Peppermint bark is an iconic holiday treat but the store-bought version isn’t exactly keto friendly. So what’s a peppermint lover to do? Make your own, of course! It’s ridiculously simple, just as tasty, and far better for you than the sugary kind.
This Keto Peppermint Bark graces my holiday cookie tray every year, along with other classics like keto sugar cookies and keto peanut butter blossoms. It’s the kind of recipe you can whip on a whim to bring to a party. Or you can package it up and give it as low carb edible gifts.
It’s always one of the first treats to disappear around my house, so I often find myself making several batches. You only need a handful of ingredients, a few minutes at the stove, and time to let the chocolate set. That’s it!
I love making mine into cute holiday shapes, but you can also pour it into a pan and make the classic squares. Everyone will love it, no matter what.
Why you will love this recipe
- 5 simple ingredients
- No baking required
- Looks and tastes just like the classic
- Great for gift-giving and cookie swaps
- Low carb and sugar-free
Ingredient Notes
- Dark chocolate: You can use your favorite brand of keto dark chocolate. I like Lily’s or ChocZero.
- White chocolate: Again, you can use your favorite brand.
- Cocoa butter: This helps the chocolate melt more smoothly while also allowing it to set firmly. You can replace with coconut oil but do be aware that the peppermint bark will be more melty at room temperature.
- Peppermint extract: I recommend choosing an oil based extract as it will be less likely to make the chocolate seize.
- Peppermint candies: There really aren’t any good sugar-free peppermints that don’t have junky ingredients. That’s why I just crush two of them and sprinkle sparingly on the peppermint bark. You could also use sugar-free sprinkles.
How to Make Sugar Free Peppermint Bark
- Melt the dark chocolate: I always recommend doing this double-boiler style, as the gentle heat is less likely to seize the chocolate.
- Add to molds or a pan: You can use little silicone molds to make holiday shapes like gingerbread or Christmas trees. Or you can spread the chocolate in a parchment-paper lined pan. Make sure to freeze them for at least 30 minutes.
- Melt the white chocolate: This can be finicky and seize easily so make sure to read my Tips for Success below.
- Add to the molds: Spread the white chocolate over the dark chocolate.
- Decorate: Add the crushed candies or another garnish. Refrigerate until firm.
Expert Tips
Use gentle heat: It is imperative that you don’t over-heat the chocolate, as it can seize easily. Keto white chocolate is especially finicky. Cocoa butter helps a great deal in getting it to melt smoothly. But you must also stay vigilant, and stand near the pan, stirring almost constantly.
For the white chocolate, I recommend getting it to the point where it’s mostly melted but still has some small lumps. Remove it from over the pan and continue to stir. The residual heat from the bowl will melt it fully.
I always recommend oil-based peppermint extract for recipes like this. Conventional extract with alcohol can cause the chocolate to seize when you try to stir it in.
I found my cute mini gingerbread men molds at a local thrift store. The cavities are about 2 inches high and an inch wide. That makes them perfect for 24 peppermint bark candies. The closest I can find on Amazon are these ones. They have some other cute shapes too!
You can also use mini muffin cups or just spread the mixture in an 8×8 inch pan lined with parchment paper.
Sugar Free Keto Peppermint Bark
Ingredients
Dark Chocolate Layer
- 4 ounces (113.4 g) sugar free dark chocolate chips
- 3/4 ounce (21.26 g) cocoa butter
- 1/2 tsp peppermint extract, (oil based recommended)
White Chocolate Layer
- 4 ounces (113.4 g) sugar free white chocolate chips
- 3/4 ounce (21.26 g) cocoa butter
- 1/2 tsp peppermint extract, (oil based recommended)
Garnish (optional)
- 2 sugar-free peppermint candies, crushed
Instructions
Dark Chocolate Layer
- In a heat proof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, combine the chocolate chips and cocoa butter. Stir constantly until melted and smooth. Stir in the peppermint extract.
- If using silicone molds, add enough chocolate to cover the bottom of each mold completely. Shake the molds gently to even out the chocolate. (You can also line an 8×8 pan with parchment and simply pour the chocolate in.)
- Place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
White Chocolate Layer
- In a heat proof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, combine the chocolate chips and cocoa butter. Stir constantly until almost melted, then remove from over the pan and stir until smooth. Stir in the peppermint extract.
- Add enough white chocolate to each mold to cover the dark chocolate and shake gently to even it out.
- Sprinkle the top of each with a little of the crushed peppermint candy and refrigerate until firm.
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Most peppermint bark is loaded with sugar and has upwards of 20 grams of carbs per serving. But this version uses sugar-free chocolate and peppermint candies, making it completely keto-friendly.
Store the bark in an airtight container in the fridge for the best texture. It will stay fresh for weeks. You can also freeze the bark for several months.
This keto peppermint bark recipe has 7.2g of carbs and 3.9g of fiber per serving. That comes to 3.3g net carbs per serving.
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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These look incredible! I love chocolate and peppermint together (am thinking of doing brownies tomorrow, actually!). I love how these have beautiful shapes, and you’ve photographed them perfectly!
Can you use coconut butter in place of the cocoa butter?
I think it will be too soft but you’re welcome to try.
I’m confused by the carbs. It says it depends on how big you make them, but I don’t know what your current carb count is going off of in the nutrition label. Like how big are they to be 3.8 carbs?
It says 12 servings. If you make the mini cups, you get about 24 so two pieces. The cookie cutters are about 2x as big as the little mini cups. Hope that helps.
Choc Zero does a sugar-free white chocolate. I get it off Amazon.
Hi! Thank you so much for your recipes! I wondered, do you happen to know the proper ratio necessary to replace Swerve with THM’s Gentl Sweet? Thanks again!
Swerve measures like sugar. So use however much Gentle Sweet equals that amount of sugar .
HI Carolyn, could I substitute regular butter for the coco butter?
No, cocoa butter is hard at room temperature. Butter is not. Makes a big difference to the consistency of the bark.
Looks delicious! May I ask where you found the sugar-free candy canes?
I linked to it in the blog post! 🙂
Can I use cacao butter? I can’t seem to find cocoa butter. I’m not sure the difference….
They are essentially the same for the purposes of this recipe.
Made these today and they are sooo good. Really easy too. Next time I will add the crushed candy after 5 minutes in the freezer because after 10 minutes the bark was too hard for the peppermints to adhere to. Another keeper recipe from Carolyn. Thanks again.
I’m super happy about this recipe! Last year I made low carb Peppermint Bark, but I ordered a low carb white chocolate from Amazon, and it had some questionable ingredients. This looks much healthier.
I didn’t think of using mini muffin cups — I did the slab method, and then broke it up by hand.
The one trick I figured out for the slab method: I put down waxed paper, and then layered it upside down: (1 crushed peppermints, 2 white chocolate, 3 dark chocolate). I make my English Toffee that way too. It makes the toppings more embedded, so they don’t fall off.
Hey Susan, that’s a great tip! Thanks.
I have been using your recipe to make my own chocolate chips, would that work for this recipe? I can get Lilly’s but is really expensive where I live.
Yes, it should work well. It may be too “liquid” for the cookie cutter shapes but would work in the cups or in a pan.
Thank you! I look am looking forward to trying this next week!
Carolyn, the styling on these photos is gorgeous! It’s enticing me to make these and I don’t even think that I like peppermint bark…lol! They look so festive!
Wow! I never knew I was that good a photographer! 😉 Thanks.
You are! I’ve only made one recipe from your website (‘Mounds” – which was DELISH!) but the pictures you take make me want to try them all! Keep up the good work!
One of my FAVORITE Christmas treats. Get in my belly !!!
I don’t have lillies chocolate available to me. If I use unsweetened chocolate and add erythritol/stevia would it work ok?
It might, hard to say because I didn’t try it. You will probably need more coconut oil to make sure it doesn’t seize.
OOOH, I am making this right now with the chocolate chip recipe from the book. Used Ghiradelli (sp) coca powder and got a great batch of chocolate. I have a burner on my stove that says Melt and it was brilliant. No seize, no double boiler either. So now I will make the white chocolate part. Great and fun recipe. So impressed with the chocolate chip recipe from the book. Made a double batch to have for other goodies. Thank you Carolyn, you save me quite a bit of money over Lily’s.
Enjoy!
You can order Lily’s chocolate (and many other specialty low-carb ingredients) from Amazon.
Any thoughts on a sub for the coconut oil? I really dislike coconut flavor. Thanks!
You won’t taste it.
Thanks; I give it a try. Pre-D I made peppermint bark every year.
I wish Lily’s would do a white chocolate, too! Another product I wish they’d make is mini chocolate chips. For now, I’m stuck chopping when I want “small pieces.” Lol!
Hi. Lily’s does make small chocolate chips. If you can’t find on Amazon, Netrition usually has them.
Lily’s makes white and mint now. I bought them at Clarks Nutrition Market in Loma Linda Ca.