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These keto buns are fluffy, soft, and tender on the outside, you won’t believe them to be low carb! Made with 5 main ingredients, they are perfect to use as hamburger buns! 2 grams net carbs per serving.
Keto Buns
Whenever I’m craving bread on a keto diet, my favorite recipes to make are rolls, tortillas, and these keto buns.
During the warmer months, one of my favorite things to do is throw a barbecue with friends. There is nothing better than filling up an esky with drinks and a plethora of foods to grill. Now, if I’m being honest, the best food at any good barbecue is the humble hamburger. There is something special about a freshly grilled burger patty, topped with cheese, sliced tomatoes, all between a soft and fluffy burger bun.
When I first went keto, trying to find a keto substitute for burger buns was high on my agenda. My friends would tell me to just use lettuce leaves but that would NOT cut it. Initially, I would use an English muffin or slice a soft pretzel in half. While they were fantastic alternatives, they weren’t what a hamburger bun should be. Instead, I adapted my pizza dough to create something pretty darn close!
I’ve been meaning to share a keto buns recipe for quite some time. They’ve been fantastic to complete my favorite hamburgers, as sliders, and even as a fancy sandwich. They need just 4 main ingredients and take minutes to prepare.
No wheat, no yeast, and no grains are needed, but you’d never tell. The texture is soft and fluffy and with a light and tender crumb. They taste like any good burger bun, with no cheesy or almond flavor at all.
I had some friends over for a bbq the other day and we used these buns for the hamburgers and NO ONE believed me when I told them they were low carb- They thought it had to be made with white flour and yeast!
How do you make keto hamburger buns?
The Ingredients
- Shredded cheese– Mozarrella cheese works best, as it is mild tasting and works well into the dough. You can also use cheddar cheese, but it will have a more obvious cheesy flavor.
- Cream cheese– Softened and full fat.
- Eggs– Two eggs will be used in the dough and the other will be whisked and brushed on top of the buns, to create a shiny brown crust!
- Almond flour– You must use blanched almond flour, not almond meal.
- Baking powder– Gives the buns a little stability and structure.
- Sesame seeds– Optional, but any good hamburger bun MUST have sesame seeds on top!
The Instructions
Start by adding your shredded cheese and cream cheese into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 20-second spurts, until the cheese is mostly melted. Whisk together until combined and let it cool slightly. While it is cooling, mix together your dry ingredients and transfer to a food processor. Add the cheese mixture, along with two eggs, and pulse at high speed, until the dough is mostly combined.
Now, remove the dough from the food processor and gently knead it, until it is smooth. Form 4-6 large balls of dough and place them on a lined baking sheet. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining egg with the milk. Using a pastry brush, brush the tops of each of the buns. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake for 13-15 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes, before slicing in half and using as buns.
Tips to make the best keto burger buns
- Ensure the cheese mixture is warm, but not hot. If it is too hot, you risk cooking the eggs into the dough.
- If you cannot fit all the buns on a single baking tray, do one at a time. Cooking multiple trays at once can cause the buns to deflate.
- These buns must be served warm, otherwise, they will be firm and dense.
- For slider buns, form smaller balls of dough and reduce the bake time by 2 minutes.
Storing and freezing low carb hamburger buns
- To store: Leftover buns should be stored in the refrigerator, covered. They will keep well for up to 1 week.
- To freeze: Slice the buns in half and place them in a ziplock bag and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- Reheating: Either microwave the buns for 30 seconds or slice them in half and heat in a non-stick pan until warm.
More keto bread recipes you’ll enjoy
Easy Keto Buns
Ingredients
- 3 cups shredded cheese mozzarella cheese * See notes
- 2 oz cream cheese
- 1 3/4 cups almond flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 large eggs
For the glaze and topping
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a microwave safe bowl, add the shredded cheese and cream cheese. Microwave in 20 second spurts, until the cheese is mostly melted. Remove and whisk together, until combined and smooth. Let the mixture cool slightly.
- Transfer the warm cheese mixture into a food processor. Add the dry ingredients, along with the eggs, and pulse until a thick dough remains.
- Lightly dust a kitchen surface with almond flour. Transfer the dough onto it, and, using slightly wet hands, knead it several times. Once the dough is smooth, divide it into 6 portions. Roll the portions of dough into balls and place them on the lined tray. Press down onto each one into a thinner burger bun shape. Brush the tops with the remaining egg (whisked), before sprinkling the sesame seeds on top.
- Bake the buns for 14-17 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes, before slicing in half and serving.
Very big fan of these keto buns.
These are the best Keto buns I’ve made, easy to make too!
This is simple and delicious! Well liked in this household. Thank you!
Made 1/2 recipe which gave us a total of 4 buns. They t turned out perfect. Had to use keto flour to knead and shape them because my dough was super sticky but they turned out absolutely delicious.
Hi! I was really excited to make these buns, took a little work as I do not own a microwave but I did it in a bain marie and it worked out fine.
I made these buns and everything was coming out perfect. They came out of the oven perfectly browned and risen but then after the 5 minute wait time, when I came back, they totally deflated…it was very disappointing…any ideas of why this would have happened??
I appreciate any feedback you can give me.
Thank you
Hi Sue- that can happen if the dough is over-worked or over-mixed. However, we have found you can make them rise up again with a few seconds in the microwave.
Yes!!!!! Finally a great keep bread. Is there any way I can prepare with a stand up mixer instead of food processor?
I don’t see why not 🙂
Wow
Love this recipe. If I want to make the buns bigger, how will that change the oven temperature and time to cook? I know it will increase the carbs. Thanks for a great recipe for hamburgers!
Excellent!
I read comments, and realized it would be sticky, so I added 2 tbsp grapeseed oil to mix (by hand, didn’t bother with mixer), then used oil to knead by hand and avoid the stickiness cited in comments. I did not use/need the third egg, but I did scrape out the egg shells to glaze the sesame, and chia seeds on top. Next time, I’ll try and cook at 365-375 for 17-18 minutes. I really liked the flavor!
I’ve come to the acceptance that I’ll never be able to make keto bread, even from Big Man’s World, so I’m so happy I can do this!
These are relatively easy to make (I say that because I’m not a good baker), they’re filling, they’re mild and I may have done something wrong because the texture was akin to underdone bread but I actually liked it if I’m honest, reminds me there’s cheese in there and not loads of carbs.
I chose to do a review after seeing how they froze. Cut in half, zip lock bag as instructed. Frozen for 3 weeks abouts. The only thing though was that for me for it took about 1-1.5 minutes to heat from frozen in the microwave (900W), not 30 seconds. But the texture was even better than before I froze them and it held together very well.
Overall, I liked them 😁
Fabulous! Can I use a stand up mixer instead of a processor?
I don’t see why not 🙂
Excellent
Wow
Wonder if you can make hotdog buns this way
Soft with a good bun texture
Just made these and I am very impressed. Wow! Iran short of my almond flour so split it with Quinoa Flour; very yummy and fluffy bread like replacement.
The most amazing and delicious Keto bread I’ve ever eaten. It’s better than most commercial Keto breads.
Easy to f9llow recipe.andclive only 2 net carbs each! Thank you.
Hello
Not sure if this has been answered in all of the 80+ comments, but I was wondering which type of mozzarella you recommend using in this recipe? Fresh mozzarella or the pre-shredded which tend to have anti-caking agents included ?
Thanks in advance. 🙂
Freshly grated or part-skim
MY husband has been gluten free for over 20years. We gained pounds of weight over the last years(as it’s a high fat diet while restricted carbs). I was doing so well balancing our diets is so hard
My kids didn’t realize it was keto bread!
I made these, they are great 5 stars for sure. Filling and tasty, we had them with a burger on grill, and side salad. I used the food processor.
This recipe is far and away the best low carb bun I’ve found.
We really enjoy these.
I did put everything bagel seasoning, because that’s what I had. So good!! Thank You
The recipe is awesome. Quick and easy. My husband loves this guilt free keto bread. Great flavour and texture.
I am lactose intolerant, so i did aged white cheddar and added a bit more of my dairy free cream cheese than the recipe calls for, and these taste absolutely fantastic. The texture is like real bread, and you wouldnt even be able to tell it has no grains! Super good.
Excellent, and even better left over. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
They turned out Awesome!!! Thanks for the recipe 😊
Do you use the low moisture mozzarella in this recipe?
Yes and part-skim
Wonderful recipe! It is easy to make. Shared with my family and they are all begging for more! I don’t have a food processor. My Ninja blender did the trick.
Low sodium here, Have you ever tried this with Swiss cheese as it is much lower in sodium? If so how did it work? Thank you in advance and do love getting your recipes…
I haven’t 🙂
Great source for keto baking recipes!
These would be perfect to go with the air-fryer hamburgers you have on you website! Yummy 😋
These were better than regular buns!
I usually never leave comments, but this recipe is EXCELLENT!! All the instructions were spot on and I wouldn’t change a thing!!!
I made these today and they turned out great! Not only were they yummy tasting, they are VERY STURDY to hold up a burger or even a sliced barb-q’d chicken breast! Thank you for this recipe!😃
I made half a batch this eve for grilled burgers and oh my gosh! These are delicious!! Very tender and I liked them better than regular buns!
Can I use coconut flour for this recipe?
Nope, just as written
These are the best bread ever. I love them for breakfast and I put everything bagle seasoning on the top before baking!
I think it is important to use low moisture mozzarella. My dough was more batter and I had to add a lot more almond flour to make something I could actually knead! I noticed when I heated up the cream cheese and shredded cheese that a lot of liquid separated out before the cheese really got melted. Nonetheless, they turned out, although I think they are denser than normal (all that extra flour!) I added a sprinkle of onion flakes on top too and the scent was divine!
Just made these buns and had one with a venison burger, it was delicious and what a treat to have a proper hamburger after all these years on low carb. The rest are now in the freezer.
I was a little sceptical about the recipe at first, due to the quantity of the ingredients, having made pizza before with a lesser amount, this also helped when dealing with the sticky dough consistency. But once turned out onto almond flour and kneaded a few times it soon dried out.
The buns are lovely, they remind me of brioche buns without the sugar.
I will definitely make again once these have gone.
Many thanks
These are yummy! Came out perfect with no issues. My husband smelled them and now wants one with his burger. Dang! I only made half a batch to be sure they came out good because of some of the reviews. Now I have to make more. Be sure to follow the recipe exactly and do not use light cream cheese.
I CANNOT wait to try. Since starting Keto I really really miss bread.
These are amazing! I followed your recipe to the letter and was rewarded with 6 beautiful, tasty hamburger buns. This is a game changer for me and my keto journey. I felt like I was cheating but I wasn’t! Thank you, thank you
Since this uses almond flour are these gluten free?
Sure are.
These were the best tasting buns ever! However mine spread out..had 41/2” buns! maybe not thick enough?
Hamburger Buns are pretty darn good! I did take time to melt the cheese over a double boiler and used a hand mixer to “whisk”. Then I added eggs to cheese and basically puréed. Transferred to a bowl and hand mixed the baking powder and almond flour into dough.
I made these rolls and submitted a very positive review. I do have one follow up question. How did you calculate the calories for these rolls? I carefully weighed and measured and calculated the calories to be 411 per roll. My math is as follows: 2 eggs = 120 calories; 3 cups mozzarella = 960 calories; 2 oz. Cream cheese = 200 calories; 1 3/4 cups almond flour = 1190. Total calories 2470/6 = 411 per roll. How did you get 250?
These buns are impressive for 2 net carbs. I weighed all the ingredients according the packaging and measurements provided. I also used a dough hook in my KitchenAid mixer. I used everything spice instead of sesame seeds on top and added a sprinkling of flake salt to each. I might try separating the eggs next time so I can add whipped egg whites to possibly lighten them up a bit, but they really are good as is. I baked mine on the middle rack at 400 degrees for 17 minutes on a Silpat lined baking sheet.
Can I sub a flax egg for this recipe?
I haven’t tried
Thank you for your reply. But do have one question. Can you give me the measurement in ounces for the cheese. I grate my cheese and measuring by cup can be off. Do think it is that as everything I used was the same as the first batch. Thank you
We use American cups and tablespoons but for 2022 we are hoping to include metric measurements.
Tried making these buns three times. First made half a batch. Turned out perfect. Make the next batch full. Turned out gritty. Made half batch today. They look great, but moist inside. Too much cheese? Measured it out and followed your recipe. Any idea as to why I am having problems?
Sounds like it’s an issue with the almond flour or cheese. Maybe you used different brands each time?
These are the BEST!! Easy and quick to make. Nice and sturdy for your Hambergers. I did put olive oil instead of egg on top and sprinkled the sesame seeds on top….,
I was quite skeptical of this recipe but I relied on the 5 star ratings and gave it a try. Wow, am I pleased! I’m a baker who has been keto 20 years and gluten free 7 years and this is by far one of the best bun recipes I have ever tried. It was truly hard to believe it wasn’t a norman bakery bun. We absolutely loved these. I made sliders buns and they were so pretty. I would post a pic if I could. 😍
Hey Arman,
Is it possible to use vegan cream cheese and vegan mozzarella cheese?
Not for this recipe!
I’m new to keto, and missing bread is HUGE for me. Saw this recipe and had to try it. Had everything I needed and it did not disappoint. The were a beautiful golden brown, and I savored every bite. Thank you. Looking forward to trying the lemon cake next.
Thank you, Dee!
Would diastatic malt powder make these rise more and be fluffier?
Never used it before.
Are these considered gluten free?
They sure are!
Hi,
can you make these into hotdog buns?
I haven’t tried but feel free to experiment and see 🙂
Love these. Just reheat in the microwave for 20 seconds .. amazing
Perfect 🙂
Great buns! Thanks for that!
Hi! If I don’t have a food processor can I just mix them by hand/spoon?
Yes, but it might take a little longer 🙂
Absolutely delicious…and so easy. Thanks!!!
Have you ever tried yeast
I haven’t 🙂 Let me know if you do 🙂
Have made these so many times now! We love them! I have played around with the recipe a little. First make sure to weigh your cheese and cream cheese! It makes a difference!I now add 1tbs of nutritional yeast ( they smell like real bread and rise a little more) and we prefer ours with dried onion on top and a little in the bun itself. I never use anything but my rubber spatula and my hands to knead the dough. The dough is always sticky so sprinkling a little almond flour on the dough works. I also use a silicone baking mat to knead it on and it works very well! These buns are very versatile! Hamburger buns yes but also sandwiches, open faced garlic bread ( butter with garlic and under the broiler for a short time.) shaped differently and you have a hot dog bun. Flatten the dough by rolling it out and you have a flat bread. Nice with soup as well. Cream cheese spread on is delicious for breakfast! The possibilities are endless! Thank you for introducing me to this great recipe!
Hey Arman, is the nutrition facts provided based on 1 bun or a whole serving of 6 buns as the recipe makes? Just wanted to make sure thanks!
Per bun 🙂
These are the best buns I’ve eaten they taste like regular bread. Actually better. So yummy.
Thanks, Debbie!
is cheese compulsory?
Yes, it is.
Can the dough be made beforehand and freezed, and then baked when needed? Would that work with these buns?
Thanks for your help :)!
Not that I’ve tried 🙂
Just made your keto rolls turned out beautifully
the best bread I have had since starting Keto
Thanks Arman, look forward to trying out more recipes
Heather
Thank you, Heather!
We liked these alot. Thanks for a great recipe. Holds up to a big juicy burger. I messed up and squooshed them done to much. Suggest barely push down on balls. They should be about the dia. of a drinking glass (max) and about 1.5+ thick. Quick and easy to make. I made a half batch and it worked perfect for 3. I thought I would have to go try one of those keto yeast bun recipes. But wanted this to work because hamburgers should be a quick dinner. And you made it happen!
Yay! So good! Made the recipe exactly as directed and they came out great. Going to make some to freeze. Great for sandwiches, which I was really missing since starting keto.
🙂 So welcome!
Can they be shaped into a hot dog/sausage roll?
I haven’t tried but let me know if you do try it!
I made this recipe and they are so good and soft too!! I reheated a leftover bun the next day and it was even better. I was skeptical that they wouldn’t come out like the picture but they did and it was so worth it!! I wish I could post a picture.
Do I need the cream cheese or could I sub for more full fat mozzarella?
You need the cream cheese
Hi, thank you for the recipe, the bun is delicious. Unfortunately the dough deflated after taking it out of the oven🙁. Any idea why?
Note:- I mixed the dough by hand instead of food processor.
Do the leftover buns have to be refrigerated? What happens when they are left out?
I don’t recommend them being left out.
My dough turned out super sticky. Is that suppose to happen. I had to wet my hands often. I did manage to make 6 balls and did press them into a burger bun shape. They did turn out. I just couldnt believe how sticky the dough was though. I did not have full fat cream cheese. I used light. Would that have caused the dough to be that sticky?
Yes, I don’t recommend low fat cream cheese, it has added water and fillers to bulk it up.
Can I sub the almond flour (my mom is allergic to almonds ) and we are on keto, so i want to do buns for a hamburger lunch
Not for this recipe
Do you think I could use my stand mixer with the dough hook instead of the food processor and skip the kneading part?
I haven’t tried, but I have made this in the food processor with a dough hook function and it worked well 🙂
Have you just abandoned us vegans and gone totally keto now? 😉
No I haven’t haha! 🙂 My dad is keto so I make lots of this stuff for him- I still love making eggless and dairy free recipes 🙂