There are a lot of gluten free and non-traditional flour options available, but which flours are the best for a keto diet? In this article, we share all!
When starting a keto diet, many people want to remake their favorite non-keto foods (like pizza!) into keto-fied versions. This can be a great tool to help with compliance, especially when you’re just starting keto!
Many foods that people seek to re-create are breads, buns, muffins, cookies, brownies, pastries, tortillas, and many other flour-based foods.
But which flours should you use? If you’re new to keto, it can be tricky to determine which gluten free flours are best for low carb and keto-friendly baking! We’re sharing a list of our favorite flours to use on a ketogenic diet.
The Best Keto Flours
To give you a better understanding of the different types of keto flours, in this article we explain what each is and how to use it. Additionally, we list nutritional information for each flour. Lastly, we share a couple recipes that utilize each type of flour.
A couple things to note:
- Plan on using more than one type of keto flour in a single recipe. Most recipes for keto breads or other baked goods use multiple types of keto flours. This helps yield the best results in terms of flavor and texture. Ultimately, it makes a baked good that’s as close to the “real” thing as possible!
- Beef gelatin is a secret ingredient in a lot of keto baked goods recipes. Because keto baked goods lack gluten, we have to be creative to find ways to achieve a bread-y texture. Beef gelatin is commonly used in keto and low-carb baking because it lends a chewy texture to baked goods. There are two things to note: 1) a little bit of beef gelatin goes a long way, and 2) it’s not used as a keto flour; rather, beef gelatin is used in addition to keto flours in keto baking.
Coconut Flour
This is the coconut flour we use.
What is Coconut Flour?
Coconut flour is made from ground dried coconut meat.
How to Use Coconut Flour
You’ll need much less coconut flour compared to other flours, such as all-purpose flour in traditional baking or almond flour in low-carb baking. Because coconut flour is high in fiber, it usually only requires about 1/4 the amount if substituting it in place of all-purpose flour or almond flour.
Coconut flour is a little finicky to work with. If you are using coconut flour as the only flour in baked goods, your breads and/or baked goods may turn out a little dry or dense. This is likely due to the high fiber content of coconut flour and the fact that it absorbs a lot of liquid.
This is why baked goods recipes that predominantly use coconut flour typically add a lot of eggs. The eggs help lighten, moisten, and bind the recipe, and provide structure. But then you run the risk of your baked goods tasting eggy! And no one wants that.
Over much trial and error, we’ve found that for the best results in keto baking, coconut flour is best used in combination with other keto flours, such as almond flour. Additionally, we like to use coconut flour in combination with almond flour as a replacement for regular breadcrumbs!
Coconut Flour Nutritional Information
Coconut flour is both gluten-free and low in carbohydrates, which makes it a popular baking choice for low-carb, paleo, and gluten-free baking. Compared with other types of flour, coconut flour is very high in fiber.
Coconut Flour Nutrition Stats
Here is the nutrition information for 1 serving (2 tablespoons/16 grams) of Viva Naturals Organic Coconut Flour:
- 70 calories
- 2g total fat
- 10g total carbohydrates
- 7g fiber
- 3g net carbs
Recipes That Use Coconut Flour
Almond Flour
This is the almond flour we use.
What is Almond Flour?
Almond flour is ground raw almonds with their skins removed. It’s different than almond meal, which is ground raw almonds that still have their skin on. As a result, almond meal is darker in color. Both almond flour and almond meal are used in keto baking.
How to Use Almond Flour
Almond flour and is often used in low-carb baking to replace traditional all-purpose flour. It’s normally used in higher amounts than coconut flour. It absorbs much less liquid than coconut flour.
Many keto and low-carb baking recipes call for a blend of both coconut and almond flour for the best results in terms of flavor and texture.
Almond Flour Nutritional Information
Almond flour is gluten-free and low-carb. It’s higher in fat, lower in fiber, and much denser than coconut flour.
Almond Flour Nutrition Stats
Here is the nutrition information for 1 serving (1/8 cup/15 grams) of King Arthur Almond Flour:
- 90 calories
- 8g total fat
- 3g total carbohydrates
- 1g fiber
- 2g net carbs
Recipes That Use Almond Flour
- Keto Soft Pretzels (Keto Pretzel Bites)
- Low Carb Crackers (Buttery Sesame Almond Gluten Free Crackers)
Ground Flaxseed
This is the ground flaxseed we use.
What is Ground Flaxseed?
Also sometimes called flaxseed meal, ground flaxseed is a meal made of flaxseeds that are ground into a fine powder. There are two types, brown and golden flaxseed meal.
Golden and brown flaxseed meal work interchangeably in recipes, but if you have a recipe that is a lighter color, using golden flaxseed meal will make your recipe look prettier instead of having dark specks throughout the finished product. Additionally, brown flaxseed meal has a bit of a stronger flavor than golden flaxseed meal.
How to Use Ground Flaxseed
Flaxseed meal is commonly used in keto baked goods recipes. However, it’s not usually used on its own. Instead, it is frequently in conjunction with other keto flours, such as almond flour.
In baking, ground flaxseed acts as a thickener and helps with the structure of baked goods.
Additionally, ground flaxseed is used in vegan baking to make a vegan egg replacement.
Ground Flaxseed Nutritional Information
Flaxseeds are a good source of fiber and provide omega-3 fatty acids in the form of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).
Ground Flaxseed Nutrition Stats
Here is the nutrition information for 1 serving (1 tablespoon/7 grams) of Terrasoul Superfoods Ground Flaxseed:
- 40 calories
- 3g total fat
- 2g total carbohydrates
- 2g fiber
- 0g net carbs
Recipes That Use Flaxseed Meal
Psyllium Husk Powder
This is the psyllium husk powder we use.
What is Psyllium Husk Powder?
Psyllium husk powder is a finely ground powder made of psyllium husks. Through a lot of experimentation, we’ve noticed that the more finely ground it is, the better!
How to Use Psyllium Husk Powder
Because keto baked goods lack gluten, we have a few tricks to get as close as possible to a fluffy, bread-like texture. This is one of those tricks! Psyllium husk powder is used to add a more bread-like texture to keto baked goods.
Also, be aware that depending on the brand of psyllium husk powder you use, it may turn your baked goods purplish or grayish in color. But this shouldn’t effect the flavor!
Psyllium Husk Powder Nutritional Information
Psyllium husk powder is very high in fiber.
Make sure you check the label and get psyllium husk powder (not psyllium husks) because they are not interchangeable.
Psyllium Husk Powder Nutrition Stats
Here is the nutrition information for 1 serving (1 teaspoon/5 grams) of Terrasoul Superfoods Psyllium Husk Powder:
- 15 calories
- 0g total fat
- 4g total carbohydrates
- 4g fiber
- 0g net carbs
Recipes That Use Psyllium Husk Powder
More Keto Friendly Flours To Experiment With
- Ground Chia Seed – Chia seeds are high in protein and fiber, and have 0g net carbs per serving. Ground chia seed is great for using in baked goods. Additionally, we like using ground chia for smoothies because it tends to not stick on the inside of the blender like regular chia seeds do.
- Oat Fiber – With 3g of carbs all coming from fiber, this flour is perfect to add to baked good without the fear of spiking your blood sugar.
- Ground Sunflower Seed – We have seen a lot of pre-made baking mixes use ground sunflower seeds this as their flour of choice. This flour makes for really chewy cookies and brownies!
- Cricket Powder – Are you feeling adventurous? Cricket flour has 2g fat, 1g carb, and 7g protein per 10g serving. If you use cricket powder in keto baking, let us know what you make!
And if you want to dive deeper into keto baking, take a peak at our Keto Bread cookbook available on Amazon!
Stratos Nikolaidis says
Hello Lara, thank you for the article! May I ask, can we use zea flour? I’d like to make my own pasta! 😊
Lara says
I’ve never heard of zea flour I will have to look into it
Bernadine says
I’m on keto have been for two years and I use carbolos flower for my pancakes my biscuits is this keto friendly or have I been deceiving myself
Don says
Hi there,
How about Tiger Nut Flour?
Lara says
it has 11g net carbs per 1/4 so it depends on how much you’re going to use per serving
Sarah Vazey says
Rice flour, can this be used.
Lara says
Rice flour is higher in carbohydrates so it will be hard to eat a lot on a keto diet
Cassey says
Hi Lara, do you have any suggestions of flours to substitute rice flour? Thank you.
Lara says
Hi Cassey,
I’m sorry but I don’t have any experience with baking with rice flour
Sarah says
Do you have experience cooking with Lupin flour? I’ve been using it in some pancake recipes in place of almond flour with some success.
Lara says
Hi Sarah,
I have never cooked with it before.
Hawa Hamadi says
What about semolina made macaroni or flour?
Lara says
Semolina is higher in carbohydrates and you won’t be able to consume much and stay in ketosis.
Guillermo Crucci says
What about peanut flour! Thank you
Lara says
Are you referring to things like PB2? If so then yes 🙂
Sherry says
I was told spelt flour was ok to use to keep glycemic numbers low. Is this correct? I love pretzels for a snack and have found a pretzel made from spelt that is very tasty.
Lara says
Spelt is higher in carbohydrates and you may not be able to consume much and stay in ketosis.
Lalithashree Prakash says
Hi, is water chestnut flour ok to use when on keto diet?
Is tapioca flour keto friendly? says
Is tapioca flour keto friendly?
Lara says
Tapioca flour has 26g net carbs per 1/4 cup so it would be hard to consume it in large amounts on a keto diet.
Grassfe says
But it’s resistant starch, meaning it behaves like fiber…thoughts?
Lara says
It may slow down the spike of glucose because it is a resistant starch, but too much may kick you out of ketosis. Each individual is different depending on their ADLs, metabolism, how long they’ve been in ketosis, etc. I hope this helps.
Faheem Memon says
Hi Faith,
Hope you are doing good. Just wanted to remind you about your Naan recipe. Are you done with that? Or it is still under research?
Faith Gorsky says
Hi Faheem, Thank you so much! I’m doing well and hope you are too. 🙂 And thanks for checking back! The naan recipe has been perfected and will be included in our upcoming Keto Bread cookbook, to be published on Sept. 10, 2019. Here’s more info on the book if you’re interested: https://theketoqueens.com/keto-bread-cookbook/
Anita says
Hi can you use amaranth flour on a Keto diet
Lara says
Amaranth flour has 17g net carbs per 1/4 cup so it would be pretty hard to use on a keto diet.
Pasquale says
Hello,
Is carbalose flour Keto friendly?
Lara says
Yes carbalose is keto friendly. It has 2g net carbs per 1/3 cup. We tend to not use pre-made mixes instead we use individual ingredients.
Debra Brejcha says
Yes it has 16 carbs but 14 fiber you subtract fiber from carbs so it has only 2 carbs to 1/3 cup
Diana Durham says
I have sever digestive issues and unable to have coconut, Psyllium, Flax Seed, Oat, any cereal kind of flour. A lot of recipes call for both almond and coconut flour and all the substitute is something that I’m unable to use.
Lara says
Hi Diana,
We’re sorry to hear about your digestive issues.
Teresa B says
I’ve read many reviews that say that the Lupin Flour is very easy to digest. 🙂
chichi says
is sorghum whole meal flour keto friendly?
Lara says
it would be hard to consume larger quantities and stay in ketosis. I would rec some of the above flours
Debbie says
Cassava flour? Does that work for Keto diet
Lara says
Hi Debbie,
It’s higher in carbohydrates so it’s hard to make fit on a keto diet.
Neiko says
What about soy flour?
Lara says
Soy flour has 5g net carbs per 1/4 cup. We haven’t experimented with it much.
Berta says
Is Einkorn Flour keto friendly?
Lara says
it has 18g of net carbs per 1/4 cup so it would be hard to fit a lot of in a keto diet
Taha Husain says
Can you use lentil flour or water chestnut flour when on the Keto diet?? Also is there any type of flour that is affordable in Keto?
Lara says
Lentil flour has 14g net carbs per 1oz so it will be hard to make anything with it on a keto diet. Chestnut flour has 3g net carbs per 1oz so it’s a better option than the lentil flour. Coconut flour (especially), ground flax seed, and almond flour are super affordable nowadays.
Karen West says
Thank you that was a great help
Maria says
Can i use chickpeas in keto diet?
Lara says
Chickpeas are higher in carbohydrates so I don’t consume them.
Dawna Melanson says
Is Quinoa flour any good to be used on the keto diet?
Lara says
Hi Dawna,
It’s higher in carbs so it’s hard to use a large amount in recipes. I’d opt for something lower in carbs like almond or coconut flour
Kelly says
What about einkorn flour? It’s the original non-hybridized wheat. I make my own einkorn sourdough bread. I understand that it would be higher in carbs, but would it be ok in small quantities? Thanks for the info!
Lara says
Hi Kelly,
Truly you can eat anything that contains carbohydrates, it’s just the serving size that you would need to moderate. So if you’re okay with having a few bites of bread, more than likely it will not kick you out of ketosis. It also depends on how many carbohydrates you consumed earlier in the day and what your physical activity looks like. Personally I’ve tested out consuming upwards of 100g of carbohydrates (most of them being in the evening) and then hopping in my infrared sauna afterwards for 30 minutes. And then the next morning I tested my blood ketone levels and I was still in ketosis! It’s super individualized. I hope this helps 🙂
Anderson Guerra says
how about red teff seed? Can use it as it is a seed very low carb?
Lara says
Hi Anderson,
I haven’t heard of that before. I will look into it. Thank you!
Olivia Wyles says
Teff Flour has 27g carbs per 1/4 cup so it would not be a viable Keto flour option.
Tracey Stephenson says
What is the best flour to use for pastry?
Lara says
We normally like to use a blend of coconut and almond flour
Eppie says
What’s the usual ratio, when using both coconut and almond flours in baking?
Lara says
We don’t really have a ratio that we follow – it varies recipe to recipe
Liz says
Hi. Is oat fibre same as oat flour? Thanks
Lara says
Nope, not at all. Oat fiber is just the fiber and has 0g net carbs, whereas the flour is just ground up oats and has a bunch of carbs.
rev says
Hello ladies,
I am from a Hispanic / Jewish household….we LOVE LOVE LOVE our tortillas and Challah…..I can’t seem to find ANYTHING that really seems to create that stretchy feel for a flour tortillas and as for the Challah, I can’t seem to find anything that creates, also, that stretchy chewy oh so gooooood “feel”, taste, etc….any ideas????
Faith Gorsky says
Rev, We are thrilled to tell you that we have a bread book coming out in September that has a ton of great keto bread recipes! Here are the links if you want to take a look: Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Keto-Bread-Muffins-Low-Carb-Keto-Friendly/dp/1507210906/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1549287717&sr=8-1&keywords=9781507210901 and Barnes and Noble link is now available here: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1130507963?ean=9781507210901
Mlm says
As a former pastry chef I can say it will be hard or next to impossible to create that exact mouthfeel, texture, and consistency of any original bread recipe without using gluten. It’s culinary science, However, you can find substitute ingredients such as these listed and combine them to recreate something very close to what you are looking for. As a daughter of a dad who is going through diabetes complications and after much research into this keto diet it seems to be the way to go… Good luck
Rod S says
I’m very new to this diet and I have a question. If the amount of flour is less than a few tablespoons to coat beef in a stir fry, wil this hurt this diet?
Faith Gorsky says
Rod, With a ketogenic lifestyle, the point is to stay within your macros, so if you’re not gluten-intolerant and the flour fits into your macros, you should be fine. Have you calculated what your macros should be? We have a post talking about which macro calculators we like best, if you’re interested: https://theketoqueens.com/macro-calculator-review/ Additionally, a doctor can help you figure out the macros that will work best for your health and fitness goals. Best of luck and welcome to the keto family!
monica hayden says
i just heard about cassava flour and tiger nut flour can you recommend a flour ans recipe for bread ive tried keto connect ijust do not like it, it reminds me of quiche and i hate quiches
Lara says
Hi Monica,
Here’s our keto bread recipe, it’s our favorite! https://theketoqueens.com/keto-bread/
Argi says
Hi. Is buckwheat flour suitable for a Keto diet?
Lara says
Buckwheat is high in carbs and would be hard to eat a normal quantity and stay in ketosis
Ana says
I am looking for a gluten free, low carb flour to make Naan. I have tried it with the almond flour and as you know, almond flour has a sweet taste so it tasted more like a pancake. Any recommendations? Thanks, and thank you for this – I am going to try to make some of my own flours…
Faith Gorsky says
Ana, We love naan! We’re developing a recipe for a special project we’ve been working on for the past couple months. We can’t wait to announce it! Check back because we’re hoping to be able to share more information on the project very soon!
Mamta says
Yes would love to have a naan recipe:)
Lara says
Check back soon 🙂
cseib says
I use veggie flour works great, I am not on a keto diet, but I love juicing and hated throwing away the pulp, started making dog treats with the pulp, then started making flour. Pumpkin, carrot and beet flours are awesome to cook with.
Terra says
Dear Cseib, how do you make veggie flour out of pulp? I am intrigued
Peggy says
Can you share your process for making veggie flour from pulp?
Mlm says
Any root vegetable is going to be high in sugar and carbs. To the comment about making a flour you would have to dry out the pulp thoroughly then pulse with a food processor into a flour.
Kavitha says
What about water chestnut flour? Is it keto compliant?
Faith Gorsky says
Kavitha, 1 ounce of chestnut flour has 3.1g net carbs so it’s a little on the high side and it’s our top choice for keto-friendly flours. However, if you can fit it into your macros, then we say go for it!
Mary Nicholas says
Can you use almond or coconut flour as a dusting on chicken if you want to bake it so it can have the “fried chicken” resemblance? Also, is casava flour on the Keto diet?
Lara says
Yes! You can coat with coconut flour, then dip in egg and then dip in almond flour to have a “fried chicken” breading.” I would use cassava flour in very small amounts since it is higher in carbohydrates.