Yum Yum Review: Keto Lollipops and Peanut Butter Cups
/By: Laura Dority MS RD LD
Easter is just around the corner! Definitely focus on filling your Easter basket with non-food related treats such as lovies (stuffed animals), crafts, games, and books but let’s see if we can find a few tasty keto treats to add as well.
We evaluated 2 “keto friendly” lollipops and 2 “keto friendly” peanut butter cups. My official taste testers were nutrition interns (future Registered Dietitians) at the Medical University of South Carolina and I asked them to evaluate the products on taste, appearance, texture, and smell on a scale from 1 to 4 (1 = poor, 2 = acceptable, 3 = good and 4 = great). My toddlers had to try the lollipops as well and they keep asking for more! Of course, I also took a deep dive into the nutritional profiles of these products as well.
Lollipops
Product: Zollipop
Ingredients: Isomalt Syrup, Erythritol, Citric Acid, Natural Flavors, Natural Colors, Orange Oil, Stevia
Nutrition (per 2 pops): 25 calories, 0 grams fat, 0 grams protein, 13 grams total carbs, 12 grams sugar alcohols for a net carb of 1 gram
Cost: 1 package of 25 lollipops = $5.97 (Amazon)
Taste Panel Comments: For taste, appearance and smell this lollipop got a 3 out of 4. Overall this was a fan favorite with an overall “good” rating. Several commented that it tasted just like a normal lollipop.
Knowledge Korner: Isomalt syrup while not ending in the typical -ol like other sugar alcohols is in fact a sugar alcohol. It is used in hard candy because it resists crystallization better than other sugar alcohols so can remain in a hardened form. It has little to no impact on blood sugar levels. Keep in mind that in large quantities it can cause GI disturbances so consume in moderation.
Product: Koochikoo Lollipops
Ingredients: Organic tapioca fiber, citric acid, natural flavours, Natural colors,
Nutrition (1 piece): 14 calories, 0 grams fat, 0 grams protein, 6 grams total carbs, 5 grams fiber for a net carb of 1 gram
Cost: 3 packages of 10 lollipops = $13.99 (Amazon)
Taste Panel Comments: For taste and smell this lollipop received a 2 out of 4 ranking and for appearance a 3 out of 4 for an overall ranking of 2.3 out of 4. A few tasters commented on an unpleasant aftertaste and not being as sweet tasting as they would expect from a lollipop.
So how do these 2 products differ from a nutrition standpoint? The main nutritional difference is going to be that the Zollipop has 1 gram of net carbs in 2 pops with the subtraction of sugar alcohols and the Koochikoo product has 1 gram of net carbs in 1 pop by subtracting dietary fiber. So if you are avoiding sugar alcohols than the Koochikoo product is a great choice. If a small amount of sugar alcohol is tolerated in your keto diet, than the Zollipop may be a more tasty and preferred option.
Peanut Butter Cups
Product: Lily’s Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
*Also available in milk chocolate
Ingredients: Unsweetened cocoa, erythritol, chicory root fiber, peanuts, palm kernel oil, peanut flour, cocoa butter, coconut oil, palm oil, salt , sunflower lecithin, stevia extract, vanilla extract
Nutrition (2 pieces): 140 calories, 11 grams fat, 4 grams protein, 14 grams total carbs, 7 grams fiber, 5 grams erythritol for a net carb of 2 grams
Cost: 1 package (6 cups): $5.99 (Amazon)
Taste Panel Comments: For taste the group ranked this product a 3.2, appearance 3.8, texture 3.7 and smell 3.4 all out of 4 for an overall ranking of 3.5! The tasters loved this product and several made comments about it being some of the best dark chocolate they have ever had!
Product: Choc Zero White Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
*Also available in milk chocolate
Ingredients: White chocolate (cocoa butter, whole milk powder, soluble corn fiber, sunflower lecithin, monk fruit extract, madagascar bourbon vanilla beans), roasted peanuts, cocoa butter, peanut flour, sea salt, monk fruit extract, xanthan gum, guar gum, natural vanilla flavor.
Nutrition (1 cup): 80 calories, 6 grams fat, 3 grams protein, 5 grams total carbs, 4 grams fiber for a net carb of 1 gram
Cost: 2 packages (6 cups per package): $11.99 (Amazon)
Taste Panel Comments: For taste this product was rated 2.8, appearance 3.8, texture 3.7 and smell 3.3 out of 4 for an overall rating of 3.4 so very comparable to the Lily’s Dark Chocolate product except for taste was slightly lower (maybe related to just preference between dark chocolate and white chocolate?). I personally love white chocolate and love this product!
Product: Go Better Keto Cups – Dark Chocolate with Hazelnut Butter
*Also available in almond butter and peanut butter
Ingredients: Roasted hazelnuts, cocao butter, allulose, prebiotic soluble vegetable fiber, cocoa liquor, MCT powder, sea salt, Madagascar bourbon vanilla bean extract, sunflower lecithin, monk fruit extract
Nutrition (3 cups): 140 calories, 13 grams fat, 2 grams protein, 11 grams total carbs, 6 grams fiber, 5 grams allulose for a net carbs of <1 gram
Cost: 1 package (24 cups) = $14.99 (Amazon)
Taste Panel Comments: These were not included in the taste testing panel as they are not packaged individually so with COVID restrictions I was unable to share with the nutrition interns. However, this is both my husband and I’s favorite product!
Knowledge Korner: Allulose is a low-calorie sugar that is found naturally in foods such as wheat, figs and raisins. It has 1/10th the calories compared to regular sugar. Allulose is absorbed by the body but not metabolized. Research has shown it does not have any impact on glucose levels and therefore should not interfere with ketosis.
So what’s different between these products? The biggest difference between these products is the sweeteners. The Lily’s product contains erythritol so if you are trying to avoid sugar alcohols this would not be the choice for you. The Choc Zero product does not contain any sugar alcohols and is sweetened just with cocoa and monk fruit extract so net carbs are determined only by subtracting fiber. Finally the Go Better Keto Cups also do not contain any sugar alcohols but do contain allulose as a sweetener which is relatively new to the keto scene. So which product is best? It really all depends on your individual goals and ingredient tolerance. Some people want to avoid sugar alcohols – okay no problem – other options are available. Don’t want to trial a new sweetener such as allulose- then choose the Choc Zero Product. Got to love choices! Do you have any other keto candy products that you love? Post as a comment!
Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that some of these products may not be appropriate for everyone. They do contain artificial sweeteners, sugar alcohols and other ingredients that certain people may metabolize differently and could negate ketosis. Always check with your keto team if these products are appropriate for you and your individualized keto ratio.