My 6 ingredient keto buns have a light and airy texture and a gently crunchy crust. They are ready in 30 minutes and have no eggy taste. This easy keto bun recipe is for everyone who loves bread rolls but wants to stay low carb.
One of the things that people often say when I tell them I stay away from wheat and other grains is "No way - I could never give up bread". The thing is, you don't have to!
Of course, you'll never be able to mimic the exact texture and crunch of an artisan sourdough. (If I manage to do this one day despite all odds, I'll be sure to tell you). But with the right combination and amounts of ingredients, you can create delicious ketogenic buns using grain-free flours.
I first posted this recipe in February 2019 on the blog and still make it regularly today. I've just added more tips and tricks to answer all your questions. Here are the reasons why these are my most popular keto buns:
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Why This Recipe Works
Flavor and texture. The buns taste very similar to wholewheat buns. They have a soft, pillowy and fluffy texture and a gentle crunch in the crust. I made this recipe quite a few times until I was 100% happy with the result. Thanks to a few tweaks these buns have no eggy taste.
Easy and quick. I like an easy and quick recipe just as much as you do. You only need one bowl and 6 ingredients. With just 5 minutes of prep time, you can munch on freshly baked low carb buns in just 30 minutes!
Keto, gluten-free and dairy-free. It's 3.3g net carbs per bun. The recipe is naturally gluten-free and requires no dairy.
Filling and satisfying. You need to know that these rolls are smaller than regular bread rolls. But, that's the case with all keto bread. It is more filling than wheat bread due to the different ingredients and will keep you satisfied for longer.
Versatile. The buns taste great with both sweet and savory toppings. We often make them for Sunday breakfast, but also eat them with soups and salads. I have even used them as keto burger buns.
Ingredients
This recipe for Keto buns is loosely based on a recipe for low carb rolls I made years ago. It called for almond and coconut flour as well as butter, which made them wonderfully rich, almost like a brioche.
To create more of a wheat bread taste, I replaced the butter with water and used only one egg yolk (the eggy taste is in the yolks). Last but not least, I added psyllium husk powder, just like in my keto dinner rolls.
Here is a quick overview of the ingredients:
- Almond flour. I used blanched ground almonds in this recipe. If your almond flour is super-fine, add a little more water to loosen the dough.
- Coconut flour
- Eggs - I used medium, room temperature eggs. You can use large eggs if you increase the amount of almond flour as well. More details are in the recipe notes.
- Psyllium husk - The ground husks of the psyllium plant are a dietary fibre that is beneficial for digestive health. They also make keto rolls fluffy and help them hold their shape.
- Baking powder - Always check that it is fresh.
- Water - Just boiled is the way to go!
- Sea salt - Nut flours are gently sweet. The salt lifts the taste and makes the buns taste more "authentic".
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Instructions
Let's make keto buns! Start by preheating the oven and lining a baking sheet with parchment paper.
STEP 1
Stir together the dry ingredients. Then put all ingredients in a food processor and blend for about 20 - 30 seconds. Alternatively, use a large mixing bowl and an electric mixer.
STEP 2
Let the dough sit for a couple of minutes so the coconut flour and the psyllium husk powder can absorb the liquid.
This is what the dough should look like. It is soft, but it is easy to handle and can be shaped with your hands.
STEP 3
For equally sized buns, form one large dough ball and cut it into quarters.
STEP 4
Wet your hands so the dough does not stick to them. Form 4 rolls and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. I sprinkled mine with sesame seeds.
Make a criss-cross cut on the top if you want the buns to split.
Step 5
Bake the buns for about 25 minutes in the middle of the oven.
Katrin's Expert Tips
#1 The perfect rise.
- Eggs. The most all-important tip is to make sure the eggs are at room temperature. I have made this recipe with cold eggs and whilst the rolls still tasted good, they hardly rose.
- Baking powder. Another reason for bread not rising is out-of-date baking powder. You can test its freshness by putting some in water. If it fizzes up you're good to go.
#2 Know your psyllium.
I used psyllium husk powder and not the whole psyllium husks (which look like little sticks). The two are easy to mix up. For whole psyllium husks, increase the amount to 2 tablespoons.
#3 Oven tweaks.
- All ovens are different, and some can be temperamental. For me, 25 minutes gave a perfectly browned crust. If your buns start looking too dark but the baking time is not yet up, place aluminium foil on the buns to prevent them from burning.
- You can also rotate the baking sheet so the buns brown more evenly - the back of the oven is always hotter than the front.
Variations
Poppy seeds, black sesame seeds or even sunflower seeds would work well in place of sesame seeds. Or, use Everything Bagel Seasoning.
Brush the buns with egg wash for a shiny top.
Recipe FAQs
This happens with some brands of psyllium husk, but not with others. It does not affect the taste. I have used Just Naturals and Green Origins without issues. The NOW brand is also supposed to be fine.
Yes. The oven time may increase by 5-10 minutes.
If you don't want to use coconut flour, I recommend that you make my keto hot dog buns instead. They are almond flour buns.
Make keto mayonnaise, sugar free custard or keto rice pudding.
Serving Suggestion
Keto buns are so versatile that you can literally enjoy them all day long.
Breakfast: Spread them with butter and sugar free marmalade.
Lunch: The buns are easily portable and don't go soggy. Use them as a sandwich filled with ham, lettuce and cheese, keto tuna salad or keto chicken salad.
Dinner: Serve in a bread basket to go with soups and salads or to mop up gravy. Or, use them as low carb burger buns! They are a great alternative to my black burger buns.
Storage
Since ketogenic buns contain eggs, I store them in an airtight container in the fridge. You could keep them at room temperature for a couple of days. But in the refrigerator, they stay fresh for 5+ days. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
The buns toast well. I slice mine in half and toast them straight from the freezer.
More Keto Bread Recipes
- Keto Biscuits (Sugar Free, Fluffy, Cheesy)30 Minutes
- Low Carb Pita Bread30 Minutes
- Keto Hot Cross Buns35 Minutes
- Almond Flour Biscuits20 Minutes
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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Recipe
Fluffy Keto Buns
from Sugar Free LondonerNote: The servings slider only changes the first amount in each line and not any subsequent amounts. Please make your own calculations where necessary.
Ingredients
- 3 egg whites, medium room temperature
- 1 egg, medium room temperature
- ¼ cup / 60 ml hot water
- ¼ cup / 25g almond flour
- ¼ cup / 30g coconut flour
- 1 tablespoon psyllium husk powder or 2 tablespoon whole psyllium husks
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of sea salt
- sesame seeds, for sprinkling optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius / 356 Fahrenheit.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Then put all ingredients into a food processor or mix with an electric blender until smooth, about 20 seconds. Don't over-mix the dough.Â
- Let the dough sit for a couple of minutes so the flours can absorb the moisture.
- Separate the dough into 4 equal portions and form buns. (Wet hands before handling the dough. This way it's less sticky.)
- Place the buns on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with sesame seeds or seeds of choice. Make a criss-cross cut on the top and bake for around 25 minutes or until browned.Â
Jeanie
Easy and quick to make. Except I struggled to separate room temp eggs, so our buns were made with two eggs and one egg white. They turned out amazing though. I feel even worse guilty knowing we’ve bought several packs of buns in the store for about a dollar per bun. I’ll never buy them again. Thanks for such an easy, doable recipe!
Anna
Can I use something other than almond flour? I’m allergic to almonds!
Katrin Nürnberger
You could try a 50/50 blend of sesame seed flour and sunflower seed flour.
Sonja
Fantastic recipe, this one is a winner! Quick and easy way to make just a few (i.e. 4) buns that are soft, yet substantial enough to cut in half and spread a topping on.
Tip: I used large eggs and modified the recipe to use 2 large egg whites (instead of medium) and 1 large egg. The ratio of wet to dry seemed just right.
Kathleen
What can I use if I do not have Psyllium husk or coconut flour.
Katrin Nürnberger
I don't recommend changing both ingredients as you would arrive at a completely different recipe. Why don't you try my keto dinner rolls instead and use ground flaxseed instead of the psyllium husk. Psyllium husk is a great ingredient for low carb bread because it makes the dough fluffy and light. Using the flaxseed will yield in a more rustic result.
siobhan
These were so easy and taste good.
Trish
Made these for the first time yesterday and they are fine............but why are they purple inside??
Katrin Nürnberger
This happens with some brands of psyllium husk, but not with others. It does not affect the taste though.
Trish
Thank you. I thought that may be the reason. They taste good though and having wasted time, effort and eggs on a different recipe the previous day (they were awful) I was really thrilled with the result of this one.
Brandon
Have you tried playing around with the almond and coconut flour ratios? Is 1:1 the best for fluffy bread?
Katrin Nürnberger
No, I've always made it like this. Just keep in mind that coconut flour expands about 3x as much as almond flour when you start playing with the ratios.
Eugenia
I wonder if it is possible to freeze these nice buns...
Katrin Nürnberger
Yes, they freeze well.
Jerry
Many of your recipes use psyllium husk for baking, why? Psyllium husk shouldn't be heated above 80°C, why not use xanthan gum? Just a technical question
Katrin Nürnberger
I don't know where you have heard that. Psyllium is a fibre and is not being destroyed by heat. It works great in low carb baking.
Maria Ueligitone
This was so easy to make. I doubled the recipe and they came out great! Taste was awesome too.
Mehta
Dough was very runy I used muffin tin to bake.
Test good
Katrin Nürnberger
If your dough was runny, the wet/dry ratio of ingredients was off. Provided you measured all ingredients correctly, this could either happen because your eggs are much larger than mine, or because you used the wrong amount of psyllium, confusing whole psyllium husk with psyllium powder. I explain it all in the post. 🙂