Remember those carefree summer days as a kid, hanging with your friends, riding bikes, running through sprinklers, and making s’mores by the campfire? Well, I can’t take away your adult responsibilities, but these Keto S’Mores Bars will make you feel like a kid again!
I’ve had this delightful recipe on my website since 2016, and it’s always been a fan favorite. I created it after coming across a recipe in Cooking Light Magazine and I thought it was ripe for a keto makeover.
While I do have recipes for keto graham crackers and sugar-free marshmallows, I don’t use those in these bars. That would require several extra steps and a lot of extra waiting. Who has the time or energy for that?
Instead, these delectable Keto Smores Bars rely on a shortbread style crust with a touch of cinnamon, a rich chocolate ganache filling, and a lightly browned meringue topping. They have all the flavor of that classic summer treat with none of the sugar!
★★★★★
Andrea says: I just made these tonight and even the picky non-Keto hubby loved them!! Thank you so much! I followed your recipe exactly!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Almond flour: The base will work best with almond flour, but you can use any nut or seed flour as long as it is finely ground. Try sunflower seed flour for nut-free!
- Sweetener: I recommend an erythritol-based sweetener for the base. The topping requires a powdered sweetener. Please see the sweetener options for more details.
- Whipping cream: For a non-dairy option, you can use full fat coconut milk.
- Sugar-free chocolate: I recommend using ChocZero or Lily’s.
- Egg whites: Fresh egg whites will work best, as they beat better and hold their shape better than those from a carton.
- Cream of tartar: This baking aid helps whipped egg whites hold stiff peaks. You can skip it but I recommend it for any kind of meringue!
- Kitchen staples: Butter, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and salt.
How to Make Keto S’Mores Bars
- Prepare the crust: Combine the dry ingredients, then stir in the melted butter until well combined.
- Bake the crust: Press into the bottom of a parchment lined baking pan and bake until the edges begin to brown. Remove and let cool.
- Make the filling: Bring the cream to just a simmer. Remove from heat then add the chocolate chips and whisk until smooth. Spread over the cooled crust and refrigerate until firm.
- Prepare the topping: Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar and salt until frothy. Slowly add the sweeteners and vanilla extract and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
- Assemble and bake: Spread over the cooled filling then bake until topping is golden and just barely firm to the touch.
- Chill: Refrigerate until firm then gently lift out by parchment paper edges and cut into squares.
Carolyn’s Tips for Success
When making a chocolate ganache filling, be sure to bring your cream to a full simmer. You want to see bubbles around the edges and a few breaking the surface in the center. Then quickly remove it from heat and add the chocolate.
Do not attempt to broil this topping, unless you want to set off your smoke alarm! Simply bake for 20 minutes and you should get some beautiful browned peaks and swirls, just like toasted marshmallows.
Sweetener Options
The crust works best with erythritol so that it firms up properly. Allulose and xylitol will make it overly soft and fragile. If you wish to cut back on erythritol, you can try using a highly concentrated sweetener like stevia or monk fruit extract.
The topping works best with mostly erythritol, for structure, with a tablespoon or allulose or xylitol to give it a slightly gooier consistency. Some readers have tried using allulose by itself and it’s a big mess. I definitely do not recommend that!
More Keto Recipes for Summer
Keto S’mores Bars
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour
- 1/4 cup granular sweetener, erythritol recommended
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
Filling:
- 3/4 cup whipping cream
- 4 ounces dark chocolate chips, sugar-free, ChocZero or Lily's recommended
Topping:
- 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- Pinch salt
- 1/3 cup powdered sweetener, erythritol recommended
- 1 tbsp allulose, or xylitol
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF and line a 9×9 square baking pan with parchment, leaving an overhang for easy removal.
- In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, sweetener, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and salt. Stir in the melted butter until well combined.
- Press into the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until just beginning to brown on the edges. Remove and let cool while preparing topping.
Filling
- In a small saucepan, bring the cream to just a simmer. Remove from heat.
- Add the chocolate chips and let sit 5 minutes to melt, then whisk in until smooth. Spread over the cooled crust and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
Topping
- Preheat oven to 300ºF.
- In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar and salt until frothy. With the beaters going, slowly add the sweeteners and vanilla extract and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
- Spread over the cooled filling, swirling with a spoon to make peaks. Bake 20 minutes or until topping is golden and just barely firm to the touch.
- Refrigerate at least another hour to firm up, then gently lift out by parchment paper edges and cut into squares.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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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This looks sooooo good! making it ASAP! I read the whole post and laughed out loud! Not only are you a culinary low carb genius, but a very talented and funny writer too!
OMG OMG OMG OMG!!! THESE look soooooooooo goooooddddd!
Carolyn! You are so funny! I love your post along with the delicious sounding recipe! You brought up all my great memories of camping with my Camp Fire group! I had never camped before joining in 5th grade. I never would have until my early 20’s if not for that group. You brought up my “other” memory too! ?Thanks Carolyn!
Haha, I am glad someone actually read the whole post. 🙂
I was fortunate that my wife made these for me today as they were delicious. If anyone is thinking of making them, don’t wait! I plan to use the leftover three egg yolks to make the vanilla pudding popsicles right above this S’mores recipe. I found that the S’mores got even better the longer they were in the refrigerator, as the meringue condensed and was more marshmallow like.
Thanks for another winner Caroline.
So glad you liked them. And I agree about the longer they are in the fridge!
These look wonderful! Carolyn, you often recommend allulose as a substitute for BochaSweet in your recipes. Do you think it would work here? Thank you!
I think so, since it has similar properties… but I didn’t test it so I can’t guarantee it.
These look wonderful . You read my mind . I so wanted to low carb some s’mores . I’ve been really bad of late and have indulged in a few of Starbucks s’mores bars which are incredibly delicious. These bars look just like them. I so excited to try them.
Do you think this would travel well (say in a suitcase)? Or does the meringue make it impossible to be out of the fridge too long?
It would travel in the pan, covered with foil, in a car, for a few hours. But definitely not in a suitcase. Too crushable and fragile and should be refrigerated within a few hours.
You can hand carry foods on airplanes, just not liquids.
These look amazing! I’m in the same boat – not a big fan of marshmallows either, but it’s a totally different conversation when you’re talking about smores. Love having these as a sugar-free option instead!
OBSESSED with that topping. Anything s’mores and I’m there! 🙂
Will definitely make this. I know marshmallows are junky but I love them just the same. I miss them along with my beloved Captain Crunch Peanut Butter Crunch cereal. So sad right now but these will make me feel better I’m sure. ?
Thank you for all your recipes that keep me sane.
I will say, meringue that is lightly baked over a filling like this does end up with a marshmallow like consistency so I hope it fills the void for you!
Here is a good low carb marshmallows recipe you could pour in top and let it set. However you can not brown them in the oven they will melt. Doesn’t toast like real marshmallows, but taste pretty darn close. Great for hot cocoa to.
INGREDIENTS Nutrition
SERVINGS
12
YIELD
12 marshmallow squares
UNITS
US
2 tablespoons gelatin (2 envelopes Knox)
8 tablespoons cold water
2 cups sugar free granulated sugar
1⁄2 cup cold water
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS
Dust an 8- or 9-inch square pan with powdered sugar. Set aside.
In a small bowl, soak gelatin in 8 tbsp cold water. Set aside.
Combine granulated sugar and 1/2 cup of water in a large heavy saucepan.
Cook and stir over medium heat until dissolved.
Add gelatin and bring to a boil.
Remove from heat. Pour into a large mixing bowl and let stand until partially cool.
Add salt and vanilla extract.
Beat with an electric mixer until soft and double in volume. About 10-15 minutes.
Pour into prepared pan to about 1/2 inch thick.
Set to cool until it will not stick to your finger.
Cut into 1.5 inch pieces and roll in powdered sugar sub or cocoa powder..
Variation: toasted coconut can be substituted for powdered sugar.
Variation: other flavorings can be substituted for vanilla extract.
Would this work to make rice Krispy treats??
No, it’s not sticky like marshmallows.
Hello. Can u make these the day before?
Yes.
With your smartness, I can now indulge in two or three! 😉 Great bars, Carolyn!
Grand kids will be here next week, so this is on my list! Just one question; why do you use both granulated and confectioner’s Swerve in the meringue? I only have confectioner’s Swerve, but I do have granulated erythritol, so if it’s important for texture or browning, I could combine those two. Thanks for all your great recipes!
It does help texture. Granulated helps whip the little air bubbles in but the powdered makes it softer and less gritty so I do a mix. But you can do just the powdered if you want.
Thank you! I’ll use the granular erythritol as well, then, Can’t wait for the kids to come and we’ll make these together!
this is in the oven now on its final baking round!! i was too impatient to wait for the crust to cool so i pour the chocolate on top and stuck it in the freezer lol! so far so good! smells amazing!!
Wow, look at you go!
Hi,
I love all your recipes but I had trouble with this one and need your help. I made it step by step exactly how you said. I did the last step putting on the meringue a baked them as instructed and it looked beautiful. I put it in the fridge to set up and when I went to pull it out to cut it I picked it up by the parchment sides and as I lifted it fell apart and is a soupy mess. It’s like there is water all on the bottom. The crust is mush and the chocolate like pudding. What happened? Any ideas?
I honestly can’t say for sure without being in your kitchen. What sweeteners did you use?
I used lakanto. Could it be I put it in the fridge after it was done cooking? Should it have sat in the counter and cooled more than a few minutes?
This does sound great but I do not see where you use the cinnamon and vanilla in the crust. Is this omitted or should it be added?
Sorry, probably a mistake, let me fix it.
I am so trying this recipe THIS weekend. YUMMY….. so beautiful and I’m sure it will taste even better. Thanks.
I have someone who is allergic to almonds, is there another flour I could substitute?
Thank you
Hi Shirley. Try sunflower seed flour instead (and it’s easy to make your own…) https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2015/12/how-to-make-your-own-sunflower-seed-flour.html
Coconut flour
OMG!!! This looks delicious… I will be making these this weekend… I’ll try not to eat the whole pan myself…lol
Have some friends over! 🙂