Who is comparing these options?

Carb-counting biscuit shoppers

If you want a custard cream, the carbohydrate figure for each biscuit helps you account for the number you intend to eat. Tesco Groceries and Asda Groceries publish per-biscuit figures for the checked classic products.

Dark-chocolate seekers

If the cocoa flavour matters more than a vanilla-filled biscuit, a separate bar is another format to consider. Lindt Shop UK lists different carbohydrate figures for its checked 90%, 99% and 100% bars, so compare the exact bar and portion.

Shoppers checking allergens

A dietary description does not replace the ingredients and allergen information on the particular pack. The checked classic biscuit listings include wheat and milk ingredients; check any biscuit or chocolate you choose for the allergens relevant to you.

What should you check before choosing?

Start with the format you want, then compare the carbohydrate declaration using the serving unit on each label and the amount you intend to eat.

Priority What to check Your needs
Carbohydrate per portion Read carbohydrate per biscuit where stated. For a chocolate bar, use its per 100g figure to work out the amount in the portion you plan to eat. Tesco Groceries and Asda Groceries list 8.1–8.4g per biscuit for the checked classic custard creams; Lindt Shop UK lists 9–14g per 100g across the checked high-cocoa bars. I want to account for the biscuits or chocolate I will actually eat, rather than compare a whole bar with one biscuit.
Label descriptions Compare the carbohydrate line as well as ‘of which sugars’. Check cocoa percentage and the exact formulation rather than treating ‘dark’, chocolate-coated or ‘free from’ as a carbohydrate figure. A description on the front of the pack catches my eye, but I need the nutrition panel to decide whether the portion fits my plan.
Biscuit or chocolate Check whether you want a vanilla-filled sandwich biscuit, a coated biscuit or a separate chocolate bar. Asda Groceries describes its checked coated custard cream as milk-chocolate coated; the checked Lindt high-cocoa products are bars, not filled biscuits. If the custard-cream filling and biscuit texture matter to me, a plain dark chocolate bar will not provide them.
Allergens and storage Read the ingredients and allergen information on the exact pack. For an opened biscuit pack, follow its storage directions; Tesco Groceries instructs shoppers to use an airtight container after opening its checked custard creams. I need to check ingredients that matter to me and know how to keep an opened pack.

Which label shortcuts can mislead?

  • Assuming more cocoa means less carbohydrate

    Lindt Shop UK declares 11g carbohydrate per 100g for its checked 100% bar, compared with 9g per 100g for its checked 99% bar. Cocoa percentage does not order these two bars by carbohydrate.

    Compare the carbohydrate declarations for the exact bars on the same per 100g basis, then calculate the amount for your intended portion.

  • Counting sugars as total carbohydrate

    Tesco Groceries lists 3.4g sugars and 8.4g carbohydrate per biscuit for its checked custard creams. The sugars figure is not the total carbohydrate figure.

    Use the carbohydrate line when accounting for carbohydrate, keeping the label’s serving unit consistent.

  • Reading ‘free from’ or a coating as a keto claim

    Asda Groceries lists 11g carbohydrate per biscuit for its checked free-from custard creams. Its checked chocolate-coated version uses milk chocolate and lists 65g carbohydrate per 100g.

    Identify the exact product and read its full nutrition panel rather than deciding from its front-of-pack description.

Relevant brand and product references

These references describe the cited product listings, not every biscuit or chocolate made by each brand.

McVitie's

Joybuy UK lists McVitie's Tasties Custard Creams as a 300g sandwich-biscuit pack.

  • The listing declares 68.4g carbohydrate per 100g.
  • It lists wheat and milk; the biscuit description does not establish that a portion fits a keto-style plan.

Crawford's

Tesco Groceries lists a 300g pack of Crawford's classic custard creams with a per-biscuit declaration.

  • The listing declares 8.1g carbohydrate per 11.9g biscuit.
  • Its vanilla-filled biscuit format is different from a high-cocoa chocolate bar.

Tesco

Tesco Groceries lists its own-label custard creams in a 400g pack.

  • The nutrition declaration gives 8.4g carbohydrate per biscuit.
  • The biscuit's ‘of which sugars’ figure is 3.4g per biscuit, not its total carbohydrate.

Sainsbury's

Sainsbury's lists classic custard creams in a 200g pack with a per-biscuit nutrition table.

  • The listing declares 8.6g carbohydrate per biscuit.
  • That figure needs to be considered for the number of biscuits you intend to eat.

Asda

Asda Groceries lists classic, milk-chocolate-coated and free-from custard creams as distinct products.

  • Its checked classic lists 8.1g carbohydrate per biscuit, while its checked free-from version lists 11g per biscuit.
  • The checked coated version specifies milk chocolate, not high-cocoa dark chocolate.

M&S

Ocado lists M&S Extra Cream Custard Creams as vanilla-flavoured sandwich biscuits.

  • The listing declares 68.2g carbohydrate per 100g.
  • For a planned biscuit portion, use the pack’s serving information rather than treating the per 100g figure as a per-biscuit amount.

Lindt

Lindt Shop UK lists high-cocoa EXCELLENCE bars for shoppers considering chocolate instead of a custard cream.

  • Its declared carbohydrate figures are 14g for the checked 90% bar, 9g for the 99% bar and 11g for the 100% bar, each per 100g.
  • These are separate chocolate bars without the custard-cream biscuit or filling.

Joybuy biscuit and chocolate options

These Joybuy options cover two different choices: a high-cocoa chocolate bar if the biscuit format is optional, and a gluten-free custard cream if you want a filled biscuit. Check the carbohydrate declaration for the exact pack and portion before deciding.

Lindt Excellence 90% Cocoa Supreme Dark 100g bar

Lindt Excellence 90% Cocoa Supreme Dark 100g

This is a chocolate-bar option rather than a custard cream. Compare the pack’s carbohydrate declaration with the amount you intend to eat; the 90% cocoa description alone does not determine whether that portion fits your plan.

View on Joybuy
Schar Gluten Free Custard Creams 125g pack

Schar Gluten Free Custard Creams 125g

This keeps the custard-cream biscuit format rather than switching to a chocolate bar. Check the pack’s carbohydrate figure for the number of biscuits you plan to eat; ‘gluten free’ does not state how much carbohydrate a biscuit contains.

View on Joybuy

Questions about portions and labels

Is dark chocolate automatically suitable for a keto-style plan?

No: compare the labelled carbohydrate for the portion you intend to eat with your own plan. Lindt Shop UK declares 14g, 9g and 11g carbohydrate per 100g for its checked 90%, 99% and 100% bars respectively, so cocoa percentage alone does not settle the choice.

Does a gluten-free custard cream have less carbohydrate?

Not necessarily. Asda Groceries declares 11g carbohydrate per biscuit for its checked free-from custard creams and 8.1g per biscuit for its checked classic version. Compare the exact products you are considering rather than treating ‘gluten free’ as a carbohydrate claim.

How should I keep an opened pack of custard creams?

Follow the directions on the particular pack. Tesco Groceries instructs shoppers to keep its checked custard creams in a cool, dry place and use an airtight container after opening.

What should I check if an allergen affects my choice?

Read the ingredients and allergen information for the exact biscuit or chocolate pack before choosing it. GOV.UK guidance says food businesses must identify specified allergens when they are ingredients; a description such as ‘dark’ or ‘free from’ does not replace that check.