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
Rejana says
Thank you so much for this recipe!!! I am so excited!!!!!! My very discerning grandkids don’t even realize it is sugar free! Nonna ummmmmmm Carolyn for the win! Woohooo.
Holly says
Just made it. Very good…just what I was looking for. Rich chocolate taste and easy to make.
Carolyn says
Great to hear!
Kathy says
Carolyn how do you store this chocolate syrup and how long will it last? Thanks!
Carolyn says
On the counter is fine for a week, as it has nothing in it that goes bad.
Rose Rolo says
This sauce is AMAZING! I just made it for the third time. Even though I have a great very heavy sauce pan, my stove is old, electric and unpredictable. The first time I made it I needed a chocolate fix in the worst way and didn’t want to burn it so I stirred it with a small whisk almost the whole time it boiled and it turned out fantastic. I know with real sugar stirring can cause crystallizing but I figured I would give it a shot with Allulose since it doesn’t really do that. I’ve done that both times since and it’s perfect every time. I’m bringing it to my sister tonight as a gift – it’s THAT GOOD!
Leslee says
I loved it. I did use half & half instead of water. I watched very closely and didn’t have a burning problem. I’ve made this twice now. Really good, very strong chocolate flavor.
Brandy S. says
This Sugar-free chocolate syrup recipe is DELICIOUS!! So glad I came across it. It’s very rich and decadent, I cannot believe it! I used Trader Joe’s cocoa powder which is a good one, rich and chocolately.. I wish they included the calories and fat because it probably adds up. I guess I can figure that out myself.
Carolyn says
The recipe includes calories in the nutritional card, at the top. There’s negligible fat so it’s not included.
Carol Williams says
When letting it cook, without stirring, it stuck to the pan a bit. Was my heat too high? Once it came to a boil I turned it down to medium. Thanks
Carolyn says
Your pan may not be heavy duty enough, and may have conducted too much heat.
Marzi says
Hi
Thanks for the recipe.
Do you think it works if I boil cocoa poweder and date syrup?
Carolyn says
No idea, sorry. I don’t use date syrup.
Jim says
Very easy to make, and seeing the smile on my son’s face was well worth the effort!
Jo says
Wow so good, but as with every recipe I changed.
I used milk instead of water, used 3 tsps vanilla and added 2 tbsp of butter.
Susan says
Thank you so much for all the research and experimenting you did.
You have saved us all countless hours of experimentation and a lot of money.
Thank you.
grant says
This turned out great, I added some instant espresso powder, freshly grated cinnaom and some cayenne to amp up the flavor a bit and give it more of a mexican chocolate profile.
Excited to have this to cure my sweet tooth i get every once in a while for chocolate milk or to put ontop of rebel/keto pint ice cream
Suzanne Edmonds says
Are you supposed to cook it for 4-5 minutes after the syrup boils or does the 4-5 minutes include bringing the syrup to boil? I tried the recipe yesterday but obviously made an error as I burned my syrup.
Carolyn says
Depends on your stove and pot… keep an eye on it!
William says
This is super easy to burn if you are not careful. I did the first time around. It resulted in burnt tasting syrup. I highly suggest bringing to a slow boil with lowest heat possible, then let the boil do its magic without stirring. Otherwise, it might burn and leave a bad taste in your mouth. Second time was a charm and turned out great!
Carolyn says
Hi William… I think if it’s burning, it’s either a stove or a pan issue. Some electric stoves are not very exact (I have gas) so it’s hard to get the right temp. Also, if your pan isn’t heavy duty, it’s going to allow it to burn.
Suzanne says
William I just saw your comment about burning the syrup. I tried making the recipe yesterday and burned it. I wasn’t sure if I should have included the bringing to the boil in the 4-5 minutes cooking time. After reading your comment and the reply to your comment I will try a sturdier saucepan and lower heat (my stove is gas).
Steve says
I’ve made this twice now and it’s really good. This time I added 1/4 tsp cayenne powder which gave it a nice bit of heat without really changing the taste.
Linda A. says
Why is the vanilla added after cooking and not with the rest of the ingredients?
Carolyn says
Because it can lose flavor when heated in with the rest.
Frank says
Can I use Splenda?
Carolyn says
Sorry, won’t work.
Lynne says
I use Stevia for all keto recipes, coffee, etc.
Carolyn says
Well it won’t work in this recipe.
TrisKit says
Lynne, the easy-to-find, keto-friendly “stevia” sweeteners are actually mostly erythritol. Go check the ingredient label on your package. Carolyn explained why erythritol won’t work for this recipe.
Donna R Held says
Wow most amazing tastes and so very easy. I used allulose
Lynn says
Pouring over ice cream…that’s a gimme.
Pouring over cheesecake…of course.
Pouring into almond milk…a no-brainer.
A chocolate martini…pure heaven.
Andie says
My inner child vwants to try it on keto pancakes…
Angela says
Made this but the problem that I had was the medium heat was too hot and it burned the syrup in that 4 minutes that it took to thicken. A waste. Next time I will turn it down once it starts to boil.
Carolyn says
Sorry to hear it, but I think your pan is too thin and/or stove is too strong. Either way, do what works with your equipment.