Nothing says Christmas quite like peppermint and chocolate. This no-bake Keto Candy Cane Pie combines the two in the most delicious way. It's so easy to make and no one will ever guess that it's low carb!
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We celebrate Christmas with my Dad and Step-Mom and every year they have a friend who delivers the most simple and yet incredibly delicious dessert. It's just peppermint ice cream with a crushed Oreo crust. As I'm typing it out, I see how silly it sounds but you're gonna have to trust me on this one. It really is amazing!
I have been trying to decide how, or even if, I am going to stay keto during the Christmas holiday and this dessert was causing most of the struggle. Even if I DO decide to eat a few treats over the holiday - a sugary pie would likely give me some serious GI issues that would make Christmas not so fun!
So, I decided to come up with a good substitute and that's just what I did! I am honestly shocked at how good it turned out. I tested it on my 14 year old son and some of his friends - and they all LOVED it! In fact, they ate the entire thing, minus the sliver I was able to sneak away for myself.
Ingredients and preperation
The crust for the pie is SO easy to make. It's just a little almond flour, cocoa powder, erythritol, and butter. It will be a little crumbly when it's all mixed together, but it should still hold it's shape.
I find that the easiest way to spread the crust into the pie plate is to use the back of a rubber spatula or the back of a flat measuring cup. Try to get the crust as even as possible.
For the filling I considered making a homemade peppermint ice cream, but then my ancient ice cream maker broke, plus homemade ice cream can be a pain in the rear and I am all about easy - especially in December!
Instead, I just whipped up a basic no-bake cheesecake adding in a little more whipping cream to increase the fluff, some chocolate chips, and of course, Peppermint extract.
When it comes to sweeteners I almost always prefer the powdered erythritol which you can get HERE. Erythritol can stay grainy in cold desserts, so the finer texture of the powdered variety seems to blend in better for me. You can also use regular erythritol and just run it through a food processor to make it finer.
The gold standard for keto chocolate chips is, of course, Lily's. Lily's chocolate is sweetened with stevia and is absolutely delish. Unfortunately, I can't find Lily's chips in any stores near me.
I usually just order them from Amazon, but if you don't have the time you can substitute Guittard extra dark chocolate chips, which taste great and have the lowest carb count of any traditional chocolate chip that I've found. (I've also recently seen a great dark chocolate chip from Kroger's Simple Truth brand!)
I couldn't be happier with how this turned out. If you try it, I would love to know what you think about it - so let me know down in the comments!
Be sure to check out these other great recipes:
📖 Recipe
Candy Cane Pie
Ingredients
For the crust
- 1 cups Almond Flour
- ¼ cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- ¼ cup Confectioners Erythritol you can use regular or confectioners, but I prefer confectioners
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ cup Butter melted
For the filling
- ¼ cup Butter Softened
- 8 oz Cream Cheese Softened
- 1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 cup Confectioners Erythritol
- ½ - 1 teaspoon Peppermint Extract
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla
- 3 tablespoon Low Carb Chocolate Chips
- Red Food Coloring optional
- 2 Sugar Free Starlight Mints crushed (optional)
Instructions
To prepare the crust
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Combine all of the ingredients for the crust in a large bowl. Stir until they are well combined and uniform. (it will be pretty crumbly)
- Press this mixture into a 9" pie plate using your hands or the back of a spoon. Make sure that the mixture goes up the sides of the pan as well.
- Bake for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool before filling.
For the Filling
- Using an electric mixer, combine the butter and cream cheese until they are well combined. Add the erythritol and the whipping cream and continue mixing until everything is incorporated.
- Next, mix in the vanilla and ½ teaspoon of peppermint extract - mix well and then taste. Add more peppermint extract to taste - but be careful! A little peppermint goes a long way!
- Roughly chop your chocolate chips into smaller pieces (skip this step if you are using mini chips)
- Fold the chocolate chips (reserve about 2 teaspoon worth), and 2-3 drops of red food coloring into the cream cheese mixture.
- Pour into prepared (and cooled) pie crust. Top with crushed peppermint and reserved chocolate.
- Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.
Be sure to read the entire post for tips, tricks, and help troubleshooting.
The nutrition information listed here is only an estimate and is simply provided as a courtesy. It nor any other information within this post should constitute medical or nutritional advice. Be sure to read all packaging and ingredient labels for potential allergens. Optional ingredients are not included unless otherwise specified.
Nutrition
Kaysee says
Can this be frozen?
Kara Johnson says
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. My husband and I have been living the keto style for over 9 months and lost over 45 pounds each. He’s at his goal and I still have 5-10 to go. I’ve never claimed to be a cook much less like to but I’ve probably cooked more in this last year than I have in my life and I still look for easy and quick recipes. This pie fit the bill and I made it for Christmas and it was a delicious hit with everyone. Now my daughter and grandkids are coming for their Christmas and I’m making another for them to enjoy since I am no longer keeping candy in the house. It certainly doesn’t last long. ❤️
Sabra says
So happy to hear that it was a hit Kara! and congrats to you and your husband on your weightloss!!
Alishia Knight says
Can this be made the night before? Will it still be yummy?
Sabra says
Hi Alishia! This pie will keep well for several days in the fridge. If You want to add crushed peppermints to the top, I would wait and add them just before serving as they get kind of melty in the fridge. I hope that helps 😋