Can’t get enough dessert? You’re not alone. According to a recent survey, 32% of Americans eat dessert two or more times per week.
Many people think that they have to give up dessert to eat healthy. That inaccurate philosophy is based on old-fashioned and restrictive ideas about dieting. If you base your diet on depriving yourself of things you love, you’re setting yourself up for cheating and failure.
The keto diet, which focuses on minimizing carbs and increasing protein and fat intake, might seem particularly challenging for dessert lovers. Flour and sugar, the main ingredients in most desserts, aren’t keto-friendly.
Fortunately, legions of keto followers with sweet tooths have come up with desserts that are both easy to make and healthy! It might take a couple of clever ingredient substitutions to get there, but the possibilities for easy keto desserts are endless.
3-Ingredient Keto Macaroons
This delicious, chewy cookie is perfect for keto diets because it already includes keto-friendly shredded coconut and egg whites. The only thing you need to change to make it keto is to switch out sugar for a sugar-free sweetener.
Shredded coconut is a great component for keto dessert recipes because it contains only 5 grams net carbs per cup while boasting an impressive 26 grams of fat per cup. Coconut is also loaded with fiber to keep you feeling full.
Make sure you buy the unsweetened coconut at the store! Unsweetened desiccated shredded coconut has only 5 grams of sugar per cup, while the sweetened kind has added sugars that will wreck your macros for the day.
To make macaroons, all you need to do is beat egg whites to stiff peaks and then fold in sweetener and shredded coconut. Scoop the mixture into tablespoon-sized mounds and bake for a craveable treat!
Each macaroon contains less than one gram of nets carbs and only around 30 calories, making for a surprisingly healthy keto snack.
Keto Ice Cream
Ice cream is many people’s number one diet temptation. Regular ice cream is loaded with milk and sugar, making it a big no-no for the keto diet.
This recipe for keto ice cream uses heavy cream instead of milk. Heavy cream is much higher in fat and lower in carbs and sugar than milk is, so it’s easy to incorporate into a keto lifestyle.
The other big difference between this ice cream and regular recipes is that it uses erythritol instead of sugar as a sweetener. Erythritol is carb-free and keto-approved.
To make ice cream, mix together cream, erythritol, and your flavorings of choice. Freeze in an ice cream machine like you would for normal ice cream. Add cocoa powder to make an antioxidant-rich chocolate ice cream, or pump up the vitamin content with chopped nuts.
Keto Twinkies
Yes, you read that right: you can make a keto version of everybody’s favorite gas station indulgence. Better yet, the keto version is way healthier since it skips the white flour, high fructose corn syrup, and preservatives in the original.
Instead of white flour, the cakes in these twinkies use a combination of almond flour and coconut flour. You see almond flour frequently in keto desserts because it’s low carb, low sugar, and high in fat and protein. Almond flour contains less than one gram of sugar per cup!
These keto twinkies look just like the real thing, and they have less than two grams of net carbs per serving, as well as almost seven grams of protein. Try serving them to your non-keto friends to show them just how good keto desserts can be!
Keto Peanut Butter Cups
Peanut butter is a keto staple that’s also a component in a ton of delicious desserts. It’s high in fat, protein, and fiber, giving you energy that lasts all day.
As with shredded coconut, it’s important to read the label of any peanut butter you buy at the store. Many of the most popular brands contain loads of sugar and hydrogenated oil. The best peanut butter contains only one ingredient: roasted peanuts.
This recipe combines peanut butter with melted coconut oil and sweetener to recreate the creamy texture and sweet taste of everybody’s favorite store-bought peanut butter cups. You top the peanut butter with a sugar-free ganache made from coconut oil, sweetener, and cocoa powder. It’s chocolate and peanut butter: what else do you need?
Keto Granola Bars
Granola bars are a great option for healthy keto snacking because you can use a variety of different ingredients to suit your tastes.
You don’t even need a recipe for granola bars; it’s more like a formula. Start with a mixture of nuts and seeds. Use whatever you like and whatever complements your nutrition goals. Almonds, sunflower seeds, pepitas, and sesame seeds are all great options.
Next, add flavorings. These can include coconut, sugar-free chocolate chips, cinnamon, or anything else you have lying around that’s keto-friendly. Then add an egg for structure, a little sweetener, and press into a pan to bake until set.
Diving Deeper Into Easy Keto Desserts
Hopefully now you feel inspired to explore the world of keto desserts for yourself. With a little imagination, any dessert can be transformed into a healthy keto creation. There’s a huge community of people making easy keto desserts and sharing their discoveries with the world
If you don’t feel like making your own keto desserts or just want something that fits your busy lifestyle, there are great options for you too. Discover more on keto bars here and prepare to be amazed at how much flavor and health can be packed into a tiny package.
