry with an incredibly gooey, sweet custard filling that usually contains raisins or dried currants.
The filling is similar to pecan pie but even more gooey. So gooey that it should ooze out all over your face as you take a bite.
In truth, they are unassuming-looking little tarts and you might be tempted to pass them over in favour of a more flashy-looking dessert. But a really good butter tart can beat the pants off any other dessert any time.
They also hold a special place in my heart, because my father loved them loved them so much. I have fond memories of him sitting at a cottage in Muskoka, devouring butter tarts. Even being terminally ill didn’t keep him from enjoying them!
Updated keto butter tarts
Traditional butter tarts are the stuff of a low carb dieter’s nightmares. They are made with copious amounts of brown sugar and corn syrup, and a large one can come in at a whopping 84g of carbs. Yikes!
However, never one to resist a challenge, I simply had to create a keto recipe. My earlier version was delicious, but the tarts were smaller and not as quite as gooey as I had hoped.
This time, I used the pastry from the Keto Cranberry Brie Bites, which holds together well. This allowed me to make them a bit larger.
The filling is similar to my famous Keto Pecan Pie Bars, but with some allulose to make it extra gooey. I also deliberately under-baked them, taking them out of the oven when the very center still looked a little wet. It was perfect!
How to make keto butter tarts
Okay, let’s get to the nitty gritty and make some. Here are my best tips for getting it right:
Tips for keto pastry crust
- Use a non-stick metal muffin pan and grease it lightly, to avoid sticking. Also don’t press it too firmly down into the bottoms of the muffin cups. It should just rest lightly.
- Do dust your work surface with a little more almond flour. This helps the pastry rounds release more easily. Wiggling a small offset spatula under the rounds also helps.
- Cut the circles about 3 ½ inches in diameter. I simply used a drinking glass, since none of my cookie cutters are that large.
- Freeze the crust while preparing the filling, so that they don’t brown quite as quickly in the oven.
Tips for butter tart filling
- This uses a sweeter, thicker version of my Keto Caramel Sauce. But this time I used some allulose to really get a gooey center. BochaSweet and xylitol would be the best substitutes. If you use all erythritol based sweeteners like Swerve or Lakanto, your filling will recrystallize some as it cools.
- Do let the sauce cool to lukewarm before adding the egg. Otherwise it will cook the egg and we don’t want that!
- Raisins are not really low carb, which is why I used only 2 tablespoons and chopped them up. For me, butter tarts should always have raisins! But you can skip them or use chopped walnuts or pecans in their place.
- For truly gooey butter tarts, remove them from the oven when the very center of the tarts still look a little wet. They will continue to firm up a bit as they cool.
Storage
These tarts are best served within a few days, as they lose their gooeyness as they sit. I recommend storing them in an airtight container on your counter.
More delicious keto tart recipes
- Keto Lemon Curd Tart
- Cannoli Tart
- Rhubarb Crumble Tart
- No Bake Chocolate Mousse Tart
- Tomato Goat Cheese Tart
- Caramelized Onion and Gruyere Quiche
Keto Butter Tarts
Ingredients
Pastry
- 1 ¼ cup almond flour
- 3 tablespoon powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoon butter melted
Filling
- ¼ cup butter
- ⅓ cup Swerve Brown
- ⅓ cup allulose (or BochaSweet)
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ teaspoon caramel extract (or vanilla extract)
- ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoon raisins or dried currants chopped
Instructions
Pastry
- Preheat the oven to 325F and lightly grease a non-stick muffin pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, powdered sweetener, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum. Stir in the egg and melted butter until the dough comes together. Gather the dough into a ball.
- Dust a work surface lightly with more almond flour and transfer the dough to the work surface. Cover the dough with waxed paper or parchment paper and roll out to an even ⅛" thickness.
- Cut out tart crusts into 3 ½ inch circles (I used a drinking glass). Use an offset spatula to carefully lift each crust off the work surface. Press lightly into the prepared muffin cups.
- Gather the pastry scraps and roll out again. You can re-roll this dough as much as you like and you should get 12 pastry circles.
- Place the muffin pan in the freezer while preparing the filling.
Filling
- Combine the butter and sweeteners in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook 3 to 5 minutes, watching carefully to make sure it doesn't burn.
- Remove from heat and add the heavy cream and vanilla extract. (The mixture will bubble vigorously, this is normal).
- Sprinkle the surface with the xanthan gum and whisk vigorously to combine. Whisk in the salt. Set aside to cool while preparing the pastry. Let cool 10 minutes.
- Once cooled, whisk in the egg.
To assemble
- Divide the chopped raisins among the tart shells and spoon the filling over top. Fill each crust almost all the way.
- Bake 18 to 22 minutes, until the tart edges are golden and the filling is mostly set with a little jiggle in the center (it should still look a little wet in the very center of each tart).
- Remove from oven and let cool completely, then use a knife to loosen each tart.
Sue says
OMG! Who would ever think you could make butter tarts low carb??? I haven’t had a butter tart in years and really miss them. And you’re right – only a Canadian could understand how devine this recipe is! Thank you Carolyn. I can’t wait to tell my sister in Whitby to check this recipe out.
Dawn says
Alright… you knew this question was coming (and if I overlooked it – I’m sorry! ) Can you sub almond flour for the coconut flour ? For some reason my mister has the nose of bloodhound and sniffs out coconut flour, unfortunately he doesn’t like it. I’m still going to give these a go one way or another (they look amazing!) but thought I’d at least ask! Thank you!
Carolyn says
You can add twice as much almond flour in place of the coconut but it may be a little harder to work with.
Catherine says
In the South, way down south in the land of cotton, A.K.A. the Land of Dixie, what you’ve described is called Shoo-fly Pie! And it is delightful to have an LC version. Thank You!
Carolyn says
Yes, I think it’s supposed to be very similar.
Phyllis says
Catherine this is no shoofly pie you will see and i guarantee you will see and fall head over heels with a new love
Jen says
I’d pay a loonie or twoonie for one of these Canuk beauties! Eh? Hehe:) They look delish!! Can’t wait to try!
dina says
these look so delightful and i love how you made them healthier!
Ruth says
I remember coming home from school to find my Mom had made butter tarts and being so excited. She would let us eat a couple…or more for an after school snack, and they have always been my most favourite treat. Thank you for sharing this recipe and bringing up some pleasant memories! Saskatchewan raised, Alberta chosen. Praries rule!!!! hahahaha
jo says
Oh, you did it! thank you, thank you! i can’t wait to try these. I seriously miss my butter tarts.
Wenchypoo says
Question from a Yank: are these related to the British butter pie?
Carolyn says
I have NO idea. I’ve never heard of that one, but it sounds likely.
Marsha says
The british butter pie is filled with potatoes and onion is it not? So my guess is not related. These are small tarts filled with with sweet stuff (like a pecan pie)
Taylor @ Food Faith Fitness says
WAIT?! Americans don’t eat butter tarts!
That’s it..I’m moving back to Canada.
JK, because you seriously are AMAZING for making this recipe. I grew up eating these like they were going out of style….you.are.fabulous.
Pinned!
Julia says
Love Butter Tarts!! And am Canadian, born and raised in Cambridge, ON. Thanks for this recipe, it looks fantastic!!
Aly says
Oh noes! I don’t have arrowroot starch and it’s likely something I’ll have to order on line, but I don’t want to wait to make these! Is there a substitute I can use?
Carolyn says
Can you get a Gluten-Free All Purpose flour – like Bob’s Red Mill? Use a few tbsp of that instead.
Aly says
Yippee! I already have BRM gluten-free flour. As well as cornstarch
Carolyn says
Or…you could use cornstarch. It has exactly the same carb content as arrowroot.
janet says
interesting post…just reading along when I see…similar to pecan pie without the pecans. That had me hooked. I LOVE pecan pie, I also love chess pie (with walnuts) but I REALLY love a southern tradition Jefferson Davis pie, which is very similar to your butter tarts but darker with molasses. I think I have spent all of 2 days in Canada in my entire live but these sound great, a must try. Thanks for the recipe!
JoanneM says
*jumping for joy*! I can’t wait to make these! I was lamenting this morning to my kids that when we go to our favourite diner this afternoon in Stratford Ontario, I won’t be able to have one of their Famous (and my beloved) Butter Tarts to celebrate Canada Day. YOU have just made this Canadian Celiac LowCarber so.very.happy. 🙂
Happy Canada Day to you!
Judy says
Where in Ontario? My dad grew up in Lindsay, and my mom was born and raised in St. Catharines. I need to make these for my dad….they are a favorite of his, but like you he can no longer partake of those made with all the brown sugar and syrup. I have all the ingredients except the vegetable glycerin. Where did you pick that up at? Thanks for all the awesome recipes. Favorite food blogger hands down.
Carolyn says
I grew up in Toronto. It’s a great city.
SimpleSimon says
Vegetable glycerin can be found in the pharmacy section of many “super” stores.
Sylvia Klassen says
also found at bulkbarn
Jeanette | Jeanette's Healthy Living says
What a great recipe to celebrate Canada Day – as always, Carolyn, you’ve outdone yourself!
Becca from It's Yummi! says
These sound amazing, Carolyn!
Angela from Ontario says
Can’t wait to get all the ingredients together and make these up… my dad will be so jealous… these are his favourite treat!!! Thanks for the hard work!
Patricia says
Can’t wait to try these! Everything you make is scrumptious!!
Just finishing eating the Twix bars. Wonderful.
Christiane ~ Taking On Magazines says
Happy Canada Day! I’ve never had a butter tart but have a feeling that’s going to change soon. I had no idea that they were such a deal up north and find that fascinating!
Richard Kirchknopf says
Thanks. Doctor told me to cut back on sugar and starch and I thought that was it for me and butter tarts. I chose to still use the coconut sugar and arrowroot starch, which is some sugar. Used xylitol instead of erythritol as my wife doesn’t like the menthol cool aftertaste of erythritol. I am not a cook but it turned out great, if not quite as pretty and uniform as yours. A thanksgiving treat for me.
Cindy says
Wow these look amazing…I sure have been missing butter tarts at Christmas and now I won’t have to anymore…Thanks so much…
Carolyn says
Happy to oblige! 😉
Jasmin Brackenbury says
Today I made your butter tart filling! I loved it. I haven’t tried the pastry part yet, but I will. You are a talented women to have created these low carb favorites.