Keto Red Velvet Cake

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5 from 324 votes
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This keto red velvet cake is moist, fluffy, and topped with a delicious cream cheese frosting! Made in just one bowl, you only need 6 main ingredients to create this showstopping low carb cake! 2 grams net carbs per slice.

keto red velvet cake

Keto Red Velvet Cake

When it comes to fabulous keto desserts, my favorite recipes to make are chocolate cheesecake, chocolate pudding cake, and this easy red velvet cake.

With more and more of us choosing to stay home and entertain, I’ve been to my fair share of dinner parties recently. I’m always the first one to put my hand up for dessert duty. While I usually make brownies or a fancy cheesecake, I’ve recently been loving making a fancy cake.

I’ve been meaning to share a red velvet cake recipe for quite some time now. One of my friends is OBSESSED with all things red velvet, and with her birthday just around the corner, I wanted to do something special and give a keto twist on her favorite cake! 

Now, this cake may look incredibly fancy, but I promise you it is SO easy to make and requires just a handful of ingredients.

No butter, no grains, and no sugar needed, but you’d never tell. The texture is moist, fluffy, and slightly tender, with a gorgeous cream cheese frosting. It’s sweet, buttery, with hints of vanilla, and the cream cheese gives it a subtle tang.

I served this at my friend’s birthday dinner recently, and NO ONE believed me when I said it was low carb and ket0- They said it tasted like any cake shops red velvet cake!

gluten free red velvet cake

Ingredients for a keto red velvet cake

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make this sugar free red velvet cake. Please ensure your eggs are room temperature, and that you avoid substituting any of the ingredients

  • Almond flour– You must use blanched almond flour, not almond meal. Also known as superfine almond flour, it helps keep the cake moist and light, without being gritty.
  • Baking powder– Gives the red velvet cake some rise and fluffiness. 
  • Salt– Just a pinch, to bring out the sweetness of the cake.
  • Eggs– Room temperature eggs. 
  • Granulated sweetener of choice- Either monk fruit sweetener or erythritol can be used. I prefer erythritol as sometimes the monk fruit can have a slightly metallic aftertaste.
  • Vanilla extract– A must for any good cake recipe! 
  • Coconut oil– Melted and cooled coconut oil. Use refined coconut oil, to ensure there is no coconut flavor. 
  • Red food coloring– Also known as food dye, I used an all natural red food coloring. It gives the cake a gorgeous red color.
  • Butter extract– Optional, but gives a more authentic red velvet flavor. 
  • Cream cheese frosting– A classic red velvet cake MUST have a keto cream cheese frosting

How to make red velvet cake

In a small bowl, mix together your dry ingredients then set those aside. Next, add your eggs, sweetener, vanilla extract, and coconut oil into a mixing bowl. Whisk together until combined. Add your butter extract and red food coloring and mix well. Gently add in your dry ingredients and mix until fully incorporated. 

Now, transfer your cake batter into a 9-inch cake pan. Bake for around 25 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan completely, before frosting.

sugar free red velvet cake

What does Red Velvet Cake taste like? 

The beauty of a red velvet cake is that besides its distinct color, it doesn’t have a defined flavor. While some may say it has a slight cocoa taste, most of the red velvet cakes I’ve tried have been mostly vanilla flavored, with a buttery underdone. 

Tips to make the best low carb red velvet cake

  • The ingredients make a single layer cake. Be sure to double the ingredients to make a red velvet layer cake.
  • Avoid overbaking the cake, as it continues to cook while it is cooling down. Use the skewer test to make sure it is done. If a skewer comes out with no or just a few crumbs, it is ready to remove from the oven!
  • Be sure your cake is completely cooled before frosting it. 
  • As this cake has no grains in it and basic leavening agents, it will not rise much. 

How to store keto red velvet cake

  • To store: Leftover red velvet cake should be stored in the refrigerator, as it can spoil very easily at room temperature. Be sure to cover the cake completely, and it will keep for up to 1 week. Before eating, allow it to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
  • To freeze: Place single slices of the cake in a container and store in the freezer for up to 6 months. 

low carb red velvet cake

More keto cakes to try

red velvet cake recipe

Keto Red Velvet Cake

5 from 324 votes
This keto red velvet cake is a moist and fluffy cake topped with a low carb cream cheese frosting! 6 main ingredients and made in just one bowl, it takes less than 25 minutes to make!
Servings: 12 Slices
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 30 minutes

Ingredients  

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease a 9-inch cake pan with cooking spray and set aside.
  • In a small bowl, mix together your dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together your eggs, sweetener, coconut oil, vanilla extract, and butter extract, until combined. Add your red food coloring.
  • Gently fold through your dry ingredients into the wet and mix until combined. Transfer the batter into the greased cake pan and bake for 25-27 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean from the center.
  • Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool completely, before frosting.

Notes

* If you'd like to make this without eggs (vegan), make a vegan vanilla cake and add red food coloring to it.
TO STORE: Leftover red velvet cake should be stored in the refrigerator, as it can spoil very easily at room temperature. Be sure to cover the cake completely, and it will keep for up to 1 week. Before eating, allow it to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
TO FREEZE: Place single slices of the cake in a container and store in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1SliceCalories: 167kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 6gFat: 16gSodium: 113mgPotassium: 23mgFiber: 2gVitamin A: 90IUCalcium: 71mgIron: 1mgNET CARBS: 2g
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Author: Arman Liew
Tried this recipe?Give us a shout at @thebigmansworld or tag #thebigmansworld!

Arman Liew

I’m a two time cookbook author, photographer, and writer, and passionate about creating easy and healthier recipes. I believe you don’t need to be experienced in the kitchen to make good food using simple ingredients that most importantly, taste delicious.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I followed everything on this recipe except butter extract and it came out very good! My non-keto family loved it which says a lot, and even preferred this to the big brand name boxed keto chocolate cake I made as a back up (I don’t trust my baking skills but this recipe was almost as easy as the box cake). I ended up using that boxed cake as a second layer which was fun and something I’ve never done. Keto cake isn’t as fluffy as a normal cake, but I don’t have an electric mixer–that might have helped. For the frosting I just folded in powdered stevia into the cream cheese and that was a hit! My keto people flipped for the red velvet cake. I’m so pleased!!!

  2. 5 stars
    Excellent recipe!!
    I just have to figure out how much beet juice to make it look more like Red Velvet.
    Thanks for great recipe.

  3. 5 stars
    This cake is very good but it needs way more than 1-2 drops of red food coloring. I used 7 drops and it still is more pink than red.

  4. Thanks for this recipe! Do you know how I would need to alter it for a Bundt pan? And if I change the servings on the print page to 24, will that give me the correct ingredients ratio for two layers? (I did this and it then calls for 8 eggs—that sounded like a lot of eggs for one cake!)
    Annette

  5. Thank you for taking out the time to respond to me Arman, I really appreciate it! I’ll try making the cake as instructed, but instead of the butter extract, I’ll use a chocolate extract instead. I’ll let y’all know how it turns out, once I get up enough courage to start baking!

    Thanks again
    Bex

  6. Hi Arman,
    Thanks for doing this recipe. I’m a real novice when it comes to baking, but really want to be able to make a nice cake for Christmas that won’t pull me out of ketosis. As you mentioned above, many people associate red velvet cake with a cocoa/chocolatey taste – which is what I personally associate with it. Is there any way to add some cocoa to this recipe to make it have that taste I’m used to, and if so, how much would I add and how would I have to adjust the other ingredients?

    Many thanks

    Bex

    1. Hi Bex! I haven’t tried but I’d recommend adding chocolate extract instead of cocoa powder, as the cocoa powder will add an extra dimension that would need other ingredients to be altered.

  7. 5 stars
    Hi Arman, it must be a very delicious velvet cake! I will try it !
    One question please:in my country we don’t have almond flour.
    Could I put the almond meal in a blender and refine it ?
    It is possible please?
    Thank you in advance
    Heleni from Greece