Keto Baking Guide
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 a little know-how 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. And you’ll see that keto baking isn’t only possible — it's delicious.
What is keto baking?
There are many different methods of approaching the keto diet, and how individuals eat keto can depend on their personal preferences and goals. In general, the keto diet is based on keeping total net carb consumption low, while often eating high fat as well. This proportion shifts how the body derives energy, so that it uses fat as an energy source instead of carbs. Certain desserts and recipes are deemed keto-friendly because they're extremely low in net carbs (i.e., carbs that are absorbed by the body).
To align with the limited carb count of a keto diet, both flour and sugar typically need to be swapped with a more keto-friendly ingredient. By using some of the ingredients listed below, you can modify recipes to fit within these guidelines.
Stock up
Build a keto baking pantry
You’ll need to stock your pantry a little differently for keto baking. Instead of conventional ingredients like all-purpose flour and granulated sugar, it’s time to rethink what you use in your kitchen.
Wait … wheat can be keto-friendly? Though many who follow a keto diet don’t eat wheat due to its high carb content, there's nothing that specifically prohibits wheat on the keto diet. Therefore, it’s OK to eat wheat-based products, as long as the net carb total remains low, as with our Keto Wheat Flour, which is low in net carbs due to a customized wheat blend.
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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 many keto-friendly recipes we’ve developed (more on those below!). It even 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.
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Made from ground almonds, almond flour is light and delicate, with a rich, buttery flavor that makes delicious baked goods. Because it’s made from nuts, not wheat, it behaves a bit differently in baking, so you can’t swap it in for all-purpose flour. Instead, we recommend using almond flour only in recipes that specifically call for it, like Almond Flour Pizza Crust.
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A 1:1 replacement for sugar by volume, Baking Sugar Alternative has been specifically designed for baking, unlike most sugar alternatives on the market. Baking Sugar Alternative looks, acts, and tastes like real sugar (no noticeable aftertaste!) — all with zero net carbs.
Mix it up!
- If you're not ready to jump into scratch baking just yet, skip the ingredient swaps and start baking with one of our keto baking mixes. From cakes to muffins to pizza crust, we’ve got options. And to bake beyond the box, check out our recipe collection: Keto Mix Tips For Decadent Desserts & Savory Snacks.
Test-kitchen approved
Keto baking tips
Go soft.
If you’re baking with Keto Wheat Flour, stick with baked goods that are soft or moist, rather than hard or crunchy, because that’s where this flour really excels. (Meanwhile, it doesn’t really yield a crisp texture.) For instance, it's better for soft chocolate chip cookies rather than crunchy shortbread.
Go 50/50.
Depending on your diet and goals, you don’t have to use 100% Keto Wheat Flour and Baking Sugar Alternative as you first begin baking with them. You can sub half Keto Wheat Flour and/or half Baking Sugar Alternative as an entry point for a significant – though not fully keto – reduction of carbs, sugar, or calories in a recipe.
Use a mix.
If you’re just starting out, a trusty box of our Keto Chocolate Cake mix is a perfect place to begin. You don’t need to worry about specific ingredients or new techniques – these mixes are all designed to follow the same steps as a conventional mix. (See all mix options.)
Adjust kneading.
Yeasted doughs made with Keto Wheat Flour tend to be a little more delicate, so we don’t recommend a bread machine for kneading. You also won’t need extensive kneading for such doughs, so kneading may take less time than you’re used to. Finally, if you’re subbing Keto Wheat Flour into a regular bread recipe, you may have to add a little more water – about 2 tablespoons per 1 cup of Keto Flour. (For scones, biscuits, and pie crusts, increase the liquid in your recipe by 25%.)
Bump up the vanilla.
When we design chocolatey recipes for Baking Sugar Alternative, we include slightly more vanilla than we would for a conventional recipe. Dialing it up helps round out the chocolate flavor. If you’re swapping in BSA to chocolate desserts, you can add a little extra vanilla to complement the chocolate.
Adapt your expectations.
If you’re used to non-keto baking, you’re not going to have quite the same results when baking keto. Just how different depends 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. And keto brownies will yield a rich, chocolatey taste, but with a texture that’s denser than what you’d expect from a standard brownie.
Recipes
Keto-Friendly Bread
Since Keto Wheat Flour is wheat-based, it has the gluten necessary for the soft, chewy texture you’re looking for in yeast baking like this. With an even grain and nicely browned crust, this bread is quite similar to a typical sandwich loaf.
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). Made with almond flour and coconut flour, they're also gluten-free.
Keto-Friendly Pizza Crust
If you're looking for low-carb dinner options, this pizza crust is the answer, with only 4g net carbs per slice. Best of all, it makes an excellent blank canvas on which to bake any number of keto-friendly toppings.
Keto-Friendly Rolls
These soft, spongy rolls make the perfect side for any low-carb dinner. Enjoy with a schmear of butter, piled high with sandwich fillings, or to mop up sauce leftover on your plate.
