Soft Keto Buns

Soft Keto Buns…I'm not going to lie, when I was trying to decide what to call these, I almost called them English muffins! They reallllly remind me of them if you cut these and half and toast them with some butter and jam (my favourite way to eat them). BUT these also work great as hamburger buns if you make 5 instead of 6 buns and cook them a tad longer. So I had to stick with calling these Soft Keto Buns. As they are soft, and they do look like buns!

This is probably the softest and nicest looking keto bread dough I've ever ever dealt with.

The kneading process takes a while as this recipe is a bit small for a kitchen aid mixer so you'll have to knead it by hand (unless of course you double it). When you knead for a while and don't continue to add flour to your dough to get rid of the stickiness, you allow the dough to stay super soft while forming gluten strands so the dough becomes less sticky all on it's own.

Overall, this recipe is actually really easy to follow. The only real difficult part is kneading for 15min without your hand getting tired, LOL. So as I mentioned, feel free to double this entire recipe if you'd like a full serving of 12 buns and the ability to knead it in a stand mixer rather than by hand!

This recipe is made with my favourite keto bread-making ingredients including; vital wheat gluten, oat fiber, almond flour, coconut flour and xanthan gum. The staples in my pantry. If you don't have these ingredients, I HIGHLY recommend them if you want to get into low-carb bread/crust/pastry making. Even if you don't plan to make a lot of bread, xanthan gum, coconut flour and almond flour are always great to have on hand for plenty of sweet and savoury keto recipes.

Now I do want to talk a bit about Vital Wheat gluten. I constantly get asked if it’s keto, what it is, where to buy it, etc. So I’ve written an entire article on it you can see here to learn more.

In summary, vital wheat gluten is the protein found in wheat. It’s what creates gluten strands and provides the soft but chewy texture in bread and baked goods. Vital wheat gluten is extracted and separated from the wheat so on it’s own, it’s only a protein with minimal carbs attached to it. It’s perfectly fine on a keto diet if you track the NET carbs in this recipe like anything else but the only people who absolutely should NOT consume it is those with a gluten allergy or who are celiac. For them I'd reccomend playing around with xanthan gum and psyllium husk in place of vital wheat gluten. It doesn't produce quite the same bread-like texture but it's a close second!

Ingredients In Soft Keto Buns:

As I mentioned above, Vital Wheat Gluten is necessary for this recipe and cannot be replaced. See this article if you’d like to learn more about it.
Oat Fiber – This ingredient provides structure to the dough without adding carbs as it’s almost 99% fibre.
Xanthan gum – a great way to improve elasticity in gluten-free baked goods. It’s used alongside vital wheat gluten to provide the best possible “crust-like” texture. If you do not have this ingredient you can still go ahead with this recipe but I’d recommend it if you can get your hands on it.
SUGAR – Yes there is a little bit of sugar in this recipe BUT IT IS NECESSARY for this recipe to work. Do not leave it out. The yeast will consume it and it will not affect the nutrition of the final product.
Almond & Coconut Flour – I use the Kirkland Costco brand of almond flour (I buy it in bulk on Amazon or at Costco itself occasionally) and this brand of coconut flour for this recipe. As I’ve noted in many of my past recipes, the brand of almond and coconut flour can affect the final outcome of the recipe because absorbency can vary depending on how the flour has been processed.
Powdered Monkfruit Erythritol Sweetener – I use the SoNourished brand for both granular and powdered sweetener and love it! The powdered is the best option for no-bake goods and desserts where you want a very smooth final product. But it bakes well in any recipe. **UPDATE** lately I’ve switched over to THIS brand of powdered sweetener because of trouble ordering the first one so you can order whichever is easier for you!

Tools I Used To Create Soft Keto Buns

Low Carb Substitution Guide – This is totally optional but if you like my recipes, I now have a $5 guide available with all of the substitutions I use to create every recipe on my site. You can use this to convert old traditional recipes and create new keto recipes! You can purchase it here and/or read more if you are interested. 🙂 I appreciate your support so much guys!
Nutritional Food Scale – AKA my best friend. This little buddy has been with me for over 4 years and never fails. Perfect measurements and only needs the batteries replaced maybe once a year!

Tips For Making Soft Keto Buns

Make sure these are fully baked before removing them from the oven. My oven bakes slow and it took ~30min for them to cook through in the center.
When kneading your dough, watch my videos for help on how to do it. It's tempting to add more flour but DO NOT DO IT unless absolutely necessary. If after kneading for 10min your dough is still extremely sticky, you can add 1 extra tablespoon of vital wheat gluten.
You can knead your dough in a bowl or on a flat surface. I personally would recommend a large bowl just because then you don't have to worry about flouring a surface and potentially adding too much flour into your dough. If you do knead it on the counter, be sure to flour the surface with just a tiny bit of flour and use a spatula to scrape up the scraps of dough stuck to the counter when necessary.
You can make these in the form of 6 small rolls or 5 larger rolls. I recommend 6 if you'd like to eat them on their own and/or slice them and toast them like English muffins and 5 if you want larger buns the right size for a typical hamburger. (Just be sure to adjust your baking time by adding a few minutes for larger buns)
In this recipe you see we add the salt and butter later on. This is because salt can kill the yeast if they touch directly and the butter is better added later on because it allows time for the gluten strands to be formed without the butter interfering and softening the strands.

Can I freeze Soft Keto Buns?

Yes! You can either freeze them after baking them between layers of parchment paper OR you can refrigerate the dough after it has risen but before shaping the rolls (place as it is, covered with saran wrap in the fridge) 1-2 days. Then remove, shape the rolls, as the recipe states and let them rise 30-40min prior to baking.

Soft Keto Buns

Serves: 6 dinner roll size buns or 5 hamburger buns

Ingredients:

7 tbsp vital wheat gluten, 70
1/4 cup almond flour, 30g
2 tbsp oat fiber, 14g
1 tbsp coconut flour, 7g
1 1/2 tbsp powdered monkfruit/erythritol swee tener
1/2 tbsp sugar (NECESSARY FOR THE DOUGH TO RISE, will be consumed by the yeast)
1 1/4 tsp yeast
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 tsp baking powder
160ml warm milk (any milk is fine, 1%, 2% or whole milk)
1/4 tsp salt (1/2 tsp if using unsalted butter)
4 tbsp butter, softened (60g)

Directions:

In a bowl, whisk together all of your dry ingredients including the yeast EXCEPT FOR SALT.
Next add your warm milk, stir the dough together (it will seem quite wet still) and begin kneading the dough. Add your salt during this time as well.
You can start by kneading the dough with a spatula as it will be super sticky at first. (See the video at the bottom of this post)
Continue to knead it on a counter or in the bowl for 15min or more, scraping the sides with the spatula as needed and eventually using your hands to knead (it will be a little messy at first). Add your butter about halfway through and knead it into the dough. Watch this video for a great example of how to knead stickier dough: Kneading Bread Dough In Real Time. (Just note that ours is low carb dough and tends to take a bit more kneading)
Refrain from adding another tablespoon of vital wheat gluten unless you absolutely have to! The dough will stick to your hands at first but eventually it will become less and less sticky as you knead it. Yes this does take a while but I promise it's worth it. (Alternatively you can double this recipe and make it in a stand mixer if you'd prefer).
After the dough is no longer super sticky and you can form it into a ball that holds together, you can transfer it to an oiled bowl and cover it to let it rise somewhere warm for an hour or until doubled in size (place it in an oven or microwave that is still a little warm or near a gas fireplace that's just been shut off). (Before letting your dough rise, it should stretch a bit when pulled apart and you should be able to see the gluten strands).
After your dough has risen, break the dough into 6 equal size pieces and roll them into balls using your hand and moving the pieces of dough in circles on a flat surface.
Place the balls into a shallow dish allowing for enough space between each roll for them to rise further, then cover them and place them somewhere warm again to rise for another 30-40min or until just about doubled in size.
At the 20-30min mark, pre-heat your oven to 350*F. Sprinkle a bit of coconut flour on top of the rolls then bake them for 25-35min or until they are a light golden colour / spring back when poked and the insides are cooked through (I usually sacrifice a roll and tear it slightly open to check).
Serve warm with butter and jam OR slice in half and toast for an english muffin style texture. These also make great burger buns if you make 5 slightly larger rolls instead of 6! Enjoy your Soft Keto Buns!

Nutrition for 1 bun (1/6 of recipe): 162 calories | 11.2g fat | 3.1 NET carbs | 10.3g protein | 3.2g fibre

Disclaimer: This post contains some affiliate links

Print Recipe

4.67 from 3 votes

Soft Keto Buns

Prep Time35 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Rising Time1 hr 40 mins

Keyword: bread

Servings: dinner rolls or 5 hamburger buns

Calories: 162kcal

Ingredients

7 tbsp vital wheat gluten 70
1/4 cup almond flour 30g
2 tbsp oat fiber 14g
1 tbsp coconut flour 7g
1 1/2 tbsp powdered monkfruit/erythritol sweetener
1/2 tbsp sugar
1 1/4 tsp yeast
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 tsp baking powder
160 ml warm milk any milk is fine, 1%, 2% or whole milk
1/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp if using unsalted butter
4 tbsp butter softened, 60g

Instructions

In a bowl, whisk together all of your dry ingredients including the yeast EXCEPT FOR SALT.
Next add your warm milk, stir the dough together (it will seem quite wet still) and begin kneading the dough. Add your salt during this time as well.
You can start by kneading the dough with a spatula as it will be super sticky at first. (See the video below)
Continue to knead it on a counter or in the bowl for 15min or more, scraping the sides with the spatula as needed and eventually using your hands to knead (it will be a little messy at first). Add your butter about halfway through and knead it into the dough. Watch this video for a great example of how to knead stickier dough: Kneading Bread Dough In Real Time. (Just note that ours is low carb dough and tends to take a bit more kneading)
Refrain from adding another tablespoon of vital wheat gluten unless you absolutely have to! The dough will stick to your hands at first but eventually it will become less and less sticky as you knead it. Yes this does take a while but I promise it's worth it. (Alternatively you can double this recipe and make it in a stand mixer if you'd prefer).
After the dough is no longer super sticky and you can form it into a ball that holds together, you can transfer it to an oiled bowl and cover it to let it rise somewhere warm for an hour or until doubled in size (place it in an oven or microwave that is still a little warm or near a gas fireplace that's just been shut off). (Before letting it rise, your dough should stretch a bit when pulled apart and you should be able to see the gluten strands).
After your dough has risen, break the dough into 6 equal size pieces and roll them into balls using your hand and moving the pieces of dough in circles on a flat surface.
Place the balls into a shallow dish allowing for enough space between each roll for them to rise further, then cover them and place them somewhere warm again to rise for another 30-40min or until just about doubled in size.
At the 20-30min mark, pre-heat your oven to 350*F. Sprinkle a bit of coconut flour on top of the rolls then bake them for 25-35min or until they are a light golden colour / spring back when poked and the insides are cooked through (I usually sacrifice a roll and tear it slightly open to check).
Serve warm with butter and jam OR slice in half and toast for an english muffin style texture. These also make great burger buns if you make 5 slightly larger rolls instead of 6! Enjoy your Soft Keto Buns!

Notes

Make sure these are fully baked before removing them from the oven. My oven bakes slow and it took ~30min for them to cook through in the center.
When kneading your dough, watch my recommended videos for help on how to do it. It's tempting to add more flour but DO NOT DO IT unless absolutely necessary. If after kneading for 10min your dough is still extremely sticky, you can add 1 extra tablespoon of vital wheat gluten.
You can knead your dough in a bowl or on a flat surface. I personally would recommend a large bowl just because then you don't have to worry about flouring a surface and potentially adding too much flour into your dough. If you do knead it on the counter, be sure to flour the surface with just a tiny bit of flour and use a spatula to scrape up the scraps of dough stuck to the counter when necessary.
You can make these in the form of 6 small rolls or 5 larger rolls. I recommend 6 if you'd like to eat them on their own and/or slice them and toast them like English muffins and 5 if you want larger buns the right size for a typical hamburger. (Just be sure to adjust your baking time by adding a few minutes for larger buns)
In this recipe you see we add the salt and butter later on. This is because salt can kill the yeast if they touch directly and the butter is better added later on because it allows time for the gluten strands to be formed without the butter interfering and softening the strands.