Keto cocoa puffs are one of the TASTIEST low carb cereal and low carb snacks. Seriously, guys, you won’t need dessert once you pour yourself a bowl of this stuff…
With gluten free cereal recipes like this, my fellow low carbers and I don’t have to be denied!
Sometimes you just want Netflix, sweatpants and a great big bowl of cereal… and now you can have it! Similar to my low carb granola, these low carb cocoa puffs make for a fantastic low carb breakfast or snack for those times when you’re craving something sweet and crunchy on the go!
C’mon, let me show you more!
Looking for more keto breakfast? Check out my keto granola, keto oatmeal, or my coconut flour pancakes.
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What I Love About This Low Carb Cocoa Puffs Recipe
I absolutely love taking a sweet delicious stroll down memory lane without guilt or shame. Just me and a big bowl of cereal on the couch – no glutinous store-bought sugar bombs here!
Besides that, these keto cocoa puffs are so easy to make, and they’re so flexible healthy recipes!
Here are even more reasons to love them:
- Ready in 30 minutes
- Sweet, crunchy and delicious
- Protein-PACKED! And nutritious
- Multiple yummy uses
- Only 4 simple ingredients!
Recipe Notes
Keto cocoa puffs have a bit of a nostalgic quality that just beckons to low carbies, myself included! Making them is actually fun.
Ingredient Notes
Preparing sweet crunchy low carb cocoa puffs that are addictingly delicious is super simple, but there are a few little tricks that can help ensure great results!
Peanut Butter — Opting for smooth creamy keto peanut butter is best, especially if you choose to craft the little squares. Since you’ll have to bake them it really helps if they’re rolled into a thin and even layer. Crunchy peanut butter makes that difficult.
It also REALLY helps if you soften the peanut butter before mixing your ingredients. Tossing it in the microwave will do the trick! I stir mine every 30 seconds until its nice and soft.
Protein Powder — is what gives your low carb cocoa puffs that light, airy crunch. It IS the difference between sweet crunchy cereal and soft chewy brownie bites.
Make sure to use a low carb chocolate protein powder you REALLY like. This isn’t the time to run out and try something new. If you don’t love the way your keto protein powder tastes by itself, then you won’t care for it in your low carb cocoa puffs either!
I know, not everyone LOVES using protein powder in recipes… I tested this recipe with almond flour a BILLION times and wasn’t able to achieve the same crunch factor I was with protein powder. Personally, soft cereal doesn’t curb my cereal cravings…
Erythritol — sweetens the cereal a tad more! You can leave it out, or sub in your favorite sugar alternative.
Cooking Tips
So, here’s the thing. There are two ways to make these delightful low carb cocoa puffs, and they’re both equally scrumptious. That being said, one way does take much longer than the other…
Once you have all the ingredients combined into your tasty low carb dough, decide between squares or puffs…
For squares: simply roll out the dough and use a pizza cutter to create little squares that resemble something like Cinnamon Toast Crunch. This only takes a couple of minutes to make!
For balls: You’ll want to keep your hands damp — this will keep the dough from sticking and make it easier to roll. Remember, try to keep them roughly the same size.
Tools To Make
Making these awesome little low carb cocoa puffs full of chocolatey goodness and a sweet crunch doesn’t require any crazy kitchen gadgets. You only need a couple of things:
- Medium bowl
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- If you decide to make the delectable little squares, then you’ll also need a pizza cutter
Of course, you may want to put on a large bib and keep your cereal bowl nearby!
Storing Tips
Storing your low carb cocoa puffs is as easy as storing any other cereal. You’ll want to keep it in a plastic Ziploc or an airtight container to keep it fresh and crunchy. I like to stash my low carb sweet snacks in the fridge.
Can You Freeze This?
Unfortunately, you can’t freeze these low carb cocoa puffs (after baking) as the thawing process makes them soggy. Believe me, I’ve tried…
Meal Prepping Tips
This delicious low carb breakfast cereal can be ready in as little as half an hour because all you have to do is toss a few ingredients in a bowl, mix and bake. Voila!
Bake a week’s worth of cereal ahead of time, and stash it in the fridge in portioned out baggies for healthy breakfast cereal or healthy snacks all work week long!
Low Carb Cocoa Puffs Recipe Variations
Changing the recipe for these low carb cocoa puffs will also change the flavor. Choose subtle enhancements like:
- Use your favorite nut butter (other than peanut butter).
- Opt for different flavored protein powders — peanut butter flavored, vanilla, you name it!
- You can also choose a three-flavor combination of protein powders. Make a batch of each and mix them together for a fruity low carb cocoa puffs concoction resembling Trix!
- Add some nuts! Check out this grain free granola, to see how you can add some texture into this delicious breakfast!
More Keto Breakfast Recipes
Keto Cocoa Puffs
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 2/3 Cup Keto Protein Powder chocolate (whey-based protein will give you the best results)
- 1 Egg
- 1/4 Cup Keto Peanut Butter softened + wet!
- 1 Tablespoon Swerve or Lakanto (see sweetener notes below) or sweetener of choice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl. If the batter seems dry/crumbly, add a few teaspoons of mild-tasting oil or coconut oil (this just means your peanut butter is dry).
- To make circles (takes a LOT more time, but they’re REALLY fun): pinch a thumbnail-sized amount of dough and roll between your hands to form a ball. Place on the baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes, then take the baking sheet out of the oven and carefully move the balls around so they cook on the other side. Place back in the oven and cook another 5 minutes. Allow to cool and enjoy!
- To make squares: Place dough on a piece of parchment paper, with a second piece of parchment on top. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a thin and even layer about 1/4-1/8” thick. Remove the top piece of parchment paper. Use a pizza cutter, cut into small squares (about 1”). Bake in the oven for 5 minutes, then take the baking sheet out of the oven and carefully break up the squares, so they’re no longer connected. Bake for another 7 minutes. Allow to cool and enjoy!
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Lindsey's Tips
- You want to be sure your PB is wet (they tend to dry out with age). If it's dry, add a few teaspoons of coconut or mild-tasting oil.
- Protein powder (plant-based vs. whey). Whey becomes "airy" as it bakes, whereas casein and plant-based products will remain denser. Use whey protein powder for most cereal-like results.
- Lakanto, Swerve, or Erythritol. I stick to Lakanto and Swerve which are a 1:1 swap with traditional sugar. If using a different brand of Erythritol, keep in mind it's 70% as sweet as sugar, so you may need to add more to taste.
- Nutritional information will vary depending on how many squares or puffs you make, the easiest way to calculate is to divide the finished recipe into 4 servings:
What is a serving size? This is next on my list! Do you think you could make a vanilla cinnamon one? How would I adjust it?
Hi Kari! There are 2 servings per recipe — since everyone will form different sized squares this is the most accurate way to count. And yes, vanilla cinnamon would be delicious! Try this recipe with vanilla protein powder instead of chocolate and add cinnamon 🙂
I only have unflavored protein powder. How much cocoa and sweetener to add to make these? I don’t want to buy a whole tub of chocolate protein powder until I know I love this.
Hi Sheryl! I haven’t tested this recipe using unflavored whey protein powder. I would start with 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder + 1/4 Cup of erythritol. Taste and adjust as necessary. Hope you enjoy!
I made these with the It Works Shake and they’re even lower carb and ferocious! Non GMO, gluten free, and yummy!
Wow! will check that out Susie! 🙂 Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Can I store them in my pantry?
Hi Brandy! I stash this in the fridge. Hope you enjoy ???
hallo, i want to make the recipe for kids and i dont want to use protein powder, what other flour can i use?
Hi Maria! You can try making this with almond flour and a bit of cocoa powder. Come back and let us know how it turns out!
My dough is super dry..? Add more peanut butter?
Hi Jen! Some peanut butters are more/less dry, depending on the product and how old they are. Add a teaspoon at a time of coconut oil, until it forms a workable dough. Enjoy ?
Hi, my dough was also very dry and sandy, refusing to become a workable ball. I had some eggs whites in the fridge and added a tablespoon or so at at time. It worked. They are in the oven and smelling like heaven.
Sounds great Victoria! Thanks for sharing your tips!?
Can I use flax or chia egg instead?
Hi Lilyan! Instead of the egg? I haven’t tried this recipe without the egg, but you can test it! Let us know how it goes ?
Thanks lindsy! This could save me big bucks! Im addicted to p.b. magic spoon and its ungodly expensive.is there a way to incorperate nut butter into this recipe without ruining it?
YES! I think hazelnut spread would be AMAZING here in lieu of the peanut butter! Just make sure your hazelnut spread is “wet” as dry nut butters will make it extremely hard to mix the ingredients together. Come back and let me know what you think!!
These look great. One of my kids is dairy free – do you think egg white protein will work? Thanks for your recipes.
Hi Jenny! Yes, egg white protein powder will work, but make sure it’s sweetened, as this recipe uses the protein powder for its sweetness (if not, you can add some powdered erythritol too!) Hope you enjoy! ?
Can i use plain protein powder instead and season with savory flavors.thanks
Absolutely! Let us know what you try, sounds awesome!
Hi, Lindsay. My kids don’t like peanut butter. Can I make these without peanut butter so they are plain chocolate?
Thanks so much.
Stacie
Hey Stacie! Peanut butter helps to make the dough more workable. You can sub in another nut butter, or coconut oil? If you give either a try, let me know how it goes. And enjoy!
Is there a way to make it and leave out the peanut butter lol. Sorry just wanted a more chocolate taste. This was awesome by the way just im more of a chocolate/ chocolate fan. Love your site by the way. Thank you so much for these wonderful recipes.
Hi Kimberly! Thank you so much for the kind words, and I’m so happy you enjoyed this! You can totally skip the PB. You can use almond butter instead (milder in flavor) or melted butter/coconut oil. Let me know what you try and how it goes!
Sorry I ment hazelnut spread.
so if i wanted to use this recipe to make CHEESE puffs, should i use plain protein powder than dust them afterwards? or put the flavoring in before baking?
Hey Kelly! Awesome idea! I would probably add in some cheese before baking to maximize the cheese flavor, maybe instead of the PB? Try melting the ingredients together then shaping them. And come back and tell me how it goes!
Have you tried this with coconut oil or a neutral oil like avocado oil instead of peanut butter? I’m intolerant to nuts and want to try this out but with a substitute. I have a nut free granola butter but would that work? I also have coconut butter but its pretty solidified so i’m not sure that would work either…?
Thanks!
Hi Ashley! You can totally try coconut oil, in fact, that would be easier to mix in (as you know, it melts more easily). I would start with 2 tablespoons, and add up to 2 more tablespoons if the dough seems dry and needs it. Can’t wait to hear how this turns out for you!
It turned out pretty crumbly but formed into balls. Once baked it was very dense, not at all puffy. Did I roll them too tightly? Should I have added more peanut butter? If I want it more chocolate flavored, can I add cacao powder?
Hi there! Sounds like your peanut butter was dry? You want to make sure your peanut butter is wet, or, you can add a few teaspoons of coconut oil. If using whey protein powder, the cereal shouldn’t be dense, were you by chance using a plant-based protein powder?
Have you tried with powdered peanut butter to lower the fat content
Hi Olivia! No I haven’t — you would definitely need to add some water to the powdered PB to make it workable. If you give it a try, let me know how it goes!