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 (250 g) water
- 3/4 cup (177.44 g) allulose, (see recipes notes for substitutions)
- 2/3 cup (57.33 g) good quality cocoa powder, (I like Rodelle)
- 1/8 tsp (0.13 tsp) salt
- 1 tsp 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
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.
Free Bonus: Secrets to Keto Baking!
Sign up for your favorite recipes delivered straight to your inbox plus get our FREE bonus: Secrets to Keto Baking!
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.
Depends on your stove and pot… keep an eye on it!
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!
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.
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).
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.
Why is the vanilla added after cooking and not with the rest of the ingredients?
Because it can lose flavor when heated in with the rest.
Can I use Splenda?
Sorry, won’t work.
I use Stevia for all keto recipes, coffee, etc.
Well it won’t work in this recipe.
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.
Wow most amazing tastes and so very easy. I used allulose
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.
My inner child vwants to try it on keto pancakes…
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.
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.
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!
I’ve never worked with the liquid one but I imagine it would work.
I was going to ask this as well. Lisa, if you tried it could you report back how it worked?
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!
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!!
Your description of your experience with making this syrup made me smile.
Thank you. 🙂
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.
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.
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
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.
Can I use splenda to make this sugar free chocolate syrup?
Very very doubtful. It won’t thicken and become syrupy.
My sauce burned on the bottom while it boiled. Suggestions?
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.
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.
Good to know, thanks!
I’m looking forward to trying the recipe tonight! Would you share one more time the modification if using Xylitol?
It should be the same without modification.
O
M
G
I could eat this by the spoonful. It. Is. D E L I C I O U S!!!