It can be hard to find sweets and other goodies that work for a keto-friendly diet. A keto diet works for some people, but that doesn't mean those people don't miss snacks they might think are taboo while sticking to the low-carb way of life. Thankfully, those people can rejoice, because dark chocolate actually can be keto-friendly...if you pay attention to what's in it.
Is Chocolate Keto-Friendly?
Chocolate, in general, is not always keto-friendly. But if you pick dark chocolate containing a minimum of 70 percent cocoa solids and eat it in moderation, there's a better chance it can fit into a diet that watches carbohydrates, according to Healthline. If you do that instead of snacking on chocolate bars, chocolate chips, brownies, and other sweets made of milk chocolate, you're already in good shape.
What Makes Dark Chocolate Keto-Friendly?
The easiest way to stay keto and still eat chocolate to satisfy your sweet tooth is to eat strictly chocolate that is labeled keto chocolate. But other low carb chocolate can work, too, and you can find things like dark chocolate bars that work if you're on keto without actually being labeled that way.
When keto diet expert Maryann Walsh spoke with Eat This, Not That, she explained that "Dark chocolate can absolutely be keto-friendly, as dark chocolate will often times have less sugar than many milk chocolate bars." Sugar-free chocolate has a better chance of fitting into a low-carb or keto diet, but other chocolate can, too, even if it isn't a kind with no sugar in it.
The key to making dark chocolate keto is to watch the carb count. If you check the net carbs per serving in a chocolate bar you're checking out, it becomes pretty obvious pretty quickly whether or not it will work with your ketogenic diet.
Chocolate made with a sweetener like erythritol, a sugar alcohol whose carbs your body doesn't digest according to Is It Keto, or with stevia are also more likely to fit into a keto diet. Lily's, for instance, is an extremely popular chocolate brand in the keto community that uses erythritol. Meanwhile, chocolate made with lots of added sugar is not as likely to.
Can You Make Keto-Friendly Chocolate?
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High-quality dark chocolate is more likely to be keto, whereas milk chocolate is often more high carb and is a no-go. If you're on a low-carb diet like keto, you've gotta pay attention to the label to see that the chocolate is made with quality ingredients.
But if you're not finding much that you're interested in on Amazon or in your local grocery store and you really want to find some to stick to your diet or for other health benefits, you can make keto chocolate for yourself. There are recipes online that include simple ingredients like unsweetened chocolate, coconut oil, butter, cocoa butter, sea salt, and so much more. Why not be a little adventurous with your keto journey and give it a shot?
Watch: I Tried 5 Different Keto Fast Food Breakfasts to Find the Best
