Low carb and grain-free, these keto chocolate fudge crumb bars are my healthy answer to Starbucks’ oatmeal fudge bars. A delicious sugar-free dessert you won’t want to miss.
I first published this recipe for keto fudge bars back in 2015 and they have remained a favorite ever since. I decided it was time to revisit the recipe and make them even lower in carbs. At less than 6g total carbs, you can enjoy them any time!
Keto Starbucks Copycat Recipe
I used to be such a Starbucks aficionado. It’s funny but I don’t go at all anymore unless I am traveling somewhere and in desperate need of a decent coffee. I much prefer to make my own coffee and specialty coffee drinks at home.
Or maybe I have just become THAT anti-social.
I also used to love quite a number of the Starbucks baked goods, and for obvious reasons, I don’t eat any of those anymore. I do love to make my own ketofied versions, however. They give me plenty of inspiration!
I do believe that the first keto Starbucks treat I ever made were my Maple Pecan Scones. Those were one of my all time coffee shop favorites, but the real ones used to leave me with a bit of a stomach ache. I’ve also got keto versions of the Mini Vanilla Bean Scones and the famous Cranberry Bliss Bars. All just as delicious and not nearly as likely to cause tummy aches or blood sugar spikes.
And who didn’t love the oatmeal fudge bars, with their delicious crumbly crust and rich chocolate filling? These Keto Chocolate Crumb Bars are just the thing to satisfy that craving.
How to make Keto Crumb Bars
Of course, those of us following a keto diet aren’t likely to be using oatmeal in any of our baked goods. So how does one replicate that same crumbly, buttery crust?
You will be happy to hear that it’s not that hard. Done right almond flour can make a great crumb crust for keto baked goods. It really comes down to the right ratio of almond flour, sweetener, and butter. I always like to add in a bit of coconut flour too, to dry out the mixture and make it more crumbly.
The filling is simply keto chocolate ganache with a little added thickener. It’s like chocolate sauce when you pour it over but it becomes a thick, delicious fudgy layer as it bakes.
Can you make these dairy-free?
You can indeed! Simply swap out the butter for some coconut oil or palm shortening.
For the filling, you can make the ganache with coconut milk but do know that it’s thinner that way and you may want to add a bit of cocoa powder or additional glucomannan to help thicken it up a bit more.
Then simply proceed as directed in the recipe.
More great keto Starbucks copycat recipes
- Keto Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
- Keto Gingerbread Loaf
- Keto Salted Caramel Cake Pops
- Keto Lemon Loaf
- Sous Vide Bacon Egg Bites
- Keto Pink Drink
Keto Fudge Crumb Bars
Ingredients
Crust:
- 2 cups almond flour
- ½ cup Swerve Sweetener
- 2 tablespoon coconut flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoon butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Filling:
- ¾ cup whipping cream
- ⅓ cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon glucomannan (or xanthan gum)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F and grease an 8x8 inch metal baking pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, coconut flour, and salt. Stir in the butter and vanilla extract and toss until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Press ⅔ of the mixture firmly into bottom prepared baking pan. Bake 8 minutes, until just golden on the edges and then remove (it will not be baked through).
- In a large saucepan, heat the whipping cream and powdered sweetener over medium heat, stirring to combine. Bring to barely a simmer and remove from heat. Add the chopped chocolate and let sit 5 minutes to melt.
- Whisk filling until smooth, then add the vanilla. Sprinkle with glucomannan and whisk to combine. Pour the filling over the crust and spread to the edges.
- Sprinkle the surface with the remaining crumb mixture. Bake 22 to 25 minutes, until topping is golden brown. Remove and let cool completely.
Video
Shoshi says
Hi!
I didnt have any of the thickening agents you required so I added an egg and it turned out amazing. Wow !! By far the best keto cake recipe I’ve tried. It also hot got better in the fridge. Thanks so much.
Shoshi (hi from Israel ❤)
Carolyn says
Excellent!
Dawn Arroyo says
These turned out perfectly. Admittedly, I did not have heavy cream (thought I did) so I used part half and half/part almond milk and added an oz of cream cheese. The end result was amazing. I loved that they weren’t as sweet as I was expecting and one small square was quite satisfying.
Can’t wait to have with my morning coffee.
Nicole says
Hi Carolyn,
I’ve got these in the oven now…is the chocolate sauce supposed to be on the runnier side? I used 90% Lindt chocolate and added an extra few drops of liquid stevia. Not sure if I did anything wrong. I can’t wait to try it. Anyway to get the sauce to thicken up? Thanks!
Carolyn says
This recipe very specifically uses unsweetened chocolate and powdered Swerve, because both of those things have fibre which helps thicken the chocolate. I am afraid yours may not thicken.
Nicole says
Thanks Carolyn for your response., I did use the powdered swerve but added a few liquid drops of stevia. I got the chocolate to firm up after putting it in the fridge overnight. My husband wanted these for breakfast when he saw them! They are soooo good!!! Thanks for all your efforts!
Carolyn says
Glad it worked out!
Anna says
These bars were a huge hit! So delicious!
Toni says
My kids really loved it!! Such a perfect treat for everyone!
Kristyn says
Oh, these would be so dangerous for me!! I’d eat them all! Love fudgy bars & love the options! Thanks!
Julie Blanner says
My mouth is watering, and low carb? love it!
Erin says
That fudge layer in the middle is perfect!
Sarah says
Sprinkled these with crunchy Icelandic sea salt. Amazing <3
Nicole says
Carolyn,
What type of chocolate do you recommend using? I have a couple of Lindt 85% bars and also 99% on hand but worry the 99% will be too bitter. Unfortunately they do not sell Ghirardelli in my region. Can I add some extra swerve or liquid stevia drops? I like it a little on the sweeter side but not too sweet. Thanks!
Carolyn says
Don’t add extra Swerve, it will be too thick. But some stevia drops should be fine. I think you need the 99% because the fiber in the chocolate helps it set properly.
Nicole says
Thanks again Carolyn!
Christine says
Can I use cocoa powder?
Carolyn says
That won’t work in this recipe. It won’t thicken enough and will be quite gritty.
Kortney says
Do you use sweve granulars or powdered?
Carolyn says
If it just says Swerve, that’s granular.
Carol says
Carolyn,
We LOVE all your recipes – this one included! If I were to make this into a more Christmas dessert by adding mint to the chocolate, do you have any idea how much peppermint extract I would add to a recipe?
Thanks,
Carol
Carolyn says
That depends a bit on your peppermint extract and how strong it is but I think 1 tsp.
Cynthia says
Carolyn, i love your food! I am not a baker so it intimidates me. I just made this recipe, my chocolate was thin even after beating for what i felt like was long enough ? and my crumb mixture was wet sorta so it sank. On the positive side it smells yummy, not sure what it’s to look like when i take it out ? i will let you know how it tasted. Thank you for sharing all your yummy stuff with us wanna be cooks/bakers ♥️
Carolyn says
What brand of chocolate did you use?
Ashley says
Can I use Lily’s chocolate for this recipe?
Carolyn says
No, it doesn’t have enough fiber and the filling won’t set as well.
Karen LoPinto says
Just made these for the first time. They were a huge hit! I followed the recipe exactly so the flavor was perfect. They didn’t set up real well in our 100+ degree weather in Arizona so I refrigerated them. Would they set up better with a little extra Xanthan Gum do you think?
Carolyn says
That might help a bit!
Y. Destasio says
Carolyn!!
Thank you, thank you thank you for this recipe. Low carb sweets have been my nemesis. But, THESE! They got rave reviews from the kids and hubby. I’m not a fan of coconut and it does have a slight taste of coconut in the crust but I loved it. It reminded me of chocolate cream pie in bar form. I followed the recipe exactly as written except I halved the recipe and baked in a 8×8 pan. Thanks for all the hard work you put in to give us healthy and yummy food! 🙂
Carolyn says
Delighted it hit the spot!
ashley says
Hi, foolish question but is whipping cream the same thing as heavy cream?
Carolyn says
Yes and no. Heavy cream must have a milk fat percentage of 36% or higher. Whipping cream is anywhere between 30 and 36%. They can both be used here, though.
Sue says
Just saw this recipe on Facebook. Looks delicious, but I’m not fond of coconut. Would slivered almonds provide the texture needed in the crust?
Carolyn says
If you can use sliced almonds, that works best.
Mary Fox says
This looks wonderful, but do I have to have Swerve Sweetner? I have THM Sweet Blend. Can I just exchange that for equal amounts of the Swerve Sweetner? I do have the POWDERED Swerve Sweetner for the filling
Carolyn says
Don’t do equal amounts, the sweet blend is much sweeter than Swerve. Swerve measures like sugar so figure out how much of the THM blend to add in relation to sugar.
Margaret says
Several people mentioned using half and half instead of whipping cream. Do you think it would work as well? Just looking to keep some of the calories down. Would it just not taste as rich or would it alter the recipe? Looks delicious.
Carolyn says
I think it would be fine for this recipe.