Sugar Free Chocolate Keto Popsicles

These refined sugar free and dairy free popsicles are both Paleo and Keto friendly. They'll remind you of the old school pudding pops you used to eat as a kid. With just four ingredients, they come together in just a few minutes. Perfect for a backyard BBQ or as a cool treat on a hot day!

When I was a kid, I used to eat Jell-O Pudding Pops. Do you remember those? They were so good. So creamy. So much better than regular old Fudgesicles.

Apparently, they were discontinued due to not being profitable. I wish someone would have just told Jell-O to charge more. I'm quite positive an entire generation of people would have paid more just to keep Pudding Pops on the shelves, amiright?

Alas. They're gone, so we have to move on.

I'm by no means claiming these pops to be a suitable replacement for a Jell-O Pudding Pop. But like most things in my now-paleoish life, I try to create replacements that are both a.) reasonably healthy and b.) reasonably delicious.

Enter these Sugar Free Chocolate Keto Popsicles.

What is keto?

Keto is a diet trend that cuts out carbohydrates and sugars to stop the blood sugar from spiking and have the body enter a state of ketosis, a process in which body burns fat for energy because it does not have enough carbohydrates to burn.

Typically when you are eating keto, the majority of your calories are coming from healthy fats, while a very small portion of your daily calories are coming from protein and an even smaller amount are coming from carbohydrates.

Getting into ketosis actually takes careful planning, calculation, and testing. You cannot just "eat mostly fat" and say you are eating keto.

I personally do not practice a keto diet or keto lifestyle. I follow a (mostly) paleo lifestyle, and I have for almost six years now.

For me, my body needs carbohydrates to run on, especially with high intensity exercise. I try to do some sort of high intensity workout 5-6 days a week, and I would not be someone you want to be around if I was not eating carbohydrates with that level of working out.

If you're thinking, "but I thought you were paleo?" Remember, all fruits and vegetables are carbohydrates. Carbohydrates does not have to mean refined carbs, which is where all the things like pasta, bagels, muffins, and cookies come in.

I focus on eating grain free things that look like they did when they occurred in nature, without any additional ingredients.

All of that being said, there's a lot of overlap with paleo and keto, and often times paleo recipes will be keto without even trying, simply because the focus is on healthy fats and quality proteins.

What goes in keto popsicles?

Not a whole lot, when it comes to these particular keto popsicles. These are so super simple and only contain four ingredients. They're dairy free, paleo, refined sugar free, and the perfect sweet treat on a hot day.

Avocado

The king of healthy fats! I love avocado for so many things. Here, it keeps the popsicles creamy and smooth, without leaving them too crystalized.

I tried a version of these without avocado and they weren't nearly as good. I use avocado in my 3 Ingredient Chocolate Avocado Pudding, and I had a sneaking suspicion it would work well here too. I was right!

Almond Milk

You could also use coconut milk if you prefer. Be aware that coconut milk will add more fat to these popsicles, as it is higher in fat than almond milk.

That being said, if you are following a keto diet, the additional fat shouldn't be an issue, and might even be welcomed!

I liked the way these turned out with the consistency of the almond milk combined with the avocado - creamy and smooth, and not over crystalized or icy once they were done freezing.

Cacao Powder

Cacao powder is slightly different than cocoa powder - here's a great resource to read about those differences. You can use either one for this recipe, as it won't change the consistency of the popsicles.

You may notice a slight flavor difference between the two, but I don't think either one will change your mind about these being delicious!

Maple Syrup

I prefer maple syrup as the sweetener for these keto popsicles. It provides a hint of maple flavor and just enough sweetness to bring out the cacao.

You could use a different liquid sweetener if preferred, but the amount may vary depending on what you are trying to substitute. I have not tested this recipe yet with anything other than maple syrup.

What else could you add?

A bit of instant espresso powder = mocha (these can be breakfast now, right?!)

A spoonful of nut butter = chocolate peanut butter

Some chopped hazelnuts = "Nutella"

A handful of chocolate chips (I use these sugar free/dairy free ones) = double chocolate chip

Get creative! You can stir in any bits that you might want to add, or add flavoring of some kind to take these popsicles to the next level.

Or, just leave them as they are. As for this little guy, he likes them just fine with their existing ingredients, as evidenced by him crashing my photo shoot to steal a popsicle in his pajamas!

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