Count on these gluten free, paleo and keto burger buns (with actual yeast!) to be pillowy-soft, absolutely delicious and with a killer crumb. And, per usual, not-eggy at all!
Gluten Free, Paleo & Keto Burger Buns 🍔
Pillowy-Soft! ☁️
These low carb buns are the off-spring of my beloved (soft ‘n fluffy!) sandwich bread. A truly delicious grain free bread in its own right (just read the reviews on that recipe!), and probably the closest recipe to an actual yeast bread on the site.
Though it does have a bit more ingredients, and you can easily whip my keto bagels as buns too (I know many of you do!). They’re a bit quicker, and also a good one if you can’t have flaxseed.
Still, these buns are my favorite. They keep very well at room temp for 4 days and freeze beautifully (think double batches, stashed away for a rainy day). Oh, and you might also be surprised how good this bread is even without toasting.
The Deets 
Making these paleo and keto burger buns is incredibly simple really. But, like with any yeasted bread, it does require you take care of a few details to ensure the best possible outcome.
The nice thing about these buns too, is that they didn’t fall at all post bake for me (hurray!). They’re size vs a sandwich loaf clearly does help with the lack of structure of grain-free flours.
Before rise
After rise
The Method
The yeast in these low carb and keto burger buns ensures a wonderful texture and taste. And note that you won’t get that gummy and wet texture here of most low carb breads. Plus, as mentioned, we’re baking at over 7,000 feet (Mexico City here!!), so if we can make this keto sandwich bread work so can you.
- Weigh your ingredients. This will forever be a staple recommendation for any sort of gluten free baking here at gnom-gnom. As aside from leading to less dirty dishes, it will ensure consistent results time and time again. Remember that gluten free (and particularly keto) baking is notoriously finicky, and measuring by cups is anything but accurate. And if you don’t own a baking scale, measure with cups by dropping the ingredients onto them rather than scooping them out (which often leads to overpacking).
- Ingredients at room temperature. Self explanatory really, but incredibly important (particularly for the eggs). If you add cold eggs to the mix your bread simply won’t rise much (if at all).
- Proof the yeast. This involves mixing dry active yeast with water that’s just warm to touch (between 105-110°F to be precise) and maple syrup or honey for 7 minutes until foamy. And before you scream sugar (!!) remember that the yeast will feed on such sugar to emit carbon dioxide, so it doesn’t affect the carb count. And yes, this is a scientific fact.
- Avoid abrupt temperature changes and air drafts. Like with any yeast bread, you need to cuddle your dough. Make sure it’s able to rest undisturbed in a warm space.
- Baking at high altitude? Yup, so am I (Paola here!!). I’ve tried quite a few combinations, and the one modification I will suggest is to increase your oven temperature by 25°F. You may also need to decrease the baking time by 5 minutes (I baked the bread for 45 mins), but that may change from oven to oven.
Yup! These low carb burger buns are suuuper sturdy (i.e. they can handle outrageous burgers!).
The Ingredients & Possible Subs
The buns do have quite a few ingredients, but you’ll find that most are staple paleo and keto pantry ingredients. In the list below you’ll find details on several ingredients and possible subs. But if possible, please do try and make this recipe without any subs. As out of the 18 permutations we tried, this one really was terrific and the absolute best.
Almond flour. You truly need a super finely ground almond flour here, as if you use meal your bread will turn out dense and oily. Super fine almond flour brands include Anthony’s , WellBees and Bob’s.
Now if paleo, or in keto maintenance, you can lighten up the bread even more by substituting part of the almond flour (1/4-1/2 cup) with arrowroot flour.
Flaxseed meal. You’ll want to use golden flaxseed meal (we use Bob’s), and regrind the flakes in your (very dry!) bullet or blender until finely powdered. Great way to avoid slimy bread. You can technically substitute the flaxseed meal with psyllium husk powder, but we prefer the crumb much more with the flax.
Psyllium husk powder. Same as with your flaxseed meal, you’ll always want to regrind your psyllium husk. We always favor NOW brand as it doesn’t turn bread purple. You can substitute it with more flax, but your bread may lose some elasticity and rise.
Whey protein isolate. This one is an absolute must, as it will ensure your bread doesn’t collapse post-bake. Keep in mind that this ingredient varies tremendously from brand to brand, and we’ve only tried (and are super happy!) with Isopure’s Zero Carb Unflavored.
Now, the cream of tartar and powdered ginger help to condition the dough to get an even nicer rise. Though note that you can skip them without too much detriment to the final results.
Oh, and feel free to whip up some (5-minute!) keto mayo with the leftover yolks! And, of course, don’t forget the jicama fries!
(Pillowy-Soft!) Gluten Free, Paleo & Keto Burger Buns
Ingredients
For the paleo & keto burger buns
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup or honey, to feed the yeast (pssst! no sugar will remain post bake)*
- 120 ml water lukewarm between 105-110°F
- 168 g almond flour **
- 83 g golden flaxseed meal finely ground
- 15 g whey protein isolate
- 18 g psyllium husk finely ground
- 2 teaspoons xanthan gum or 4 teaspoons ground flaxseed meal**
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 egg at room temperature
- 110 g egg whites about 3, at room temperature
- 56 g grass-fed butter or ghee, melted and cooled
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 58 g sour cream or coconut cream + 2 tsp apple cider vinegar, at room temp
Instructions
For the paleo & keto burger buns
- See recipe video for guidance on keto yeast breads. And check out the post for deets, tips and possible subs!
- Line a baking tray with a baking mat or parchment paper. Set aside.
- Add yeast and maple syrup (to feed the yeast, see notes) to a large bowl. Heat up water to 105-110°F, and if you don't have a thermometer it should only feel lightly warm to touch. Pour water over yeast mixture, cover bowl with a kitchen towel and allow to rest for 7 minutes. The mixture should be bubbly, if it isn't start again (too cold water won't activate the yeast and too hot will kill it).
- Mix your flours while the yeast is proofing. Add almond flour, flaxseed meal, whey protein powder, psyllium husk, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, cream of tartar and ginger to a medium bowl and whisk until thoroughly mixed. Set aside.
- Once your yeast is proofed, add in the egg, egg whites, lightly cooled melted butter (you don't want to scramble the eggs or kill the yeast!) and vinegar. Mix with an electric mixer for a couple minutes until light and frothy. Add the flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the sour cream, and mixing until thoroughly incorporated. You want to mix thoroughly and quickly to activate the xanthan gum, though the dough will become thick as the flours absorb the moisture.
- Divide dough into 6-8, shaping them into rounds using lightly wet hands. Cover with lightly oiled cling film (saran wrap), cover with a kitchen towel and place in a warm draft-free space for 40-60 minutes until the buns have substantially increased in size (see post for pics!). How long it takes depends on your altitude, temperature and humidity- so keep an eye out for it every 15 minutes or so. And keep in mind that you do need a bit extra warmth than traditional gluten doughs (I like placing the tray on top of my oven!).
- Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C while the dough is proofing. And if you're baking at high altitude, you'll want to bake it at 375°F/190°C.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until deep golden, covering with a lose foil dome at minute 10-15 (just as it begins to brown). Just be sure that the foil isn't resting directly on the buns.
- Allow to cool completely for best texture, but you can get away with waiting just 15-20 mins for fresh warm buns!
- Keep stored in an airtight container (or tightly wrapped in cling film) at room temperature for 4-5 days, giving it a light toast before serving. Though you'll find that this keto bread is surprisingly good even without toasting!
These are sitting on top of the stove waiting to go into the oven … and I am SOOOOO excited!! To be able to have bread! I have tried so many keto breads and I can’t get past the “eggy” part of them….I can’t wait to try it 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing!! I am going to get those brownies baked up soon too!!
I can’t find my previous post – I wanted to add this comment to it. I had made this recipe initially and had issues with gumminess when I sliced it. I re-made the recipe this weekend and actually let them rise a bit longer in a warmed oven, then baked a few minutes longer at 375 degrees F. They came out perfect! My husband LOVES them . . . it was so nice to eat a burger with a bun instead of lettuce wrap. Looking forward to my fav BLT for supper tonight!
can I use toaster ovens for baking this? I only have a toaster oven in my place.
Hi Sarah! While I haven’t tried it myself, I honestly don’t think they will turn out as intended 🙁
What sour cream? It’s not in your ingredient list.
It DEF is… last ingredient…!
Wow, these are amazing! I had to sub the whey protein with pea protein as that’s all I could get and it worked fine. Even more amazingly, after I misread the recipe and messed up the method, they still turned out great! Thank you for an awesome low carb bread, I’m thrilled it’s back on the menu for me 🙂
These are AMAZING. My husband says he likes them better than wheat buns and has asked that I make them again immediately. Thank you, you have saved my smashburger habit.
Wowza that’s awesome to hear April! Enjoy 😉!
Paola, I’m new to your site, been keto for 2 years, and wondering how on earth did I not find you sooner! Martina from ketodietapp mentioned your tortilla recipe and I clicked through and found myself here in Wonderland: off to the side of the tortilla recipe was a photo of cinnamon rolls, which led to this burger bun recipe and then your loaf bread recipe. After a quick run to the grocery for yeast (haven’t needed that in 2 years), I made these buns, which turned out beautifully. You’re a genius for the gluten-free, paleo, keto worlds! I’ll be hanging around your site quite often now that I know about you. Thank you for sharing your delicious recipes. Best gluten-free, keto bread ever! Excuse me now, I’m off to make your version of Alice Medrich’s cocoa brownies. I’ll check in with you over there.
I can never get the loaf to rise properly and/or not deflate upon cooling, but these hamburger/sandwich buns were a huge success. And so tasty! I’m thinking next time I’m going to make the number of buns I need and use the remaining dough to make dinner rolls….or just use the entire thing for slider buns/dinner rolls. I have so missed my yeast breads since going keto. Thank you soooo much for all the great recipes, Paola. P. S. Your butter cream fat bombs are da bomb!!!!
These are in the oven as I type. The batter has a delicious flavour…just had to try before hitting the oven, so I’m very much looking forward to them. You referenced the possibility of substituting arrowroot flour 1/4 – 1/2 cup. I’m not sure if I’m clear if that is a 1:1 sub. We’ve weighed the almond flour in grams, but not sure if it’s a straight replace on the cups. Thanks so much!
Hi Janice! There’s roughly a 7-10 gram difference, but in all honesty I haven’t found that it makes a difference funny enough- so I generally suggest that readers to do a straight sub (1/4 cup for 1/4 cup, or 1/2 cup of course). xo and hope you love it!
just scoffed one down – did not wait the suggested 15 minutes. DELICIOUS. Life changing! Thanks for the quick reply. I’m making another batch
You are evil. Just wanted to get that out there. E-v-i-l.
I thought I was doing just fine without bread (never had been much of a fan, to be honest), and then I saw these rolls on Instagram. Thought I’d make them, mostly to see if my daughter would maybe like them (we both have celiac disease and + have to eat grain free now due to other food sensitivities).
This is not just the most amazing keto bread roll I’ve ever tasted, this is better than most traditional bread rolls!
I’ve just gobbled up two (!), still slightly warm, slathered with butter and oh, maaaan, they were divine! My daughter loved them too.
So I am torn between: 1) thank you so much! and 2) you’re evil! 😀
Because now I’ll have to make these more often than I can really afford to (super fine almond flour is impossible to buy in my country, so I have to order it from abroad, mostly from the US – I’m in Europe – and it costs an arm and a leg + taxes).
But… they’re so yummy!
I’m literally cracking up Evalin! I have Celiacs (and grain sensitivities too!) so I definitely know how you guys feel!
Regarding the price of almond flour, I actually get you too as I’m currently based in Mex City and almond flour is about $20 a bag (!!). So I discovered iherb.com, they have a loyalty program and ship worldwide (I don’t pay import duties unless the packages are above $50). I know this varies from country to country, but hopefully it will work for you! xo!
Thank ypu fot your reply. 🙂
I am a long time iHerb customer, but now that the shipping costs have gone up for heavier items, it’s too expensive to order flours from iHerb, unfortunately, plus the tax limit in my country is just 22 Euro (around $25) and that includes the shipping costs (!).
It used to be great in the good old days when they had a flat $4 shipping fee for up to 4 lbs.
These days I usually order from Vitacost, whenever they send me a “$30 off of your $100 purchase” coupon, so the coupon covers the shipping cost (but still, there’s a 25% tax + handling fees).
So I use fine almond flour sparingly, but you can bet these rolls are what I’ll be using it for most often (apart from your super flakey pie crust, which is so yummy too!). 😀
This is my go to place for the gluten free & grain free recipes. So yeah, you’re evil… but the best kind of evil. 🙂
I don’t ever comment on recipes that I find on blogs. But THIS. This is TOTALLY worthy!!! Hallelujah! You don’t even know how much these rolls have rocked my world. Keto bread that is *actually* bread flavoured!!! Not eggy, not almondy. Not wet and gummy. Just dry. Impostor wheat bread. DELICIOUSNESS. Holy wow. You are certainly the QUEEN of keto bread!!! My only adjustment to the recipe was I substituted 15g of Egg White Protein Powder (because I didn’t have unflavoured whey) and they came up a treat!! *bows* We’re not worthy! We are not worthy!!
This is SO awesome to hear Jacqui! Thank you for your comment, totally blushing (and cracking up!).
I’m also super excited to hear that the egg white protein powder worked of you here! I had tried it in the sandwich loaf and I found that it still collapsed, but I’ll try again with the rolls as they’re size prob makes a big difference. xo!
These look amazing! is the ginger taste strong? is the ginger needed? I have a picky husband. 🙂
Can’t taste it at all Jenna! It’s just to condition the yeast so it rises better 😉 xo!
Hi! Loved your keto bread recipe. I’ll make these, too! Just wondering about the proofing time. The description still says “until risen past top of the loaf pan”. How do we know for these buns?
Oh yeah oops sorry about that Bradley (what would I do without you guys?! 😜)- the buns don’t quite double in size, but I put the before/after pics in the post for an eyeball reference (which is usually how it is anyways with yeast breads). xo!
Hi Paola. You write that your recipe (and a couple of other ones 😉 ) are dairy free but it as whey isolate protein! This is dairy , no? Is it possible to substitute with the same result?
Than you for your great job!
Hi Isabelle! The thing is that whey protein isolate is a gray-area ingredient as even though it’s dairy derived, it’s filtered so it ends up lactose free (so some consider it paleo, others don’t). And I know that many peeps that are dairy free can do some WPI (but of course, like any ingredient, it doesn’t work for all). I’m working on testing some subs which a few of you guys have reported back on in the bread (collagen and hemp pro). xo!
Does it have to be whey protein isolate? Or can I use regular whey protein powder? Is there a difference between the two when baking?
In all honesty I haven’t tried with whey protein, but a few readers have reported back throughout the yeast recipes that they use it with success. xo!
Hi…
Regarding the psyllium husk… is it the actual husks ground up in a spice grinder or is it the store bought powder?
I know this is a year later, Farah, but in my experience, it’s best to buy the whole psyllium husks and grind it fresh with a small spice or coffee grinder, and these two reasons are why I suggest doing the same:
1> You want psyllium to be ground as finely as possible, almost like a powder. I dont know of ANY company who sells it like that.
2> You could buy ground psyllium husk and REGRIND it to get the powder consistency, but I’ve found that anything that was already ground tends to oxidize a bit…and while it doesn’t change the FLAVOR, it makes the inside of the bread a purple color – not a very appetizing color, unless it’s frosting on a cake (and even then questionable LOL)
I dont know if you’ll see this response, but hopefully it will help others with the same question!!
Hi Paola-
I buy a powdered psyllium on amazon. $12.99 /lb Terrasuol psyllium husk powder. looks like xanthan gum in color and texture. does not make my baked goods purple. I love it! try it and lmk what you think! happy baking!
I love your blog. Your recipes have helped so much!! I am one of the diabetic who have found Keto to change my Blood Sugar numbers amazingly AND have helped me to loose weight! As for the buns, can they be frozen? I am single and to make that many buns (in the midwest humidity) they would mold – even in the fridge, before I could eat them.
Tbh I hadn’t thought about keto and diabetes until all you guys began reporting on it (and obviously makes SO much sense!). My doctor told me he has also begun to put patients on the keto diet and seen incredible effects (he put me on it for autoimmune).
And on the buns Jackie, they definitely can be frozen! Also a small household here, so everything I make gets frozen at one point. I’ve found keto breads (and overall baked goods) to freeze great. xo!
Hi Paola! I’ve been enjoying some of your recipes, and can’t wait to try this one. 🤗
Do you freeze them before or after baking?
Awesome to hear Constance! You want to freeze post bake xo!
Hey Paola,
So, I froze them and have been happily using them to enjoy bread while keto. THANK YOU!
However…it look like they’re shrinking in they freezer. Any reason why that might be happening? I mean, they’re still delicious…just look smaller! Lol
They’re probably cold?! 😂 sorry bad joke! In all honesty I don’t know why they shrank? I don’t think I’ve noticed that from my end
I don’t know if this will post in the right place, but YOU ARE FUNNY! Lol
My second batch seems to be “holding their size”. Thanks Paola! (-:
LOL! Glad to hear the new batch is working 😉 Enjoy Constance!
I have to know what the sauce is on your burger…looks amazing
Just some homemade mayo (linked in the post!) 😉
I seriously can’t get over your recipes! You’re my next blogger to experiment with. I have tried your brownies and those failed ( I’m sure it was my fault!). Your pictures are just insane!! You’re a super -food- hero!!
OH oops on the brownies! If you let me know what failed I can probably help, I’ve helped a bunch of readers get them right 😉
Thanks Paola, I’ll post what I substitute. And sorry for the duplicate post (oops, patience grasshopper). 😉
~Leslie
Lol no prob! Please do let me know, helps readers a bunch!
Paola,
I’m not sure if my comment posted. Is there another substitution for whey? I cannot eat whey. Thank you!
~Leslie
So if a burger bun is about 3g net carbs… a whole burger with toppings etc is about 4-5g net?!!! You’re a magician Paola!
Are the ones in the pictures the size when you get 6 or 8 buns a batch?
Lol yeah that’s about right! The fillings are mostly carbless, aside from the tomato, awesome stuff!
I actually yielded 7 for mine 😉
Can we get your french fry recipe?
It’s linked in the post as ‘jicama fries’!
You are amazing!!! You’ve answered my prayers. These look so good. I wanted a REAL burger bun for summer bbq’s but there haven’t been any good recipes until now! You never cease to amaze me with your incredible recipes. Thanks, Paola!
Oh lol! Thanks so much Emma, hope you enjoy them!!
I love your recipes. Thanks for sharing. Do you think. Could shape them into hot dog buns just as well? Dying for a bun for my sausage and peppers.
Awesome to hear Renee thank you! And yup definitely can shape them as hotdog buns (you just gave me a MASSIVE craving…! 😂)
Paola,
I cannot eat whey. What would you recommend as a substitute for the whey protein isolate? Thank you! I’m really excited to try your recipes!
~Leslie
Hi Leslie! Ok so this is a bit of a tricky one as whey protein isolate is used in commercial baking to get bread to rise better (so it’s a scientific fact that it works). Having said that, a few readers reported back on the sandwich bread recipe that they subbed with collagen and another one with hemp (you can run a search on that page and you’ll get their in depth deets). I haven’t tried them yet tbh, so cannot guarantee.
Otherwise, check out the bagel recipe- that one can handle subbing the whey with just more almond flour. THey’ll collapse a bit post bake, but the taste will be solid.
I use hemp instead of golden flax and they are awesome!!
I always feel like I can taste your pictures! Kuddos from one food photographer to another 😉
Oh lol that’s one heck of a compliment thanks jones! would love to see your work!
Paola, does it make any difference if you use rapid rise yeast vs the standard dry yeast? Can’t wait to try these…..look WONDERFUL. Also, have no honey or real maple syrup in the house but do have sugar for non low careers. How much sugar might you use to proof the yeast instead of the syrup…..my guess is 1 tsp sugar and 2 tsp water?
Hi Deborah! Sure thing, they’re interchangeable! Regarding the sugar, 1-1/2 tsp will do the trick just fine- enjoy!
thank you so much!! i will try them tomorrow.
is it ok to leave out the cream of tartar?
Yup! Hope you love them!
If I could give this recipe 10 stars I would! We’ve been making your bread recipe for a couple months now, and it’s responsible for finally getting the hubby on board with keto for his diabetes! Your recipes have been a godsend for the family thank you!
Oh wow Nina this is so wonderful to hear! I keep hearing great things from you guys with diabetes and how keto is substantially decreasing insulin intake!