Food gifts are always popular for the holidays. Unfortunately, traditional
gourmet gift baskets aren't as popular as they once were. There is so much
feasting between Thanksgiving and New Year's that a basket of typical
high-calorie, starch- and sugar-laden holiday treats can be an unwelcome way
to pack on even more unwanted pounds. Recipients may give away the
high-calorie, high-carb items in the gift baskets they receive (or eat them
and feel bad afterward).
Fortunately, as more and more people are choosing to eat low carb, savvy
manufacturers are creating an ever-increasing array of delicious foods that
consumers can indulge in without negatively affecting their health or piling
on the pounds. A gourmet gift basket filled with tempting low carb treats they
can indulge in guilt-free is a present everyone can enjoy.
You can customize the contents of each gift basket to suit the recipient's
taste, preferences, and dietary restrictions by choosing sugar-free,
keto-friendly, gluten-free, or dairy-free products.
Have fun picking out the perfect low carb goodies for your holiday gourmet
gift baskets!
The first thing you'll need to do is to choose your low carb gourmet treats.
Then, you'll pick a suitable basket or another container to fill with the
items you've chosen.
From luscious chocolates and caramels to festive cookies, savory meat sticks,
high-protein pasta, low-carb baking mixes, and more, you'll find
recommendations here to delight everyone on your holiday gift list.
Festive (and Guilt-Free) Sweet Treats
If your gift recipient has a sweet tooth, the holidays are the time to
indulge!
Chocolates for Connoisseurs
My favorite low carb chocolates hands-down are made by ChocZero and The Good
Chocolate. Both these companies have extremely high standards for quality,
flavor, and mouthfeel. Everyone on your list, regardless of dietary
requirements or preferences, will love these luxurious, gourmet chocolate
treats!
The ChocZero Royal Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles are absolutely
divine. Silky milk chocolate sweetened with monk fruit enrobes a hazelnut
center and crushed gluten-free cookies. No one would ever believe there's no
sugar in these fabulous truffles!
Each truffle is wrapped in elegant metallic gold foil and nestled into its own
depression in the custom-molded inserts in the clear, hard plastic
presentation box beautifully designed for gift-giving to even the most
discerning recipient.
These are no-added-sugar masterpieces from a truly talented chocolatier. A
perfect pick that's also gluten-free and keto-friendly.
(Bonus: They also contain healthy prebiotic fiber to support gut health and help you feel full longer!) I'm so excited that they have added ChocZero dark chocolate hazelnut truffles and ChocZero white chocolate coconut hazelnut truffles to the line!
I wrote an in-depth product review of The Good Chocolate bars that explains in detail all the reasons I love this company's terrific
chocolates.
Although their products aren't inexpensive, this is a luxury product that any
chocolate connoisseur would appreciate.
They have an excellent variety of flavors including some unusual gourmet
options, such as Dark Chocolate with Ginger and Dark Chocolate with Coconut
& Turmeric (which sounds weird but is absolutely delicious!).
I also love their Signature Dark Chocolate, Salted Dark Chocolate with Roasted
Almonds, Dark Chocolate with Himalayan & Sea Salt, and Milk Chocolate
bars.
I highly recommend adding an assortment to your low carb gourmet gift baskets
so your gift recipient can find his or her favorites. For example, The Good Chocolate Keto Chocolate Bar Variety Pack includes one bar of each of the above flavors except the Dark Chocolate
with Coconut & Turmeric.
Another terrific option for people who love Snickers bars but not all the
sugar they contain is the ChocZero Rhea candy bars. These are
positively decadent! I defy anyone who tries them to guess that they don't
contain any added sugars.
This is a real, good old-fashioned candy bar that tastes like that famous
childhood favorite but contains no added sugars.
Each Rhea bar is yummy nougat topped with loads of chopped peanuts embedded in
gooey caramel, and then the whole bar is enrobed in a coating of decadent milk
chocolate.
The bars are individually wrapped, so they're easy to throw in a purse or tote bag. As a bonus, in addition to the full-size bars, you can also get mini Rhea bars for a yummy treat with fewer calories. They're also perfect for Halloween!
An interesting tidbit: The Rhea in the name is ChocZero's wonderful Chief
Growth Officer, who not only leads the brand's excellent marketing (which is
both principled and transparent) but also is actively engaged with
customers.
A newer addition to their line is the ChocZero Oasis Bars, which are milk chocolate, coconut and almond candy bars that are perfect for Mounds bar lovers who are looking for a low sugar, low carb option. These also come individually wrapped but are available on in the mini size. My husband and I love them!
I really love this company, its products, and its people. It's no wonder they
are growing so quickly and have such a loyal following.
ChocZero Chocolate Keto Bark is one of the brand's oldest and most popular
products, and for good reason. It comes in a wide range of delicious flavor
choices, with new flavors introduced from time to time and some occasionally
retired. My husband and I really love these delicious, individually wrapped squares of rich,
luscious chocolate, some filled or studded with flavorful additions.
Some of our favorite flavors are Dark Chocolate Peppermint Crunch, Dark Chocolate Almond with Sea Salt, and Dark Chocolate Caramel Crunch.
They are all sweetened with
monk fruit and are the perfect size to satisfy a sweet tooth without
overindulging.
We always have a good selection of
flavors on hand at our house!
Chewy Caramels
Another sweet innovation for carb-conscious candy lovers is
ChocZero Soft Caramels. These soft, chewy candies come in a choice of sea salt caramel (that salted caramel flavor that is deservedly popular among foodies) and almond caramel.
Sweetened with monk fruit, these
individually wrapped, kettle-cooked, classic caramels will remind you of
old-fashioned homemade caramel candies. These sugar-free treats contain no
sugar alcohols or corn syrup.
A serving of three of these yummy caramels (depending on the flavor) has just 100–130 calories, 0 grams of added sugars, and 2 net carbs.
Marshmallows
Another exceptional sugar-free treat from ChocZero is their marshmallows.
They
make regular ChocZero Marshmallows (AKA S'mallows), mini marshmallows, and freeze-dried marshmallows like the ones in many popular kids' cereals. Occasionally they also make fun seasonal
shapes, like twisted rainbow Unicorn marshmallows.
I haven't been able to stop eating them since they launched!
They're perfect for floating in hot cocoa, snacking, and using in recipes.
For someone who loves Rice Krispie Treats, consider including a bag of
ChocZero Marshmallows and a copy of my recipe for Healthy Pistachio Cherry Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cereal Treats.
Low Carb Cookies
There are a lot of commercial keto and low carb cookies on the market.
Frankly, very few of them are worth eating. Here are some noteworthy
exceptions.
ChocZero Premium Danish Shortbread Cookies look just like the wonderful
Danish butter cookies we all know and love, but minus the added sugars. They are crisp, sweet, buttery,
and delicious, and come in a choice of boxed or in a decorative blue tin.
They would make a great addition to your low carb gourmet gift baskets!
HighKey Snacks is best known for its delicious, bite-sized mini cookies.
I have always loved Pepperidge Farm Milano Cookies, and ChocZero has their own delicious sugar-free version called ChocZero Jolies. Jolies are sqaure, rather than elongated oval shapes, and come in a changing selection of flavors, such as Mint Chocolate (our favorites), Dark Chocolate, Dark Chocolate Orange, Dark Chocolate Raspberry, and White Chocolate.
For Oreo lovers, ther are also ChocZero Dunkies, filled sandwich cookies that come in a variety of flavors such as Chocolate Creme, Vanilla Creme, Churro Creme (with cinnamon), and Lemon Creme. Our favorite is actually a seasonal flavor, Chocolate Peppermint Creme.
Dunkies, true to their name, are perfect for dunking in a glass of cold dairy or nondairy milk, or in a cup of tea or coffee for a sweet treat.
HighKey Mini Cookies come in Brownie Bites, Chocolate Chip, Snickerdoodle, Vanilla Wafers and Ginger Spice flavors.
The Ginger Spice are definitely a holiday favorite and are great crushed to
make a flavorful cheesecake crust. I love them in a crust for pumpkin
cheesecake!
The Classic Variety 3-Pack includes one bag each of Double Chocolate Brownie,
Chocolate Chip, and Snickerdoodle mini cookies, so your gift recipient can try
a few flavors.
I've also written an
in-depth product review of HighKey Sugar-Free Sandwich Cookies, which are one of my favorite Oreo alternatives and a gift any Oreo lover who's
trying to cut back on sugar would appreciate.
The newest HighKey cookie offering is also a winner and might be my favorite
cookie from this brand!
HighKey Chocolate Chip Protein Mini Cookies are soft, chewy
chocolate chip mini cookies packed with14 grams of protein per package.
I love bringing these along in my purse or carry-on bag in case I need
something to stave off hunger pains on the go.
I really hope HighKey decides to make these in additional flavors. They're a
terrific addition to their product line!
Savory Goodies
If your gift recipients prefer savory to sweet, here are some tasty picks
they're sure to enjoy.
High-Quality Meat Sticks
Meat sticks are a convenient low carb snack. They're high in protein, low in
calories, and great to tuck in a purse or carry-on bag for a satisfying
protein boost on the go.
My favorites are
PaleoValley 100% Grass-Fed Beef Sticks. According to the manufacturer's website, "Paleovalley 100% Grass-Fed Beef
Sticks are the only beef sticks in the USA made from 100%
grass-fed/grass-finished beef and organic spices that are naturally
fermented." These delicious, individually wrapped, grass-fed beef sticks come
in several tasty flavors: regular Summer Sausage, Garlic Summer Sausage (my
personal favorite), Jalapeno, Teriyaki, and Original.
All the flavors except Teriyaki have 6 grams of protein, 0 grams of sugar, and
70 calories; the Teriyaki beef sticks have 80 calories. They are non-GMO,
gluten-free, grain-free, corn-free, soy-free, and dairy-free.
I also love PaleoValley 100% Pasture-Raised Maple Bacon Pork Sticks. These are made primarily from pasture-raised pork with organic spices
and a touch of sweetness from organic maple syrup. They are naturally
fermented to make them shelf-stable without the use of preservatives.
Each delicious maple bacon pork stick has 80 calories, 5 grams of protein, and
2 net carbs. They're gluten-free, soy-free, dairy-free, non-GMO, with no added
sugar, no artificial nitrates, or nitrites.
The PaleoValley beef and pork sticks are soft and moist. If your gift
recipient prefers a firmer, chewier, beef jerky-style meat stick, I highly
recommend the CHOMPS Grass-Fed Beef Sticks.
These individually wrapped, jerky-style sticks are made from grass-fed and
grass-finished beef. They come in your choice of Original, Habanero, Jalapeño,
Italian Style, Sea Salt, Smoky BBQ, and Taco Beef flavors.
Each CHOMPS beef jerky stick has 9 grams of protein, 0 grams of sugar, 90
calories, and no gluten, soy, or dairy.
The flavors range from extra-mild to medium spicy to suit the recipient's
preferred spice/heat level.
Pasta and Sauce
A low carb lifestyle can include pasta, as long as you choose the right kind.
Although low carb pasta doesn't have an identical taste or texture to
conventional pasta, there are some satisfying options.
One of my favorites is
Kaizen pasta made with high-protein lupin flour. It's available in a variety of
popular pasta shapes including fusilli, ziti, cavatappi, and radiatori. You can also purchase a variety pack with one box each of all four flavors.
I recommend cooking it a bit longer than the package directions suggest, since
otherwise, it can be a bit chewy.
Because the taste is a bit different than that of conventional pasta, I highly
recommend pairing it with a robust low carb sauce.
We really like Rao's Homemade Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce made with
fresh basil.
It's more expensive than some other brands, but the taste is worth the premium
price, and the ingredients are fresh and high quality, like those you would
use to make your own marinara sauce at home.
Another good low carb option to try that's considerably less expensive per ounce is
Yo Mama's Keto Marinara Sauce. It's a lesser-known brand that deserves more recognition.
Yo Mama's also makes a range of other keto and low carb pasta sauce flavors, such as Alfredo, Four Cheese, Garlic, Burgundy, Chianti, Rosé, and Vodka, among others. They're definitely worth checking out!
Baking Mixes
I've reviewed several low carb and keto baking mixes here on Review This
Reviews. Two of my favorite brands are Scotty's Everyday and Good Dee's.
Scotty's Everyday Keto Pizza Crust Mix is a fantastic option for
enjoying fresh, homemade pizza. It makes a delicious crust that has 80
calories, 2.5 grams of protein, and an amazing zero net carbs per
slice.
We like baking ours on a pizza stone to get a thin, crispy crust. It's the
closest thing to real pizza dough that's also keto-friendly!
Read my in-depth product review of
The Best Keto Pizza Crust Mix With 0 Net Carbs
to learn more about why this baking mix is a winner.
I've reviewed
Good Dee's Low Carb Cookie Baking Mixes
here on Review This Reviews. We recently made a batch of my favorite (butter
pecan cookies) and they were delicious!
I also love Good Dee's brownie mixes, cake mixes, and bread mixes. Good Dee's Corn-Free Bread Mix is a key ingredient in my Low Carb Cheddar Corn Dog Muffins recipe, which is delicious and one of my husband's favorite meals.
A package of the Corn Free Bread Mix along with a copy of my cheddar corn dog
muffins recipe would make a great addition to a low carb gourmet gift basket.
This mix is the best alternative to cornbread for people who are avoiding corn
and grains, especially when enhanced with additional corn flavoring, as I do
in my low carb cheddar corn dog muffins recipe.
You really can't go wrong with any of the Good Dee's baking mixes. They also
make sugar-free rainbow sprinkles that would be great paired with one of the
cake mixes!
A good low carb pancake or waffle mix would also be a welcome treat. Scotty's
Everyday Keto Pancake and Waffle Mix is excellent. Just mix it with water, an egg, and vanilla extract for quick and easy low carb pancakes or waffles.
Each fluffy pancake prepared according to the package directions has only 70 calories, plus 3 grams of protein, 24 grams of fiber, and 0 net carbs!
Don't forget to include a bottle of high-quality sugar-free maple syrup! We
love
Wholesome Yum Zero Sugar Maple Syrup
and
ChocZero Maple Syrup, which also comes in maple cinnamon and maple pecan flavors.
Crackers
A lot of low carb and keto crackers taste like cardboard. Fortunately, there
is one brand I can recommend enthusiastically.
My favorite, far and away, is Real Phat Foods almond flour crackers.
They're made with simple, clean ingredients "with no artificial anything
ever." They're grain-free, gluten-free, yeast-free, soy-free, and
GMO-free, and all flavors except cheddar are also dairy-free.
A 1-ounce serving has 150 calories and only 1–2 net carbs per serving.
I've tried and enjoyed all the flavors, which include Rosemary, Cracked
Pepper, Original, Cheddar, and Sweet Cinnamon Crunch.
The cheddar is my favorite, but the Original almond flavor is great paired with your favorite
cheese or jam.
I suggest getting the assortment with one bag of each flavor so your gift
recipients can find their favorites to reorder.
This is another category where ChocZero has been knocking it out of the park.
ChocZero jams are the best quality sugar-free jams on the market, in my
opinion.
They're sweetened with monk fruit instead of unhealthy artificial sweeteners,
chock-full of real fruit, and taste fantastic. They're also thick and jammy,
not watery or gummy like some other sugar-free jams I've tried.
ChocZero Jams come in Grape, Raspberry, Blueberry, Strawberry, Orange Marmalade and Black Cherry jam.
These are great for PB&J sandwiches, with crackers, to fill thumbprint
cookies, and lots of other tasty uses.
For the Nutella lovers on your holiday gift list, ChocZero makes excellent sugar-free chocolate hazelnut spreads.
My favorite is the
ChocZero Dark Cocoa Hazelnut Spread, which is also vegan, but the closest to Nutella is the
ChocZero Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Spread.
ChocZero Cookie Spread is also fabulous!
Sugar-free honey is a relatively new invention.
ChocZero Keto Honey Substitute is a vegan clover honey alternative that comes in an adorable
bear-shaped bottle. It has only 1 net carb per serving and packs 18 grams of
dietary fiber per serving. It's sweetened with monk fruit instead of
artificial sweeteners and tastes delicious! It's a 1:1 replacement for honey
in any recipe and is delicious in tea. There's also a ChocZero Keto Hot Honey Substitute for those who prefer their honey with a bit of a spicy kick.
The other low carb honey we love is
Wholesome Yum Zero Sugar Honey Substitute, which comes in several flavors variations including Cinnamon, Jalapeño and Turmeric Ginger.
This keto-friendly honey alternative is sweetened with monk fruit and allulose
and has only 15 calories and 0 net carbs per tablespoon. It also has 6 grams
of dietary fiber.
It has the same consistency as honey from the bees and, like ChocZero honey,
is designed to be used in recipes as well as drizzled on pancakes or toast,
stirred into tea, etc.
The most notable thing about Wholesome Yum Zero Sugar Honey Substitute is its flavor variations: original, cinnamon, jalapeno, turmeric
ginger, and orange. Imagine using the orange honey in a glaze or marinade for
chicken or the jalapeno honey to make hot honey chicken wings!
Any of these jams, spreads, or honey choices would be excellent paired with
a keto bread, biscuit or scone baking mix, Real Phat Foods
almond flour crackers, or a low carb pancake or waffle mix.
Baskets and Other Container Ideas
Whenever I receive a gift basket, I always save the container to repurpose.
That's what I did to make the low carb gourmet gift basket pictured below.
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I repurposed the wicker basket from a gift I received, wrapped the
handle with fancy ribbon and a decorative pick, and filled it with
delicious sweet and savory low carb treats.
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If you don't happen to have one on hand, Amazon has a huge selection of
wicker baskets for gifts
in a wide variety of shapes and sizes to suit your needs.
You could get creative and stow your gourmet treats in a crockpot or air fryer
for a more extravagant gift.
The easiest approach of all would be to tuck your low carb goodies into a
festive holiday gift bag. My friend and fellow Review This Reviews contributor
Raintree Annie has some great suggestions for
Reusable Christmas Gift Bags.
Alternatively, if you want to give mostly smaller treats, you might use them
to stuff a
beautiful Christmas stocking.
An Awesome Low Carb Gourmet Gift Basket Everyone Will Love by Margaret Schindel
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