These fluffy Keto Pancakes come out perfect every time! Enjoy three low-carb, gluten-free pancakes for less than 5 net carbs!
Low Carb Pancakes
Your search for beautifully fluffy, light keto pancakes is over! You found it–The PERFECT keto pancake recipe. These pancakes use almond flour and psyllium husk flakes to achieve a low-carb stack of pancakes that feels like it came from a diner.
I know psyllium husk flakes (or powder) aren’t a common ingredient, and I usually try to avoid asking you to buy uncommon things. However, there really is a great reason! Flours without gluten simply do not have the elasticity required for fluffy pancakes full of air bubbles. It just chemically can’t happen… UNLESS you add something that can thicken and stretch without gluten.
Psyllium husk acts as a bulking agent, thickening and being the “glue” for recipes. When combined with the remaining ingredients, it creates perfect air pockets and bubbles when the baking soda is activated. It gives us that chemical reaction that all non-gluten flours are missing. So yes, you CAN create these pancakes without the psyllium husk powder, but they will not be the fluffy cakes of your dreams.
Keto Pancake Ingredients
Here’s a quick overview for what you’ll need for this recipe. For exact measurements, scroll down to the printable recipe card near the bottom.
- Eggs – Size large, room temperature. Cold eggs struggle to mix well, so take them out of the fridge for at least 30 minutes before cooking.
- Monk fruit sweetener – Your favorite granular keto-friendly sweetener will work in this recipe. I used Lakanto Classic Monk Fruit Sweetener.
- Butter – Unsalted, melted but slightly cooled. You want it warm enough to stay liquid but not so warm that it cooks the eggs in the batter.
- Whole milk, Water, Vanilla extract – This gives the perfect balance of flavor and fluffiness. You could easily swap out the extracts for orange, lemon, almond, or your favorite flavor.
- Almond flour, Baking powder, Fine sea salt – If possible, use the superfine blanched flour. That makes these perfectly fluffy and eliminates any graininess. Baking powder provides lift, so don’t forget that part. If you don’t have fine sea salt, you can use an equal amount of table salt instead.
- Psyllium husk flakes (optional but HIGHLY recommended) – This is not a required ingredient for decent keto pancakes, but you want them if you’re looking for super fluffy pancakes that are indistinguishable from the “normal” carb-filled, gluten-filled diner stacks. This ingredient is the key to a true pancake texture.
- Sugar free keto syrup (optional) – Obviously you don’t have to eat your pancakes with syrup, but these fluffy pancakes are truly begging for a delicious topping. You could make this Keto Caramel Syrup or top them with Sugar Free Strawberry Sauce.
How to make pancakes keto?
Keto pancakes can be simple and delicious! With one secret ingredient and just a touch of patience, you can make the BEST low-carb pancakes with this step-by-step guide.
Mix wet and dry ingredients separately
In one bowl, mix together room temperature eggs, monk fruit sweetener, melted (but cooled) butter, milk, water, and vanilla. In another bowl, mix together the almond flour, psyllium husk, baking powder, and salt.
Combine and wait
Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture, whisking until just combined. Don’t overmix as this can cause the almond flour to absorb too much liquid, leading to dry pancakes. Once you don’t see any pockets of dry ingredients, stop mixing.
Allow the batter to sit for 3-5 minutes to thicken. This will help create thick, fluffy pancakes with a lot of lift and air pockets.
Cook
Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. If you’re using a good, new pan, skip the cooking spray as it is unnecessary and can burn quickly. If your nonstick coating is a bit worn off or poor quality, use the spray to avoid sticking.
Scoot 2 tablespoons of batter per pancake into the hot skillet, using a spoon to spread it a bit. I was able to fit 3 pancakes (2 1/2″ in diameter each) in my skillet.
Immediately cover the pan with a lid and cook for about 3 minutes. When the pancake begins to look set and bubble, uncover the pan and flip the pancakes. Cover again and cook another 2-3 minutes or until fully cooked through.
TIP: Cook the first pancake by itself. It’s going to be ugly and weird-looking; there’s just no way around it. Use this as your test pancake to determine how long the rest of the batter will need to cook.
Serve
We love serving these with keto syrup, fresh whipped cream, strawberry sauce, or caramel syrup. Add a side of Sugar-Free Candied Bacon or Homemade Breakfast Sausage. When serving a special breakfast in bed, add these Bacon Roses for an over-the-top keto-friendly surprise!
Store
Pancakes should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge up to 1 week. You can make the batter up to 3 days in advance, keeping refrigerated until you’re ready to cook. Old ketchup bottles are perfect for storing and squeezing out pancake batter! You may lose some fluffiness as the batter gets older.
Freeze
You can freeze cooked pancakes up to 3 months, making them great for meal prepping! Allow pancakes to completely cool and then stack one serving (3 pancakes) together, wrap tightly with 2-3 layers of plastic wrap, and store in a freezer bag.
Reheat
You can reheat pancakes in several different ways, depending on your preferences.
- Microwave – This is the quickest method, but you lose any crispiness you might have had on the exterior. Heat in 30 second blasts until warmed throughout. Overheating can dry out the pancakes.
- Oven – This is perfect for reheating a large batch for company! Place on a baking sheet (layering if you need to, but no more than 3 pancakes in a stack), cover with foil, and reheat on 360 degrees for about 5 minutes. If you love some crispness on the edges, remove the foil for the last minute or two of reheating.
- Air Fryer – If you love it crispy, the air fryer can work! On 350 degrees F, air fryer pancakes for about 1-3 minutes (depending on how many you’re reheating at once). Check in halfway through to make sure it’s not drying out the edges too much.
If you love these keto pancakes, you’ll love these low carb breakfast recipes:
- Keto Strawberry Shortcake Waffles – You will LOVE a tasty stack of these waffles with strawberries and whipped cream! It feels like such a treat, but the whole stack is just 5 net carbs.
- Egg Bites – These taste and feel like everyone’s favorite Starbucks menu item! Perfectly gooey and cheesy, also great for meal prep.
- 5 Ingredient Keto Sausage Balls – The best on-the-go breakfast recipe is also meal prep friendly, easy to make keto, and great for potlucks!
- Eggs in Air Fryer – Crispy prosciutto makes the perfect cup in this creamy, cheesy egg recipe. These cook quickly and taste like a special breakfast without being a lot of work.
- Easy Keto Blueberry Muffins – These muffins have that great, classic taste and texture you love! About 4 net carbs each make these a great pairing with coffee in the morning.
- Easy Keto Breakfast Recipes under 5 Net Carbs
- The BEST Keto Coffee Drinks
Keto Pancake FAQs
Pancakes made with all purpose flour have gluten, and this creates a fantastic stretch in the batter when the baking soda creates bubbles. These keto pancakes are made with almond flour that doesn’t contain gluten, so it naturally isn’t very fluffy. HOWEVER, we can improve this by adding psyllium husk flakes! It’s thickening and bulking properties add some of the stretch that we miss in our gluten free recipes.
Yes, pancakes work wonderfully with dairy free substitutes! Swap out the milk for unsweetened almond milk, and replace the butter with a dairy free version. Thicker milk substitutes will produce nicer pancakes than thinner ones (So almond milk would be preferable over coconut milk).
We cook pancakes on medium low so that the baking soda has time to create all those beautiful bubbles! Adding a lid to the pan helps the heat work more efficiently and ensures that the center will be perfectly cooked when the exterior gets nice and crisp. This low-and-slow approach gives you fluffy, soft, and evenly cooked pancakes.
Keto Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon monkfruit sweetener
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup almond flour the superfine blanched version is best, spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 tbsp psyllium husk flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Sugar free keto syrup optional for serving
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, monkfruit sweetener, melted butter, milk, vanilla extract, and water.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, psyllium husk, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients and whisk until just combined.
- Let the batter sit for 3-5 minutes to thicken.
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Grease the skillet with butter or spray oil.
- Scoop 2 tablespoons of batter per pancake into the hot skillet and use the spoon to spread it a bit so the pancake is about 2 1⁄2” in diameter. You should be able to fit about 3 pancakes in the skillet.
- Immediately, cover the pan with the lid and cook for about 3 minutes until the pancake begins to look set and bubbly. Uncover the pan and flip the pancakes, cover again, and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until fully cooked through.
- *You can test 1 pancake as a reference to ensure it’s cooked through and then you’ll know how long to cook the remaining pancakes for.
Notes
- Cover the pan while cooking!
- Cooking the pancakes low and slow will yield fluffy, soft, and evenly cooked pancakes. Don’t be tempted to rush please!
- The first pancake will ALWAYS be ugly and maybe cook unevenly or burn. Don’t worry, it’s normal! For some reason, the first pancake is never the prettiest.
- Psyllium husk flakes are the secret ingredient to giving these pancakes a real
pancake-like texture. Technically it can be left out, but your pancake won’t be as fluffy with a real pancake-like texture.
