What are the best flour replacements on keto and keto flour substitutions?
We know how hard it is to start a new lifestyle that doesn't include wheat, corn, rice and a whole host of other grains but it's actually more simple than you think! Red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, decadent fudge, fluffy pancakes and crispy waffles — just the thought of them will make your stomach rumble and induce a sugary craving. Do you have to live without dessert forever?
Although even a small serving of these high sugar foods can easily put you over your carb count for the day and raise your glucose and insulin to no end, this doesn’t mean that you have to cut them out altogether. With brand new products hitting the market every week, it's now easier than ever to have healthy desserts in your house.
What’s the secret to keto baking? Keto flour substitutes made from almonds, coconut, walnuts, sunflower, and more.
Almond flour
Almond flour is not the same as ground almonds. Almond flour is made from blanched almonds and finely ground while the almond meal is not so finely milled and may contain almond skin (the little brown bits in your supermarket almonds).
If you have run out of almond flour for keto bakes like bread or cookies, you can buy the supermarket not as finely milled and blend it a little more in your own blender to make a finer powder. Just make sure you don't blend it so much it turns into almond butter!
How to store ground almonds:
Like any higher fat nut, once opened it should be stored in the fridge if you don't bake with it a lot but if you're likely to go through a bag when batch baking during a 2 week span then feel free to store in the cupboard!
Where to buy ground almond / almond flour in the UK:
This Costco almond flour is finely ground and a good price
This Amazon almond flour is good for those who don't use the flour in large quantities
Almond flour based keto bakes:
Blueberry and Lemon drizzle cakes
Coconut flour
Coconut flour is dried coconut meat after the oil extraction process (used to make coconut oil) is completed. Due to the high fibre content in this flour, it's a good choice for those who need a bit of a gut boost!
*those who have bloating issues may have issues with coconut flour but trust your body
Like almond flour, you cannot just substitute the flour 1:1. Coconut flour soaks up liquid massively and so you need to be aware of how to substitute efficiently.
Tips on How to Bake with Coconut Flour:
- Substitute 1/4-1/3 cup of coconut flour per 1 cup of regular all-purpose flour
- Combine almond and coconut for a lighter bake than almond alone
- Make sure to use a binder (more eggs, flax, xantham gum) when using coconut flour so bakes don't fall apart
What other flours can you use instead of wheat / white flour?
Ground walnuts (super nutty, high fat but may need to be combined with other flours depending on the recipe)
Did you know you can blend almost any nut to get a flour-like consistency and use it to lower the carb content of your recipes. Walnut meal, for example, can be used in many recipes that call for almond flour. Other nut flours that you can experiment with are hazelnut meal, pecan meal, macadamia nut meal, and pistachio meal. Each one will provide your baked goods with a unique flavour.
An important caveat, however, is that it is much harder to find recipes using these nut flours. For this reason, you’ll have to go through a lot of trial and error to find out which nut meal works best for the food that you are preparing.
Ground flaxseed/ linseed - (a good binder, but may need other flours for taste and texture)
Flax meal is also known as ground flax, ground flaxseeds, or linseed. They are super nutritious, providing a good source of vitamin B1, Copper, ALA (plant-derived Omega 3s), and lignans (plant compounds that help ward off cell damage from free radicals).
In every two tablespoons, ground flax contains nearly 70 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, 5 grams of total carbs, 4 grams of fiber, 3 grams of protein, and 1 gram of net carbs.
Due to its earthy taste, flax meal is perfect for making keto-friendly bread, muffins, cookies, nutty cakes, and scones. Although it is not typically used as the primary flour in keto recipes, flax meal has many other essential uses.
Ground sunflower seeds (good option and good for people to add to bread mixes)
Sunflower seed meal and pumpkin seed meal are ideal options for those who are allergic to any of the nut flours we mentioned above. These seed flours are high in vitamins and minerals such as vitamin E, copper, thiamine, selenium, and phosphorus, and relatively low in net carbs (less than five net carbs in every 1-ounce serving), making them a healthy keto-friendly option.
Ground sweet apricot (hard to come across but makes great bread!)
There are some issues around quantity of sweet apricot kernels to eat due to naturally occurring compounds but they are safe in small amounts.
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