Nanaimo Bars
Published July 12, 2021 • Updated March 15, 2026
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These keto nanaimo bars are my favorite no-bake dessert when I don't want to heat up the kitchen. Three layers: chocolate-coconut crust, buttercream custard, and a chocolate ganache that sets up glossy and snappy.
I first tried the original version at a bakery in Vancouver back in 2018 and spent the next month figuring out how to make it without sugar. Three layers, no oven, and every batch I pull out of the fridge disappears in two days.
The bottom layer is an almond flour and coconut flake crust with cocoa powder (or Cacao Bliss) mixed in. I pulse everything in a food processor until it holds together when pressed. Almond flour compresses better than you’d expect for a no-bake crust. I was nervous the first time, but it sets up solid after 20 minutes in the freezer. The coconut flakes add a subtle crunch that regular graham cracker crust doesn’t have. If you’ve made my keto no bake cookies, you already know how well almond flour holds without heat.
The middle layer is what makes or breaks the whole thing. I use sugar-free vanilla pudding mix instead of traditional custard powder. Custard powder (Bird’s brand, if you’ve seen it) is mostly cornstarch and sugar, so it’s not an option for keto. The pudding mix gives you that same creamy, custardy texture without the carbs. I beat it with softened butter, heavy cream, and powdered erythritol until it’s light and almost mousse-like. If you love that custard layer, you’d also like my keto chocolate mousse.
The ganache is the simplest layer: sugar-free chocolate chips melted with butter in 30-second microwave intervals. Let it cool before you pour it over the custard. Hot ganache will melt right through the buttercream, and you’ll end up with two layers instead of three.
These keep in the fridge for a full week in an airtight container, and they freeze for up to 3 months. I make larger batches and separate layers with parchment paper before freezing. I pull them out about 10 minutes before serving so the custard softens just slightly. Since there are no raw eggs or anything that needs to be baked, the shelf life is longer than most desserts I make. If you’re into batch-prep low carb desserts, my keto fudge and keto s’mores bars work the same way.
The whole recipe takes about an hour with chilling, but the hands-on work is maybe 15 minutes per layer. I usually make the crust and custard in the morning, then do the ganache after lunch. No rush. If you’re new to making bars at home, this is a good place to start. No tricky oven temps, no worrying about rise. You press, you spread, you chill, you eat.
Tips Before You Start
Let the ganache cool before pouring. I learned this the hard way on my first batch. Hot ganache melts right through the custard layer and you end up with a two-tone mess instead of three clean tiers. Wait until it’s barely pourable, almost like thickened cream, then spread quickly with an offset spatula.
The custard sets faster than you think. The recipe says 30 minutes, but mine is usually firm in about 25 if the fridge is cold. Check it before moving on to the ganache. You want it set but not frozen.
Hot knife, every single cut. Run your knife under hot water and wipe it dry between slices. A cold blade will crack the chocolate top and shatter your clean layers. This is the one step I never skip.
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Chocolate Nutty Crust Ingredients
1 1/2 cups almond flour -
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
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1/4 cup monkfruit blend sweetener
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4 tablespoons butter, melted
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2 scoops Cacao Bliss or 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
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3 tablespoons sugar free maple syrup
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1/2 teaspoon salt
Custard Buttercream Filling Ingredients
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1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
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6 tablespoons heavy cream
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1 (1.7 oz) package sugar free vanilla pudding mix
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1 1/2 cups powdered erythritol blend sweetener
Chocolate Ganache Ingredients
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4 oz sugar free chocolate chips
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2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Make the crust
Add almond flour, coconut flakes, sweetener, butter, Cacao Bliss or cocoa powder, sugar free maple syrup and salt a food processor. Pulse until combined.
Press crust into a dish
Line a square baking dish with two sheets of parchment paper. Press crust into the dish using a greased spatula (to prevent sticking). Freeze for 20 minutes to set.
Make buttercream custard filling
In a medium bowl, cream softened butter until light and fluffy using an electric mixer. Add in heavy cream and pudding mix and continue to beat until combined. Slowly add in powder sweetener and continue mixing until fluffy.
Spread custard layer
Spread buttercream custard layer on top of the crust. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set.
Make chocolate ganache
Add sugar free chocolate and butter to a small bowl. Microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until melted.
Spread ganache layer
Pour melted chocolate all over custard layer and spread evenly. Place back in the refrigerator to harden for 25 minutes. Cut into squares to serve.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
How do I cut these without cracking the chocolate top?
I run my knife under hot water and wipe it dry between every cut. A cold blade cracks the ganache every single time. I've tried scoring the chocolate first, but the hot knife method gives me the cleanest squares with zero cracking. This is the one step I never skip.
What is custard powder and can I use it in keto baking?
Custard powder (Bird's brand is the most common) is mostly cornstarch, sugar, and flavoring. I tested it early on and it blew the carb count way past anything reasonable. That's why I use sugar-free vanilla pudding mix instead. It gives me the same creamy, set custard texture without the starch and sugar. The swap is 1:1 and I can't tell the difference in the finished bars.
Can I make these dairy-free?
I've tested this with coconut oil in place of butter for all three layers. The crust and ganache work well. The custard layer is trickier because butter is what makes it creamy and whippable. Coconut oil gets you close, but the texture is a bit denser. I'd use refined coconut oil so the coconut flavor doesn't compete with the chocolate. It's a solid low carb option if dairy is off the table.
Do these taste like traditional nanaimo bars?
I've served these at two different parties without mentioning they were keto, and nobody flagged them as different. The custard layer is where people usually notice a swap, but the pudding mix gets it right. The biggest texture difference is the crust, since almond flour is denser than graham cracker crumbs. I actually prefer it. The crust holds up better and doesn't crumble when you pick up a square.
Can I freeze these and how do I separate the layers?
I freeze these all the time. Cut them into squares first, then layer them in a freezer-safe container with parchment paper between each layer. They keep for up to 3 months. I pull them out about 10 minutes before serving so the custard softens slightly. The ganache and crust hold their texture from frozen.
Can I make the crust without a food processor?
I've done it by hand with a fork and a bowl. Melt the butter first, mix in the dry ingredients, and press hard with a greased spatula. It takes more arm work but the result is the same. The food processor just makes it faster and more uniform. A pastry cutter works too if you have one.
Can I use a different nut flour instead of almond flour?
I've tried hazelnut flour and it works well. The flavor shifts toward a Nutella vibe, which is great with the chocolate layers. Cashew flour is a bit softer and the crust won't be quite as firm. I'd avoid coconut flour here because it absorbs too much moisture and the crust dries out. Stick with almond or hazelnut for the best texture.
I set these out at a birthday thing without saying they were keto. My friend's husband is openly skeptical of anything sugar-free, and I was watching when he tried one. He came back specifically to ask what I'd put in the middle layer. Not the chocolate, the white part. The vanilla pudding mix in that buttercream custard is doing something I still can't fully explain, but I'm not questioning it.
No-bake matters more in July than people realize. Had my neighbor over last week and she got curious about the custard layer, not the ganache, which I didn't expect. She's not low carb, just stopped by for coffee. She kept asking what gave it that texture. Sugar-free vanilla pudding mix, which she didn't believe. 'That doesn't make sense,' she said, but she was still eating while she said it. The ganache looks like the main event, but the custard does the structural work. Cream the butter longer than feels necessary and it lightens up enough to hold the three-layer slice together.
'Still eating while she said it' is the best review a recipe can get. The creaming tip is right, I go a full 4 minutes past when I think it's done. That's what gives the custard layer enough lift to hold three layers clean.
Four minutes, noted! That's probably why my layers weren't setting, I always stop at two.
Buttercream custard firms up overnight and slices clean through all three layers. Pre-cut once the ganache sets, wrap individually. They hold all week without the crust going soft.
Pre-cutting while they're still cold from the fridge is the right call. The ganache is way less likely to crack that way. Mine have lasted close to 10 days wrapped individually and the crust stays firm the whole time.
Never made nanaimo bars before, keto or otherwise, so I wasn't sure three layers would cooperate. The ganache set up glossy and actually snapped when I cut through it. Did not see that coming. Picked this because I didn't want to heat up the kitchen, and the no-bake part made it easier to commit. They're in the fridge right now and I keep finding excuses to cut another piece.
First batch and the ganache snaps on you. That's harder to pull off than it looks. I keep them in the back of the fridge for this exact reason.
One thing nobody tells you: run your knife under hot water and dry it before you cut these. I sliced my first batch straight from the fridge and the ganache cracked into jagged pieces everywhere (still ate every single one, not sorry). Warm knife through the second batch and I got those clean edges you see in the photos. Also swapped the cocoa powder for Cacao Bliss and the crust has this deeper, almost fudgy chocolate hit that I'm freaking obsessed with.
Cacao Bliss in that crust is what I use when I'm making these for myself. That fudgy thing you noticed is real. Took me longer than I'd like to admit to figure out the warm knife too.
I've made at least three other keto nanaimo bar recipes and they all had the same problem: the custard layer tastes like diet food no matter what you do. This one doesn't. The buttercream custard is actually rich and the ganache sets up with that glossy snap instead of going waxy. I'm done looking.
The pudding mix is what makes it work. Custard powder tanks the carb count and still tastes weird. Learned that the hard way.
I've been through at least four keto nanaimo bar recipes and the sticking point is always the same: the ganache either stays tacky or the custard layer melts into the crust. Neither happened here. The ganache sets snappy, which I hadn't seen in any of the others, and the vanilla pudding mix in the custard is a smart call. I'd tweak the coconut ratio slightly (a little less for my taste), but this is the first version that actually holds its shape when you cut it.
That snap took the most rounds to nail. The chocolate ratio is everything. And yeah, most people are skeptical about the pudding mix until they taste it.
Brought these to a spring dinner last weekend and stopped the conversation the moment I sliced into them. The ganache is genuinely so glossy it looks store-bought. Three people were convinced I'd ordered them before I pulled up the recipe. Nobody expected the coconut in the crust, but everyone kept asking about that crunch under the custard. Double batch next time.
The ganache gloss holds for hours on a platter. I've had the same store-bought conversation, and nobody sees the coconut coming.
Tried at least four other keto Nanaimo bar recipes over the past couple years, and every one had the same problem: the custard layer either weeps or slides right off. This one holds because the pudding mix actually stabilizes the buttercream (finally someone figured that out). The ganache sets up properly snappy, which is satisfying in a way I didn't expect from a no-bake recipe. Four stars because my first batch I pressed the crust too thin and lost some of that bottom layer crunch. Making a second one this weekend, correctly this time.
Pressing it thin is the most common first-batch mistake. Go right up to 1/4 inch, press firm with the back of a spoon. And yeah, the pudding mix - that's the thing. Regular cornstarch alone doesn't get the buttercream to hold.
Used espresso powder in the ganache layer and it pushed the chocolate flavor somewhere deeper and more interesting. The snap on top stayed perfect even after two days in the fridge.
Espresso does something to chocolate that's hard to explain. Not coffee flavor, just... more. And yeah, that snap is the thing I'm always watching in the fridge. Good to know it held.
My mom made these every time we visited my grandparents and I hadn't let myself think about them since going keto three years ago. The ganache sets up exactly how I remembered, that glossy snap when you cut through it. Made a batch last weekend and just sat there for a minute.
Three years is a long time to hold off on a memory like that. Glad the ganache held up to it.
I've tested probably four keto Nanaimo bar recipes over the last two years, and most fail at the custard layer. Either too dense or frosting with an identity crisis, and the whole bar loses that classic layered structure. The vanilla pudding mix here cracks the code. The buttercream custard holds its shape between slices and actually tastes like custard, and the ganache sets up snappy like it should. Four stars because I'd dial back the coconut flakes in the crust just slightly, but this is the closest keto version I've found.
Yeah, drop it to 1/3 cup and the crust still holds. I lean heavier on the coconut for texture but that's an easy adjustment.
My son's exact words were 'this tastes like something from a bakery,' and then he spent the next few minutes poking at the ganache trying to figure out why it snapped the way it did. Four stars only because the custard layer softened a bit by day two, but day one these are genuinely incredible.
Ha, a kid reverse-engineering the ganache snap. The custard softens fast at room temp, so I keep mine in the fridge and only pull them out maybe 5 minutes before eating. Holds up way better on day two.
Wasn't sure the sugar free chocolate would give me that clean snap on the ganache, but it set up exactly right. The custard layer surprised me more though, that vanilla pudding base makes it taste closer to the original than I expected. Four stars for now, still experimenting with crust thickness.
For the crust I press mine to about 1/4 inch. Any thicker and the coconut starts competing with the custard.
Third time making these and I finally tried swapping the Cacao Bliss for regular cocoa powder because I ran out. The ganache still set up glossy and snappy, which I was NOT expecting. The custard layer is what keeps bringing me back, that buttercream with the vanilla pudding mix sets up so creamy I kept sneaking spoonfuls before it even went in the fridge. Making a double batch next time.
Yeah, for the ganache it doesn't really matter. The Cacao Bliss makes more of a difference in the crust where it has more surface area. For the double batch I'd freeze them cut, parchment between layers.