When embarking on a ketogenic diet, one of the initial challenges is often finding suitable replacements for common high-carb ingredients. Many people starting a keto diet want to remake their favorite non-keto foods (like pizza!) into keto-fied versions. This can be a great tool to help with compliance, especially when you’re just starting keto! This is particularly true for baking, where traditional wheat flour is a staple. Fortunately, there are numerous gluten-free and non-traditional flour options available, but navigating which flours align with the keto diet can be tricky. This article aims to clarify whether rice flour fits into a ketogenic lifestyle and explores various keto-friendly flour alternatives.
Understanding Keto and Net Carbs
The ketogenic diet is characterized by a high-fat, moderate-protein, and very low-carbohydrate intake. The goal is to shift the body's primary fuel source from glucose (derived from carbohydrates) to ketones (produced from fat). To achieve and maintain ketosis, carbohydrate intake is typically restricted to between 50 and 100 grams per day, although some individuals may need to consume even fewer carbs.
When evaluating the suitability of a flour for a keto diet, it’s essential to consider net carbs rather than total carbs. Net carbs are the carbohydrates that your body digests and absorbs. They’re calculated by subtracting dietary fiber and sugar alcohols from the total number of carbohydrates in a food item. It's more important to consider net carbs than total carbs when following a low-carb or keto diet. Net carbs provide more accurate information than looking at the total carbohydrate count because some types of carbohydrates are not absorbed by your body. For example, foods high in fiber have a lower net carb count than those with more simple sugars.
The Verdict on Rice Flour
Rice flour is not a keto-friendly food because it's high in carbohydrates. Rice flour has about 21 grams of net carbs per 26-ounce serving, and many keto dieters limit their daily carb intake to around 50 to 100 grams. Is rice flour keto? The answer is a resounding no. Due to its high carbohydrate content, rice flour is not suitable for those adhering to a ketogenic diet. Wheat flour contains approximately 70% carbohydrates, so it should be avoided when following a keto diet.
While it may be technically possible to incorporate very small amounts of rice flour into a ketogenic diet, it is generally not recommended. For most individuals aiming to stay in ketosis, it's best to stick with flours that are significantly lower in carbohydrates.
Read also: Keto Cauliflower Fried Rice Recipe
Exploring Keto-Friendly Flour Alternatives
Fortunately, numerous low-carb flours can be used as substitutes for wheat and rice flour in keto baking and cooking. Here's a look at some of the most popular options:
Almond Flour
Almond flour is one of the most popular types of keto flour on the market. It's made from ground raw almonds with their skins removed. It’s different than almond meal, which is ground raw almonds that still have their skin on. As a result, almond meal is darker in color. Almond flour is gluten-free and low-carb. Yes, almond flour is keto. It has a mild, nutty flavor and a texture similar to wheat flour, making it versatile for various recipes. Almond flour and is often used in low-carb baking to replace traditional all-purpose flour. It’s normally used in higher amounts than coconut flour. Almond flour works well in recipes, such as pancakes, muffins, and cakes. It also works well for breading fried foods.
Coconut Flour
Coconut flour is both gluten-free and low in carbohydrates, which makes it a popular baking choice for low-carb, paleo, and gluten-free baking. Yes, coconut flour is another popular option for those following a keto or low-carb diet. Coconut flour is made from dried coconut meat that has been ground into a fine powder. It has a mild sweetness with a slight coconut flavor. You can use it to replace regular wheat flour in recipes for breads, muffins, cookies, and other baked treats. But you'll want to use about ¼ to ⅓ cup coconut flour for each cup of regular wheat flour. It's best to use coconut flour in recipes developed for coconut flour. You’ll need much less coconut flour compared to other flours, such as all-purpose flour in traditional baking or almond flour in low-carb baking. Coconut flour is a little finicky to work with. If you are using coconut flour as the only flour in baked goods, your breads and/or baked goods may turn out a little dry or dense. This is likely due to the high fiber content of coconut flour and the fact that it absorbs a lot of liquid. This is why baked goods recipes that predominantly use coconut flour typically add a lot of eggs. The eggs help lighten, moisten, and bind the recipe, and provide structure. But then you run the risk of your baked goods tasting eggy! Over much trial and error, we’ve found that for the best results in keto baking, coconut flour is best used in combination with other keto flours, such as almond flour.
Flaxseed Meal
Also sometimes called flaxseed meal, ground flaxseed is a meal made of flaxseeds that are ground into a fine powder. Golden and brown flaxseed meal work interchangeably in recipes, but if you have a recipe that is a lighter color, using golden flaxseed meal will make your recipe look prettier instead of having dark specks throughout the finished product. Flaxseed meal is commonly used in keto baked goods recipes. However, it’s not usually used on its own. Instead, it is frequently in conjunction with other keto flours, such as almond flour. Flaxseeds are a good source of fiber and provide omega-3 fatty acids in the form of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Yes, flaxseed meal, made from ground flaxseeds, is an excellent choice for a keto flour alternative. Not only is it gluten free, low in carbohydrates, and high in fiber, but it contains healthy omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and other essential nutrients. You can't replace all the regular flour in a recipe with flaxseed meal, but you can replace up to half. And the fiber in the flaxseed meal may require some extra liquid in the recipe.
Psyllium Husk Powder
Psyllium husk powder is a finely ground powder made of psyllium husks. Because keto baked goods lack gluten, we have a few tricks to get as close as possible to a fluffy, bread-like texture. This is one of those tricks! Psyllium husk powder is used to add a more bread-like texture to keto baked goods. Also, be aware that depending on the brand of psyllium husk powder you use, it may turn your baked goods purplish or grayish in color. Psyllium husk powder is very high in fiber.
Read also: Chicken and Brown Rice: A Healthy Choice
Chia Seed (Ground)
Ground Chia Seed - Chia seeds are high in protein and fiber, and have 0g net carbs per serving. Ground chia seed is great for using in baked goods. Additionally, we like using ground chia for smoothies because it tends to not stick on the inside of the blender like regular chia seeds do.
Oat Fiber
Oat Fiber - With 3g of carbs all coming from fiber, this flour is perfect to add to baked good without the fear of spiking your blood sugar. Is oat flour keto? Oat flour is not considered keto because it contains a high amount of carbohydrates compared to other low-carb and keto flours, such as almond flour, coconut flour, and flaxseed meal. Oat flour contains around 19 grams of net carbs per ¼ cup, which is too high for the typical ketogenic diet.
Sunflower Seed Flour (Ground Sunflower Seed)
Ground Sunflower Seed - We have seen a lot of pre-made baking mixes use ground sunflower seeds this as their flour of choice. This flour makes for really chewy cookies and brownies!
Cricket Flour
Cricket Powder - Are you feeling adventurous? Cricket flour has 2g fat, 1g carb, and 7g protein per 10g serving.
Tips for Baking with Keto Flours
Plan on using more than one type of keto flour in a single recipe. Most recipes for keto breads or other baked goods use multiple types of keto flours. This helps yield the best results in terms of flavor and texture. Ultimately, it makes a baked good that’s as close to the “real” thing as possible! When starting a keto diet, many people want to remake their favorite non-keto foods (like pizza!) into keto-fied versions. This can be a great tool to help with compliance, especially when you’re just starting keto! But which flours should you use? If you’re new to keto, it can be tricky to determine which gluten free flours are best for low carb and keto-friendly baking! To give you a better understanding of the different types of keto flours, in this article we explain what each is and how to use it. Additionally, we list nutritional information for each flour.
Read also: Everything You Need to Know About the Rice Diet
Because keto baked goods lack gluten, we have to be creative to find ways to achieve a bread-y texture. Beef gelatin is a secret ingredient in a lot of keto baked goods recipes. Beef gelatin is commonly used in keto and low-carb baking because it lends a chewy texture to baked goods. Because keto baked goods lack gluten, we have a few tricks to get as close as possible to a fluffy, bread-like texture.