Homemade chocolate syrup that’s sugar free and keto friendly – this stuff is pure chocolate bliss and it stays pourable! This easy keto chocolate sauce is the perfect dessert topper and takes only 15 minutes to make. Drizzle it over your favorite low carb ice cream, or stir into your favorite beverages for chocolate milk!
I’m so excited for this recipe, I am doing that happy dance. If only you could see me now, gloating and giggling madly about my homemade sugar free chocolate syrup. It’s a Hershey’s copycat recipe that tastes like the real thing with no junk!
And best of all, it doesn’t harden or recrystallize. It really stays pourable and perfect for as long as it lasts. Which, with my kiddos around, isn’t very long. They loved it and I’ve made promises to them that I will make it any time they ask.
It’s crazy easy to make, too, and whips up in about 15 minutes flat, using only 5 ingredients. So I won’t mind making batch after batch after batch. As long as it keeps the kids happy, right?
Let’s be honest, it keeps mama pretty happy too.
Keep in mind, this is not the same as my Low Carb Hot Fudge Sauce. That recipe is meant to be thick and fudgy, the sort of sauce that becomes almost chewy when it hits the cold ice cream. This keto chocolate syrup is cocoa bases, thinner and pourable. It really is like Hershey’s syrup, but a whole lot healthier!
Chocolate Syrup Inspiration
If it’s so easy to make, why hadn’t I tried before? Well, it all comes down to the different properties of low carb sweeteners. You know I love Swerve as my preferred sweetener for baking. But it just won’t work in a liquid application such as this. It re-crystallizes too much.
But lately I’ve been experimenting with other sweeteners such as allulose and Bocha Sweet. These are both very useful in their own right but they also have their limitations. I find that for baking, they have a tendency to make things too soft. I used half allulose in a cookie recipe a few weeks ago and they were very cake-y. Not the crisp chewy cookie I was going for!
And while Bocha Sweet has been a godsend, I tried it in meringues and they never EVER firmed up. They were like goo that we had to peel off the parchment paper.
What I’ve learned is that all low carb sweeteners have their advantages and disadvantages. What’s most important is to harness the advantages of one and play it off against the others. Sometimes that means mixing sweeteners to get the right consistency, and sometimes that means using one sweetener over another.
To create a true syrup that stays pourable, I knew I had to skip the Swerve, so I decided to try allulose. I found a good conventional recipe for copycat Hershey’s syrup and followed the method pretty closely, boiling the water, cocoa, and sweetener until it thickened.
And it worked perfectly!
Tips for Sugar Free Chocolate Syrup
Use the right sweetener: This is of the utmost importance to the outcome of the recipe. You need a sweetener that thickens and doesn’t recrystallize. Your options include allulose, Bocha Sweet, or xylitol. Erythritol based sweeteners won’t work.I’ve noticed for a long time that the more you heat erythritol in a liquid application, the MORE it tends to recrystallize.
If you want to save money and find the allulose or Bocha Sweet too expensive, you can cut it with some erythritol but I wouldn’t do more than half. Both allulose and Bocha Sweet stay so soft and liquid, they may help offset the recrystallization, although it may still happen a bit.
Use good quality cocoa powder: Don’t use raw cacao powder. It’s very hard to get it to whisk into liquids and it’s more bitter same as a good Dutched cocoa powder. For this recipe, I used Rodelle Organic, but I also recommend Ghirardelli or Guittard.
Don’t forget the salt! Salt helps enhance and intensify chocolate flavors, so don’t skip it. Don’t skip the vanilla either.
Let it boil: After it’s all whisked together, let it come to a boil and cook undisturbed for a bit to thicken. You do need to watch it carefully, turning down the heat if it’s in danger of boiling over. It should begin to bubble very thickly as it gets close to being done.
Let it cool: It will continue to thicken as it sits. Then you can store it in the fridge or even on the counter for a few days. There isn’t anything in it that will spoil and ours was fine for a week. Any longer than that and I’d say keep it in the refrigerator. You may need to gently re-warm it to help it be pourable.
How to Use Homemade Chocolate Syrup
It’s delicious drizzled over ice cream, cheesecake, or any kind of keto dessert! And it mixes in easily with milk, coffee and other beverages. It makes a spectacular mocha.
We did find that for something that wasn’t already sweetened, such milk or coffee, you needed to add a bit of additional sweetener to your taste. I don’t want to change the amount of sweetener in the actual recipe, since it was plenty sweet when drizzled over ice cream.
My youngest went wild for this and she loved making chocolate almond milk. We simply added a few drops of liquid stevia to get the sweetness right for her. She also tried it drizzled over a keto biscuit but that wasn’t hugely successful. Hey, I give her props for trying!
What will you do with your sugar free chocolate syrup?
My Favorite Easy Keto Chocolate Recipes
Keto No Bake Chocolate Cheesecake
Sugar Free Chocolate Syrup
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- ¾ cup allulose (see recipes notes for substitutions)
- ⅔ cup good quality cocoa powder (I like Rodelle)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, whisk together water, sweetener, cocoa powder, and salt. Continue to whisk until well combined.
- Bring to a boil and let cook, not stirring, for 4 to 5 minutes, until it's thickened. Watch it carefully so it doesn't boil over. It will bubble very thickly when it's ready.
- Remove from heat and add vanilla. Whisk to combine. Let cool half an hour before transferring to a jar or bottle.
- Pour over ice cream or stir into your favorite low carb milk. If adding to milk, you may need to add a bit more sweetener to taste.
Notes
Lisa Lendermon says
I do not have powdered allulose but I do have liquid. Do you think that would work? I have been dying for a keto friendly chocloate syrup!
Carolyn says
I’ve never worked with the liquid one but I imagine it would work.
Melanie says
I was going to ask this as well. Lisa, if you tried it could you report back how it worked?
Andie says
I used allulose syrup. I used the whole 11.5oz bottle (about a cup) though… I doubled the vanilla (I used alcohol free though) and the salt (I use Himalayan pink salt). It really thickens up – even more when it cools. I like my sweet, so I also added 1tsp Now brand Better Stevia. So good! If you rank spaced chocolate you can add cinnamon, tumeric and coconut oil; it’s what I did. Yum!
Kathy says
My husband and I were SOOO disappointed when Starbucks discontinued their skinny mocha sauce last week … we’ve had a regular routine for years on Saturdays to get a keto mocha and do a crossword puzzle. I immediately started an online search for a keto friendly chocolate sauce. The 5 stars and great reviews on this one caught my eye so I made my first batch two days ago … after 4 mocha’s between my husband and I and two bowls of keto ice cream topped with this, we were out and wanting MORE! Today I made a double batch and ended up with smears all over my face, hands, arms etc from trying to get EVERY drop out of the pan. I even poured our coffee into the pan to not waste all the chocolate that was left on the edges after cooking! It’s crazy how good this is! Obviously my search for the perfect chocolate sauce is over because THIS IS IT! It you’ve made this and it’s not palpable, then you’re using the wrong ingredients … pay attention to the recipe details on what works and what doesn’t – especially with the cocoa!!! My husband and I are now excited about this change and starting a new routine!!
Susan says
Your description of your experience with making this syrup made me smile.
Thank you. 🙂
Margaret M says
I tried this new sugar sub called PureCane in baking and WOW it is so good. So sweet. No aftertaste. Have you tried it?
Tastes so much like sugar. It is Erythritol processed from the Sugar Cane plant.
Carolyn says
I honestly have no need of it, since I prefer Swerve and it gives me no aftertaste. But you won’t be able to use it in this recipe because if it’s erythritol, it will re-crystallize.
Carolyn says
I have Splenda brown sugar mix – it’s sucralose and brown sugar and I think a little of the E one……Wondering if you know if that will work? I’m still learning on this low calorie baking thing and I’ve wasted way too many ingredients…LOL
Carolyn says
I have no idea, I don’t use any such thing. The sugar might help but the sucralose alone is a bad option for a syrup like this.
Frank Hochman says
Can I use splenda to make this sugar free chocolate syrup?
Carolyn says
Very very doubtful. It won’t thicken and become syrupy.
Kim Condas says
My sauce burned on the bottom while it boiled. Suggestions?
Carolyn says
Sounds to me like you need a better pan. A good heavy duty pan would not cause this to burn. You could also turn down the heat to the point where it’s still bubbling actively but not totally boiling, and cook it longer.
Andie says
I know she says not to stir it, however mine was starting to scorch a little bit and I whisked it every few minutes when I noticed it. I didn’t hurt the syrup at all.
Carolyn says
Good to know, thanks!
Gil says
I’m looking forward to trying the recipe tonight! Would you share one more time the modification if using Xylitol?
Carolyn says
It should be the same without modification.
Michelle Konarski says
O
M
G
I could eat this by the spoonful. It. Is. D E L I C I O U S!!!
Kathleen Sutherland says
This turned out awfully thick, especially now that it’s refrigerated. I used a highly Dutched cocoa powder (Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa); perhaps that made it too thick? But I was able to thin it down with some water, even after completion. Again, perhaps from the extra dark cocoa powder I used, it’s really not sweet enough for my taste. But thank you anyway for the recipe. With a little tinkering, I’ll be able to get it right.
Carolyn says
No, it should not be awfully thick. I don’t refrigerate mine (because it only lasts about 4 days) and it is always pourable. I suspect your choice of cocoa powder is part of the issue. I use Dutch process too but Hershey’s dark is quite dark and yes, that’s probably the issue here.
Kathleen Sutherland says
Hi Carolyn,
Yes, I believe it was the super-Dutched cocao that made it too thick. I’ve made the recipe a few more times, using half Dutched and half natural cocoa (and allulose for the sweetener). Turns out great!
I do keep it refrigerated, since it takes me about a week to use even just half the recipe, but it remains pourable.
Tam says
Thank you, can’t wait to try this. Does this need refrigerated after it cools down? Or can it stay in pantry?
Carolyn says
I left mine on the counter for several days. I’d refrigerate if you think it will be around longer than about 5.
Misty says
Totally worth the 15 minutes! So easy to make and so much better in quality and taste than Hershey’s sugar free chocolate syrup. Perfect for the cold brew keto coffee smoothies I make. Can’t wait to try it on a keto cheesecake. Yum!
Carolyn says
Yay!
Lauren says
I was wondering if you can use coconut palm sugar as a substitute? I dont have access to the sugars you mention (unless i want to buy bulk on amazon, or pay $6 shipping) and I figure a sugar with nutrients and a low glycemic index is better than using sugar.
Carolyn says
I have no idea but you should have some fun experimenting!
Elizabeth says
I made this chocolate syrup tonight-fantastic! Delicious and so, so easy!! Thank you so much for the recipe!!
Carolyn says
So glad you liked it!
Cynthia Robinson says
THIS is a KEEPER!!!
SO AMAZED at how quickly it thickened. Once I added the salt & vanilla… BOOM… Taste buds were doing a HAPPY DANCE! ????
Carolyn says
Glad to hear it!
Liz says
Absolutely fantastic. Used it as a side for a Keto vanilla pound cake. I used confectioners swerve only as the sweetener and it was thick and delicious. No crystallization or grittiness!
Shirley says
This is super cool. I am going to try this out real soon, but I would like to understand the shelf life of the syrup.
Carolyn says
Because there is no dairy or any such thing, It’s fine at room temp for about 4 or 5 days. After that, refrigerate.
Kathy Charest says
I made this tonight… oh man it’s SO good! I may have had a few too many “tastes” of it as it was cooling, but I truly couldn’t help myself. 😉 made it for sundaes with vanilla ice cream. I’m thankful for this recipe as I would much rather use water than HWC (as for the fudge sauce), just to save money. It was plenty thick enough for me. 🙂
I wish I’d read the comments about using half swerve and half bocha sweet before I made it though… it was hard to measure out 3/4 cup of that stuff, lol (cha-ching! $$$)… next time. 😉
Jennifer says
Carolyn!!!!!!!! You are the Keto master. This is the absolute best sauce I’ve ever made. EVER. 100% worth buying allulose just for this sauce.
I boiled mine for 5 mins exactly and it is pretty thick. But it stirs into almond milk like a dream!! It is the perfect dupe for original Hershey’s.
Thank you for this recipe!!
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it!
Julie Buck says
Thank you, this sounds perfect to serve with my chocolate bread and banana pudding this weekend … excited to try this recipe ????
Allison G says
Tus sauce is to die for! I used Alluose and worked out perfectly! I buy that Hershey sauce and that stuff is disgusting IMO. Now we have a new favorite chocolate sauce in the house. I made your chocolate slow cooker cake and drizzled it all over I am happy I made a double batch. One question I have is about storage. Can it stay out for a few days or does it need to be refrigerated?
Carolyn says
Glad you liked it, Allison. Mine was okay on the counter for a few days.