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
rebecca
Hi Katrin i just tried this for the very first time and i dont think i shaped the rolls correctly, they unfortunantly came out kind of flat and thus i discovered they act like a biscuit when flatened , they still taste great but are much thinner and i will be usuing them to make breakfast in the morning , in the meantime im going to attempt another batch hopefully these will turn out correctly
Katrin
It could’ve had something to do with not being enough air inside the dough or maybe your oven was not hot enough so it did not firm the rolls up quickly enough for them to retain their shape. Nevertheless, I always think that if the taste is good it worked out and all is good 😉
rebecca
this was my 4th or 5th time making these now and i have finally gotten them to puff up i think i was not letting them sit long enough during the water absorbing phase of making them, last night i made the dough and pushed it aside to let it sit and started on another recipe i was making and well i kind of forgot about it( oops) well forgetting about it must of been what they need cause when i put them in the oven they puffed so i guess a longer sit time allowed the baking powder to activate with the flowers and thus produced the desired affect i also increased my oven temp by 5* and cook time by 10 minutes
on s side note this wait time also works well for your cinnamon roll recipe letting it sit allowed the dough spread out in the bowl and was much easier to handle to make the rolls no oiling of my hands needed they did stick but not nearly as bad or as messy
thanks again for all your delicious recipes
Katrin
That's so interesting! Thanks for letting us all know your tweaks, it's much appreciated 🙂
Marisa
Hi there!
I just made these buns and they turned out great, absolutely loved them.
I was confused by the hot water, at which step do you add the hot water? will it not cook the eggs?
Katrin
Hi Marisa, I just added it with all the other ingredients. I guess because all other ingredients are room temperature, this cools the water down so the dough ends up warm. I haven't had a problem with the eggs 🙂
PamGhataora
Dear Katrin
I've only just started trying food that is low in carbs. these look amazing. i'm not really a baker, but could you advise if I only have Almond Flour would i have to adjust the recipe or can I just replace the coconut flour?
Many thanks
Pam
Katrin
Hi Pam, I'd try using an additional 50g / 1/2 cup of almond flour in place of the coconut flour, so 3/4 cup almond flour in total My rule of thumb is to use twice as much almond flour when replacing coconut flour because coconut flour absorbs more liquid. It will depend on how fine your almond flour is though. If it's quite coarse, you might to add a little more. You could also use my almond flour bread recipe and just make it as rolls.
Kristina
Instead of the psyllium husk can arrow root powder instead?
Katrin
I have never baked with arrowroot, so I don't know if it's a 1:1 replacement. But I know that you CAN substitute one with the other... just not 100% sure about the quantity. You'll have to judge by the consistency of your dough!
Alison Whyte
Just made these for my son as he’s gluten free, he said they were super tasty and they didn’t crumble. Thank you for making such a quick and simple recipe that I now can keep a stack on the freezer!
Katrin
That's so good to hear!
Leah
Hi Katrin, just wondering if it’s possible to freeze these for storage if you have tried that? Or for the Keto pull apart ones? I haven’t tried them yet but I love you’re other recipes and I am looking forward to trying these too!
Katrin
I freeze all my bread and buns, no problems there! 🙂
Robin
Sooo easy and yummilicious! I'm already working on different flavorings and having fun making these in batches to freeze! And so excited to finally use psyllium husk powder. I had to order online, as not even GNC carried it! Walmart carries orange flavor husk powder...so odd!! Thanks for such an easy, fun, tasty recipe!
Samia
Hi
Is it possible to do the recipe with all coconut flour? If so would it be 50g coconut flour in total?
Katrin
I have never tried it, but it should work. Instead of the quarter cup of almond flour I would add two additional 2 tablespoons of coconut flour. Coconut flower absorbs more liquid than almond flour. Then see what the consistency of your dough is and take it from there. Add another pinch of psyllium husk powder if too wet or a little more water if it’s too dry.
Fiana
Hi, I just want to ask if adding some yeast would cause the bread to rise more and be fluffier?
Katrin
You could definitely try that. I have a recipe for yeast buns here as well - take a look
Fiana Goh
Thank you!
Gina
Can I use pasteurized egg whites in carton instead of egg shells egg whites?
Katrin
Yes, of course you can!