For those following a ketogenic diet, pancakes might seem like a forbidden treat. Traditional pancakes are often high in carbs, but with a few clever ingredient swaps, you can enjoy a stack of delicious, low-carb keto pancakes. These keto pancakes look and taste like your carb-filled favorites, but without all the extra carbs because you use a nut flour, a low carb sweetener, etc. The versatility of keto pancakes extends beyond the batter; the toppings are where you can truly get creative. Since most pancake toppings, like syrup and honey, are out the window for us low-carb, keto folk, I’ve come to love many of the keto-friendly topping options available. This article explores a variety of keto-friendly pancake topping ideas to elevate your breakfast experience.
Keto Pancake Basics
Before diving into toppings, let's recap the fundamentals of keto pancakes. Typically, when you think of breakfasts for a keto-friendly diet, pancakes, waffles, cereal don’t make the list because they have such a high carb content. The key is to use low-carb ingredients.
Flour Alternatives: Nut flours are the best option as they are far lower in carbs than an all-purpose flour. Almond flour is a popular choice, offering a slightly nutty flavor and a good source of protein. Almond flour only has about 24 grams of carbs in a cup of flour, which is a lot lower compared to white flour. That’s what makes these keto pancakes such a win. Although keto pancakes are gluten-free too, not all gluten-free pancakes are keto-friendly and necessarily low carb. Some gluten-free flours can contain a good amount of carbs, actually. Which means you want to be selective about which flours you use, a nut flour is a great option when you want both gluten free and low carb!
Classic Keto-Friendly Toppings
Some toppings are timeless and work perfectly with keto pancakes.
- Butter: Does it have to be said? I don’t think this even needs to be on the list because it should go without saying that no matter what else you top your keto pancakes with, there will also be a huge gob of dark yellow creamy grass fed butter.
- Berries: Berries, unsweetened whipped cream, and butter are all great toppers for keto pancakes. You can choose whichever berries you like, mash them with a fork, and stir them into a bit of sour cream. There’s no rule here for amounts, just whatever tastes best to you! Blackberry is my favorite. It’s actually my go-to for pancake toppings. You can mash them with the back of a fork, slice or dice them, or leave them whole. You can even whip up some heavy whipping cream and throw the berries on top.
Syrup Alternatives
Traditional syrup is a sugar bomb, but several keto-friendly alternatives offer the same sweetness without the carbs.
Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers
- Keto Buttermilk Syrup: Number one, of course, is my favorite: Keto Buttermilk Syrup. If you’ve had buttermilk syrup before, you’re probably really excited right now. Keto buttermilk syrup?? Yes, it’s possible. If you’ve never had buttermilk syrup before, let me describe it for you. It’s a sweet, salty, buttery, rich syrup that tastes like Heaven deigned to drip itself on your breakfast platter.
- Sugar-Free Syrups: ChocZero has a variety of sugar free syrups to choose from. They have SO many flavors! They also frequently have seasonal keto pancake syrups, like blueberry, peach, banana, and pumpkin pie.
Creamy and Cheesy Toppings
These options add richness and flavor to your keto pancakes.
- Mashed berries with heavy whipping cream and a little bit of your favorite keto sweetener.
- Peanut Butter Sauce: For you peanut butter lovers out there, you may remember this sauce from my Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice cream Cheesecake recipe. It’s amazing.
- I like to mix some room temperature cream cheese or mascarpone with a bit of liquid stevia, vanilla, and toasted pecans.
- Cottage cheese is another great versatile topping for keto pancakes and waffles and there’s plenty of protein to keep you full longer.
Fruity and Tart Toppings
Add a zesty twist to your keto pancakes with these options.
- This is so yummy! It’s like an easy lazy way of making a lemon glaze. You can also use lemon juice concentrate, but I’m always a fan of fresh everything. And did you know that there’s now a confectioners version of stevia?
- How tasty would apple pie filling be on a stack of delicious keto pancakes? Or as a filling for keto crepes? And, wouldn’t it be yummy to drizzle some of the caramel from above onto the apple pie filling and make it a caramel apple pancake?
Chocolate Lovers
For those who crave chocolate, these toppings will satisfy your sweet tooth without derailing your keto diet.
- If you’ve never tried Choczero’s chocolate products, NOW is the time! I’ve been eating and cooking with their chocolate since going keto and I’m completely sold on it!
Savory Keto Pancakes
If you’re in the mood for savory keto pancakes?
Other Keto-Friendly Dishes
Looking for some other low carb or keto friendly dishes? Try Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Chicken Breast (Keto Low-Carb), Chicken Satay, or Butter Chicken (Low Carb, Keto).
Read also: Keto Calorie Counting: A Detailed Guide
Making Keto Pancakes
These can be made ahead. Simply cool. Then freeze. Reheat when you are ready to serve in the microwave or toaster. In a large bowl, whisk all ingredients together until smooth. Preheat griddle to 300 degrees. Pour 1/4 cup batter onto griddle and cook for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Flip and cook 1-2 minutes, until browned on the other side.
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