The Great Canadian Keto Butter Tarts

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Just in time for Canada Day, these Keto Butter Tarts will be part of our celebrations this year and every month in between.

Today, let me show you how I finally created one of the best keto tarts that you’ll ever try.

The best part is that you can add to it once you have this basic recipe for butter tarts.

Let’s do this.

Types Of Keto Butter Tarts

Hours after I landed in Canada from the UK, my wife had me try Canadian Old-Fashioned Butter Tarts.

She insisted I try one or two if my sweet tooth needed a boost to stay awake after the fight.

They are delicious and remind me of eating sweet, flaky pastry pies but single portion size.

I’ve tried many butter tarts in my years living in Canada, and I decided I wanted to create a keto recipe.

With my mother-in-law being diabetic and both of us following a keto lifestyle, it was only natural to make these before Canada Day. 

The trick is to make them last longer than a few days as they are SO tempting even when frozen.

What is a Butter Tart?

Canadian Butter Tarts are a symbol of excellent cuisine in our country and start with a flaky, buttery pastry and end with a deliciously sweet centre.

Traditional Canadian Butter Tarts are super sweet, and when you bite into them, you’ll find the centre is a thick dark syrup consistency. 

A butter tart is a small pastry tart, which generally consists of butter, sugar, syrup, and egg, filled into a flaky pastry and baked until the filling is semi-solid with a crunchy top.

The Canadian Encylopedia

Filling Changes Using Different Ingredients

Depending on the pie crust recipe, you will also find Canadian Butter Tarts with a thicker centre and a deep-coloured pastry. 

If you add more butter, your crust will be golden brown and flakier, where either way tastes great.

You will see the difference in the photos below as I show you variations of my Keto Butter Tarts. 

An original recipe for butter tarts follows sugar pie beginnings, without nuts or dried fruit variations like you can get today.

We’ve tried many variations with our Keto Butter Tarts recipe, as you can essentially add to the filling whatever nuts and fruits you like (or Bacon).

Transform This Recipe By Adding Your Favourites

You will notice the photos of Keto Tarts throughout this post have variations of many of these below.

• Keto Pecan Butter Tarts
• Walnut Butter Tarts
• Keto Almond Butter Tarts
• Raisin Butter Tarts
• Keto Bacon Butter Tarts
• Chocolate Chip Butter Tarts (We use Krisda Sugar-Free Chocolate Chips found at Zehrs or Loblaws stores) Lately, Amazon Canada has the best price beating Loblaws by $1.00 a bag.
  

Ketogenic Butter Tarts Filling and Caramel Sauce

The butter tart filling recipe I chose to use went through many tests in our house as we tried to get that sweet, liquid texture. 

First off, you will see photos of two different filling styles where one uses Surkin Gold brown sugar and the other Swerve confectioners sugar.

They are both delicious, but I prefer to use the Sukrin gold to get the classic butter tart golden filling colour.

That’s never a problem for sweet and Keto, but finding the old-fashioned butter tart consistency was challenging.

Essentials For A Gooey Centre

Each time I tried to make the keto butter tarts, the filling always baked up gooey, but you will end with firm butter tarts after they cooled.

I still think the addition of vegetable glycerin is essential (optional) to help keep somewhat of a gooey texture along with the xanthan gum.

As you will see, the filling looks like creamy caramel, but after baking, it will thicken as it doesn’t have corn syrup.

Tips For Keto Pastry Making

I’ve learned three things when making any keto recipe with a gluten-free pastry.

1. They are better two days later and frozen or chilled first.
   
2. Keto Butter Tarts may not look identical to old-fashioned butter tarts but they sure do taste similar.
3. You’ll only accomplish a traditional runny butter tart filling texture after you microwave it or add heat to them.

Easy Keto Baking

I consider it easy to make these butter tarts as I’ve tried not to complicate the recipe with unnecessary steps or ingredients.

The idea is to keep it close to Canadian tradition for those following the Keto diet.

However, if you want to add chopped walnuts or pecans, we tried both, and they taste amazing.

Always Get Second Opinions

A friend who taste-tested our tarts messaged us that they were the best butter tarts she’s ever tried.

She typically buys them at a local Keto bakery and says ours has beaten them hands-down and now wants to place orders with us.

Ha! I couldn’t imagine mass-producing these in our kitchen for sale, but many people sell Keto baked goods from their homes.

It was nice to get that type of compliment from someone who follows Keto as we do.

Gluten-Free Butter Tart Shells

I tried variations of butter tart shells and kept going back to the same recipe for my Keto Cheesecake.

There’s no cream cheese in this butter tart pastry, as you will find in many other keto pastries.

I was not too fond of the tangy flavour or hints of cream cheese, so I left it out.

It’s not bad but just didn’t fit the traditional part of the Canadian butter tart to me.

Simple Keto Butter Tart Pastry

To keep the keto tart shells simple, all you will need is almond flour, cold butter, salt, sweetener, and Vanilla.

One thing I want to point out is that there is no rolling of pastry in this recipe.

Just take a scoop and press it into the muffin tin; it’s that easy.

I tried to roll it out, and it just got too complicated and time-consuming, and this press-it-in method works.

The other thing is to make sure you spray your muffin tins with cooking spray.

You may think there is enough butter in the pastry, and they will come out easy, but they won’t.

How To Get The Best Results

I have a little trick to get keto butter tarts out quickly. I freeze them first.

Once the keto butter tarts are cold, I stick a knife in the corner, and they pop out.

I’ve made so many variations of these keto butter tarts over the past six months.

Some of my recipes were great, and others were not a complete flop but needed some tweaking.

I did not freeze them the other three times first, went with the cooldown method, and then removed them.

Nope, and they don’t just fall out if you turn the pan over either.

The sugary butter tart filling tends to bubble up and over, causing the butter tart to stick.

How To Make Canadian Keto Butter Tarts

I tried the butter tarts in a large muffin tin and jumbo muffin tins and found the jumbo muffin tins to be the best.

The bigger muffin tins allow for a thicker crust and more room for the filling to bubble up and far easier to remove.

That’s just my choice, but you can use any size muffin tin you like. This particular recipe makes six giant Keto Canadian Butter Tarts.

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
• Makes 12 Large Butter Tarts or 6 jumbo Keto Butter Tarts

Full Recipe For Keto Butter Tarts

The Great Canadian Butter tarts are sugar-free, gluten-free and can be made into many variations with the basic keto butter tarts recipe.Ingredients

• Butter Tart Pastry
• 2 cups Almond Flour
• ¼ cup of Sweetener of choice (Erythritol)
• 1 stick of cold butter ½ cup
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon Pink Himalayan Salt
• Butter Tart Caramel Sauce
• 1 stick of cold butter ½ cup
• ½ cup Sukrin Gold Sugar
• ⅜ cup Heavy Whipping Cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon maple extract
• ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon vegetable glycerin
• ¼ teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
• 2 teaspoons cold water
• Butter Tart Filling
• ½ cup powdered sweetener (Erythritol)
• 1 large egg
• ¼ cup melted butter
• Cooking Spray for Muffin Tin.

Instructions

1. Butter Tart Pastry
2. In a food processor add all of the pastry ingredients and mix until combined then set aside.
3. Butter Tart Caramel Sauce
4. In a medium saucepan on medium heat add your cold butter, salt, sugar, extracts and combine until melted.
5. Next add your whipping cream, glycerine and sprinkle the xanthan gum on top then stir until the mixture is bubbling. You can turn the dial up a bit.
6. Once the sauce is caramel in consistency remove from the stove and add your cold water right away and mix it all fast.
7. Set aside in a bowl for 10 minutes to cool or until cooled.
8. Butter Tart Filling
9. To your cooled caramel sauce add one egg and mix until combined.
10. Then add your melted butter and powdered sweetener and mix
11. Putting it all together
12. You can make 12 small keto butter tarts or 6 large butter tarts.
13. Divide your pastry into however many tarts you will make then press the pastry into a muffin tin sprayed with cooking spray.
14. Fill each pastry to the top with the butter tart mixture.
15. When it bakes it will bubble up and settle later once it cools so don’t worry about that. (see photos)
16. Bake for 15 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the top layer of the tart is sheen.
17. Let cool overnight.
18. I put mine in the freezer to chill then take a knife around the edge of the butter tart to pop them out.
19. Best the next day but even better two days later.
20. They can stay in the freezer up to 3 months in an air-tight container.
21. Add sugar-free keto ice-cream on top with caramel for a decadent dessert.

Wait To Eat Them

It’s best that you enjoy the butter tarts the next day but even better two days later.

If you plan to make them for dinner, bake sale or holiday, I suggest making them days in advance.

They can stay in the freezer for up to 3 months in an air-tight container.

You can add sugar-free keto ice cream on top with caramel for a decadent dessert.

Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Butter Tarts Macros

Keto Butter Tarts Macros 12 butter tarts: 288 calories, Carbs 6.9 (3.5 net carbs)

Macros will vary if you use a jumbo muffin tin and make six instead of 12.

Your macros will also change if you add extras like Bacon, nuts, dried fruits or sugar-free chocolate chips.

Note: Do your calculations based on specific ingredients that you use, as they will all differ.

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