Did you know that you can buy various types of sugar-free chocolate chips, and use them to make Keto Chocolate Truffles? This basic recipe for homemade truffles is a great base to customize your own low carb truffles!
Note: This recipe was first posted on my original blog, Celebration Generation, on December 23, 2009. It was transferred over to this blog - existing comments and all - on 9/27/2021. Most recently updated on 1/31/2024.
That keto chocolate truffles recipe ended up working out to about 1 net carb per truffle, but the chocolate chips weren’t the best - they were sweetened with maltitol.
Sugar free chocolate chips have come a LONG way in the last decade and a half, so I figured it’s about time to do some experimenting and update my low carb chocolate truffles recipe.
The thing is, different types of chocolate - semi sweet, milk, dark, white, etc - all take different amounts of cream to get to the right creamy texture when set.
So, what was once one round of experiments, turned into several rounds. Several rounds of tasty, tasty experiments - chocolate lovers would have been in bliss, LOL.
In the end, I came up with one new base recipe for chocolate keto truffles - semi sweet, as the original recipe used - with variations in cream and butter amounts.
So, if you’re looking to make your sugar free chocolate truffles using semi sweet chips, use the recipe in the recipe card.
If you’re looking to use something other than semi-sweet, consult the ingredients section in the post for the amounts you’ll need to make the BEST keto chocolate truffles with the type of chocolate you’re using.
Lots to talk about, so lets get to it!
What is a Sugar-Free Chocolate Chip Truffle?
Truffles consist of two main parts - the center (chocolate ganache), and the coating.
The ganache center is made from just a few very basic ingredients - Sugar Free Chocolate Chips, cream, flavoring, and butter. In the case of sugar free truffles, that ganache will be made with sugar free chocolate.
The coating can be made from almost anything - your creativity is pretty much your only limit!
Well, that and your desired carb count, anyway!
Typically, you’ll see store-bought truffles enrobed in chocolate.
Personally, I don’t bother - I find rolling truffles in various non-chocolate coatings is not only more fun and less work, I prefer the taste.
Luckily, there are several low or lowish carb options to keep them a perfect low carb chocolate dessert - keep reading for that info!
Sugar Free Truffles Nutritional Information
The final net carb count - and general nutrition facts - on these truffles will depend a lot on what you roll them in - and some other factors - but here we go:
When using Lily’s Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips specifically, 2.5 grams of carbs per truffle come from sugar alcohols.
Combined with the 3 grams of fiber, that makes for 5.5 grams of deductible carbs, or 1.5 g net carbs per truffle.
This doesn't count your choice of coating, and is based on this chocolate truffle recipe making 25 truffles. The nutrition of your keto chocolates will vary based on the size you roll your truffles.
If you roll them smaller and get more truffles from your batch, each will be lower in carbs. Bigger truffles will be slightly higher in carbs.
Finally, if you swap out for a different kind of chocolate, that can affect your carb count, both from the chocolate itself, and the amount of heavy cream that type will need.
As long as you stick to good quality (no maltitol!) chocolate chips, this low-carb recipe will work for pretty much anyone on a keto diet.
Make no mistake, though - today’s sugar free chocolate is almost entirely indistinguishable from the real thing, and these healthy truffles will be loved by all - so guard them if you have to!
Ingredients
At its core, this is an easy recipe with just 4 (fairly) basic ingredients. With the possible exception of the chocolate chips, local grocery stores should be good for everything else - including flavourings and whatever you’re going to roll them in.
A few notes for you:
Sugar Free Chocolate Chips
This recipe uses 1 bag of Lily's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips.
It’s my favourite brand of sugar-free chocolate - tastes great, works well, and doesn’t use maltitol. Wish it didn’t use erythritol, but hey - it doesn’t raise blood sugar, so good enough!
If you want to use a different type of sugar free chocolate, you’ll need to change the amounts of other ingredients used:
Keto Dark Chocolate Truffles: Use 1 bag Lily's Dark Chocolate Chips, ¾ Cup Cream, and 1 tablespoon Butter). Expect about 30 truffles.
Keto Milk Chocolate Truffles: Use 1 bag Lily's Milk Chocolate Chips, ½ cup Heavy Cream, and 1 tablespoon Butter. Expect about 22-23 truffles.
Keto White Chocolate Truffles: Use 1 bag Lily's White Chocolate Chips, ⅓ cup Heavy Cream and 2 tablespoon Butter. Expect about 20 truffles.
Other Brands of Sugar-Free Chocolate Chips
The original formulation of this recipe used Hershey's Sugar Free Chocolate Chips.
For one 8 oz bag chips, you would use ½ cup cream and 1 tablespoon Butter.
Chocolate is finicky in general, and due to formulation, I’d have to assume that sugar free chocolate is even more so.
Feel free to try this with other brands of sugar free chocolate - chips or chocolate bars (chopped up), but you may find that you need more or less cream for the same weight of chocolate.
If your ganache doesn’t firm up, you have a great chocolate sauce! If it’s too firm, remelt it and add a little warm cream to it.
Heavy Whipping Cream
You’ll want to use heavy cream in this recipe, as it needs the fat content in order to not seize the chocolate.
I would NOT recommend using unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk, though I’ve heard some have success with coconut cream.
I haven’t tried it, though - so I can’t really comment on how successful it would be in this recipe.
Butter
In traditional truffle making, butter boosts the fat content and leads to a smoother, creamier ganache texture.
I find it works just the same in sugar free truffle making.
You can skip the butter if you like, your truffles will still set up and taste fine - the texture will just be slightly different.
Vanilla Extract
As a default, I use Pure Vanilla Extract in my base recipe. It elevates the chocolate flavour, without competing with it.
You can use all kinds of different flavors in your keto chocolate truffles, you’ll just want to mind the amounts used.
Most grocery store extracts are best at about 2 teaspoon - Vanilla, Orange Extract, Maple Extract, Rum Extract, Lemon Extract.
Some flavours are more potent and require less - use 1 teaspoon for Peppermint Extract, and either 1 or 1 ½ teaspoon for Almond Extract or Anise Extract.
Alternately, there are other ways to flavour your ganache - read on to learn more about those options!
Flavouring Your Sugar-Free Ganache
Beyond extracts, there are several options - and techniques - for customizing the flavour of your keto chocolate ganache.
A few ideas for you:
Flavour Oil
This stuff - Lorann Oil is the gold standard.
It’s a bit harder to come by, but can usually be found at your local cake or candy making supply store. It comes in a LOT more flavours than grocery store extracts do, so you can really have fun with it!
Note: Flavour oils are MUCH more concentrated than extracts. You’ll need a 2 teaspoon of extract in this recipe, but only a ½-1 teaspoon of flavour oil.
Seasonings
You can add a bit of dried herbs or spices to the ganache, in one of two ways:
1. Steep larger items - Cinnamon Sticks, Culinary Dried Lavender, Star Anise, dried hop flowers, fresh mint leaves, etc - in the cream.
Heat the cream up - I’ll usually use extra cream when steeping - with the items in it. Remove from heat and let it sit for 10-15 minutes, before straining out the additions.
Re-measure, and bring the cream back up to a simmer before adding it to the chocolate.
2. Adding dried herbs and spices: Season your cream directly with whatever herbs and spices you like.
Remember to go a bit strong on it, as you’ll be flavouring more than the cream - you’re flavouring the chocolate it will go into.
Cinnamon, dried lavender, dried rose petals, cayenne, smoked serrano, dried mint, etc are all options to consider.
If you’re straining any solids out, always start with a bit more cream than you need for the recipe, remeasure and reheat after straining.
Coffee
There are two ways to add coffee flavor to your sugar free chocolate ganache.
The first is the easiest - simply measure your desired amount of Instant Coffee Granules into your hot cream, and stir until it’s fully dissolved.
Another option is to steep coffee beans in the cream when you heat it up – strain them out and re-measure the cream before stirring it into the chocolate chips -you may need to top it up a bit.
Whichever way you do it, use good quality coffee and flavour the cream stronger than you think you’ll need it - the coffee flavor will be diluted by the chocolate flavor, once added to the chips.
“Stuff to Roll Them In”
There are many ways to finish off your keto ganache centers. For variety, you can have several different finishes available, all in their own bowls.
Cocoa powder, unsweetened coconut flakes - toasted or not - and finely chopped nuts are all traditional options that are lower in carbs.. but feel free to go a bit crazy with it.
Just be sure that whatever you use is either powdered or finely chopped, and keeps your carb count in mind.
A few ideas:
Chocolate Coating
If you have extra bags of sugar free chocolate chips, you can dip your ganache balls in melted chocolate.
Place the dipped truffles on a sheet of parchment paper and allow the outsides to set up into a chocolate shell before storing.
(Personally, I find this method way too fussy to bother with!
Cocoa Powder
Unsweetened cocoa powder can be used on its own as “stuff to roll them in” - plain or dutch processed cocoa, it doesn’t matter.
Alternately, you can enhance cacao powder or powdered sugar sunstitute with the addition of various spices - cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, even cayenne pepper... whatever you like.
Try using finely powdered dried citrus peels, or a little dried botanicals - rose petals, lavender, even matcha powder.
Experiment with amount of flavoring used in your cocoa powder, have fun with it!
Nuts
Finely chopped nuts are a fantastic coating for truffles!
Just whirl your favourite type in a food processor until they’re finely chopped.
Alternately, you can use a nut flour - like Almond Flour or Almond Meal - for an easier - and usually finer - coating.
Coconut
Unsweetened Coconut - or Coconut Flour - are especially nice with ganache that’s been flavoured with rum or coconut extract.
Cookies
Finely ground sugar-free cookies of any variety can add an interesting flavor and texture to your truffles.
Miscellaneous Stuff
More options to consider:
- Crushed coffee beans
- Finely chopped sugar chocolate
- Finely crushed sugar-free hard candies. Mint or hard caramels, especially!
As you can see, there are many, many options available for “stuff to roll your truffles in” - and yes, that’s a technical term. 🙂
Mix and match any of these ideas - or anything else you come up with - with the recipes and flavoring options for ganache centers... and the possibilities really are endless!
Rum Flavoured Semi-Sweet Sugar Free Chocolate Truffles, Rolled in Unsweetened Coconut.
My Favourite Flavor Combinations
A few simple ingredients can elevate your keto chocolate truffles to something gourmet. Here are a few ideas for you:
Sugar Free White Chocolate Almond Truffles
A keto version of my , just use Almond Extract in the ganache, and roll the centers in finely chopped Almonds.
I ran whole almonds through a mini food processor until I was happy with the size of the grind.
Sugar Free White Chocolate Almond Truffles.
Chai Truffles
A keto version of my Milk Chocolate Chai Truffles, add ½ teaspoon Cinnamon, ½ teaspoon Cardamom, ¼ teaspoon Cloves, ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg to the ganache*.
Then, add the same to the unsweetened cocoa you’ll roll them in.
Note: I usually do this with milk chocolate, but this time around I used dark. I recommend doubling the spices if you use semi sweet or dark chocolate, or the chai flavour can get lost!
Dark Chocolate Chai Sugar-Free Truffles.
Keto Bananas Foster Truffles
Use 1 ½ teaspoon Rum Extract, 1 ½ teaspoon Banana Extract, and ¾ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon in the cream, just before adding it to the chocolate chips. (Works best with milk chocolate).
Roll the finished ganache centers in finely Chopped Pecans.
(Again, I ran mine through a mini food processor to get a finer grind.)
Bananas Foster Milk Chocolate Sugar Free Truffles.
How to Make Sugar-Free Chocolate Chip Truffles
The full recipe is in the printable recipe card at the end of this post, here is the pictorial walk through:
Place sugar-free chocolate chips into a glass mixing bowl, and put aside.
In a small saucepan, combine heavy whipping cream and butter. Heat to JUST to a simmer over medium heat, remove from heat.
Add any extracts or flavourings you’re using.
Pour hot cream mixture into bowl of chocolate chips. Let sit for 3-5 minutes.
Starting in the middle of the bowl, slowly start stirring the chocolate and cream until all of the chocolate is melted and the cream has disappeared into it – it should be smooth.
Chill in the fridge for at least an hour or two, until it’s pretty solid. (This MAY take overnight with the sugar free chocolate. I had no problems with the Lily’s, but the Hershey’s had me worried it wasn’t going to set up. It did eventually!)
Once solid, scoop out small amounts (a teaspoon or two):
Once all of the ganache is rolled into balls, wash and dry hands.
Keto Chocolate Truffle Storage
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or a few weeks in the fridge.
Note: Allow the truffles to warm up to room temperature before eating!
For longer storage, arrange your keto chocolate truffles in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Freeze for a few hours, then transfer frozen truffles to a vacuum seal bag. Seal, return to the freezer.
Tips for Making Sugar-Free Chocolate Ganache
Sugar-free chocolate ganache is quite easy to make, but there are a few basic principles to keep in mind:
1. Too much liquid will prevent your ganache from setting up enough to roll properly.
Fairly straightforward rule, right?
If this happens, try adding extra chocolate... or use your runny ganache as a chocolate fondue or sauce for ice cream!
2. Not all chocolate varieties are created equally.
While this applies to flavor, texture, and overall quality, I’m actually talking about behavior.
Dark chocolate requires more liquid than milk chocolate, which requires more liquid than white chocolate.
Sugar-free chocolate requires a smaller amount of liquid than other varieties of chocolate...
Please be sure to follow the basic instructions for the variety of chocolate you are using, without swapping the type. (See rule #!)
3. Water is chocolate’s enemy.
Be very careful to use a dry bowl, dry utensils, and to not allow any water to fall into your chocolate.
Water causes melted chocolate to “seize”.
Seizing is when melted chocolate comes in contact with even a little bit of water, and becomes grainy, clumpy, and unpleasant.
For this reason, you should never use a lid when melting chocolate (condensation will occur, and drip in!), and you should always be careful when using a double boiler.
4. Fat amount is important.
The fat content in the chocolate ganache contributes to the smoothness, and the ganache’s ability to hold together.
Using any kind of milk instead of heavy cream really isn’t an option.
5. Liquid added to chocolate must be warm.
Pretty basic rule - cold liquid added to melted chocolate will cause it to seize.
Warm liquid will not - this is why it’s important to heat up the cream mixture before adding it to the chocolate. Do not skip this step!
6. Sugar-Free Chocolate Chips are Just Fine to Use.
Yes, I’m sure the purists just had a heart attack over that phrase... deal with it!
When it comes to traditional truffle making, chocolate chips are a highly unusual medium for truffle making, consistently being eschewed for bars of pure chocolate.
The thing is, however, that not only are chocolate chips are easy to find, they lack the sticker shock that comes with the more traditional chocolate options.
When it comes to sugar free chocolate chips, the sticker shock is definitely still there - especially here in Canada - but it’s still lower cost than buying it in bar form.
I find that this makes chocolate chips a far more accessible option for those who are new to making truffles - especially with regard to sugar-free options.
Anyone can make these truffles at home, with common ingredients, for only about $5.00/20-30 truffles. Far less scary of a commitment than the traditional approach!
More Low Carb Dessert Recipes
Looking to indulge your sweet tooth in a way that won’t spike your blood sugar? Here are some delicious recipes to try!
Keto Chocolate Cookies
Low Carb Chocolate Chip Cookies
Keto Chewy Lemon Bars
Keto Raspberry Coconut Bars
Low Carb Bananas Foster Truffles
Keto Cheesecake
Fudgy Keto Brownies
Easy Keto Lemon Curd
Marbled Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies
Lemon Tart
Keto Biscotti
Sugar Free Sour Peach Gummies
Keto Ladyfingers
Gluten-Free Keto Rum Cake
Keto Tiramisu
Keto Cream Cheese Mints
Keto Chocolate Mousse
Low Carb Holiday Desserts
Keto Creme Brulee
Keto Carrot Cake
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Easy Keto Chocolate Truffles [Low Carb, Sugar-Free]
Equipment
- Small pot
Ingredients
- 9 oz Lily’s Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips* See post for information on other types.
- ⅔ cup Heavy Cream If you're using anything other than semi sweet, see post for the amount you'll need.
- 1 tablespoon Butter
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract** See post for more ideas - and different amounts needed - for other flavourings.
- Stuff to flavor them See post for more ideas - and different amounts needed - for other flavourings.
- Stuff to roll them in See post
Instructions
- Place sugar-free chocolate chips into a glass mixing bowl, and put aside.
- Measure heavy whipping cream and butter into a small saucepan, bring JUST to a boil over medium heat.
- Remove from heat, and stir flavor extract(s) or other flavorings of your choice (See post for details!).
- Pour hot cream mixture into bowl of chocolate chips. Let sit for 3 minutes.
- Starting in the middle of the bowl, slowly start stirring the chocolate and cream until all of the chocolate is melted the cream disappeared into it – it should be smooth.
- Cover with plastic wrap, preferably resting right on top of the surface – this prevents a skin from forming while it cools.
- Chill in the fridge for a few hours, until it’s pretty solid.
- Once solid, scoop out small balls (a teaspoon or so, and roll them into balls. Try to handle the chocolate as quickly as possible, or it will melt.
- Then, roll them in your choice of stuff, and eat them!
- Always best served at room temperature. You can keep them in the fridge so they last longer, but let them fully come to room temperature before eating, for the best taste and texture.
Notes
Nutrition
Old Images
As part of the recipe overhaul, we reshot the photos for this post. Here are the old ones, for posterity.
You did your research girl! Delicious!
What’s wrong with malitol? I had some Italian choc truffles made with this and they were delicious.
Maltitol can raise blood sugar, and tends to have a pretty violent laxative effect on a lot of people!