The classic summer treat gets a low carb makeover! These keto s’mores bars are like your best childhood memory in a delicious sugar-free package. This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill.
These keto friendly S’mores Bars were first posted back in July of 2016. In honor of National S’mores Day, I decided to give them a bit of an update with some brand new photos. Now they’re gooier and better than ever!
Do you remember your first time? I can remember mine clear as day. It was a beautiful sunny day in rural Ontario and I just knew it would a momentous, life-changing experience. Wait, what? What are you talking about? Why are you squirming in discomfort?
Oh, you thought I was referring to THAT “first time”. Goodness no, that would just be weird. And kind of inappropriate to discuss on a food blog, wouldn’t you say?
I am just referring to the first time you ever had the gooey deliciousness known as S’mores. Come to think of it, having a s’more for the first time was probably as memorable, and possibly more so, than that other “first time”. You know, just between you and me…
Keto S’mores Inspiration
I saw a recipe for sheet pan s’mores in Cooking Light a few weeks ago and it had meringue on top in place of the marshmallows. It wasn’t my magazine so I quickly snapped a photo of the recipe for reference and started scheming on how to make them with low carb ingredients.
The graham cracker crust was easy with the help of my trusty sidekick, Bob’s Red Mill Super-Fine Almond Flour. I already have a great keto graham crackers recipe, and I always make them with Bob’s. But you don’t have to make the full crackers first, you simply use many of the same ingredients.
The filling was simple as well, as I just made a rich chocolate ganache, similar to my keto fudge crumb bars.
It was the topping that gave me a bit of a hard time. I tried the magazine’s method of broiling the meringue and that was a bad, bad, BAD idea. I had it under there for barely a minute when it caught on fire and burned the whole mess. I didn’t eve have it that close to the broiler. I guess sugar-free meringue simply isn’t made to be broiled.
Thankfully, I was able to scrape off the burned meringue topping as one big gloopy piece and I rescued the filling and crust. Phew, because I think I would have cried to see all that glorious stuff go into the garbage.
The next day, I tried again, using the meringue topping from my keto lemon meringue pie. And ended up with lovely light browned peaks and swirls reminiscent of the most perfectly toasted marshmallow.
A delicious childhood memory in a low carb and sugar-free package. What could be better?
Tips for the best keto s’mores bars
These bars are quite easy, as long as you don’t set your meringue on fire as I did. Now that you know what to watch for, here are some other great tips on getting it right:
- As I said above, you don’t have to go to the trouble of fully making your own keto graham crackers. The basic ingredients are the same, but this is a simple press-in almond flour crust that you bake for 12 to 15 minutes before adding the chocolate filling and the topping.
- 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.
- The chocolate you use should be chopped in advance, or you can use keto chocolate chips. The smaller particles melt more quickly in the hot cream.
- The meringue topping for these keto smores bars is the same as it was before except for one thing: I used both Swerve and BochaSweet. The BochaSweet allows the meringue to stay softer and gooier without getting gritty – more marshmallow-like, to be honest. However, you can use all Swerve if you need to.
- 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.
Ready to make some delicious Keto Smores Bars?
More tasty keto summer recipes
- Keto Lemon Curd Ice Cream
- Keto Peanut Butter Pie – no bake!
- Easy Keto Cheesecake Bites
- Keto Root Beer Floats
- Keto Blueberry Coconut Popsicles
- Keto Berry Cheesecake Salad
Keto S’mores Bars
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 ½ cups almond flour
- ¼ cup granulated Swerve Sweetener
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup butter, melted
Filling:
- ¾ cup whipping cream
- 4 ounces dark chocolate chips, sugar-free ChocZero or Lily's recommended
Topping:
- 3 large egg whites at room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- Pinch salt
- 3 tablespoon BochaSweet
- 3 tablespoon powdered Swerve Sweetener
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Crust:
- Preheat the oven to 325F and line a 9x9 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 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 300F.
- In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with cream of tartar and salt until frothy. With 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.
Lindsey says
Help for some reason the tipping isn’t getting thicker. I’m still beating it but????♀️. Any trick u think might help?
Carolyn says
Sounds like some water or fat got into your egg whites. Nothing you can do except start again with a clean bowl and egg whites that have NO yolk in them.
Jerry says
If I use Baker’s unsweetened chocolate, how much Swerve do I use?
Kelly Charbula says
Can I use bakers unsweetened chocolate and add extra Truvia to sweeten?
Carolyn says
Sure.
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!
Carolyn says
So glad you like them!
Dora says
I made these and they were so delicious! The meringue ended up a little crunchy not marshmallow like. Could it be that I just let it cook too long? Or maybe blended too much? I am making them again for a BBQ this weekend. Hoping I can perfect it this time.!
Carolyn says
What sweetener did you use?
Dora says
I used granulated monk fruit sweetener and powdered swerve.
Carolyn says
Could be the monk fruit sweetener? Not entirely sure. It may also be a bit over-baked but without trying them myself, I can’t say for sure!
Dora says
Ok thanks. They were still delicious! Just not soft marshmallow like ????
Nichole says
How many days do these last for? I’m the only one in my family who’s keto and only one eating these. Do I leave these in fridge or are they safe out?
Carolyn says
They can be out on the counter for 2 or 3 days but need to be refrigerated after that.
Tia says
How do you store these? Do they require refrigeration?
Carolyn says
Store them on the counter for a few days.
TANYA GAUTHIER says
Can these be made ahead and frozen in portions for future camping trips? The family gets the real thing, so they are only for me to not be left out in my keto lifestyle. I’d love to make a batch and pull them out for camping trips!
Carolyn says
Pretty sure the meringue won’t survive the freezing.
Kelly says
I dont have swerve and cant seem to find it in the stores nearby. Can I substitute stevia and how much? Also, do I need the powdered sweetner or is there a substitute for that too?
Thanks!
Carolyn says
Nooooo! Stevia will not work here. Only erythritol based sweeteners will. Sorry, not yelling at you, just don’t want you to make that mistake.
Kelly says
Okay Thank you!
Kristen Keller says
Idk what I could have done wrong but for the topping I got maybe a half a cup of runny liquid instead of fluffy peaks. It ruined the whole thing. Not going to try this recipe again.
Carolyn says
Well, something when wrong in the meringue part but without being in your kitchen, I couldn’t tell you what. But you can see from the many other responses that these usually work out well so as I said…something went terribly wrong.
Louise Brandt says
When egg whites won’t whip up it usually means some oil or fat was present (on beater or bowl). Make sure both are sparkling clean & dry, your hands too, before cracking the eggs.
Michele Williams says
Hello is there a substitute available for cream of tartar? Allergies?
Carolyn says
It simply helps the egg whites whip so you can just leave it out and hope for the best.
Kari Shearer says
How many carbs are in this?
Carolyn says
Sorry, the person updating my recipe cards forgot to enter that. 5.54g per serving.
Breanna says
I followed your directions to a tee. And after the “marshmallow” topping was done I stuck it in the fridge to eat the next day. Well to my surprise I just took the lid off of my pan and the marshmallow has deflated, there’s a huge while in the center of my snores and it’s wet. Any idea how/why this happened?
Carolyn says
Sorry, just getting to this now. I was stumped and then I re-read your comment. You said “took the lid off” and I think that’s your problem right there. By covering it, you allowed condensation to gather and it deflated the topping. Meringue shouldn’t be covered.
Cheryl says
I never covered my s’mores but I got the wet topping as well. It was toasted nicely, crushed on the edges, foamy in the center and wet on the bottom.
The chocolate and crust was lovely but the topping was a miss for me. Next time I’ll make it the same except to use real marshmallows for the top. In my book it was still a win.
Thanks for your hard work and free content. I never look a gift horse in the mouth.
Carolyn says
Can you tell me what sweetener you used? That might be it.
Teressa says
I’m not a fan of artificial sweeteners if I wanted to use real ingredients would the measurements be the same?
Carolyn says
Well that’s good because I am not a fan of artificial sweeteners either. Nothing I use is artificial, it’s all real ingredients here. Erythritol (Swerve) is naturally occurring and no more processed than “real” sugar.
Mary says
Made these for my daughter’s birthday yesterday. The whole family loves them! My oldest son said its pretty much the top rated recipes out of all the THM desserts I’ve made ?
Carolyn says
Awesome!
Nicole says
I just made these and put them in the freezer to harden quicker because I couldn’t wait to taste them and they taste really, really good! My mereingue didn’t form a stiff peak and it’s probably because when I was separating the eggs whites, a tiny bit of yolk got in the bowl. I’ll try again when I make another batch. Keep up the amazing recipes Carolyn!
Nicole says
I’m about to head out to the health food store to look for Bob Red Mill’s Super Fine Almond Flour but if they don’t have it, would regular almond flour be okay? I’m up in Canada so some things that are available in the U.S. aren’t available here. I’m keeping my fingers crossed. These look really good and plan on making them today everything works out. Thanks again Carolyn!
Carolyn says
For this recipe, it should be okay since it’s just a bottom crust.
Bethany says
I made these tonight! I didn’t have swerve, so I used Pyure brand stevia, and they were delish. However, I found the topping crusty on top and unsubstantial underneath. Not very firm, like marshmallow texture. It was delicious, but I was wondering if I made a mistake that made my meringue turn out that way, or if that’s the way it’s meant to be. It’s my first time with a meringue.
Carolyn says
It might be the Pyure. Swerve has bulk and as such, helps give the topping some structure. Pyure is more powdery and light and may change the consistency.
Gennifer Baker says
I am interested in how these actually taste when completed. I have a EXTREMELY picky eater. She is 7 and she love sweets. I have not had much success with any of the low carb cakes and cookies.
Carolyn says
I don’t post things that don’t taste good. 😉 I can’t say that they taste EXACTLY like s’mores but they are really good.
Patti says
I’m laughing because you are 100% right….EVERYTHING you put out there is beyond wonderful!! Never a second thought, when I see your name/site, it’s a given A+. Thanks so much for your recipes and humor ????❣️
Carolyn says
Aw thanks so much!
Lindsey says
I made these last night using the exact ingredients, and they are SO good. This is my first time using Swerve, and I’m very pleased with it. It’s much sweeter than I had anticipated and tasted great! I ate another square this morning, and I think they’re even better after sitting in the refrigerator overnight! Thanks for this amazing recipe that I don’t have to feel guilty about eating!!
Carolyn says
So glad you like them!
Andrea says
This is like heaven! Just made it and tried while they were still warm… omg… perfection! Now they are in the fridge and curious to taste them chilled ????