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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Is there a substitute for Bocha sweet?
The best subs are allulose or xylitol
Can I use the swerve granular instead of the bocha if I don’t have it thank you so much
Yes but the topping may recrystallize and get a bit gritty after being in the fridge.
was searching for a good keto dessert for a friend and made these. They were great!
Awesome idea turning this beloved treat into a keto version!! So amazing! 🙂
I wanted to love this as I love all your recipes. But it just did not work..the only difference was I used allulose as second sweetener instead of Boca sweet. So that could be the difference. The merengue was no bueno and essentially dissolved on top into a gritty mess. The first two layers were perfect…
That is exactly why, actually. You cannot just sub in a different sweetener and expect the same results. Allulose makes things like meringue too soft.
3/4 cup whipping cream is this the same as Heavy Whipping cream?
Yes… because they are only different in label, not really in use, function, or even nutritional content. Whipping cream *might* be slightly lower in fat, but totally depends on the brand and how they decide to label theirs. Heavy whipping cream covers both.
Mine also came out like soup after resting in the fridge for over an hour. Something liquified in between the last bake and the fridge. IDK! Everything was set up and looking so great until the last step. Any ideas?
What sweetener did you use?
Compliment: KID APPROVED!! Now on to my 2 questions: 1. do you think I could use the topping recipe to make “Marshmallows”? And 2. I made the recipe but when I took it out of the oven, I could see runny egg whites in two corners (I couldn’t bake it longer because the top would have burned). Should I have blended the eggs longer? My daughter and I make it a point to make your recipes weekly…..she wouldn’t mind making this one again ????????❤️❤️
No, this topping won’t really work as marshmallows but I do have a proper marshmallow recipe. https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/sugar-free-marshmallows/
Not sure about the runny egg whites, that’s strange. You can always cover it with foil for a bit if you want to bake it longer.
Made these a few weeks ago for a bbq at my parents’ house and they were a hit. Making them again tonight for a book club I’m hosting later this week! My husband couldn’t keep his hands off the last batch and he wasn’t even anticipating liking them! We were thinking the squares were too small when we cut them, but after having them they’re so rich, the tiny portions are perfect!
Glad to hear it!
Help for some reason the tipping isn’t getting thicker. I’m still beating it but????♀️. Any trick u think might help?
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.
If I use Baker’s unsweetened chocolate, how much Swerve do I use?
Can I use bakers unsweetened chocolate and add extra Truvia to sweeten?
Sure.
I just made these tonight and even the picky non-Keto hubby loved them!!
Thank you so much! I followed your recipe exactly!
So glad you like them!
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.!
What sweetener did you use?
I used granulated monk fruit sweetener and powdered swerve.
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!
Ok thanks. They were still delicious! Just not soft marshmallow like ????
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?
They can be out on the counter for 2 or 3 days but need to be refrigerated after that.
How do you store these? Do they require refrigeration?
Store them on the counter for a few days.
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!
Pretty sure the meringue won’t survive the freezing.