Last Updated on May 27, 2023 by Toya
Keep reading to see 9 amazing keto flour substitute options that can work for almost every recipe!
Are you thinking of making some keto baked goods? Or maybe you’re wanting to make keto gravy and you need to know what type of keto flour you can use to help thicken it up. You’ll be glad you found this post.
Flour, specifically all purpose flour and other gluten flours like self rising flour, bread flour, wheat flour, etc. are not keto friendly. This is so because they’re all very high in carbohydrates. In fact, all purpose flour has 95 grams of carbs per cup.
This means that all recipes made using all purpose flour are very high in carbs and this is not okay on a keto lifestyle. They’ll quickly make it so that your daily carb budget is used up with just a few bites of these recipes/foods.
As such we’re sharing 9 amazing keto substitute options that you can use to replace flour in almost any recipe!
So what are the best keto flour substitutes?
The best keto substitutes for flour are lupin flour, coconut flour, almond flour, almond meal, oat fiber, carbalose, ground flaxseeds, sunflower seed flour, and cauliflower flour.
Each of these will be discussed in more detail below showing the recipes they can be used in, as well as substitution ratios for each low carb flour substitute on the list.
But, before we go into more details, check out these tips and tricks below.
Tips about keto flour substitutions
Many of these keto flour alternatives are gluten free so they do not behave in the typical way one would expect all-purpose to behave.
In fact, many of them have no gluten at all, so it is harder for baked good made using those low carb flour substitutes to keep their shape or structure. Therefore, ingredients like eggs, cream cheese, xantham gum, etc are often used to help bind the recipes made from these flours.
Best keto flour substitute ideas
Lupin flour
A great keto alternative for flour is lupin flour. Lupin flour is a type of flour made from the lupin bean.
Many people have attested that lupin flour has a texture that is very similar to that of wheat flour which means it makes fluffy baked goods. However, it should be noted that lupin flour has a slightly bitter taste that needs to be masked with sweeteners or seasonings.
Because its light bitterness has to be masked, many people enjoy using lupin flour for more savory keto, low carb, or gluten free recipes like savory muffins, pizza, biscuits, etc.
A good conversion ratio for all purpose flour to lupin flour is 1:1
Coconut flour
Coconut flour is another good flour substitute for keto. It is actually among the most used gluten free flour for keto eaters.
While coconut flour is great for making pancakes like these fluffy low carb pancakes, bread, and even for thickening keto sauces, soups and gravies, it should be noted that coconut flour is far from similar to regular flour.
This type of flour is made from dried, ground-up coconut meat that is turned into a fine powder. It is very absorbent so it requires a lot more liquid than all-purpose flour and it has a slightly sweet, tropical flavor that one would not perceive in all-purpose flour.
Nonetheless, it has been used for years to make recipes that are typically made using regular flour like cakes, cookies, etc.
Coconut flour has 5 grams of net carbs per tablespoon which some people may consider high, but a little goes a long way with coconut flour. Most recipes I’ve made using coconut flour don’t need more than ¼ of a cup!
Indeed a good substitution ratio for flour to coconut flour is 1:¼.
Almond flour
Almond flour is a very popular keto flour substitute. This is so because it actually works really well in baking and cooking and it’s fairly low in carbs having only 3 grams of net carbs in every ¼ cup.
Almond flour is a type of flour made by blanching, drying, and grinding almonds into a fine powder.
This type of flour has a slightly sweet taste and a nutty flavor and it works well for making keto cakes, pancakes, bread, muffins, biscuits, cookies, etc. It even works well for coating meats and fish before frying. In fact, almond flour is my favorite keto substitute for all purpose flour.
A good almond flour-to-flour conversion ratio is a 1:1 ratio.
This has been my favorite type of almond flour lately. I've used many other brands before and this one gives me the best results It's also pretty reasonably priced too!
Almond meal
If you can find it, almond meal is another excellent keto substitute for flour. It can be used similarly to how one used almond flour. The main difference between almond meal and almond flour is that almond meal were made with the skins of the almonds on, so it’s a bit coarser than actual almond flour. It can be used to make keto-friendly bread, pie crusts, and I’ve en used it myself to coat these deliciously crispy fried chicken thighs. But, not everyone likes using it. So, if you’ve tried it and don’t care for it, feel free to check out these other almond meal substitutes here.
Oat Fiber
Oat fiber is another ideal keto flour replacement. Oat fiber is an insoluble fiber from the oat hull. So, while it does come from oats that are high in carbs, it is very unlike the other high carb oat products like rolled oats, bran, or even oat flour.
Important – Oat fiber and oat flour are two very different ingredients that should not be exchanged for each other on keto.
It is extremely high in fiber – ¼ cup contains 0 calories and 12 grams of fiber, but 0 grams of carbs- and so, this is a great alternative for flour on keto.
Oat fiber is hardly ever used on its own in place of flour. In fact, it is often added to other flours like almond or coconut as a supplemental ingredient to add bulk without adding extra carbs.
Flaxseed meal
Flaxseed meal can also work as a substitute for flour on keto. Flaxseed meal is a type of powder made from ground flaxseeds that can be used to add nutrients to smoothies and shakes but can also double up as a keto-friendly flour for some baked goods.
For every cup of flaxseed meal, you can expect to get 3 net carbs.
Sunflower Seed Meal
Sunflower seed meal is made from ground sunflower seeds into a fine powder. It can work as a great keto flour alternative as it is good for baked goods like cookies, but also great for coating meats for frying which means that sunflower seed meal is a good keto flour substitute for frying.
A good flour to sunflower seed meal conversion ratio is 1:1.
Cauliflower flour
Many people may not know this but here is a low carb flour substitute called cauliflower flour.
Cauliflower flour is made from 100% cauliflower. This type of flour is made from cauliflower that is steamed, dried, and milled into a fine powder.
Cauliflower flour tastes somewhat like cauliflower so it is a good keto flour alternative for savory foods like bread, pizza crusts, etc. Feel free to read more about cauliflower flour here.
Carbalose
Carbalose is a low carb flour alternative made with wheat. However, with carbalose, most of the non-fiber carbohydrates are removed and so it has 60% fewer carbs when compared to all-purpose.
Carbalose is the main ingredient in carbquik mix and it is used just like all purpose to make recipes like bread, pancakes, waffles, rolls, pizza, etc.
FAQs about substituting flours on keto
Is chickpea flour keto-friendly?
No, chickpea flour is not keto friendly. While chickpea flour also called gram flour has fewer carbs than cereal flour, it is still made from beans, which are not eaten on keto. Moreover, chickpea flour has 53 grams of carbs in every cup. This is way too much for keto.
Is coconut flour keto-friendly?
Yes, coconut flour is keto friendly. Coconut flour is made from coconut meat and while it does contain what may seem like a high amount of carbs, it also contains a lot of fiber.
Is rice flour keto-friendly?
No, rice flour is not keto friendly. Rice flour is made from milled long grain rice and has a whopping 127 grams of carbs per cup!