The humble pancake is the ultimate breakfast food. Who doesn’t enjoy a stack of fluffy pillows doused in maple syrup and butter? It’s a sweet treat that’s easy to make and is always better made from scratch using fresh ingredients.

But what if you’re on a ketogenic diet? Pancakes are unfortunately very carb heavy and sugary, exactly what the ketogenic diet prevents you from eating. Don’t worry – there’s an almond flour pancake substitute that rivals the traditional pancake. Let’s have a look at how these recipes compare:

Traditional Pancake Ingredients:

2½ cups All Purpose Flour

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1 tsp. Baking Soda

2 tsp. Salt

3 tbsp. Sugar

2½ cups Buttermilk

½ cup Melted Butter

2 Eggs (Whites and Yolks separated)

Steps:

• Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix until combined. These ingredients include the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Bonus points if you sift your dry ingredients.
• Add the buttermilk, melted butter and egg yolks to the dry ingredients.
• Mix the wet ingredients until just combined. Be sure you do not overmix your batter because that will create tough or dense pancakes. A few lumps of flour in the batter is perfectly fine.
• Now add the egg whites to your batter and mix until just combined. The yolks and the whites have different properties, where adding them separately will ensure your pancake will turn out fluffy. If you don’t feel like separating them, you can add them together. This might result in a slightly flatter pancake.
• Heat up a non-stick pan or a cast iron skillet. Spread some melted butter on the pan. Once the pan is hot enough, scoop out about 1/3 cup of batter onto the center of the pan. You can make your pancakes as large or as small as you’d like.
• Wait until you see a lot of bubbles forming on top of the pancake. This is your signal to flip the pancake. The pancake does not need to cook for long on the other side.
• Repeat the process of cooking your pancakes and serve a stack with maple syrup and butter. I highly recommend a mug of coffee alongside your pancakes to balance the sweetness.

Keto Pancake Ingredients:

1 cup Almond Flour

3 Eggs

1 tbsp. Vanilla Extract

¼ cup Melted Butter

½ tsp. Baking Powder

Salt to taste

2 tbsp. Sugar Substitute (Stevia)

2 tbsp. to 4tbsp. Almond Milk or Regular Milk

Steps:

• This recipe follows a very similar procedure to that of the traditional pancake. Combine the almond flour, baking powder, salt and sugar substitute in a bowl.
• Now add your wet ingredients: the eggs, vanilla extract and melted butter. Mix well. You don’t have to worry about overmixing because almond flour does not have nearly as much gluten as regular flour.
• Depending on how thick your batter is, add almond milk or regular milk until the consistency of your batter is pourable. Your batter should not be too runny; its consistency should be like that of the traditional pancake’s.
• You can follow steps 5 to 7 from the traditional pancake recipe to cook your almond pancakes. However, instead of maple syrup, you can use any sugar free syrup. I personally use Lakanto sugar free syrup, made from monkfruit.

In terms of looks, these pancakes look almost the same, with a nice browning on the top and the bottom of the pancake. Based on my results, the almond flour pancakes came out slightly flatter than the traditional kind. However, both types of pancakes still ended up fluffy and light. The texture of the almond flour pancake is a little different, almost resembling almond butter. Moreover, the almond flour adds a rich taste and a nutty flavor. Finally, feel free to customize either pancake to include toppings like blueberries or chocolate chips. Although, keep in mind that chocolate chips are not keto friendly.

This recipe is revolutionary because you can still enjoy pancakes despite being on a ketogenic diet. The almond flour pancakes have 2 grams net carbs and 3 grams fiber, resulting in 5 grams total carbs for the entire recipe. Keep in mind the almond flour pancake recipe yields about 6 pancakes, while the traditional pancake recipe yields about 12. Even if you are not on a ketogenic diet, the almond flour pancakes are a must-try!