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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.
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