The Best Low Carb Flour For Keto
If you love breads and brownies, or cakes and cookies…you’ll be pleased to know that going Keto doesn’t mean giving up your favorite baked goods forever!
By using low carb flour, you can make scrumptious Keto-friendly versions of your best-loved breads and desserts.
Wondering where to start? This article will guide you through which low carb flours you can use on a Keto diet, how to use them in your baking, and how many carbs each one has.
We’ll begin with the best keto flour…
The BEST low carb flour is Almond Flour
What is Almond Flour?
Almond flour is made of almonds that have been blanched (to remove their skins) and ground into a fine powder. It’s hands down the best flour to use for low carb baking!
Almond flour is a good source of vitamin E, which can lower your risk of heart disease. (1) And it’s also rich in magnesium, iron, manganese, calcium, and potassium.
How Many Carbs are in Almond Flour?
Typically, 2 Tbsp of almond flour has 80 calories, 6 grams of fat, 3 grams of total carbs, 1 grams of fiber (so, 2g of net carbs), and 3 grams of protein. (2)
Almond Flour vs Almond Meal:
Almond flour and almond meal aren’t the same product!
Unlike almond flour, which is made from blanched almonds, almond meal is typically made from almonds which still have their skin on. You can make it at home by grinding whole almonds in a blender.
Almond meal has a much coarser and more grainy texture than almond flour. And it will make your baked items much more dense and firm.
However, almond flour and almond meal do have some similarities.
Both of them have the same nutritional profile, with 2 grams of net carbs per serving. And they bake the same – so if you’re using one in place of the other, you won’t have to adjust the cooking time.
And listen to episode 1 of The Keto Summit Show where we chat with Carolyn Ketchum about the best low carb flours to use in Keto baking.
How to Use Almond Flour on Keto:
Thanks to its slightly sweet flavor, almond flour is a great choice for cakes, cookies, brownies and pie crusts. If you’re using almond flour to substitute for regular flour in a recipe, 1 cup of almond flour is equivalent to 1 cup of all-purpose flour.
Because almond flour is moist and high in fat, you’ll find you need to use less oil and liquid in your recipes than normal. But if you’re making breads or muffins you might need to add an extra egg (or two!) to help your mixture bind together.
Almond flour also browns much more quickly than regular flour. So do your baking at a slightly lower temperature than you normally would to avoid problems. And if your bake starts browning too fast, cover it with aluminum foil to prevent the outside from burning.
Where to Buy Almond Flour?
You may be able to find almond flour in supermarkets or health food stores, but it’s often easier and cheaper to buy online. Look for a gluten-free and super-fine flour: the one we’d recommend is Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour.
Keto Recipes for Baking with Almond Flour:
Keto Chocolate Brownies
Ingredients: Coconut oil, eggs, vanilla extract, almond flour, unsweetened cacao powder, coconut cream, stevia
10-Minute Keto Toast
Ingredients: Almond flour, baking powder, salt, egg, ghee
Keto Almond Bread
Ingredients: Eggs, almond flour, baking powder, olive oil, herbs/spices, salt, yeast
Keto Almond Flour Cookies with Lemon Zest
Ingredients: Almond meal, egg, ghee, stevia, vanilla extract, lemon zest, lemon extract, baking soda
Other Low Carb Flours For Keto
Almond flour isn’t your only option on a Keto diet. There are other low carb flours you can use on Keto too.
Coconut Flour
What is Coconut Flour?
Coconut flour is made from dehydrated coconut meat (the white part of the coconut), after most of the fat has been extracted from it.
Heart surgeon Dr. Steven Gundry, M.D. recommends coconut flour as a substitute for other, less healthy flours. “Not only does it add a delicious texture and flavor…but coconut flour is a great source of both soluble and insoluble dietary fiber.”
Fiber also helps with gut health and can even reduce your risk of developing colon cancer. (3)
Is Coconut Flour Considered a Carb?
Coconut flour does still contain carbs – although not many!
A serving (2 Tbsp) has 60 calories, 2 grams of fat, 9 grams of total carbs, 7 grams of fiber (so 2g of net carbs), and 3 grams of protein. (4)
How to Store Coconut Flour?
Coconut flour has a tendency to absorb moisture. To prevent this from happening, store your coconut flour in an airtight container or bag. It’s best to keep it in the pantry rather than the fridge.
How to use Coconut Flour on Keto:
Coconut flour has a light texture and consistency, making it great for all kinds of baking.
If you’re worried your baked goods will have a strong coconut taste, don’t be! The mild taste of the flour is easily masked with other sweet or savory flavors.
Coconut flour is also very absorbent, so you’ll need to add plenty of liquid to your recipes. Otherwise, your confections could turn out dry. The recommendation is 1/4 cup of water or other liquids for every 1/4 cup of coconut flour.
Also, because coconut flour is so dense, you don’t need as much for your recipes. If the recipe calls for a cup of regular flour, you can replace it with only 1/4 – 1/3 cup of coconut flour. Also, for every 1/4 cup of flour you’ll need one egg – sometimes more – to bind the final product together and help it rise.
Where to Buy Coconut Flour?
You can find coconut flour online and in health food stores. Just make sure the flour you buy is certified gluten-free. The brand we recommend using is Anthony’s Organic Coconut Flour.
Keto Recipes for Baking with Coconut Flour
Keto Zucchini Bread
Ingredients: Eggs, zucchini, coconut flour, almond flour, coconut oil, baking powder, vanilla extract, salt
Keto Ginger Coconut Cookies
Ingredients: Almond meal, coconut flour, coconut flakes, egg, ghee, stevia, vanilla extract, ginger powder, baking soda
Keto Coconut Pancakes
Ingredients: Eggs, coconut flour, coconut milk, vanilla extract, baking soda, stevia, coconut oil, ghee
Flaxseed Meal
What is Flaxseed Meal?
Flaxseed meal is another name for ground flaxseeds. You’ll also see flax referred to as linseed, which is used for making linseed oil.
Flaxseed is a good plant source of Omega-3 fatty acids, copper and vitamin B1. And it also contains antioxidants called lignans.
Typically a 2-Tbsp serving of flaxseed meal has 70 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, 4 grams of total carbs, 3 grams of fiber (1 gram of net carbs), and 3 grams of protein. (5)
How to Store Flaxseed Meal?
Flaxseed meal goes rancid very quickly! So to prevent this from happening, it’s important to store it properly.
Store your flaxseed meal in the fridge, both before and after opening. You’ll also need to make sure it’s in an airtight container.
How to Use Flaxseed Meal on Keto:
Registered Nurse Tana Amen, RN calls flax a “superseed”. She says, “Compared to other plants, flaxseed (but not oil) is extremely rich in compounds called ligands, which have antioxidant and plant estrogen properties. Flaxseed-derived ligands have been shown to reduce blood sugar and may also help combat some forms of cancer.”
Flaxseed meal is a good addition to both sweet and savory baked goods. You can combine it with other low carb flours and use it to make breads, muffins, cookies and scones.
Because of its high oil content, flaxseed meal also makes a good substitute for eggs. For each egg you want to replace, just mix 1 Tbsp of ground flax meal with 3 Tbsp of water, and let the mixture gel for 10 minutes.
Baked items may brown more quickly when they contain flaxseed meal. You may need to use a lower oven temperature or decrease cooking time a bit.
Where to Buy Flaxseed Meal?
We recommend buying whole flax seeds, and then grinding them using a coffee grinder when you need it. That way, you can be sure your flaxseed meal is fresh!
Keto Recipes for Baking with Flaxseed Meal:
Keto Bread Loaves
Ingredients: Eggs, coconut flour, flaxseed meal, salt, baking powder, baking soda, water, apple cider vinegar
Almond Flour & Flaxseed Pancakes
Ingredients: Almond flour, flaxseed meal, eggs, coconut oil, coconut milk, erythritol, butter, coconut flour, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt
Chia Seed Flour
What is Chia Flour?
Chia flour, also called chia seed meal, is made by grinding chia seeds into a fine powder.
Because it comes from chia seeds, the flour is a great source of Omega-3 fatty acids and fiber. The seeds are packed with vitamins and antioxidants, (6) which means that chia flour is, too!
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Jacqueline Santora Zimmerman, RDN, says, “There are many evidence-based reasons to recommend chia.” She notes that, “Baked goods can be improved with chia; up to 25% of oil or egg in cake recipes may be replaced with soaked chia seeds (chia gel) without affecting weight, volume, or taste of the final product.”
Usually, chia flour has 120 calories, 6 grams of fat, 10 grams of total carbs, 10 grams of fiber (that’s 0 net carbs), and 6 grams of protein per 2-Tbsp serving. (7)
How to use Chia Flour on Keto:
Chia flour is great for making pancake batter, cookie dough, and low carb muffins. It’s best used in combination with other low carb flours.
To use chia as an egg replacement. Mix 1 Tbsp of chia flour with 3 Tbsp of cold water, then let the mix stand for 10 minutes as it thickens into a gel-like substance. This makes enough to replace 1 egg.
Other Nut Flours e.g., Walnut Flour, Hazelnut Flour, Pecan Flour
How to Make Your Own Nut Flours?
Nut flours are simple to make! All you have to do is grind whole nuts until they have a flour-like texture. The best way to do this is using a blender or food processor.
How to Use Nut Flours:
Nut flours are good addition to sweet baked goods, like cakes and muffins. Each type of nut flour will add its own unique nutty flavor to the recipe you’re making. Experiment a little and you’ll find your favorite!
Nut flours also make a great crusty coating for fish and chicken strips. You can use them as a Keto-friendly replacement for the breadcrumbs these recipes typically contain.
Konjac Flour – Is This The New Keto Flour?
What is Konjac Flour or Glucomannan?
Konjac flour is made from the root of the Konjac plant, which is native to China. You’ll also see it called glucomannan.
The high fiber content of Konjac makes it great for your gut health. Adding Konjac to your diet has been proven to decrease constipation and improve your gut bacteria. (8)
Konjac Flour Has Zero Net Carbs!
Because Konjac flour is almost all fiber, it doesn’t have ANY net carbs.
Your body can’t digest fiber, so it passes through your digestive system without being absorbed by your body. And that’s why fiber doesn’t count as part of your daily net carb intake.
Where to buy konjac flour or glucomannan powder?
The best place to look for Konjac flour is online. And the brand we recommend using is NOW Glucomannan Pure Powder.
Two Most Common Questions About Keto Flours
There are two questions we see popping up time and time again. And you’ve likely wondered about them too. I know I did, when I first started Keto!
Is there a no carb flour?
Unfortunately, most low carb flours are made from nuts and seeds. And all nuts and seeds contain some carbs. That’s why the keto flours in this list are low carb rather than no-carb. There’s a full roundup of the net carbs in nuts and seeds here.
However, konjac flour or glucomannan is technically a no carb flour. It’s essentially all fiber, which doesn’t count towards your daily carb intake. In other words, it has no net carbs!
But it doesn’t behave the same way as almond flour or regular flour. So when you’re using it in your baking, you’ll have to combine it with other low carb flours to get the results you want.
Why can’t I just use regular flour on Keto?
The short answer is… it’s too high in carbohydrates!
You need to keep your carb intake under 25g per day on a Keto diet. It’s vital for making sure your body stays in nutritional ketosis. And since regular flour contains lots of carbohydrates, you’ll just be making things harder for yourself.
Regular flour also contains gluten, which is problematic.
Gluten has been proven to cause inflammation and digestive issues. Yes, even in folks who aren’t celiac! (9) And non-celiac gluten sensitivity has also been linked to various chronic health conditions, too. (10) So avoiding gluten is another good reason to stay away from regular flour!
Conclusion
If you’re craving cake, dreaming about desserts, or missing bread – use the low carb flours in this list to make Keto versions of them at home.
But be careful not to eat too much of them! They can be all too easy to overeat, and the carbs do add up.
As long as you indulge sensibly, you can stay within your macros and keep your body in ketosis, while still occasionally enjoying a piece of cake after dinner, a cookie with your coffee or pancakes for breakfast.
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