Can you enjoy dessert on a keto diet? Absolutely!

Yes, you can indulge in sweet treats while following a keto diet! A low-carb, high-fat approach to eating focuses on healthy fats rather than proteins. And the best part? Fat not only fuels your body but also brings a rich, satisfying flavor to your meals and desserts. Think full-fat dairy like cream cheese, butter, heavy cream, sour cream and ricotta cheese—perfect ingredients for decadent keto-friendly desserts.

It’s important to note that not all carbs are created equal. Certain carbs, such as fiber and sugar alcohols, are not absorbed by the body and therefore don't affect your blood sugar levels. This means they don’t count toward your daily carb limit. By subtracting these "non-usable" carbs from your total carbs, you get your net carbs—the only carbs you need to track.

For those following the keto diet for health reasons, it's crucial to monitor your carb intake closely. If you're unsure about how many carbs you should be consuming, consult with a healthcare provider for personalized advice.

Thanks to innovative bakers, it's now easier than ever to create low-carb desserts that satisfy your sweet tooth without kicking you out of ketosis. So, yes—you can absolutely enjoy keto-friendly desserts while staying on track with your low-carb lifestyle!

Adjusting Ingredients for Low-Carb Desserts: Tips & Alternatives

When making low-carb desserts, it's important to remember that using low-carb flours and sugar alternatives will not yield the same results as traditional recipes. However, as Hilda Solares, a health blogger at Fit to Serve, explains, "You can come pretty close."

Low-Carb Flour Options

The key difference between standard wheat flour and keto-friendly alternatives is gluten. While gluten is an intestinal concern for some, it's what gives wheat-based baked goods their structure and chewiness. Fortunately, there are many low-carb flour alternatives that work well in desserts, including:

• Almond flour (the most popular keto flour choice)

• Coconut flour

• Hazelnut flour

• Golden flax meal

• Sesame seed flour

• Sunflower seed flour

Solares calls almond flour “the easiest of all low-carb flours to work with.” Make sure you get almond flour and not an almond meal, which is coarser.

Coconut flour is a lot drier than the almond variety, which means you need to use more liquid and/or eggs when baking with it. And “for those who are allergic to tree nuts, coconut flour can be a great option,” says Solares.

Each of these options brings unique textures and flavors, making them perfect for creating low-carb treats. Note: neither almond nor coconut flour can be substituted on a cup-for-cup basis for wheat flour; in addition, the two cannot be substituted for one another.

Choosing the Right Sweeteners for Keto Desserts

When it comes to sweeteners, there are several low-carb sugar substitutes to choose from. Urvashi Pitre, author of Keto Fat Bombs, Sweets & Treats, shares her experience with Swerve®: "Swerve, a combination of erythritol and oligosaccharides, works really well for me."

Other popular low-carb sweeteners include:

• Stevia (an herbal extract)

• Truvía® (a stevia-based sweetener)

• Monk fruit sweetener (derived from a Chinese fruit)

These sweeteners provide the sweetness you crave without the carb load, making them ideal for keto-friendly desserts.

Berries for the Keto Diet

Love fruit but hate the carb counts? Berries are your friends: Besides being packed with vitamins and health-promoting phytonutrients, many berries contain healthy amounts of fiber, which lowers their net carb numbers. For example:

• Blackberries: contain 8 grams of fiber with 6 grams of net carbs per cup

• Red Raspberries: provide 8 grams of fiber with 7 grams of net carbs in each cup

• Strawberries: 2 grams of fiber for a reasonable 5 grams net carbs in each 1/2 cup (sliced)

Additional Ingredients for Keto Desserts

To perfect your low-carb treats, consider adding the following ingredients:

• Chia seeds: Great for gelling puddings and adding texture and crunch to bread. They absorb water and create bulk in your recipes, making them a valuable ingredient for low-carb baking.

• Xanthan gum: A powerful thickening agent. However, use it sparingly, as too much can cause a slimy texture.

Baking Tips for Low-Carb Desserts

Solares advises caution when using standard baking powder in keto recipes, as it typically contains starch, which may pose a problem for those strictly counting carbs. Instead, use baking soda and cream of tartar (available separately) for a low-carb-friendly option. Just be careful with measurements to avoid altering the texture of your desserts.

Chocolate-Cheesecake Brownies

“These brownies need to be well-cooled before you start to devour them, as they can be a little soft and fudgy when hot,” says Pitre. “Of course, if you want soft and fudgy, don’t let me stop you!” And don’t let the 21-gram total carb count per brownie stop you either, since the net carbs are only 2 grams.

Keto cooking spray

Brownie batter

1/2 cup sugar-free chocolate chips

8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter

3 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup Swerve granulated sweetener

Cheesecake batter

8 oz full-fat cream cheese, cubed and softened

1 large egg

3 tbsp Truvía granulated sweetener

1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease an 8” square baking pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper; set aside.

2. For the brownie batter: In a medium-sized, microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips and butter. Microwave on high for 1 minute, stopping and stirring once. Remove from the microwave and stir until all lumps have melted into the mixture (don’t continue to microwave).

3. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, vanilla, and sweetener. Beat with an electric mixer on medium-high until light and frothy. Slowly pour the melted chocolate mixture into the bowl, beating until well blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

4. For the cheesecake batter: Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl; beat with an electric mixer on medium-high until light and frothy. Pour the cheesecake batter on top of the brownie batter, and use a rubber scraper or butter knife to swirl the two batters together slightly.

5. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. (If you see the edges starting to cook faster than the rest of the brownie, cover the top loosely with foil.)

6. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Cut into 8 rectangles. Remove from the pan and cool completely on the rack.

Yields: 8 brownies

Source: excerpted from Keto Fat Bombs, Sweets & Treats ©2019 By Urvashi Pitre. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.