Traditional bread crumbs from wheat flours and panko are both full of gluten and carbs making them problematic for a variety of diets. This 3 ingredients bread crumb substitute is seasoned, crunchy, and can be used as a keto breading or binder for your favorite recipes.
Why Should You Make Your Own Keto Breadcrumbs
Breadcrumbs are used for a variety of reasons in cooking and baking. They provide texture and flavor to food. Sometimes bread crumbs are used for binding things together, like meat and eggs. Other times, bread crumbs are used for coating, like fried pork chops.
These almond flour bread crumbs are incredibly easy to make, taste fantastic, and provide the ideal texture for breading. These gluten free bread crumbs have a texture that mimics panko or crushed pork rinds.
Can You Have Breadcrumbs on Keto?
When it comes to low carb, keto, gluten free, and paleo diets, traditional breadcrumbs are not an option because they are made with wheat flours or and are very high in carbs. One serving of panko has 21 g of carbs!
Pork rinds are often used as a substitute for bread crumbs on the keto diet but if you do not eat pork or do not like the smell, they are not the best option. Low carb dishes can be fried using whey protein powders, but you might not always have that on available.
What Are The Different Types of Breadcrumb Substitutes on Keto?
Typically, any type of low-gluten flour can be used as an alternative to regular breadcrumbs but some may be high in carbohydrates, like rice flour, which is a big no-no in Keto. Pork rinds are commonly used and contain zero carbs but do not cater to all diets. I chose almond flour because of its versatility. I always have it in my pantry since it’s perfect for making household favorites like these Fluffy Keto Pancakes.
Psyllium husk, lupin flour, or oat fiber can also be used but these are specialty ingredients that may not be readily available. My goal is to make Keto easy and accessible so that it can be done by anyone, whether you’re new to Keto or have been doing it for some time now.
How To Make Seasoned Gluten Free Bread Crumbs
Making breadcrumbs from scratch may seem intimidating but it’s actually very simple! All you need to make this bread crumb substitute is 3 ingredients, water, a hot skillet, and patience. Actually, it only take about 15 minutes to make the whole batch of breadcrumbs. Let’s walk through the steps:
- Mix almond flour, salt, flax seeds, pepper, and garlic powder in a bowl. Add water and mix until it resembles sand colored playdoh.
- Heat a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. You will not need any oil or butter due to the flax seeds in the mixture.
- Cook the dough in the hot skillet. Use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to continuously break up the dough as it cooks.
- The moisture from the dough will cook out and the dough will begin to toast. You’ll notice a change in color and a nutty fragrance too. The bread crumbs will become darker and golden.
- Keep stirring and breaking up the crumbs so as not to burn the ones on the bottom.
- You’ll know they are done when they resemble little pellets or balls.
- Put the cooked breadcrumbs in a food processor and pulse until they are well broken up.
Difference Between Panko and Breadcrumbs
Originating from Japan (“pan” means bread, while “ko” is flour), Panko is a type of breadcrumb made from a crustless white bread. Aside from the difference in texture, it’s important to note that Panko is NOT gluten-free. Many breadcrumbs are available as gluten-free but can be made in factories that work with gluten, that’s a risk I personally wouldn’t take. With this easy Keto breadcrumb recipe, you can rest easy knowing it’s healthy, low-card, and allergen-free!
How To Store the Bread Crumbs
Your homemade gluten free bread crumbs can be stored in your pantry in an airtight container. They should stay fresh for up to 1 month. They may keep longer in the refrigerator but it is not necessary.
Different Ways to Season the Almond Flour Bread Crumbs
As written, these keto breadcrumbs are simply seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic so that they can be used in a variety of recipes. Try these variations:
- Cajun seasoning
- Italian seasoning
- Old Bay seasoning
- Spicy with crushed red pepper
Coconut flour cannot be used in this bread crumb substitute recipe. Coconut flour is too soft and absorbent for this recipe. It would never toast properly because it holds onto all of the liquid, like a sponge.
This particular recipe has not yet been tested in the oven. However, I am working on those instructions and will have them linked here very soon. Sign up for my email newsletter in the Grow.me box within this post to be notified when those instructions are available.
Like moms do for families, flax seed is the glue that binds everything else together in these bread crumbs. I guess you could also say they are like eggs in that respect. In fact, flax seeds are often used as egg replacements in replacements. We do not use eggs in this recipe because it would alter the texture and flavor of the bread crumbs. It would also make them less shelf stable. If we omitted the flax seeds all together, you would just have mushy almond flour that wouldn’t have anything to adhere to when cooked. Basically, its science and the flax seeds are a must in this recipe.
Different Ways to Use these Bread Crumbs
These breadcrumbs may be used in a variety of recipes. Here are some suggestions:
- Substitute the pork rinds in my Chick-fil-A nugget copycat recipe
- In my easy keto Italian meatballs
- Crispy keto shake and bake chicken (pictured below)
How To Make Gluten Free Bread Crumbs
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 teaspoons salt
- 1.5 teaspoons ground flax seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Mix almond flour, salt, flax seeds, pepper, and garlic powder in a bowl. Add water and mix until it resembles sand colored playdoh.
- Heat a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. You will not need any oil or butter due to the flax seeds in the mixture.
- Cook the dough in the hot skillet. Use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to continuously break up the dough as it cooks.
- The moisture from the dough will cook out and the dough will begin to toast. You’ll notice a change in color and a nutty fragrance too. The bread crumbs will become darker and golden.
- Keep stirring and breaking up the crumbs so as not to burn the ones on the bottom.
- You’ll know they are done when they resemble little pellets or balls.
- Put the cooked breadcrumbs in a food processor and pulse until they are well broken up.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
