One of the hardest parts about going keto is cutting out most desserts. Luckily, there are keto-friendly recipes out there for almost every sweet treat you could possibly crave. Whether you are looking to make keto chocolate chip cookies or chocolate-covered strawberries, you might find yourself in need of keto chocolate chips. Hershey’s is a common brand found in most grocery stores, but are their sugar-free chocolate chips keto?
In order to determine whether or not a product is keto-friendly, the simplest thing to look at is the ingredient label. Here are the ingredients in Hershey’s Sugar-Free Chocolate Chips:
Â
Maltitol, Chocolate Processed with Alkali (Adds a Negligible Amount of Sugar), Cocoa Butter, Contains 2% or Less of: Soy Lecithin, Vanilla Extract, Milk (Adds a Negligible Amount of Sugar).*
Â
Right off the bat, maltitol is a red flag. Maltitol is a sugar alcohol that is commonly used as a replacement for sugar in “low-sugar” or “sugar-free” products. However, maltitol does cause a glycemic response and is partially digested, meaning it will spike your glucose and can kick you out of ketosis.
Furthermore, maltitol is known to cause severe GI problems. Consumption of maltitol may lead to gas, diarrhea, bloating, etc.
One serving of Hershey’s Sugar-Free Chocolate Chips (15g) has 70 calories, 4.5g of fat, 9g of carbohydrates, 1g of fiber, and less than 1g of protein. *
No, because of the high quantity of maltitol used, these chocolate chips are not keto-friendly. If you are looking for a more keto-friendly chocolate chip, instead try Bake Believe or Lily’s. Both of these chocolate chips can be found in stores like Walmart and Target, but do not use maltitol.
It should also be noted that all Hershey’s sugar-free products also use maltitol as the primary sweetener. This includes their syrups and candies.
*Nutrition and ingredients can be found on the Hershey’s product website.