Make your own low carb and sugar free chocolate chips at home, with this simple three ingredient recipe!
Ingredients for homemade chocolate chips
Cocoa powder – Use high quality unsweetened cocoa powder for the richest chocolate taste. Or choose cacao powder to create raw chocolate chips. I love the slight bitterness of the cacao.
Coconut oil – The recipe calls for virgin coconut oil or cacao butter. You may substitute refined coconut oil if preferred. Do not substitute vegetable oil or any other oil, because the chips will not harden and you will just get chocolate sauce.
Coconut oil is sold at most regular grocery stores, Costco, Target, or Walmart. Cacao butter should be readily available at health food stores, online retailers, and Whole Foods.
Stevia (optional) – For completely sugar free chocolate chips, use your favorite vanilla stevia drops. You can experiment with other flavors of stevia as well.
A liquid sweetener like honey, agave, or pure maple syrup works for refined sugar free chocolate chips.
Leave out the stevia or other sweetener if you want 100% unsweetened chocolate chips.
Other ingredients – Feel free to add half a pinch of ground cinnamon or a drop of maple or peppermint extract to make flavored chocolate chips. I have not yet tried adding milk for semi sweet or milk chocolate chips.
Homemade sugar free white chocolate chips are next on my list to try. Ooh or maybe sugar free butterscotch chips!
Ways to use sugar free chocolate chips
Chocolate chips are like the little black dress of the food world. I can’t think of many desserts where they wouldn’t be a welcome addition!
Chocolate chip cookies. The DIY chocolate chips work well in homemade Sugar Free Cookies. Cacao butter chips give you slightly more melty results than packaged brands, while still holding their shape in the oven.
No bake desserts. I love adding a sprinkle of these vegan chocolate chips to unbaked treats or ice cream, like my Chocolate No Bake Cookies or Chocolate Banana Ice Cream.
Banana bread. Not just for cookies! The cacao butter version is good in other baked goods, such as quick breads or muffins. You can use coconut oil chocolate chips in recipes where it’s fine if they melt into the dessert. Try them in a Keto Mug Cake or Keto Brownies.
Eat them plain. This is by far my favorite use for chocolate chips. I grab a few (okay, a lot) every time I’m in the kitchen. They also make a delicious topping for oatmeal or yogurt, perhaps along with a scoop of peanut butter. Just be sure to not eat the entire batch straight from the container if you’d planned to use them for recipes.
How to make sugar free chocolate chips
- If your coconut oil or cacao butter is not already melted, very gently heat it in the microwave or on the stove top until melted.
- I like to first sift the cocoa powder in a fine mesh sieve to remove any lumps. This step is not required.
- Stir the cocoa powder, melted oil or butter, and stevia or liquid sweetener in a cereal size bowl until it forms a smooth chocolate sauce.
- Spread the melted chocolate into chocolate chip shaped candy molds or any container lined with parchment paper.
- Freeze until completely solid. Then remove from the freezer. If you are using chocolate molds, simply pop the frozen chips out of the molds. If you froze the sauce on parchment paper, use a sharp knife to carefully cut it into large or mini chocolate chip sized pieces.
- Store chocolate chips in the freezer until ready to eat. Leftovers should stay good for up to four months frozen in an airtight container. But I’m almost never am able to keep them around that long!
Ingredients
- ▢7 tbsp coconut oil or melted cacao butter (80g)
- ▢1/3 cup cocoa powder or cacao powder (30g)
- ▢50 drops vanilla stevia (or use 1/4 cup honey or pure maple syrup and decrease coconut oil to just 4 tbsp)
Instructions
- *Use cacao butter for sugar free chocolate baking chips. The coconut oil version works well for no bake desserts, as a topping for ice cream or yogurt, or eating by the handful.
- 1. If not already in liquid form, gently heat the coconut oil or cacao butter in the microwave or on the stove top until melted.
- 2. For the smoothest results, I like to sift the cocoa powder in a fine mesh sieve. This step is optional.
- 3. Whisk the cocoa, melted oil or cacao butter, and stevia or sweetener in a cereal size bowl. Continue stirring until it forms a smooth chocolate sauce.
- 4. Spread the melted chocolate into a parchment-lined container or into candy molds. If you want that classic chocolate chip shape, I recommend these Chocolate Chip Candy Molds.
- 5. Freeze until completely hardened. If using chocolate molds, simply pop the chips out. If using a container, use a knife to cut into small chocolate chip sized pieces.
- 6. Store in the freezer until ready to use. The homemade sugar free chocolate chips should stay good for up to four months when frozen in an airtight container.