I know, I know, when we think flour, we don’t jump straight to keto foods, but these keto flours are here to ROCK your world!!
These tasty options not only look like flour, but with a few tricks of the trade, they can taste, act and have the same consistency of it too!
That’s right my friends… these high fat low carb foods make for GREAT substitutes for almost any dish you can dream up!! From cookies, to breads, to pie crusts, ohhh my!
Check out the list below, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised!
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Best 8 Keto Flour Choices
Whether you’re craving bread, crackers or brownies, these keto flour options have got you covered! Toss them on your shopping list — I promise you won’t regret it!
Here are the 8 best keto flour options:
| Flour (1/4 cup) | Carbs | Sugar | Fiber | Net Carbs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coconut Flour | 16 | 2 | 10 | 6 |
| Almond Flour | 9 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Almond Meal | 6 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Peanut Flour | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Flaxseed Meal | 8 | 0 | 6 | 2 |
| Sunflower Seed Meal | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Hazelnut Meal | 8 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Pecan Flour | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
1. Almond Flour
This low carb flour is an amazing and versatile substitute for many recipes. It comes in a variety of grinds, so you can make everything from dense breakfast muffins to light and fluffy cakes.
It has a mild flavor, great color and consistency and in my opinion, is the best substitute for traditional flour!
The main difference between wheat and almond flour is almonds have trouble binding and are denser, both of which can be remedied using xanthan gum or psyllium husk (more on these below).
Be sure to store almond flour in an airtight container in the fridge – it can go bad if not kept correctly.
Macros:
- Total Carbs: 9g
- Net Carbs: 6g
2. Coconut Flour
Coconut flour has been on the rise due to an increase in paleo foods, gluten free diets, and low carb meal plans — as well as the long-standing popularity of all things coconut.
This low carb flour is super absorbent and doesn’t have the same binding capabilities as gluten (the protein that acts as a “glue” in wheat flour.)
There’s a bit of a learning curve when it comes to baking with coconut flour — for this reason, I suggest sticking to recipes that use coconut flour first, then testing out variations and swaps of your own.
The most important factors to keep in mind when baking with this low carb flour are:
- Add more liquids. This will prevent coconut flour from yielding crumbly and dry treats. This can be done with milks, oil, butter or eggs.
- Needs a binding agent. More eggs, xanthan gum or psyllium husk can be added to your recipes for binding.
- Great low carb flour for frying!
I recommend buying coconut flour!
Macros:
- Total Carbs: 16g
- Net Carbs: 6g
3. Almond Meal
Almond meal is essentially the same as almond flour (check out my almond meal vs. almond flour guide), with one key difference: almond meal is made from almonds with the skin left on.
So as a result, almond meal will add small brown flecks to baked goods, where almond flour is closer to what you’d get with a traditional flour.
The calorie, carb, and protein counts are about the same between almond meal and flour, and it can be used interchangeably with its blanched counterpart — just keep in mind that swapping this low carb flour will change the look of the dish.
Think of it as the difference between say, bleached white paper and recycled paper — the latter calls more attention to the fact that you’re using a flour alternative.
Check out this how to make almond meal guide if you’re in a pinch!
Macros:
- Total Carbs: 6g
- Net Carbs: 3g
4. Peanut Flour
Peanut flour is actually made from partially defatted peanuts — resulting in a product with significantly less fat and more protein than most low carb flours.
It has a delicious peanut-y taste that works wonders in sauces and baked goods, and has similar baking characteristics to almond flour — in fact I typically swap them using a 1:1 ratio.
Macros:
- Total Carbs: 5g
- Net Carbs: 3g
5. Flaxseed Meal
Flaxseed meal is made from ground flaxseeds.
It has a very distinct taste, and due to its fiber count, it works best with other flours (instead of by itself). The fiber in flaxseeds creates a gelatin, which adds “fluff” and bulk to otherwise dense low carb flours!
Macros:
- Total Carbs: 8g
- Net Carbs: 2g
6. Sunflower Seed Meal
Perhaps one of the lesser known paleo flour types, sunflower seed meal is a high protein, low carb flour that works as an alternative to nut flours.
The main benefit of sunflower seed flour over other low carb flour options, is that this ingredient is nut free!
However, if you’ve tried sunflower seed butter, you know what I mean when I say, sunflower seeds have a very particular flavor.
Where almonds are mild and work in foods both sweet and savory, sunflower seed meal works best when accompanied by SWEET flavors like chocolate or fruits.
Macros:
- Total Carbs: 6g
- Net Carbs: 4g
7. Hazelnut Meal
Another nut flour gem, hazelnut flour isn’t as popular as almond meal, but it sure is tasty!
Bob’s Red Mill makes a version, or you can whip up your own batch by grinding the nuts in a blender.
Like almond meal and sunflower meal, hazelnut flour is made from ground hazelnuts, with the skin left on.
Macros:
- Total Carbs: 8g
- Net Carbs: 4g
8. Pecan Meal
Pecan meal has a mild and slightly different taste than the other low carb flour choices on this list — but tends to behave about the same.
Since this low carb flour is harder to come by, I rarely use it in baking — however, you can swap almond flour for pecan flour and it won’t give you any issues.
Macros:
- Total Carbs: 3g
- Net Carbs: 2g
Lowest Carb Flour?
The lowest carb flour is going to be pecan flour with about 8g net carb per cup!
Best Low Carb Flour Mix?
Bob’s Red Mill makes a great low carb flour mix for those counting their net carbs, but I prefer to make a unique flour mix based on each recipe. This allows me to mix a combination of flours for the best taste, texture and look.
For example, a bread flour mix requires extra “fluff” and a tortilla mix doesn’t.
What Are the Carbs In Flour?
1 single cup of regular enriched wheat flour has, prepare yourself… 96 grams of carbs!! Whole wheat flour is slightly better at 86 g. Luckily, there are some amazing options for alternate flours…
There are 24 g net carbs in coconut flour, and 24 g net carbs in almond flour per cup! And flaxseed flour has an incredible 8 g net carbs per cup.
With a variety of textures and flavors, there are plenty of options for any kind of ingredient swap.
How Do I Bind Flour Without Gluten?
So, gluten is a big part of what makes flour, well, flour! It helps our baked goods get nice and fluffy, be deliciously chewy and hold their shape. No one wants a flat loaf of bread!
When swapping out white flour with all its gluten-ness, you have to use some savvy. I typically use one, or a combination of the following ingredients:
- Keto cheese is a great way to get low carb flour to bind well, as well as using extra moisture.
- Eggs add fluff while keeping everything together.
- Xanthan gum works wonders in binding ingredients. It’s great when you don’t want fluff (think tortillas, wraps, etc.)
- Pysllium husk is another amazing product than binds while adding quite a bit of fluff. It’s great for rolls, bread, etc. PRO TIP: Not all psyllium husk is the same! I ONLY trust NOW brand, as it doesn’t add a blue-ish color to baked goods.
How To Eat Keto Flours
Like many relationships, low carb flours can be hard to get to know at first. But there is LOVE waiting in the wings as you learn how each special flour works best!
How Do I Make Them More Nutrient Dense?
A great way to add more nutrients when cooking with low carb flour is to get some yummy and good-for-you produce in there!
Adding in some pureed keto fruits or grated keto vegetables, (think zucchini!) will add texture, heft, body, plus all those good vitamins and antioxidants to your meals!
Top your pancakes with some fresh berries, make zucchini bread, get creative!
How Do I Add A Crunch?
When swapping out regular flour for low carb flour, textures can get a little lost in the process. Throwing in some chopped keto nuts like almonds or walnuts can add flavor, consistency and crunch without adding carbs…
I love adding a crumb (thank you chopped walnuts) topping to my breads and muffins!
How Do I Make Them Less Dry?
Low carb flours are often dryer than traditional flour. This can be offset by adding in extra eggs, butter, or keto milk. You need to add more moisture depending on the alternative flour…
Coconut flour especially will need something to add some binding and moisture, so if you see extra ingredients in the recipes, that’s why!
How Do I Add Protein?
To balance out the macros in these flours, you may want to add protein into the mix. I love making peanut butter cookies, as the keto peanut butter adds a few grams of protein while making them extra creamy.
If you’re looking for more of a snack, try making crackers and eat them alongside low carb jerky for a meal that’s crunchy, salty, and satiating.
Flour Substitute Recipes
Now that you’re a low carb flour expert, try out some of these amazing recipes!
8 Keto Flours
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 2 Cup Almond Flour *
- 4 Tablespoon NOW Powdered Psyllium Husk powder **
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 4 Eggs large
- 4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 2 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1/2 Cup Warm Water
- 2 Teaspoon Herbs Fresh, Chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line an 8" bread pan with a parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, stir together dry ingredients.
- Stir in large eggs (4) and olive oil (4 tablespoons), apple cider vinegar ( 2 tablespoons), and freshly chopped herbs (2 teaspoon) *if using*.
- Then add warm water (1/2 cup). Dough will look more "wet" than a traditional dough.
- Set the bread aside for 5 minutes to allow the psyllium husk to absorb the water.
- Transfer the batter to prepared bread pan.
- Bake for 55-65 minutes. The bread is done when a butter knife inserted in the center comes out clean, and the top is firm and crust-like.
- Allow the bread to cool before removing from the pan and slicing.
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Lindsey's Tips
- Almond Flour. Using fine-grained almond flour will yield the most "flour-like" results. My favorite brands are Bob's Red Mill, Trader Joe's, or Costco brands.
- Psyllium Husk. This recipe has ONLY been tested with NOW Psyllium Husk Powder. Some psyllium husk powders can turn baked goods into a blue-ish purple color, and they absorb liquids in varying amounts.
- Nutritional information is based on 1 slice, if you slice this loaf into 16 slices.
- Using a fine grained almond flour will yield better results. I've had great results with both Bob's Red Mill and Trader Joes almond flour.
- Some psyllium husk powders can turn baked goods into a blue-ish purple color. I use NOW Foods psyllium husk powder, and haven't had this issue.
Nutrition
Conclusion
There are a number of fantastic and creative options for replacing traditional wheat flours. Comment below with your favorite way to use keto flour!
