Naniamo Bars are a Canadian classic that I'm happy to promote. They have a soft not overly sweet chocolate base that's made with cocoa powder, shredded coconut and chopped nuts (usually walnuts or almonds but pecans also work well!)

They then have a creamy filling made typically using a pudding mix of some sort or custard powder (we'll talk a bit more about that below). Finally they are topped off with a thin layer of melted chocolate. Pop them in the fridge, (no baking required) and then you have some beautiful looking bars that everyone will love!

I brought these to a birthday party last week and most people that tried this recipe actually thought they were just regular Nanaimo bars. They were a huge hit! So definitely give them a try if you know some picky family members/friends.

Ingredients In Low Carb Nanaimo Bars

Almond Flour – I use the Kirkland Costco brand of almond flour (I buy it in bulk on Amazon or at Costco itself occasionally) for this recipe. As I’ve noted in many of my past recipes, the brand of almond flour can affect the final outcome of the recipe because absorbency can vary depending on how the flour has been processed.
Cocoa Powder – I use the Rodelle brand again from Costco. I find it to taste better than other brands!
Powdered Monkfruit Erythritol Sweetener – I use the SoNourished brand for both granular and powdered sweetener and love it! The powdered is the best option for no-bake goods and desserts where you want a very smooth final product like this one.
Custard Powder – I know I'll get a few questions about this one so let me explain, custard powder DOES contain cornstarch which has ~9g of carbs per tablespoon. We are using 2 tbsp for this Low Carb Nanaimo bar Recipe which is 18g of carbs BUT this is divided by 24 bars only adding 0.75g of carbs to each bar! This is very small and for most individuals on a ketogenic diet, this is completely fine as long as you track the low carb nanaimo bars into your daily carb limit like anything else. BUT if you are very strict keto, you can try a pastry cream like the one I used for my Keto Boston Cream Donuts. You may need to double the filling from that recipe, also note that it's a little softer than a filling made with custard powder. FINALLY if you also don't want to use that pastry cream, you can make my Keto Cheesecake Nanaimo Bars that replace a traditional pastry cream filling with a cheesecake filling (they are also delicious and were a hit when I brought them to a Christmas party!)

Tools I used To Make This Low Carb Nanaimo Bars Recipe

Low Carb Substitution Guide – This is totally optional but if you like my recipes, I now have a $5 guide available with all of the substitutions I use to create every recipe on my site. You can use this to convert old traditional recipes and create new keto recipes! You can purchase it here and/or read more if you are interested. 🙂 I appreciate your support so much guys!
Nutritional Food Scale – AKA my best friend. This little buddy has been with me for over 4 years and never fails. Perfect measurements and only needs the batteries replaced maybe once a year!
11×7 Inch Pan – This is a more unconventional size of pan but it works really great for this recipe. If you don't have one then you can use and 8×8 inch pan, just know the bars will be a little bit thicker than the ones in the photos!

Tips For Making Low Carb Nanaimo Bars

When spreading your filling, do your best to evenly cover the entire base of the bars for the best final result.
Make sure BEFORE you spread your final chocolate layer that your bars have completely hardened in the fridge to prevent mixing of the two layers.
Feel free to add different chopped nuts to the base of these bars! Walnuts are just a common choice.
When cutting these squares, use a large, sharp knife. Have a cup or bowl of very hot water beside you that you can dip the knife in and a paper towel to wipe it off after. Using a hot knife will prevent the chocolate topping from cracking much as the knife will just melt through that layer. We used to do this when I worked at a French bakery slicing giant Nanaimo bars every day!

Low Carb Nanaimo Bars Recipe

Serves: 24 bars (16 thicker bars if you make these in an 8×8 inch pan)

Ingredients:

Crust

1 3/4 cup almond flour, 196g
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut, 112g
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts, 60g
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, 120g
6 tbsp powdered monkfruit/erythritol sweetener, 72g
5 tbsp cocoa powder, 30g
1 egg, beaten, room temperature

Custard Layer

1/2 cup butter, softened, 120g
3 tbsp heavy cream, 45g
2 tbsp custard powder, 21g
1 cup powdered monkfruit/erythritol sweetener, 210g

Chocolate Topping

~3/4 cup stevia sweetened chocolate chips, or chopped 90% dark chocolate, 168g, 6oz
1 tbsp butter, 15g

Directions:

Crust

In a bowl, combine your almond flour, coconut, walnuts and salt. Set aside.
In a double boiler (or a smaller pot that sits decently inside a large one partially filled with water) add your butter and turn the heat to medium.
Whisk as needed until the butter is almost melted, next add your cocoa powder and sweetener and whisk well until combined.
Then to add your egg, just whisk tiny bits of the hot cocoa/butter mixture into the egg ITSELF in a separate little bowl, whisking constantly and adding more every now and then until the egg is mixed with about 1/4 of the total mixture. Now you can add your egg mixture to the pot with the rest of the ingredients and whisk constantly until the mixture starts to become thick. (Doing this process just helps the egg from cooking and turning into scrambled eggs immediately when it hits the hot liquid).
Once the mixture has thickened, remove it from the heat and add it to your dry ingredients from earlier. Stir well until everything is combined. You may find using your hands here helps.
Press the chocolate dough into the bottom of an un-greased 11×7 inch pan (or 8x8inch pan). Try your best to make it as flat and even as possible. Set aside.

Custard Layer

In a bowl, beat together your softened butter, heavy cream and custard powder until light and fluffy (~1min).
Add your sweetener and beat again until the mixture is well combined
Spread your custard layer as evenly as possible over your crust then refrigerate for ~2 hours or until fully hardened.

Chocolate Topping

To make your chocolate topping, add your chocolate and butter to a bowl and microwave for 30s at a time, stirring in-between until smooth.
Spread the chocolate over the custard layer, smoothing it out to be as even as possible. Then refrigerate again for at least 45min-1 hour.
Now you can slice your squares using the knife method I mentioned in the tips of this post! Serve the Nanaimo Bars chilled and store the leftovers in an airtight container between layers of wax or parchment paper in the fridge or freezer. Enjoy!

Nutrition For 1/24th of recipe (1 bar): 199 calories | 19g fat | 4.4 NET carbs | 3.4g protein

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Low Carb Nanaimo Bars Recipe

Delicious low carb nanaimo bars that are a huge hit at any social gathering!

Prep Time30 mins

Refrigeration Time2 hrs 45 mins

Total Time3 hrs 15 mins

Course: Dessert

Keyword: nanaimo bars

Servings: bars

Calories: 199kcal

Ingredients

Crust

1 3/4 cup almond flour 196g
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut 112g
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts 60g
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter 120g
6 tbsp powdered monkfruit/erythritol sweetener 72g
5 tbsp cocoa powder 30g
1 egg beaten, room temperature

Custard Layer

1/2 cup butter softened, 120g
3 tbsp heavy cream 45g
2 tbsp custard powder 21g
1 cup powdered monkfruit/erythritol sweetener 210g

Chocolate Topping

~3/4 cup stevia sweetened chocolate chips or chopped 90% dark chocolate, 168g, 6oz
1 tbsp butter 15g

Instructions

Crust

In a bowl, combine your almond flour, coconut, walnuts and salt. Set aside.
In a double boiler (or a smaller pot that sits decently inside a large one partially filled with water) add your butter and turn the heat to medium.
Whisk as needed until the butter is almost melted, next add your cocoa powder and sweetener and whisk well until combined.
Then to add your egg, just whisk tiny bits of the hot cocoa/butter mixture into the egg ITSELF in a separate little bowl, whisking constantly and adding more every now and then until the egg is mixed with about 1/4 of the total mixture. Now you can add your egg mixture to the pot with the rest of the ingredients and whisk constantly until the mixture starts to become thick. (Doing this process just helps the egg from cooking and turning into scrambled eggs immediately when it hits the hot liquid).
Once the mixture has thickened, remove it from the heat and add it to your dry ingredients from earlier. Stir well until everything is combined. You may find using your hands here helps.
Press the chocolate dough into the bottom of an un-greased 11x7 inch pan (or 8x8inch pan). Try your best to make it as flat and even as possible. Set aside.

Custard Layer

In a bowl, beat together your softened butter, heavy cream and custard powder until light and fluffy (~1min).
Add your sweetener and beat again until the mixture is well combined
Spread your custard layer as evenly as possible over your crust then refrigerate for ~2 hours or until fully hardened.

Chocolate Topping

To make your chocolate topping, add your chocolate and butter to a bowl and microwave for 30s at a time, stirring in-between until smooth.
Spread the chocolate over the custard layer, smoothing it out to be as even as possible. Then refrigerate again for at least 45min-1 hour.
Now you can slice your squares using the knife method I mentioned in the tips of this post! Serve the Nanaimo Bars chilled and store the leftovers in an airtight container between layers of wax or parchment paper in the fridge or freezer. Enjoy!

Notes

When spreading your filling, do your best to evenly cover the entire base of the bars for the best final result.
Make sure BEFORE you spread your final chocolate layer that your bars have completely hardened in the fridge to prevent mixing of the two layers.
Feel free to add different chopped nuts to the base of these bars! Walnuts are just a common choice.
When cutting these squares, use a large, sharp knife. Have a cup or bowl of very hot water beside you that you can dip the knife in and a paper towel to wipe it off after. Using a hot knife will prevent the chocolate topping from cracking much as the knife will just melt through that layer. We used to do this when I worked at a French bakery slicing giant Nanaimo bars every day!