Pancakes have a nasty reputation for being one of the most carb-filled foods out there. Even just a few pancakes can give you a minimum of 70g of carbs, and it’s often way above that. So how exactly do we make keto pancakes? The ketogenic diet aims to cut as much carbs from our diet as possible, and consume more fat and protein to incur ketosis. Thankfully, if you love pancakes, there are plenty of ways to make keto pancakes and it comes down to which flour you use. We will discuss different flour types later in the post.
The Keto Diet-What It Is and Why Should You Do It
Typically, our bodies use carbohydrates for energy since they mainly come in the form of sugars. But sugar can also be converted into fat if it remains unused, and this is why foods such as bread and cookies are bad for weight loss. As it turns out, though, the body turns to alternative energy sources if it doesn’t have enough available carbs to use up.
This is where the keto diet comes in. The ketogenic diet involves consuming fatty and protein-dense foods, while limiting carbs as much as possible. This puts the body in a state called “ketosis”, where your body burns fat for energy instead of carbs and converts them into “ketones”.
Ketones help your body lose weight when combined with a healthy exercise routine. Keto pancakes are great for the keto diet because they ditch traditional wheat flour for healthier flours such as coconut and almond flour. They also contain fibers that help your body feel fuller.
However, be careful when going on the keto diet for the first time, because they can cause some unpleasant side effects. These effects are temporary until your body adjusts to your new eating habits. Muscle cramps, fatigue, insomnia, and digestive issues are just some of these side effects and can be mitigated by drinking plenty of water.
Keto Pancakes Benefits
When you spend time and resources on the keto diet, your body becomes more efficient at burning fat for fuel. So keto pancakes will help kickstart your fat-burning process, since you will be eating them right in the morning.
Keto pancakes are high-fat, low-carb, and mid in protein. Normal pancakes are usually made with all-purpose flour which has a high carb count. So keto pancakes offer a few benefits compared to other pancakes. These include:
Helping speed up weight loss.
Make your own keto pancakes first thing in the morning and kickstart your body’s ketosis formation. These pancakes not only help your body produce ketones, but they also contain fiber. Fiber is important to keep you feeling full for longer, which prevents unnecessary calorie buildup.
Having more vitamins and minerals than normal pancakes.
Non-wheat based pancakes are usually made with a one nut flour base or mix of multiple ones. Nut flours are more nutritionally dense than wheat fiber and contain higher ratios of vitamins, minerals, and fibers. Plus, they’re fatty and they improve bone health and blood sugar control.
Potentially being better for heart health.
Keto pancakes have lots of monounsaturated fats and vitamin E, both of which contribute to heart health. Having a healthy cardiovascular system is directly correlated with decreased aging and preventing strokes and heart disease.
Easy to pair with other healthy high-fat foods.
Keto pancakes, while filling on their own, can be portioned with other fatty foods. Try pairing a couple pancakes with foods like salmon and avocado. Not only will you get the fiber from the pancakes, but you will also get the fat from these other foods as well. This is great for making sure your ketones get activated fast, and speed up calorie burning.
Keto Pancakes-Ingredients Required
Your choice of flour. Coconut flour is my personal favorite flour to use, not just for keto pancakes, but for sub pancakes in general. It’s extremely low in carbs and high in fiber and protein. As a bonus, it’s also gluten-free and rich in nutrients and antioxidants. You can’t get much better than that!
Because coconut flour has complicated portion sizes, it will be the flour type I show you in this recipe. That way, you will know how to properly portion your ingredients.
Blanched almond flour is the other flour choice for keto pancakes. Although it’s not as protein-dense as coconut, it still has a good consistency and nutrient count. It is flavorless, which is good if you want to control your pancake’s taste. Make sure it is blanched almond flour and not almond meal, which is a mistake some people make.
Almond flour on its own works really well for pancakes. Not only is this flour type good for keto, but it is also gluten-free and high in fiber. Click here if you want to know exactly how to make your own almond flour pancakes.
Eggs. They provide much-needed texture and stability for keto pancakes. Non-AP flours are at risk of being too crumbly or dry, and eggs are necessary to combat this. Flax eggs are a good vegan substitute.
Keto-based milk. For normal pancakes, buttermilk is my best friend because it adds richness and thickness. But for keto pancakes, almond milk is the best option if you want these qualities. Other nut milks like cashew milk and coconut milk also work fine.
Almond milk has the lowest carbohydrates per cup of any nut milk (only 1g!). A no-brainer milk choice for any keto recipe. Make sure your almond milk is unsweetened.
Oil. Dropping a bit of oil in your batter makes sense so that you can add some more wetness. Save your oil bottle for cooking too (if you don’t plan on using butter).
Baking powder. Use this to provide lift and fluffiness to your pancakes; non-negotiable. Do not use baking soda for these kinds of pancakes because it could be too strong for the recipe.
Stevia. Just a little bit is all we need, it’s a nice sweetener. Granulated sugar is way too carb-heavy, so we can’t use that.
Vanilla extract. Enhances the flavor, but it’s optional.
Cinnamon spice/nutmeg. Additional optional flavor enhancers.
Half-and-half. A little bit can go a long way in making your pancakes thicker. Keto milk is especially lacking in structure, so having an ingredient like this is very helpful. Watery pancakes are unable to cook very well, unless you like super thin pancakes (which I don’t). Don’t worry about half-and-half’s slightly higher carb count-we’re only putting in a couple tablespoons. It is optional, though.
Sea salt. It is vital in almost any baking recipe to balance out the overall sweetness.
Questions Concerning The Making of Keto Pancakes
Q: “Is combining almond flour and coconut flour a good idea?”
A: Absolutely! In fact, you can combine any two keto flours if you wish, or stick to one. Combining flours may improve the texture and/or fluffiness at the cost of requiring more water or milk.
Both keto flours require their own individual ratios. Coconut flour requires ¼ cup for every cup of AP, while almond flour needs ¾ cup. If you decide to combine flours and want to make it simpler, just mix ¼ cup of coconut flour with ¾ cup of almond flour. This will give you a volume equivalent to 1 cup of AP flour. The density will be higher, however, so choose your liquid amount wisely.
Q: “I made these pancakes and they came out crumbly. When I attempted to flip it, it just broke apart. Why did this happen?”
A: There are two main reasons why pancakes fall apart. Your batter is either way too thin, or you didn’t use enough eggs (for batter stability).
Follow the portion instructions very carefully and make sure you are using the perfect balance of flour, liquid, and eggs. Flours that are not all-purpose need extra care, because gluten is a natural binder. Going keto means you will be using flours that lack gluten, which is not a problem, but be sure that you are more cognizant about your batter quality before cooking your pancakes.
Q: “My pancakes taste too bland, how do I increase the batter’s richness?”
A: Because keto pancakes contain close to no carbohydrates, they may lack a lot of taste. To remedy this, add some natural flavor to your batter that is also keto-friendly. These include strawberries, blueberries, Greek yogurt, melted dark chocolate, and almond butter, to name a few. Yogurt and almond butter in particular can give your pancakes some much-needed volume.
Basic Keto Pancakes
Equipment
- 2 large bowls
- 1 whisk
- 1 spatula
- 1 non-stick skillet
Ingredients
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- ¾ cup blanched almond flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp stevia sweetener
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup unsweetened almond milk
- 5 large eggs
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup half-and-half optional
- ½ cup plain/vanilla Greek yogurt optional protein mix-in
- ½ tsp cinnamon spice/nutmeg spice optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix in all dry ingredients (flours, bakingpowder, stevia, salt, spices). Use a whisk for best results.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together all wet ingredients (eggs, milk, oil, vanilla, etc.). Mix until perfectly smooth.
- In the dry bowl, carve out a large hole in the center with your whisk. Then, pour the wet ingredients in it. Stir everything well for a couple minutes until you have a nice smooth batter. If it’s too thick, try adding some water or milk until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Heat a non-stick skillet over a stove set to medium heat. Oil your skillet and pour some batter to create a pancake of your desired size.
- Cook until bottom and edges are golden brown. Reduce the stove's heat to low heat, then flip the pancake over with a spatula.
- Wait until the bottom of your flipped side is golden brown and you have a cooked pancake on both sides. Once ready, serve onto a large dish.
- Repeat steps 5-7 until the large batter bowl is depleted.
- Serve with keto-friendly toppings and enjoy it while it’s still hot.
How To Store Keto Pancakes
Storing any pancake type is super easy. Just envelope your whole pancake dish in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge. Because your keto pancakes are most likely made with coconut flour, you must make sure you don’t store them for too long, otherwise they may start to mold a bit.
For freezing, simply wrap your pancakes in aluminum foil and/or place them in an airtight container. Then place it in your freezer. An easy microwave is all you need to get your pancakes back on the kitchen table, ready to eat!
