One of the biggest challenges when it comes to keto baking is finding low-carb flour alternatives but thankfully there are many.
Finding a low-carb flour substitute that gives bread, cookies, cakes, and even keto pancakes a great consistency is essential if you want to get creative in the kitchen.
By now, we know that wheat flour and its highly processed white flour version is a complex carb and a no go zone for the ketogenic diet. The complex carbs in wheat flours are so high that just one-quarter of a cup contains 22 grams of carbohydrate.
This is why Keto diet practitioners and cooks have had to come up with some ingenious ways to replicate their favorite recipes using, next to, no-carb flour alternatives.
To help you out, we thought we’d share the lowest carb flours that we use in our keto kitchen to recreate some of our all-time favorite recipes and make them so much healthier.
List of Low Carb Flours in Our Keto Kitchen
- Coconut Flour
- Almond Flour
- Low Carb Almond Meal or Ground Almonds
- Ground Flax (aka Flax Meal)
- Psyllium Husk
We always keep plenty of the above low carb flour substitutes on hand for our keto cooking. Be sure to store all of your low-carb flours as per the directions on the packing in airtight containers, making not of the used by date.
#1. Coconut Flour
You’ve seen and heard all of the ketogenic benefits of coconut oil; it’s everywhere, many of us eat it every day. But there’s another part of the coconut we are most interested in today, and that’s coconut flour.
Coconut flour is an ideal low-carb substitute for cakes, brownies, and muffin recipes when you want to have a moist consistency.`
We use coconut flour extensively in our keto baking recipes due to its very low “net” carb count.
While coconut flour isn’t a no carb flour, it’s as close as you’ll get for the recipes that you’ll use it for.
Coconut flour itself isn’t moist; it draws moisture in from other ingredients then takes on the consistency from things such as eggs and water.
The ability for coconut flour to absorb moisture makes foods such as our Keto Muffin recipes soft and moist without them drying out, unlike some other low carb flours we use that are better suited to cookies and crusts.
#2: Almond Flour
Almond Flour is another notable ingredient in a good portion of our LCHF baking and dessert recipes.
About Almond Flour
One-quarter of a cup of Almond Flour has 14g of fat, 6g of protein, and only 3g net carbs.
- Almond flour is just ground almonds, blanched with the skin removed.
- Almond flour is a very versatile ingredient to have in the kitchen; we use it in a variety of our keto recipes baking.
- Almond flour is a primary keto ingredient in our Low Carb Ketogenic Soft Pretzels.
Almond Flour is in many health food stores, and we have even seen it at our local supermarkets too. (though the mark up seems a little steep in many specialty health food stores so we usually get almond meal online.
Almond flour will keep for seven months if you store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Remember, it isn’t really flour and needs to be treated differently.
#3: Almond Meal vs. Almond Flour
Almond Meal is somewhat courser than Almond Flour the almonds are ground down whole without the skins removed or being blanched. One-quarter of a cup of Almond Meal has 14grams of fat, 6grams of protein, 3grams of fiber, and only 3grams of net carbs.
We often use almond meal in our low carb keto cookies and when baking some pie bases.
You can make your own almond meal with raw unsalted almonds and a heavy-duty blender.
#4: Ground Flaxseed (Flax Meal)
Ground flaxseed or flax meal as it’s also known can be used as a keto flour substitute in many low carb baking recipes.
Flax meal can also be used as a substitute for eggs in certain situations, and it is particularly handy for vegans who don’t eat animal products or those with allergies to eggs.
Flaxseeds are one of the most nutritious seeds nature has on offer. They contain essential Omega 3s are a great source of vitamin B.
Two tablespoons of flax meal has only one net carb and equal to 70 calories.
Store flaxseed and flax meal in an airtight container and follow the expiry date as it becomes unusable reasonably quick if stored poorly.
#5: Psyllium Husk
Psyllium husk is not flour as such and is mostly used as a cereal topper or a source of dietary fiber, but it has some handy applications in low carb cooking due to its low net carbohydrates.
The benefits of psyllium husk are many not only is it an excellent source of fiber, but it is also prebiotic, helping with continued gut health.
We use psyllium husk as a virtually no carb flour and a substitute for eggs where moistness is required in things such as keto bread recipes.
Is Psyllium Husk Keto Friendly?
Psyllium husk is an excellent source of fiber its net carb count is only 1.5g per tablespoon and it is keto-friendly.
Including psyllium husk in your Keto diet is not only a great way to keep some of your favorite recipes moist, but it also helps with those who tend to eat a lot of cheese. “If you know what we mean,” (it keeps you regular).
Psyllium husk is a natural laxative and can be used as not only an (almost) no carb flour substitute but as a fiber supplement as well. Just make sure it is always heavily diluted, don’t eat psyllium husk raw or you may choke.
How To Store Almond Flour and Other Low Carb Flours
Almond flour and other low-carb flours should always be stores in airtight containers and refrigerated.
Most if not all of the Low Carb Flours we use come in either resealable or non-resalable bags on occasion a brand might supply them is a plastic container but most often these are not good enough for storing in the longer term.
While this packaging is ok before being opened, once you have broken the seal, you should store them in airtight containers if you want to keep them for any amount of time.
Beware: Keto flour substitutes can go off and still look ok. The last thing you want is salmonella poisoning or anything else due to poorly stored low carb flours.
Avoid storing your Low-Carb Keto Flours in their original packaging.
Alternatively, or even preferably portion out your low carb flours into vacuum-sealed bags using a vacuum sealing machine, and then freeze or refrigerate until needed.
With keto baking low-carb flour substitutes are a necessary part of the pantry, try finding regular floured recipes and experiment by replacing them.
