Sweet, crunchy, and quick to make, this Keto Dalgona Candy is just like the South Korean sweet featured in Netflix’s Squid Game, but without all the sugar! Also known as “ppopgi”, make this honeycomb candy the traditional way with a ladle on the stove and a chopstick or the end of a wooden spoon. It’s so fast and easy to whip up! Keto + Paleo
❤️ Why you will love this sugar-free Squid Game Honeycomb Candy
- They’re decadent: These crispy South Korean sweets are very sweet, plus I added butter to make it slightly richer than the original.
- They’re fast! Ready in less than 5 minutes for 2 of these dalgona candy circles.
- You’ll have most of the ingredients on hand. Yep, this recipe calls for 5 pantry staples ingredients, and that’s all! I didn’t have to buy extra ingredients to throw these together.
- They have almost 0 calories and carbs per sweet. A grand total of 11 calories and 0.7g net carbs per dalgona candy. I’ll be making these again and again!
🗝️ Key ingredients for Keto Dalgona Candy
- Sweetener: I used a blend of stevia and erythritol(affiliate). I tried it with just erythritol but couldn’t get it to work quite right so this blend gave the best outcome for me. Note: most “stevia” is a blend or stevia and erythritol rather than pure stevia.
- Baking soda: Hello bubbles! The baking soda reacts to the heat to produce the bubbles which creates the honeycomb texture.
- Butter: A little bit of flavor, I found that adding salted butter just made these dalgona candy circles taste better, and also when I didn’t use it, it seemed to burn easier when cooking.
- Vanilla: Just a little extra warmth and flavor.
- Honey: Honey helps to trap the baking soda gas bubbles and create the honeycomb texture. It also adds flavor. I only added 1/4 tsp per 2 candies (without scraping the teaspoon when it poured, leaving some behind) so there is less than 1g net carbs per dalgona candy. Win!
🥣 How to make Dalgona Candy
Follow this story for step-by-step instructions on how to make Squid Game candy!
1. Measure out 1/2 tsp of honey and 1/8 tsp of baking soda in their measuring spoons, ready to use.
2. Add the erythritol & stevia blend, butter, and vanilla to the bowl of a metal ladle.
3. Place the bowl of the ladle on the stovetop above the smallest gas ring, and turn the gas burner on low.
4. With the stick end of a wooden spoon or a chopstick, begin mixing the ingredients until they melt, about 2 minutes.
5. Remove the bowl from the heat (or switch off the burner) and mix in the pre-measured baking soda and honey.
6. Return the ladle bowl to the heat and count to 10, or until the mixture is foaming but not bubbling much or turning brown.
7. Pour the foam onto the baking paper twice (creating 2 circle dalgona candies) and allow it to cool.
8. After 2-3 minutes, lightly press a cookie cutter into the dalgona candy (optional).
Precautions when making Ppopgi
Whether it’s loaded with sugar or sugar-free, making your own dalgona candy at home needs to come with a warning. The mixture gets incredibly hot when mixing so please, please do not let children make this sweet. It may even be wise to wear fitted oven gloves to protect your hands when mixing the candy up, however, the ladle handle and wooden spoon (or chopstick) kept my hands far enough away to make it safe for me to create them without getting burned.
🤔 How does dalgona candy work?
The baking soda reacts to high heat as well as acid. When the baking soda hits the hot sugar it produces bubbles (carbon dioxide gas) which get trapped by the sugar, giving us the honeycomb texture.
When it comes to using sugar-free ingredients, it’s going to be nearly impossible to create this chemical reaction as ingredients like erythritol are sugar alcohols, and the honeycomb bubbles disappear easier. That’s why it’s important to add just a touch of honey to keep those little bubbles!
🤷♀️ What is the Dalgona Game?
The Dalgona Game from Squid Games is where you make your dalgona candy, and then try to cut out an imprinted shape without breaking the dalgona candy. I’ve broken a few of these dalgona candies when making them, so needless to say it would be a tricky game to play!
❓ Why is it called dalgona candy?
Believe it or not, ppopgi (dalgona candy) came first: not the dalgona coffee! Dalgona is the specific name given to south Korean candies containing glucose that don’t need a mold to make.
😋 More keto dessert recipes to try
- KETO CHIA PUDDING: 2 WAYS!
- KETO PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE FLUFF
- PALEO APPLE CRISP
- KETO PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE BITES
- KETO DOUBLE CHOCOLATE COOKIES
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📖 Recipe
Sugar Free Dalgona Candy Recipe
Ingredients
- 1.5 tablespoons erythritol + stevia blend see not 1 for brand
- 1/2 teaspoon salted butter
- 1/8 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon honey
Instructions
- Measure out 1/2 tsp of honey and 1/8 tsp of baking soda in their measuring spoons, ready to use.
- Add the erythritol & stevia blend, butter, and vanilla to the bowl of a metal ladle.
- Place the bowl of the ladle on the stovetop above the smallest gas ring, and turn the gas burner on low.
- With the stick end of a wooden spoon or a chopstick, begin mixing the ingredients until they melt, about 2 minutes.
- Remove the bowl from the heat (or turn off the burner) and mix in the pre-measured baking soda and honey.
- Return the ladle bowl to the heat and count to 10, or until the mixture is foaming but not bubbling much or turning brown.
- Pour the foam onto the baking paper twice (creating 2 circle dalgona candies) and allow it to cool.
- After 2-3 minutes, lightly press a cookie cutter into the dalgona candy (optional).
Notes
- I used NKD Living's erythritol & stevia blend.