As a breakfast-all-day kind of girl, settling on a favorite low carb breakfast food would be no easy task. My undying love for both eggs and pancakes has just one requirement for both: the fluffier, the better! With that in mind, making an all-purpose low carb keto pancakes recipe was on my list for quite some time — and here it is. If you prefer a keto pancake mix, that’s now available here, too! I made almond flour pancakes and coconut flour pancakes separately first, both of which are delicious, but then it dawned on me: I love combining almond flour and coconut flour in low carb dessert recipes, so why not make a keto pancake recipe with almond flour and coconut flour, too?! Sure enough, doing this led to an improved texture. They just might be my best keto low carb pancakes ever.
Ingredients For Keto Pancakes
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for low carb pancakes, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below. But if you want to get the same fluffy results, be sure to use Wholesome Yum Blanched Almond Flour and Wholesome Yum Coconut Flour for your homemade keto pancake mix. These have the finest consistency and the right moisture level, which is so important to get the right texture.
The Dry Keto Pancake Mix:
Wholesome Yum Blanched Almond Flour – Crucial for a great texture in your keto pancakes! The Wholesome Yum brand is just one ingredient (100% California almonds), and it’s super fine (the finest grind out there!) and blanched. Many other brands are coarser and can yield a gritty result. Wholesome Yum Coconut Flour – Super finely ground and organic. Be aware that different brands can absorb moisture differently, so your batter consistency can vary if you use a different brand.Besti Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – A couple tablespoons adds light sweetness, not too much. (Of course, feel free to adjust the sweetener amount depending on how sweet you like your keto pancakes.) I recommend using Besti over other sweeteners, because it locks in moisture and helps make your low carb pancakes more fluffy. It also tastes just like sugar, is 100% natural, and has zero net carbs. However, other sugar substitutes would also work. For paleo pancakes, you can still use Besti if you are okay with monk fruit and allulose, or sub coconut sugar.Baking Powder – Provides lift; make sure it’s fresh so that it works effectively. I like this brand which is non-GMO.Sea Salt – Optional, but recommended for balancing the flavors.
The Wet Ingredients:
Eggs – Use whole, large eggs. These help provide leavening and hold the keto-friendly pancakes together. Flax eggs are a common egg substitute, but I haven’t tried that; most likely, the pancakes will be denser and more prone to falling apart if using flax eggs, so mini pancakes would work best if using those.Unsweetened Almond Milk – You can use any keto milk of your choice here, such as coconut milk beverage (the liquid kind in a carton, not the thick kind in a can) or watered down heavy cream.Avocado Oil – I prefer avocado oil, but any neutral tasting oil that is liquid at room temperature should work, such as light olive oil. Don’t use extra virgin avocado or olive oil; it should be almost clear, not dark.Vanilla Extract – Optional, but recommended for flavor. You can also mix it up with other extracts, such as banana or maple. (You can also try my keto banana pancakes if you like that flavor.)Oil For Frying – You can use the same avocado oil used in the batter to keep the ingredient count low, or use ghee for better flavor. Coconut oil or avocado oil spray are also fine to use. I don’t recommend using butter, which can burn easily.
How To Make Keto Pancakes
This section shows how to make low carb pancakes, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below. If you can’t have one of the low carb flours in this recipe, make my almond flour pancakes or coconut flour pancakes instead. This keto pancake recipe was so popular that I made it into a convenient keto pancake mix! Just add eggs, oil, and milk of your choice.
Storage Instructions
This low carb pancakes recipe makes a pretty decent sized batch. I ended up with 12 pancakes, each about 3 inches in diameter. The amount is perfect for having extras on hand throughout the week, feeding an entire family, or even freezing. If it’s too thick, add a little more milk. Don’t add too much, or the pancakes will be too “wet”. I usually oil the pan with avocado oil and then wipe with a paper towel (so that only a very thin layer remains), or grease very lightly with ghee. In contrast, a pan with more oil results in more spotty browning, but your pancakes will still be delicious either way.
Make Ahead Batter: You can mix the keto pancake batter ahead, but because baking powder reacts right away and then loses effectiveness, it’s best to add it right before cooking.Store: Keep leftover low carb pancakes in the fridge for up to 5-7 days.Reheat: The best way to reheat pancakes is to arrange them on a baking sheet, slather with a little unsalted butter, and heat in the oven at 350 degrees F until warm. (The butter prevents them from drying out.) If you’re in a rush, the microwave will work, though.Freeze: If you like to meal plan or just have an easy keto breakfast ready to go, make a double or triple batch to freeze! After making your keto pancake recipe, let them cool completely. Once cooled, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze for about an hour, until solid. Then, transfer them to a freezer bag and keep in the freezer for up to 3-6 months.
Topping Ideas For Low Carb Pancakes
Now, you have an important decision left to make — what to top your fluffy keto pancakes with? Here are some ideas:
Sugar-Free Syrup – It goes without saying you’ll want some sugar-free maple syrup for your keto pancakes. Get my sugar-free maple syrup recipe here, or pick up my new keto maple syrup in a glass bottle — it’s naturally sweetened and flavored from real maple. (Even my kids and their friends can’t tell this isn’t real maple syrup!)Butter – A pat of butter is always a solid choice for pancakes.Sugar-Free Whipped Cream – So easy to make and tastes like the real thing!Nuts – Most nuts are very low in carbs. You can chop them up and fold into the batter, or just sprinkle on top. Get the full keto nuts list here for ideas.Berries – Make keto blueberry pancakes by folding blueberries into the batter, or top your pancakes with other berries, such as strawberries or raspberries. Get the full keto fruit list here.Sugar-Free Chocolate Chips – This is my favorite brand, and it’s available in dark, milk, or white chocolate options. You can fold chocolate chips into the keto pancake mix or just add them at the end.
No matter what topping or filling variation of these fluffy low carb pancakes you choose, you can’t go wrong with this recipe.
More Keto Pancake Recipes
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After further testing and reader feedback, this recipe was slightly updated on March 29, 2018 to make it even better! Above is the new version. The changes were adding avocado oil, reducing eggs by 1, and reducing almond milk slightly. So now, they are more flavorful and not egg-y. If you want the old version, use 6 eggs, 6-8 tbsp almond milk, and omit the avocado oil. The blog post was updated in 2022 to provide additional tips. For best flavor, fry the pancakes in ghee (clarified butter). Don’t use butter, because it burns too easily. Otherwise, avocado oil is a great oil to use with neutral taste. Make sure you have blanched, finely ground almond flour. The pancakes will be gritty if you use almond meal, ground almonds, or any other type.
Recipe from The Easy Keto Carboholics’ Cookbook.