Keto Hot Dog Buns
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My keto hot dog buns are light, fluffy, and golden brown. Bring them to your next cookout, and everyone will be asking where you bought them! Made with no yeast and 3 grams net carbs.
If you thought living a keto lifestyle meant bunless hot dogs and burgers, well, you’re in for a treat.
My keto hot dog buns recipe is a game-changer. They’re light and fluffy, with the perfect crumb and chewy bite. Make them once, and you’ll never settle for a lettuce wrap again.
I initially tested these with my tried-and-true fathead dough, but found it was missing the softer texture hot dog buns are famous for. After some tinkering, I added a little coconut flour and an extra egg, and suddenly everything clicked. The buns baked up lighter, fluffier, and sturdy enough to hold all your favorite toppings.
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- Better-for-you ingredients. Compared to store-bought hot dog buns, mine have a fraction of the ingredients. There is no wheat protein, no psyllium husk powder, and no ingredients I need to Google before eating.
- No yeast. That also means minimal kneading and no rise time.
- Has a real bread taste. Even when I’m eating regular hot dogs, I’ve never found regular buns to have much flavor. My low-carb version not only holds the hot dog, but it actually tastes good.
- Naturally gluten-free. By using alternative flours, this recipe doubles as low-carb AND gluten-free hot dog buns!
Key Ingredients
Here’s what goes into my low-carb hot dog buns, along with my kitchen notes. Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
- Almond flour. I suggest using blanched almond flour, not almond meal. This gives the buns a light, golden crust without making them dense.
- Coconut flour. Works with the almond flour to add more elasticity and a doughy texture.
- Baking powder. A leavening agent that gives the buns stability.
- Low-moisture mozzarella cheese. The cheese can make or break this recipe, so use low-moisture mozzarella. It melts smoothly into the dough and provides the structure that gives these buns their chewy, bread-like texture. Fresh mozzarella contains too much moisture and can make the dough sticky and difficult to work with.
- Cream cheese. Full-fat and softened to room temperature.
- Eggs. Room-temperature eggs are the way to go, as they won’t cool down the dough when mixed in. Two are for the dough, and one is for brushing on top of the buns.
How to make low carb hot dog buns
Step 1- Prep. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 2- Mix the wet and dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the mozzarella and cream cheese until combined.
Step 3- Combine. Add the cheese mixture to a food processor, along with the dry ingredients and two eggs. Pulse well until all the ingredients are well combined.
Step 4- Shape. Transfer the dough to a sheet of plastic wrap and cover it tightly. Shape into a dough ball. Remove the plastic and divide the dough into 4 large or 8 small pieces. Shape each dough ball into a hot dog bun and place them on the baking pan.
Step 5- Bake. Whisk the third egg and brush the exterior of the buns. Bake them for 22-25 minutes or until golden.
Step 6- Slice and serve. Remove the buns from the oven, slice them down the middle, and serve as desired.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Don’t try mixing the dough by hand. Trust me, using a wooden spoon and mixing bowl won’t mix the ingredients into a cohesive dough. You’ll definitely want to use a food processor.
- Melt the cheese gradually. I microwave the mozzarella and cream cheese in 20-second intervals, stirring between each one. This prevents the cheese from overheating and becoming rubbery, which can make the dough harder to work with.
- Work with the dough while it’s warm. Fathead dough becomes firmer as it cools, so I like to shape the buns as soon as the dough is mixed. If it starts to stiffen, a quick 10-15 seconds in the microwave softens it right back up.
- Let them cool before slicing. I usually wait 10 minutes before cutting into them. This gives the buns time to set up while still staying soft and fluffy inside.
Storage instructions
You’ll notice the hot dog buns become quite firm once they are cool or at room temperature. While leftovers can be refrigerated or frozen for later, they will need to be warmed before adding your hot dogs and fillings.
To store: Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.
To freeze: Place buns in a ziplock bag and store them in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Reheating: Microwave the buns in 20-second spurts until warm.
Frequently asked questions
No. Almond flour and coconut flour absorb moisture very differently, so they aren’t interchangeable. I tested several versions of these buns, and using both flours creates the soft, fluffy texture that makes them taste like real hot dog buns.
Keto Hot Dog Buns
Video
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups + 2 tablespoons almond flour 132g
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour 14g
- 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder 18g
- 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese low moisture, 170g
- 1/4 cup cream cheese softened, 56g
- 3 large eggs divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients until combined. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the mozzarella cheese and cream cheese. Microwave them in 20-second spurts until mostly melted. Whisk them together and let them cool for several minutes.
- Add the melted cheese mixture to a food processor, along with the dry ingredients and two of the eggs. Pulse well until a thick, slightly sticky dough forms and pulls away from the sides.
- Transfer the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and cover it tightly. Using your hands, shape it into a ball of dough. Remove the plastic wrap and divide the dough into 4 large or 8 small pieces. Shape each piece of dough into a hot dog shape and place them onto the lined baking sheet.
- Whisk the third egg and brush the exterior of all the buns completely. Bake the buns for 20-22 minutes, or until golden on the outside and firm to the touch.
- Remove the hot dog buns from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes. Slice them down the middle. Add your keto hot dogs to them and serve immediately.
I haven’t cooked it yet but is it supposed to turn out wet?
Hi Kristiana- the dough is wet, like most fathead doughs. When it bakes, it will turn out nicely golden and fluffy. Let me know how you go!
Thanks for the recipe. Wasn’t sure about the level of baking powder in it, but persevered ; and I’m glad I did.
I’m a Brit by the way, only six weeks into keto, so still discovering stuff. These have the consistency of a cornbread, but their savouriness gives them the edge as cornbread is too sweet for my tastes!
Hi Paul, thanks so much for the feedback! So glad you enjoyed the buns. Let us know if you try any other keto recipes, and good luck with your keto journey!
We cannot have anything with coconut as it makes one of us very sick. Can we substitute another flour?. We also have to eat gluten free also. Thanks!
Not for this recipe, Nancy. The coconut flour is necessary for structure and stability. Omitting it will need the remaining ingredients to be tweaked significantly. I’ll do some testing and email you if I have success with it.
Love this recipe. We’ve used it for buns, rolls, pizza crusts, and our favorite accomplishment is we figured out today how to make it for big sub sandwich rolls. We used a whole recipe, lined a loaf pan with parchment, and spread it in. You can also use the parchment paper to shape it because it peels off the dough easily. For fun, we sprinkled on some garlic powder, Italian herbs, and a ton of powdered Parmesan and patted it in so it would stick. We skipped the egg wash bc we weren’t sure if it would get too dark since it cooks longer, but I do want to test that out. Covered it with tin foil and baked at 350° for 20 minutes so Parmesan and herbs wouldn’t burn, and then uncovered for another 15 for total 35 minutes (I don’t know if it matters but since we were experimenting, we waited til internal temp matched cornbread and hit 200-205). It holds together pretty well and can be sliced horizontally for a sandwich, though in the future I wanna experiment with some xantham gum to see if it helps with the slight crumbliness around edges. Looks, feels, and tastes like normal bread. It’s so nice to finally make giant sub deli style sandwiches again instead of having to use the tiny keto bread brands. Definitely a fav for us
Thank you so much for the feedback!
Wow this really is keto recipe. My friend is on keto diet so I could surprise her with these.
Can I eliminate the mozarella cheese or is it necessary? 🙂
Yes, it is absolutely necessary to get the dough correct and bake up like hot dog buns.
For SCD we can’t use baking powder so I substituted with baking soda…gulp. Also substituted mozz with provolone and cream cheese with SCD yogurt. Gonna be interesting…
Little did I know, you can’t directly substitute baking soda for baking powder. It should be 1/3 the amount. So these were inedible but the texture looked good.
I’ve never kneaded dough before so excuse my ignorance. Does the plastic wrap need to be removed before kneading then put back on or do you knead the dough in the wrap?
Hi Holly- when shaping the dough, covering in plastic wrap makes it easier to work with. Once it’s shaped into a ball, remove it 🙂
Thanks SO much for this Arman. Making these now! Just want to check- 1.5 tablespoons baking powder seems like a huge amount. Should it be 1.5 teaspoons?
Ah! I didn’t even notice the ‘tablespoon’ of baking powder. I had 1.5 teaspoon baking powder and they were great.
The buns are in the oven, they look great and smell great. Looking forward to taste!
Seems like a great receipt!
Thanks!! 🩵
Love your burger and hot dog buns. Will the hot dog buns hold up to making croutons out of them?
I don’t see why not 🙂
Wanted to send you a photo Can’t believe how beautiful they look cooking my hot dogs now. Your hot dogs look uncooked? I used a lot of egg wash I even turned them over. Wow this the second recipe of yours I made. The first was sugar free maple syrup that was great too
Arman,
I really wish I could leave a smile for our comment! Sorry but you get asked that so often and we DO use our cups and Tabespoons.
Thank you so much for all the time you have put into making recipes and inventing them!
My son is on Keto and he is now way too thin and I am going to try and put a biy of weight on him by using good keto food not what he has been eating-FASTFOOD! lol
Blessings to you and yours <3
You are a gem 🙂
Have you tried freezing the left over buns for future use? I am the only KETO member in the house hold and the store bought ones I buy always spoil before I eat them all.
Yes, absolutely. Glynn, I have a section on storage- To freeze: Place buns in a ziplock bag and store them in the freezer for up to 2 months.
I made 8 and they came out tiny but very tasty.
With my ingredients they are 4 grams of carbs each so pretty good for keto/low carb.
As above, weights would be good as the whole world dosn’t use cup measurements !
Thanks for a nice easy recipe
Thanks, Andy- noted! I’m going through each recipe and re-making them to get accurate metric measurements 🙂
Great buns, but I would like to know, if I can substitue mozzarela with cheddar cheese anf if you could write hte values with mass and not just cups? It is more accurate 🙂
I haven’t tried 🙂 We use American cups and tablespoons
how many calories per bun
I have these in the oven as I type, can’t wait to try them. My question is was my dough suppose to be real sticky if not can I just add more almond flour
Hi! Yes, the dough is very sticky 🙂
What happens if you don’t have coconut flour.
Not sure, I’ve only tried it as written.
All these sound so delicious I can’t wait to try them. Thank you,
You are so welcome, Lea!
Very good, will be my go to for rolls. Do you have a hoggie receipt please?
Hi Dennis- I don’t actually- I use these for hoagies to be honest!