Keto Halva – The cleanest version

Keto Halva is one of those ketonisations that sound impossible! However, many Keto-oriented websites offer different recipes. Interestingly, most of them include questionable ingredients such as xantham gum or bamboo fibre. Some of them feature sugar alcohols and other not-so-clean sweeteners. To make it clear, this will not be the case on this site! As you know, we always go for the cleanest and most natural versions. If it has to be ketonised, let’s do it the way people would do it before the industrial revolution! When we say this, we mean before the ingredients for everyday cooking were made in the laboratory.

What is it and why we made Keto halva?

If you love this oriental dessert, you know that there are two versions. The simple one with wheat flour and the advanced one with tahini paste. Naturally, both versions are loaded with sugar. In Greece, it’s particularly popular for the beginning of lent. Since we already have the substitute flours and sweeteners, why wouldn’t we ketonise this awesome oriental dessert?

Keto Halva should not be that difficult, right?

Have you travelled to Greece, Turkey, Israel or maybe one of the Arabic countries? If yes, you must have heard about Halva. Most probably, you were offered to enjoy it with coffee! Originally, the word Halva comes from Arabic and means a sweet treat. However, there are some records that a similar dessert existed in Ancient Greece! Sounds reasonable since the ancients used to mix honey and sesame paste for different purposes.

The two classical versions

Even though there are hundreds of versions all around the globe, we can distinguish 2 basic types of the famous Halva. The first is made with wheat flour and could be called the simple one. The more advanced version is made with a nut or seed butter such as Tahini paste. To make our Keto halva, we’ll just go for the more advanced version! Let’s see some interesting historical data about Halva in general.

The first known, written halvah recipe appeared in the early 13th centuryArabic Kitab al-Tabikh [The Book of Dishes].

The word halva entered the English language between 1840 and 1850 from the Yiddish halva (Hebrew: חלווה‎), which came from the Turkish helva (حلوا), itself ultimately derived from the Arabic: حلوى‎ ḥalwá, a sweet confection.^[3] The Arabic root حلو ḥelw means “sweet”.

This type of halva is made by frying flour (such as semolina) in oil, mixing it into a roux, and then cooking it with a sugary syrup. This variety is popular in India, Greece, Armenia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Somalia, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.

Sesame halva is popular in the Balkans, Poland, Middle East, and other areas surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. The primary ingredients in this confection are sesame butter or paste (tahini), and sugar, glucose or honey

The classical method, low-carb ingredients

There’s no reason to skip the enjoyment of this unique dessert in the land of Ketonia! Indeed, our Keto halva will be healthier than the classic one. At the same time, it will not be as aggressive as the so-called Tahini halva. Instead, our Keto Halva will be the cleanest version you can find online. At the same time, it will be so low in sugar! If you don’t have the time to bake a Keto cake, Keto Halva is your best friend! It’s ready in 10 minutes and it will impress anyone!

Keto Halva – The cleanest version

Recipe by Roberta Kapsalis

5 from 1 vote

Course: Keto DessertCuisine: Keto Mediterranean, Keto OrientalDifficulty: Easy

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Servings

20

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Resting time

1

hour 

Calories

92

kcal

Ingredients

• 100 g 100 butter or coconut oil
  

• 100 g 100 tahini paste

• 200 ml 200 water

• 1 tsp 1 powdered stevia or monk fruit extract
  

• 7 tbsp 7 5 tbsp hazelnut or almond meal
  

• 2 tbsp 2 coconut flour

• 1 tbsp 1 psyllium powder
  

• 1 tsp 1 Ceylon cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp 1/2 ground cloves

• 1 pinch 1 ground nutmeg

• 1 tbsp 1 lemon zest

• 5 tbsp lemon juice

• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

Directions

• Melt the coconut oil and tahini paste with water and sweetener at a low temperature. Now, add all the spices and vanilla extract and mix well. 
• Spoon by spoon add the almond (or hazelnut) meal and coconut flour and keep mixing. Remove from the heat and add psyllium powder and lemon juice. Mix energetically. 
• Line a baking pan with parchment paper and pour the mixture in. Even it with a tablespoon. Decorate with some nuts of your choice. Place it in the freezer for 20 minutes or in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours…
• Using a sharp wet knife, cut out the cubes in the size of 3×3 cm (1×1 inch) and serve them as a Keto dessert or enjoy it as fat bombs. Keep them in the refrigerator and use them within 5 days.
  

Notes

• Ideally, use powdered monk fruit or stevia sweetener. We don’t recommend using blends that include sugar alcohols. If you decide to use a liquid sweetener, we recommend monk fruit with caramel flavouirng. Use at least 30 drops of liquid extract sweetener.
• In some countries, Halva is made with sunflower seed paste instead of tahini. If you are allergic to sesame, you can try this or any other nut or seed paste that doesn’t bother you.

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