What Are Keto Fat Bombs and Are They Healthy? (Bonus: 5 No-Bake Vegan Fat Bomb Recipes)

If you’re asking, “What are keto fat bombs?” you may be worried about the answer. A fat bomb doesn’t sound like a good thing, but it is! These easy-to-make, no-bake keto diet boosters can be a fantastic sweet or savory treat. Read on to discover how keto fat bombs work, plus a few recipes so you can try them yourself.

What Is the Keto Diet?

First things first, let’s start with what makes a keto diet. The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, low-carb diet not unlike the Atkins diet, designed to train your body to burn fat for energy instead of the sugars in carbohydrates. It does this by drastically lowering your carb intake and upping your healthy fat consumption, putting your body in a state of ketosis by which your metabolism does the harder work of breaking down fat for energy, including and especially the fat that is already stored on your body. It’s a safe way to shed pounds quickly.

When your body reaches ketosis, you’ll begin producing ketone bodies, which help supply energy to your brain. On top of that, keeping a ketogenic diet can massively reduce your blood sugar and insulin levels, protecting you from two huge risk factors for type 2 diabetes. 

Different types of ketogenic diets include:

• The standard ketogenic diet: This is the classic low-carb, moderate-protein, and high-fat keto diet. With your macronutrients at a ratio of 65-75% fat, 15-20% protein, and 5-10% carbs.
• The cyclical ketogenic diet: This is a more intermittent ketogenic diet that involves higher-carb periods of time, as in spending 5 days a week on the standard keto diet, 2 days eating carbs at a higher ratio, and then cycling back again.
• A targeted ketogenic diet: The targeted keto diet allows for carb consumption specifically around workouts so you can utilize that quick carb energy to build muscle.
• A high-protein ketogenic diet: In this version of the keto diet, you’re upping your protein to a ratio more in keeping with 60% fat, 35% protein, and still around 5% carbs.

Cyclical or target versions of the keto diet are most useful for those who work out, like athletes or bodybuilders. Otherwise varying from the keto golden ratio can easily kick you out of ketosis, and possibly lead to increased weight gain, so tread with caution.

What Are Keto Fat Bombs?

A “fat bomb” sounds like it could be a disaster, but really it’s just a convenient and tasty way to make sure you get enough fat in your diet when you’re trying to consume up to 75% of your calories from fats. For first-time keto dieters that can be a tough ask: are you supposed to just eat a handful of avocados every day? 

We’re often taught that dietary fat is a bad thing, that we should be eating low-fat and fat-free everything, but in truth healthy fats are indispensable to your diet, and with a careful keto balance you can train your body to see fat as food and use it up quickly, which is an excellent boon to your health. Research now shows that certain saturated fats like butter, cream, and coconut oil can help improve our cardiometabolic risk factors, like the fat stored on our bodies, and our insulin, blood sugar, and blood lipids (triglycerides) levels.

A fat bomb is as good as a bath bomb in that it gives you a high concentration of the healthy fats you need in a conveniently palm-sized powerball.

How Do Keto Fat Bombs Work?

Think of fat bombs as little energy balls for those working to reach ketosis. The way they “work” is by providing you with a high concentration of healthy fats with whatever tasty flavorings you like, be that vanilla extract, healthy nut butters, coconut cream, or cocoa powder for a chocolate fat bomb. These quick keto snacks help you meet your macronutrient goals without resorting to fast food or breaking your stride and having to start the keto diet all over again, which could mean more time spent dealing with keto flu.

Are Keto Fat Bombs Healthy?

Keto fat bombs are as healthy as the ingredients you include, which means they can get very healthy. Coconut oil, peanut butter, chia seeds, monk fruit (see below for some amazing fat bomb recipe ideas), all of these ingredients make for a healthy food indeed. 

While trans fats are bad for your health, not all fats are created equal, and the good fats can actually help balance your cholesterol ratio and aid in the absorption of much-needed vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A, D, E, and K. These are fat soluble vitamins, and the monounsaturated fats found in foods like olives and avocados helps them absorb quicker into your digestive system. 

Fats are harder for your body to break down and take longer to process, meaning your body is burning more calories just by working with fats instead of carbs (in a process called thermogenesis), all while you feel more satisfied and stay fuller for longer. So now that you know how great a fat bomb can be for you, let’s see some recipes!

Fat Bomb Recipes

In a normal diet you’re getting most of your energy from blood glucose (sugar) instead of fat, but once you’re in ketosis, your body is denied its sugar fix, and it needs lots of fat to keep you going. If you’re looking to start a keto diet, factor some fat bombs into your meal plans so that you’re never without access to the fuel you need. 

Fat bomb recipes generally include:

• A main healthy fat: Whether it comes from peanut butter, almond butter, coconut cream, dairy cream, grass-fed butter, ghee, cacao butter, cream cheese, or avocado (flesh or oil).
• Low-carb flavoring: These ingredients could include unsweetened dark chocolate, cacao powder, vanilla extract, or salt for more savory fat bombs.
• Texture foods: Instead of eating a little butterball with nothing in it, adding ingredients like cacao nibs, shredded coconut, nuts, seeds, or dried fruit can make your fat bomb all the more delicious and nutritious. 

Take your ingredients, mix or blend as desired, and enjoy.

Can you freeze keto fat bombs for later? You sure can! Make a batch in a mini muffin pan and stock up for the week.

Can you buy keto fat bombs? Yes indeed, just shop around online for a variety pack. If you want to make your own, check out the following gluten-free, no-bake vegan keto bomb recipe ideas.

3-Ingredient Keto Chocolate Coconut Cups

With half a cup of coconut oil, half a cup of cocoa powder, and half a cup of coconut butter, you can make yourself these convenient and delicious fat bombs in no time at all! Add vegan chocolate chips if you want to, or coconut shreds for texture.

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Fat Bombs

Also known as Buckeyes after the Ohio buckeye tree’s nut, these quick little keto desserts can be yours when you combine dark chocolate chips, peanut butter (or almond butter), almond flour, vanilla extract, a pinch of salt, and a sticky sweetener of your choosing like agave nectar or sugar-free maple syrup. 

No-Bake Keto Low Carb Pumpkin Pie Bites 

With 2 cups of unflavored vegan cream cheese, sunflower seed butter, pumpkin puree, and some sugar and spice (pumpkin spice of course), you can have these wonderful pumpkin pie bites that are perfect to bring to the holiday table. 

Cookie Dough Fat Bombs 

Finally: some cookie dough that’s totally safe to eat! Satisfy your sweet tooth with this coconut oil, almond butter, and chocolate chip recipe, keto-friendly and dairy-free, just like the rest.

Everything-But-the-Bagel & Cream Cheese Fat Bombs

In case you’re looking for a savory vegan keto treat, we’ve got you covered. With vegan cream cheese and a medley of salted onions, garlic, and seeds, you’ve an Everything Bagel, but hold the bagel.

Bombs Away

This is just a taste, there are even more keto fat bomb recipes to be had, so you’ll never get bored with your new diet. Don’t forget to plan for some delicious meals with other keto recipes, and savor the sweetness of reaching ketosis.