This simple recipe makes four perfect KETO HAMBURGER BUNS that are soft, fluffy, and topped with sesame seeds. These are easy enough for anyone to make with just a handful of ingredients. Grain free, gluten free, and even the family enjoys them!
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The time is here, friends!
Keto Hamburger Buns time! Are you excited?
I teased you with this recipe when I shared photos of my keto sloppy joes, but the buns weren’t quite perfect yet and I wanted to keep testing. We finally got it right and I’m happy to share these low carb buns with ya! You’re going to love them!
There are plenty of ways to make low carb bread, but you know me…I like to keep things simple and I hate using a bunch of expensive, difficult to find ingredients.
So, when I set out to conquer keto hamburger buns, I started with my favorite low carb dough…fathead dough. It makes the perfect pizza, but switching it up to make buns took a little tinkering.
We reduced the cheese, increased the almond flour, and added quite a bit of baking powder for lift. The result is a bun that is sturdy enough to hold with your hands and is light enough to enjoy with your burger. It’s still filling (hello cheese and almond flour) but not heavy and dense like traditional fathead dough.
These keto hamburger buns ARE more dense than a traditional bun though. I’ve yet to find a keto bread made without gluten that is light and fluffy like wheat bread. So don’t be expecting a complete dupe for a white bun…expect something delicious, but a little different. 😉
Ingredient Notes:
Almond Flour – The perfect grain free, gluten free alternative to regular flour. It works great and it won’t have an almond flavor! Use finely ground blanched almond flour for best results. We like this brand.
Cheese – Mozzarella and cream cheese seems like an odd ingredient for hamburger buns, but it binds everything together and the end result doesn’t really taste cheesy.
Baking Powder – A full tablespoon seems like a lot, but we tested this with varying amounts. We want soft, fluffy hamburger buns and a tablespoon does the trick.
Sesame Seeds – These are optional but if you want a traditional hamburger bun, don’t skip!
How to:
Melt the Cheese – While your oven is pre-heating you can get started by adding the cream cheese and the mozzarella cheese to a mixing bowl and heating in your microwave for about a minute. Stir together and return it to the microwave for another half a minute or so until both cheeses have melted.
Form the Dough – In the same bowl with the melted cheese, add in the almond flour, egg, and baking powder. You’ll want to stir it well until it has combined.
When combined you can begin kneading the dough. Use lightly oiled hands for best results, and knead the dough until it is smooth and pliable! When ready you can begin separating the dough into balls of equal size and shape. There should be enough to make four buns.
Helpful Tip:
The dough is mostly going to hold it’s shape, with just a bit of movement. Go ahead and press these out into the shape that you want for buns.
If you leave them in a ball shape, they’ll bake up more like dinner rolls. Flatten them into a rounded disc.
Bake – When it is formed and ready you can place the balls of dough onto a prepared baking sheet. Almost done! Brush the dough with the beaten egg, which will help give it that traditional golden brown hamburger bun look. Also, it helps keep the sesame seeds in place. After brushing with the egg you can sprinkle with the sesame seeds.
Finally, go ahead and place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for about ten minutes or until they are golden brown on the top. Depending on the size of your buns, bake time may vary a bit. Just keep an eye on them and remove them when they are browned on top and seem set in the middle.
Let them cool for about 10 minutes after removing from the oven and then slice in half with a serrated knife. Homemade keto burger buns are that simple!
FAQs:
Yes! Nothing makes a regular hamburger bun taste better than buttering them up and toasting on a griddle or skillet. You can do the same thing with these keto burger buns!
You can store these buns in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about a week, and they should stay good in the freezer for a few months. However, these buns are best eaten when a bit warm so if you do store them it’s recommended that you re-heat them in the microwave or they won’t be as soft.
What to put on your Keto Hamburger Buns?
We kept it simple with a burger, but you can certainly get more creative than that!
My Arby’s chaffle or Big Mac Chaffle would be a great option for these buns, if you’re not into chaffles or don’t have a mini waffle maker.
These loose meat sandwiches are another perfect dinner recipe. Just swap out the buns for these keto buns!
More low carb bread recipes:
Keto Hamburger Buns
Ingredients
For the buns:
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
- 2 tablespoons cream cheese
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1 cup finely ground almond flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
For the top:
- 1 large egg beaten
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the mozzarella and cream cheese to a microwave safe bowl and microwave for one minute. Stir to combine and return to microwave until cheese has melted, about 30 more seconds.
- Stir to combine the cheeses and then add the egg, almond flour, and baking powder to the mixture. Stir well to combine.
- Lightly oil your hands and knead the dough until smooth and pliable.
- Separate dough into 4 evenly sized balls and shape into buns.
- Place dough on prepared baking sheet and brush with the second beaten egg. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown on top and the sides seem fully set (no melty cheese).
- Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing in half and serving.
Norma Calitri says
Thank you this recipe the buns were delicious and so easy to make.
Rachel Kusler says
These are amazing. Have made them 2 times & they are delicious! Question for leftover buns, should they be stored in the fridge or is on the counter okay?
Karly Campbell says
They should be good at room temp for 1-2 days, but any longer than that would be best in the fridge.
Randy says
Worked out great, did tweak a bit, cup of mozzarella, and 1/2 cup yellow cheese, was good as 2 buns
Sandy Gardner says
Hi, just a couple questions. When measuring the mozzarella, do you use a measuring cup or trust the amount listed on the bag? I double this recipe so if I bought a 3 cup bag of shredded mozzarella, the whole bag seems like way too much. I’ve been using a measuring cup and they are turning out nicely. Also, do you pack the almond flour or not? I’ve been restraining the urge to pack it in. I’m just getting ready to make another batch and doing some in the shape of hot dog buns. My son recently had an A1c of 8 so regular buns and bread are not in my house anymore. We even used them to make Reuben sandwiches last night. Pretty darn good. Thanks for the recipe.
Karly Campbell says
Hi Sandy!
We usually measure out the cheese with a measuring cup or we weight a block and grate it ourselves. 4 ounces of cheese equals 1 cup shredded.
We don’t really pack in the almond flour. We just scoop it with the measuring cup and level it off.
Glad to hear these are working for you! If you like how they’ve been turning out, I’d just keep doing that. 😉
Diane Koki says
I made this using the ingredients as directed and if there is no other bread that can take its place, then this is a good sub.
I had a hard time combining the ingredients after melting the cheeses and adding the rest of the ingredients. I finally just put my spoon down and kneaded it with my hands until they were well combined and workable. All the other instructions were good but just a warning that if you are not going to use it right away, they get quite hard. I would not describe them as light an fluffy. Did I do something wrong?
Karly Campbell says
Hi Diane! The mixture does get harder to work with the more it cools. It’s cheese, so it firms up as it cools.
As for light and fluffy – no, you didn’t do anything wrong. These aren’t light and fluffy like traditional buns (as we mentioned in the blog post). They’re lighter and fluffier than traditional fathead dough, but it’s still made with cheese and almond flour, so not like traditional wheat buns.
Kevin grenoble says
I was curious how much of each ingredient to use?
Karly Campbell says
Hi Kevin! The full recipe is in the recipe card towards the bottom of the article. If you click ‘jump to recipe’ at the top it will take you straight down and scroll past everything else for you.
Nancy Vaupel says
Oh my goodness these buns are wonderful. Thank you so much for the recipe it is a keeper
Karly Campbell says
Yay! So glad that you enjoyed them!
Linda Duffy says
I have to agree. They really hit the spot!
Paula says
Easy to prepare and very tasty!
Karly Campbell says
Thanks, Paula!
Paulette Wright says
Sooo delicious! This is a keeper, I will definitely make again. I made them exactly from the directions and they came out great. And 4 is just enough and a perfect size.
Karly Campbell says
Thanks, Paulette!
Alec says
These were okay for hamburger buns but I actually think these work better for biscuit substitutes. I use this recipe now to make keto biscuits and gravy.
EA says
I tried these and liked them. Thanks. I’ve heard about the whole fathead thing but recipes mentioned having a food processor which I don’t have. Your recipe made them turn out good. I am though going to experiment with reduced fat mozzarella since they’re a tad too rich for my taste. That’s the point I know but going to try. 😀 Also I like big buns and this only made two for me.
Karly Campbell says
So glad you enjoyed these! We never use a food processor for this dough – makes a great pizza crust too. 🙂
Bill Brannon says
Good afternoon,
I just discovered your recipe last night, and read this question answer this afternoon. I didn’t have preshredded mozzarella last night, so I cut an approximate chunk off the block and chopped it medium fine. I stirred the cream cheese to completely cover the mozzarella, and melted it in 3 short microwave blasts.
Since I was using a Gourmia 7 quart air fryer to bake these, 370 degrees for 10 minutes did a light brown crust that wasn’t very hard, and the bun was very sturdy.
Karly Campbell says
Thanks for sharing, Bill!
Kathy says
I currently do not have almond flour could I substitute coconut flour?
Thanks
Karly Campbell says
No, sorry, the ratio wouldn’t be the same. If you did use coconut flour, you’d want to use about 1/3 to 1/4 the amount, but I’m not sure how many buns you’d end up with at that point.
Pat Topping says
one recipe has you using 2 tablespoons of cream chees and another I saw using 8 oz. cream cheese. Which is it?
Karly Campbell says
Hi Pat! Sounds like two different recipes. I’d use the amount called for in whichever recipe you opt to use.
Kay says
These look great and I’m sure they taste good, but 12 carbs is too high for me. Thank you for your recipes and ideas.
SPK says
Hi, Kay — according to the nutritional data at the end of the recipe, the total carb count per bun is 12, BUT you forgot to subtract the # of grams of fiber. So after doing the math, you end up with 7 net grams of carbs per bun (assuming you make 4 buns as stated in the recipe).
Hope that helps.
Leslie says
For the mozzarella cheese, is it best to to shred the cheese yourself or will the shredded cheese in a bag work OK? Which is the best to use? Thank you
Karly Campbell says
Either should work. I always use pre-shredded cheese for these, just to save time. I shred my own for things that I want a meltier consistency and use the bags of shredded cheese where that doesn’t really matter, just for convenience. 🙂
Stacey says
Making right now ! to go with loose meat I got simmering in crockpot! Can’t wait to eat.
Karly Campbell says
Sounds like a tasty dinner! Enjoy!
Rhonda says
Hi, going to try these today! Have you frozen them at all? Was planning on making a double batch and freezing half. Thanks
Karly Campbell says
Hi Rhonda! These should be good in the freezer for a few months – just make sure to wrap tightly. Serve them completely thawed or even a bit warm from the microwave/oven.
Reichel Wellswim says
These are the best buns I’ve eaten they taste like regular bread. Actually better. So yummy.
Karly Campbell says
Oh yay!! I love to hear that! 🙂
Patricia Gaston says
They are yummy ! On my second batch !
Karly Campbell says
Thanks, Patricia!