These Low Carb Monster Bites are a fun, no-bake Halloween appetizer: sweet, creamy cream cheese balls rolled in bright orange and green coconut, with one googly-eyed little monster hiding in the bunch. They take about 20 minutes of hands-on time and come in at under 1g net carbs per bite, so everyone at the party can grab a few.
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If you want a cute snack for a Halloween party, try these monster bites! They're really easy to make, they don't need an oven, and it's super simple to double (or triple!) the recipe for a crowd. Set them out on a dark platter and they look like a little pile of fuzzy orange and green monsters.
A quick note on the edible eyes. Regular candy eyes aren't exactly low carb, and they're definitely not sugar free! So rather than add them to ALL the monsters, I just add them to one, the same trick I used with my Halloween Jalapeño Poppers. Guests get the visual joke without all the unnecessary sugar. If you'd rather make your own sugar-free eyes, you can adapt a recipe like these homemade googly eyes with powdered monk fruit sweetener and sugar-free chocolate chips. I personally don't have the patience!
Key Ingredients
- Cream cheese. This is the base of every bite, so use a full-fat block rather than the spreadable tub kind. Tub cream cheese has extra water and makes a softer mixture that's hard to roll. Let it sit out until it's properly soft so it beats up smooth with no lumps.
- Coconut oil. A couple of tablespoons of refined coconut oil firm up in the fridge and help the bites hold their shape. Refined oil has a neutral flavor; virgin coconut oil works too if you like a stronger coconut taste. Use it softened, not melted.
- Powdered sweetener. I use powdered Lakanto, a monk fruit sweetener. Any powdered (confectioner's style) low carb sweetener will do, but it needs to be powdered: granulated sweetener stays gritty in a no-bake mixture like this. Taste and add a little more if you like things sweeter.
- Unsweetened coconut. The coating is what makes them look like shaggy little monsters. Make sure it says unsweetened on the bag, since sweetened coconut adds a surprising amount of sugar. I like Bob's Red Mill unsweetened coconut; flaked or shredded both work.
- Food coloring. Gel food coloring gives the brightest color with just a few drops and doesn't make the coconut soggy the way liquid coloring can.
- Candy eyes. Optional, but they make the whole platter! Two eyes on one bite adds a tiny amount of sugar, which is why only one monster gets them.
Shaping & Decorating Tips
Chill the mixture properly. Straight out of the mixer, the cream cheese base is far too soft to roll. Give it the full two hours in the fridge (or about 30 minutes in the freezer if you're in a hurry) until it's firm enough to scoop and hold a shape. If it gets sticky while you're working, pop the bowl back in the fridge for 10 minutes.
Use a small cookie scoop for even bites. A 1-tablespoon cookie scoop portions out 16 bites that are all the same size, which looks much neater on the platter. Roll each portion quickly between your palms; cool hands help, so rinse them under cold water and dry them if the mixture starts to melt.
Color the coconut before you start rolling. Add the gel coloring a drop at a time and toss the coconut with a fork (or with gloved fingers) until every shred is colored. Keep the orange and green bowls well apart and roll all of one color first, so you don't end up with muddy brown monsters!
Press, don't just roll. Drop each ball into the coconut, spoon some over the top, then press gently so it sticks all over. A light press gives the shaggy, furry monster look you see in the photos.
Add the eyes last. Press the candy eyes onto one green bite just before serving so they stay put and don't pick up moisture in the fridge.
Variations
- Purple and green monsters. Swap the orange for purple coloring for a witchy color scheme, or make a mix of three colors.
- Pumpkin spice bites. Beat ½ teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice into the cream cheese mixture for a fall flavor that goes perfectly with the orange coating.
- Chocolate monsters. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder (and a little extra sweetener) to the base for a chocolate center.
- Nutty coating. Not a coconut fan? Roll the bites in finely chopped pecans or almonds instead, then add the eyes as usual.
- Lemon or vanilla. A teaspoon of vanilla extract or some finely grated lemon zest gives the bites a cheesecake-like flavor.
Serving Ideas
These bites are made for a Halloween party table. Pile them on a black or orange platter with a few spider decorations and let the one googly-eyed monster steal the show. They're sweet, so they sit nicely alongside savory party food like Halloween Spider Deviled Eggs, Low Carb Mummy Hot Dogs and an Owl Veggie Tray.
For a grown-up gathering, serve them with a Glitter Halloween Cocktail. They're also a fun after-school snack for the kids in the week leading up to Halloween, and if you like little no-bake treats like these, try my Keto Pumpkin Fat Bombs too.
Make-Ahead & Storing
Monster bites are a great make-ahead party food. You can make the cream cheese mixture up to two days ahead and keep it covered in the fridge, then roll and coat the bites on the day. Fully rolled bites can be made the day before your party: store them in an airtight container in the fridge, in a single layer or with parchment between the layers, and add the candy eyes just before serving.
Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. Because they're cream cheese based, don't leave them sitting out at room temperature for more than about 2 hours; if your party runs long, bring out half the batch at a time and keep the rest chilled.
They also freeze well. Freeze the coated bites (without the eyes) on a tray until solid, then transfer them to a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Thaw them in the fridge for a few hours before serving. The coconut may look a little less fluffy after freezing, but they taste just as good.
More Low Carb Halloween Appetizers
If you loved these monster bites, here are more spooky party recipes to try:
- Halloween Spider Deviled Eggs
- Low Carb Mummy Hot Dogs
- Halloween Spider Web Dip
- Halloween Witch Fingers (Keto, Low Carb)
- Low Carb Jack O'Lantern Dip
- Low Carb Halloween Recipes
📖 Recipe
Low Carb Monster Bites
Ingredients
Equipment
Step-by-Step Instructions
- In a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the softened cream cheese, coconut oil and powdered sweetener on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes, until completely smooth. Scrape the mixture into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for about 2 hours, until firm enough to scoop and roll.
- Meanwhile, divide the flaked coconut between two small bowls. Add a few drops of green gel food coloring to one bowl and orange to the other, then stir (or toss with gloved fingers) until the coconut is evenly colored. Add more coloring a drop at a time for a brighter shade.
- Using a small cookie scoop or a level tablespoon, portion the chilled mixture into 16 pieces and quickly roll each one into a ball between your palms. Roll 8 balls in the green coconut and 8 in the orange coconut, pressing gently so the coconut sticks. Set them on a parchment-lined tray.
- Refrigerate the monster bites until serving. Just before serving, press two candy eyes onto one of the green bites so a single monster peeks out from the platter.
Nutrition
Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is my best approximation. Net carbs are calculated as the total grams carbs minus the total grams of fiber.
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