These keto pancakes with almond flour are so easy to make! Fluffy, light and delicious, my keto cream cheese pancakes are gluten-free and require only 5 ingredients. They are the most popular breakfast recipe on Sugar Free Londoner.
We all like pancakes in this house, and these gluten free wonders are my all-time favourite. Whilst my husband and I are on the keto diet, my kids aren't. I'm so happy that we ALL love this recipe. It's our weekend treat!
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"I LOVE these, I normally make a batch every week and have them with cinnamon butter for breakfast or cheese and ham for lunch. I add the baking powder, makes such a difference." (Kelly)
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My Quest For Perfect Low Carb Pancakes
There are many variations of ketogenic pancakes. Some recipes contain only eggs and cream cheese. This works well, but tastes a little on the eggy side.
Other recipes add in almond milk, cream or even mayonnaise. The flours range from coconut flour to almond flour (or a mix of both) to more unusual flours such as lupin, sesame or flax.
I've probably tried ALL low carb pancake versions known to man. And I can honestly say.... the two keto pancake recipes I like the most are my coconut flour pancakes and this very almond flour pancake recipe.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Flavor & Texture - As you woud expect, the pancakes have a pleasantly nutty flavor, with a gentle sweetness from the sweetener and a dash of cinnamon. They are light and fluffy, just like proper pancakes should be. And they are the perfect vessel for all those exciting toppings we are talking about later in the post.
Easy & Versatile - This is a one-bowl recipe that is super quick to put together. You can almost do it while you're waiting for the kettle to boil. And, as tested in my own family, these pancakes are popular with carb-loving children as well as carb-conscious adults. They simply taste... of delicious pancakes!
Low Carb - Of course, this is the reason why keto pancakes win hands down over traditional wheat pancakes: One portion of 2 almond flour cream cheese pancakes contains only 2.3g net carbs.
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you'll need:
- Almond flour - I used super-fine almond flour.
- Eggs - Use room temperature eggs for a better rise.
- Cream cheese - Full fat is best. Low fat cream cheese contains added water, which we don't want in pancakes.
- Sweetener - Can be granulated or powdered. I have made this recipe with erythritol monk fruit sweetener, xylitol, Bocha Sweet and allulose. Any 1:1 sugar substitute works just fine.
- Cinnamon - Optional, but recommended.
Why almond flour?
Fine almond flour is a great alternative to wheat flour. It means your pancakes are nutrient dense and filling and still have the texture of "real" pancakes.
The idea is that low carb pancakes made with almond flour will provide you with a steady supply of energy and won't send you blood sugar sky-high. Read more about the benefits of almond flour here. I'm no doctor or nutritionist, but this makes perfect sense to me!
The almond flour I used is extra-fine and fat-reduced. It makes the pancakes light and fluffy. I thought they tasted very similar to wheat pancakes. Even so, regular fine almond flour that is not de-fatted will also work well.
If you are using coarse almond flour or ground almonds, increase the amount by 1-2 tablespoons.
Instructions
This section contains step-by-step instructions and photos that show how to make this recipe. See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities
STEP 1
Mix the wet ingredients in a blender - large eggs and cream cheese. Then add the dry ingredients - almond flour, sweetener and cinnamon - and blend until a smooth batter forms.
(As you can see in the screenshot from my recipe video, I added the dry ingredients first. This meant the batter took longer to mix. If you add the wet ingredients first, nothing will stick to the bottom of the blender jug.)
Note: If you don't have a blender, just use a large mixing bowl and a balloon whisk or an immersion blender.
STEP 2
Fry the pancakes in melted butter or coconut oil over medium heat. Use a large non-stick pan or skillet. I made two pancakes per pan.
STEP 3
Flip the pancakes with a large spatula once bubbles start forming in the centre.
STEP 4
Continue to fry the pancakes until the bottom side has set.
Katrin's Top Tips
Keep them small. I recommend to keep the pancakes on the small side to avoid them falling apart. Almond flour pancakes are more fragile than regular pancakes. This is because they don't contain gluten. 10-12 centimetre diameter is best.
Medium heat works best. If you heat the pan too much low carb pancakes will burn. You can use butter to fry, alternatively coconut or avocado oil will work too. Wait until bubbles form in the centre of the pancake. Then flip them.
The right equipment. It's worth-while to invest in a quality non-stick pan when you're cooking low carb, so your pancakes are easy to flip and cook without sticking. And, use a wide spatula so you can lift them easily.
Serving Size
This recipe makes a batch of 8 pancakes of approximately 10 centimetres or 4 inches in diameter. I calculated 2 pancakes per person.
This means you can feed a family of 4 in one go, or have extras for later in the week if you are cooking for less people.
Toppings
This is an important decision: what do you want to top your keto pancakes with? Berries, nuts, a dollop of butter - or even chocolate chips? Here are a few ideas:.
- Eat with Greek yogurt / sour cream / whipped cream and blueberries or raspberries.
- Sugar-free syrup!
- Drizzle with my 2 ingredient sugar free caramel sauce.
- Add a dollop of sugar free blueberry jam or blueberry cream cheese.
- Spoon over this sugar free strawberry jam or my no-cook raspberry jam.
- Top them with bacon! (sweet and salty is quite an irresistible combination!)
- Make them savoury by omitting the sweetener and adding chives or chopped spinach and grated cheese.
Variations
Flavor: I love adding cinnamon to this recipe for a warm flavour. But 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract would also work a treat. Or, add a pinch of sea salt to enhance the flavor.
More Fluffiness: Add ½ teaspoon of baking powder for more fluffiness.
Dairy-free: For a no dairy version, replace the cream cheese with a dairy-free cream cheese or with coconut yogurt.
Blueberry: You can make keto blueberry pancakes with this recipe! Fold ¼ cup of fresh or frozen blueberries into the batter after blending.
Recipe FAQs
This recipe makes perfectly light pancakes and I personally prefer them without additional baking powder. However, if you want to give them an extra lift you can add ½ teaspoon of baking powder.
If you use ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum, you can make larger pancakes. It works as a binder and gives a stronger texture.
You could use a whoopie pie pan. Or fill the batter into a large muffin pan and bake the pancakes into perfect mini-circles. 180 Celsius / 350 Fahrenheit and around 7-8 minutes will do the trick.
I don't recommend it. Coconut flour absorbs more liquid than almond flour, so you only need to use about ⅓ the amount. Check out my coconut flour pancakes instead, which is written for coconut flour.
Absolutely! My kids alternate between loving pancakes and loving waffles. I've used this batter for keto waffles with great success.
Storage
Fridge: Store the pancakes in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
Freezer: You can also keep them in the freezer for up to 3 months. To avoid the pancakes sticking together, stack them by placing pieces of parchment paper between each pancake.
Reheating: Warm the pancakes in the microwave for 30 seconds or gently reheat them in a non stick pan. If they were frozen, defrost them on the kitchen counter, in the microwave or even stick them in your toaster. See? This is where their smaller size really comes in handy.
More Low Carb Pancakes and Crepes
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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Recipe
Almond Cream Cheese Keto Pancakes
Video
Ingredients
- ½ cup plus 1 tbsp almond flour (60g)
- ½ cup full fat cream cheese (125g)
- 4 eggs
- 1 teaspoon granulated sweetener
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
- butter for frying
Instructions
- Blend the eggs and cream cheese until fluffy. Then, add the almond flour, sweetener and cinnamon. Blend until a smooth pancake batter forms.
- Fry pancakes in melted butter in a non-stick pan over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes. In a large pan, you can fry 2 pancakes at the same time. The pancakes should be small, around 10-12 cm in diameter.
- Flip the pancakes over with a wide spatula once the centre begins to bubble and the edges are set. Cook until the bottom side has set fully, around 1-2 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
First published January 2017. Updated with more details in March 2024.
Katrin
No, it should be easily pourable, just like in the video. Did you measure your ingredients? What do you think could have caused them to be thick?
Lisa
Can I prevalent the batter for use there next morning?
Katrin
Yes, that should be no problem. Less thinking in the morning is always helpful 🙂
Debra Inman
Is this recipe one serving?
Katrin
I calculated 2 pancakes per person - 8 pancakes in total.
Nexy
Katrin I just made the recipe with egg whites only!!!! And they came out wonderfull and delicious. Tip: I had to add an extra tbsp of almond flour due to batter been to liquid. Thanks again
Katrin
Thank you so much for your comment and the input! That's really helpful and interesting. I'll give this a try next time 🙂
Lynne
I had to use a food processor since I don't have a blender. I also wondered about beating the whites separately - My batch came out a little egg-y. Any suggestions?
Katrin
Beating the egg whites would make them even fluffier - I have done that for my almond butter waffles, which I love too. If you are doing that, you could also decrease the amount of egg yolks you use at the same time. I like the taste of the pancakes as is, but if they're eggy for you, using a couple of egg yolks less should take care fo the problem!
Nexy
Hello! I’m soooo excited to give this pancakes a try but I’m wondering if I can use egg whites only? Not a fan of egg yolks. Thank you for posting the recipe.
Carrie
Do you think I could replace the cream cheese with cottage cheese to increase the protein?
Katrin
i should think so, if you give it a really good whirl in your mixer to get it smooth.
Sue
Wow! Finally an internet recipe that delivers! Amazing! Thank you.
Katrin
I didn't think it was necessary to add it. But some of my readers have decided to add some, which makes them rise more. It's really up to you and what you like. Enjoy the pancakes!!
Candy
If I wanted to add baking powder ♀️How much would I add?
Katrin
I think 1/2 tsp would be enough.
Cindy
Wow, this was great! So easy to make; I topped mine with some whipped cream for 1 more than of carb. I'm going to share these with my dad, who is diabetic. Thank you so much!
Katrin
Hi Cindy, I'm so glad you like the recipe! I love especially that I can pop them in the toaster the next day - because they're just the right size.
Tristyne
Great tip on the whip cream! I also added lemon juice and a few huckleberries to the batter. It’s hard to believe I’m not cheating! 😉
Andie
Could you add baking powder to make them a bit fluffy?
Katrin
Absolutely. Some of the people who have made these pancakes have done that too.