The ketogenic diet, or keto diet, revolves around minimizing net carbohydrate consumption. As a result, certain desserts and recipes are considered keto-friendly because they contain very few net carbs (carbs absorbed by the body). To adhere to the limited carb count of a keto diet, it's typically necessary to replace flour and sugar in a baked good recipe to be keto-friendly.
Understanding Keto Baking
Following a low-carb or keto diet doesn’t mean you have to give up baking. If anything, it opens up a whole new world - one with its own specific ingredients, recipes, and techniques. With these handy tools at your disposal, you’ll be able to whip up low-carb treats and experience the joy of baking no matter which diet you follow.
Key Ingredients for Keto Baking Success
Unsurprisingly, you’ll want to stock your pantry a little differently for keto baking. Some of the ingredients include:
Keto Wheat Flour: Think of our Keto Wheat Flour like a substitute for all-purpose flour. You can swap it 1:1 (by volume or weight) for traditional all-purpose flour in any recipe. It’s also the foundation for a number of keto-friendly recipes we’ve developed. In particular, it works well in yeast recipes because it's wheat-based, which distinguishes it from just about every other keto-friendly flour. This flour has just 4g net carbs per serving, so it can be used to make breads and baked goods with an extremely low net carb total that fits squarely into the guidelines of keto or low-carb diets.
Almond flour: Unlike Keto Wheat Flour, you can’t simply swap almond flour in for all-purpose and call it a day. Because it’s made from nuts, not wheat, it behaves a bit differently in baking. Without gluten, almond flour lends a delicate, tender texture to baked goods, as well as a rich, buttery flavor.
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Coconut flour: Like almond flour, coconut flour can’t be substituted for all-purpose flour 1:1. In particular, it absorbs a ton more liquid than regular wheat flour, so you need to use a recipe specifically formulated for coconut flour’s hydration needs. That said, it’s a fantastic flour with a very slight coconut taste that works in goods both sweet and savory. A number of our keto-friendly recipes call for both almond flour and coconut flour together, so it's handy to keep both in the pantry.
Lupin Flour: Lupin flour is a low-carb flour that’s made from lupin beans (also called lupine or lupini). These are mustard-colored beans that date back before Ancient Rome. While there are many species of lupins, the white lupin bean (Lupinus albus) is more common and has the most benefits. A ¼ cup (or 30 grams) serving of lupin flour has only 1 gram of net carbs. Notice that on top of being so low in carbs, lupin flour is high in protein - even higher than almond flour and coconut flour, which have around 6 grams and 4 grams of protein, respectively. Lupin flour is rich in protein. Furthermore, a research article in the British Journal of Nutrition mentioned that lupin protein is highly bioavailable. In addition to being high-protein, lupin flour is full of fiber. Dietary fiber helps promote bowel movements, increase satiety, and support weight loss. According to a review article, fiber expands the population of bacteria in your gut. Lupin flour isn’t just low in calories, but it’s also surprisingly high in nutrients. In a randomized cross-over trial comparing the glycemic effects of whey protein and lupin protein, results found that both can control the increase of blood glucose after a meal. Another study examined the effect of adding Australian sweet lupin flour to standard white bread. Blood samples were taken after fasting and many times after two hours of eating the meal. Lupin flour comes from lupin or lupini beans, which are legumes and belong to the same plant family as peanuts. It has a neutral taste while also being a bit starchy. Some may find lupin flour quite bitter. In fact, a research study suggests that lupins possess anti-inflammatory properties. There are lots of keto-approved flour substitutes for your favorite recipes, and lupin flour is definitely one of them. It’s also a quality source of protein, fiber, and micronutrients like thiamine, riboflavin, and iron. While lupin flour still contains antinutritional compounds (or antinutrients), these tend to be lower compared to other legumes and wheat grains.
Bamboo Fiber: Bamboo fiber is a keto-friendly baking ingredient that is made from the pulp of bamboo plants. It is a gluten-free, grain-free, and low-carb alternative to traditional flours. With a surprisingly neutral flavor profile, bamboo fiber doesn't add so much of those funky flavors that are often found in keto-friendly flours and fibers. It's also a good source of insoluble fiber, which can help to promote digestive health. When used in baking, bamboo fiber can help to create a moist and chewy texture, add bulk, and help to bind ingredients together.
Essential Keto Baking Tips
As you venture into keto and low-carb baking, here are a few tips to keep in mind for even greater success:
If you’re baking with Keto Wheat Flour, stick with baked goods that are soft or moist, rather than hard or crunchy, as this flour doesn’t really yield a crisp texture. For instance, it's better for soft chocolate chip cookies rather than crunchy shortbread.
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When baking something chocolatey, remember to consider any chocolate chips you stir into the batter. Stick with sugar-free chocolate to ensure you keep the net carb count low.
If you’re just getting started baking or eating on the keto diet, try pancakes. They’re essentially foolproof, and you can dress them up with keto-friendly toppings like whipped cream and sugar-free jam. Try one of our recipes, or make mornings simpler by using our gluten-free keto pancake mix.
Important Considerations for Keto Baking
An important point to keep in mind with keto baking: if you’re used to baking conventionally, you’re not going to have quite the same results when baking keto. Just how baked goods differ varies depending on the recipe.
For instance, you can make a soft, fluffy keto roll, but the taste will be more “wheat-y” than a conventional recipe. Or keto brownies will yield a rich, chocolatey taste, with a texture that’s more firm and dense than what you’d achieve from a standard brownie. If you’re open to new possibilities and results, keto baking is a rewarding (and delicious!) experience.
Recipes to Get You Started
All fired up to bake some keto-friendly treats? Our test kitchen has developed plenty of recipes to get you started. No need to worry about substituting ingredients or calculating carbs - we've already done the work for you.
Read also: Keto Calorie Counting: A Detailed Guide
Keto-Friendly Pizza Crust: If you're looking for low-carb dinner options, this pizza crust is the answer, with only 4g net carb per slice. Made with Keto Wheat Flour, it has a chewy texture thanks to the flour's gluten and bakes up to a burnished mahogany.
Keto-Friendly Parmesan-Chive Muffins: These egg-based little muffins are almost like handheld breakfast soufflés. They're fragrant with herbs and rich with cheese, offering a hearty and fulfilling low-carb breakfast or snack (just 2g net carbs per muffin).
Keto-Friend Bread: Make toast, build a sandwich, griddle French toast: this soft, nicely spongy bread can do it all.
Keto-Friendly Pancakes: If you’ve longed for a short stack but are seriously counting carbs, these keto-friendly pancakes are for you. They’re light, fluffy, and subtly sweet, so anything goes when it comes to toppings: one of our favorite combinations is whipped cream and sugar-free jam.
Keto-Friendly Creations
Here's what they have to say:
- Low carb bamboo fiber flour buns: grain-free, gluten-free, nut-free, keto friendly and also diabetic friendly!
- Keto Vasilopita Cake: This is a recipe for a keto vasilopita cake, that melts in your mouth! Any cake can become a "vasilopita" pie but on the new year's eve we all want something special.
- Keto Tortillas: We've found that tortillas are one of the tougher things to make low-carb. Whether they fall apart, don't fold enough, or just don't taste quite right, keto tortillas are often a let down. However, those are concerns you can kiss goodbye with this quick and lovely low-carb tortilla recipe.
- Keto Tsoureki: Tsoureki bread is an element of the Greek tradition. You can make it plain, or with a filling. You can use this recipe to make a nice braid on Easter or a "vasilopita" pie for new year's eve after Christmas. No matter what you choose to make it's going to be delicious and enjoyable!
- Low Carb, Gluten Free Stone Bake Pizza: Today we are making history in gluten-free low-carb pizza. With these instructions, you can quickly and easily conjure up an AUTHENTIC stone bake pizza - low-carb & gluten-free. You don’t believe? We didn’t either … until we discovered bamboo fiber!
- Keto Bagels: Looking for a low-carb bagel to spice up your keto breakfast game? We know that bagels can seem like a daunting endeavor, and making them low-carb only adds to the intimidation. However, if you're looking to add bagels to your keto repertoire, look no further than this quick and easy bagel recipe!
- Keto Spaghetti: Learn How To Make Homemade Keto Spaghetti super Quick and Easy with only 1g of carbs per serving. Our Low Carb Spaghetti Recipe is not only simple to make but will add fiber into your daily nutrition, being still fully gluten-free, grain-free, and without raising your blood sugar.
- Keto Baguettes: Forever experimenting to get that white bread/baguette neutral taste instead of that nutty whole meal taste you get from golden flax seeds… The goal of creating Keto-friendly baguettes that are soft, strong, bread-like, and yet chewy to the taste is definitely a challenge.
- Pull Apart Onion Buns: My other half is addicted to my buns. Onion buns, made in a wheel for pull-apart softness, using my adapted vital wheat gluten Keto bread recipe. Unfortunately, if you suffer from gluten intolerance or celiac disease these bread rolls are not for you because they do contain Vital Wheat Gluten.
- Keto Vanilla And Cocoa Cookies (16 cookies): This is the easiest two version cookie recipe, with only few ingredients. If I want something easy and delicious I make bake these cookies. I also use this recipe to make cookie Ice cream. Or I use these cookies as "cereals" with almond milk for breakfast.
- Vegan Keto Sandwich Bread: This Vegan Keto Sandwich Bread Loaf recipe is made a lot like traditional sandwich bread and tastes like it too! You’ll love the wonderful toasty aroma, soft and fluffy interior with a thin chewy crust. Unlike other keto bread recipes, there are NO eggs, NO almond flour or cauliflower.