Keto Caramel
Keto caramel, could such a thing exist? Not only is it a real thing, but it’s also stupidly easy to make and ZERO CARB to boot. It’s so easy to make in fact, that I’m actually kind of embarrassed that I didn’t think of doing it sooner. It requires just 3 main ingredients; butter, heavy cream and sweetener. With those ingredients and a couple of steps, you could be enjoying delicious keto caramel in 30 minutes.
The long journey to Keto Caramel
I didn’t set out intending to make zero carb caramel. With Fall here I was trying to churn out a delicious Pumpkin Spice Latte for everybody. I tried what I thought would make a great cup of Autumn themed joe. I added pumpkin pie filling and whipped cream to coffee. You’d think this would be good…it’s not. Befuddled at this set back I decided to try some of the recipes online. They sucked. Then I decided to try almost all the recipes online. They all sucked. Then I tried just pouring some Skinny Girl Pumpkin Pie syrup and cream in coffee. This was okay but still not what I was looking for. Plus, that doesn’t exactly constitute a real recipe either. Does a great pumpkin spice latte exist outside of Starbucks? Maybe. I’m still working on it for you.
Pumpkin spice latte rant aside, in the process of searching PSL recipes I saw some of them adding caramel on top. This started my brain gears spinning again. I’ve watched enough cooking shows to know that caramel is extremely easy and basic to make. I decided that rather than accept defeat I’d make a keto caramel recipe. I looked at a few recipes to see the approximate ratios and then made a few test batches and here we are.
Delicious Low Carb Caramel
Wikipedia claims that caramel is made by the slow heating of sugar until the molecules break down and reform into the classic caramel taste and color. I’ve determined in the Keto Culinary test kitchen that this statement is false. There’s no sugar in this recipe and yet we still wind up with caramel. In the entire world, just you and I know the real secret of caramel. That it isn’t the sugar but instead the browning of the butter and maybe the cream. Obviously, this lie is perpetrated on the unsuspecting public by big sugar. What other food conspiracies will we unravel? Jokes aside, this works and you can’t tell it’s not regular caramel at all. Perhaps the browning of the butter makes the taste instead. I don’t know. I’m not a caramel scientist or scholar. But this recipe is so good that I sometimes just stand at the refrigerator eating out of the jar with a spoon. It’s zero carbs so it’s okay.
Coming soon is a Cinnamon Caramel Latte as well as an odd caramel bacon thing I made on a whim that turned out to be pretty good. Both of which utilize this delicious keto caramel recipe.
| Cook Time | 30 minutes |
| Servings |
tbsp
|
- 1 stick salted butter
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 4.5 tbsp Swerve sweetner Confectioners
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Ingredients
Optional
|
|
- Melt butter in a pan over low heat. Once butter is melted add Swerve. Cook over low heat until butter is golden brown stirring frequently
- Once butter is golden brown add heavy whipping cream. Continue to cook over low heat until mixture is again golden brown and will coate back of spoon. Stir frequently while cooking.
Nutritional Facts per serving:
18 servings - 1 serving = 1 tbsp
calories: 89
fat: 9.3 grams
carbs: 0
protein: 0
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| Swerve Sweetener: Confectioners | Nielsen-Massey Organic Fairtrade Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract |
I know it is not keto, but could you use corn starch instead of xanthan gum? If so ,how much would you need to make this batch? This sounds so good, can’t wait to try it on keto coconut donuts. I mainly use keto because of blood sugar problems. Thanks so much…
I would think it would work. However, I’ve never tried it. I would swap it for the same amount and see what consistency you ended up with. Obviously, you’ll probably want to experiment with smaller batches.
I was the manager of a chocolate factory for a number of years and we used lecithin and xanthan gum as ingredient binders. If you are having separation issues with the ingredients you can add either binder in small quantities. I would start with a 1/4 teaspoon for each cup of cream and add it with the cream.
Thanks so much for the tip! I’m going to test this with some xanthan gum and see if it helps with separation upon reheating. THANKS!!!
Q – will Xylitol confectioners work too !? Tks !
I don’t see why it wouldn’t. However, I haven’t tried it. Please, check back if you try it to let us know how it turns out. Thanks
I made this with truvia…it was delicious…We ate it poured over vanilla ice cream…I’m making more today to serve over low carb pound cake…💕
I’m glad you liked it!!! Over pound cake sounds delicious 🙂
Is the optional vanilla extract added after it is off the heat?
I add it at the end right before I take it off the heat. For me, it seems to keep the vanilla flavor a little more front and center that way.
I made the Carmel last night. Recipe worked perfectly. It was delicious!!! Got up this morning to make the coffee. Jar of Carmel was solid from being in the fridge. Wanted to be careful to prevent separation. Put it in the microwave for 15 seconds and I got a separation mess. Tried whisking it, tried reheating on the stove. All to no avail. How do you reheat to use in the morning for coffee? I’m at a loss. Want to figure it out before the next batch.
Homemade caramel separates very easily, keto or non-keto. The trick is to heat it as slowly as possible. What I recommend is to take the caramel out of the fridge first thing. That way it can sit at room temperature while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. The longer that is sits at room temperature the better. Heat the caramel last. If you want to use the microwave, use the lowest possible power setting. This is key. High heat is not caramels friend. The reason it separates is either due to an abrupt temperature shift or lack of stirring. Take it out every few seconds to stir and to make sure that it isn’t overheating. Unfortunately, that’s just the way homemade caramel is, fickle and delicious. Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Can’t wait to try this. I’m just investigating keto. What could I put this on that would for keto diet? I need simple sweet and snack ideas. Thank you!
Hey Lisa! I don’t if you’ve seen but the Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe features this caramel heavily. Tomorrow a caramel latte recipe will be coming out that also uses this caramel. Theres also a few other recipes using it coming out very soon.
You can also do things like candy nuts with it, dip extra dark chocolate into it, pour it into molds for caramel candies or even candy bacon with it. I also sometimes just eat it with a spoon.
Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks for checking out my recipe too!
How do you store this? What is the shelf life? Thanks!
Hey Caroline! The caramel should be stored in the refrigerator. It should last at least a few weeks. To be honest it never lasts long enough to really test out what the max shelf life would be. Whenever it’s in the house I always find someone standing in the fridge eating it with a spoon.. Sometimes that person is me…
It will harden when cold. So, you’ll have to reheat it if you want it more sauce like. Because it’s homemade, reheat it gently while stirring it frequently to avoid possible seperation. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Thanks for checking my recipe out!