• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to blog navigation
  • Skip to footer navigation
  • Skip to privacy navigation
  • Skip to recipes navigation
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

FatForWeightLoss

Keto Recipes and Low Carb Nutrition

  • Start HereNew? Get Started With Keto
  • Recipes
    • All Recipes
    • Course
      • Breakfast
      • Dessert
      • Snacks
      • Bread
      • Main Meals
      • Drinks
    • By Dietary
      • Dairy Free
      • Gluten Free
      • Vegetarian
      • Nut Free
    • By Method/Type
      • Skillet (One Pan)
      • Oven
      • One Pot
      • Freezer-Friendly
      • Meal Prep
    • By Dessert
      • Cookies
      • Cakes & Bars
      • Puddings and Custards
      • Pies and Tarts
      • Freezer Friendly
      • Fat Bomb
  • Resources
    • Beginners Guide
    • Keto Shopping List
    • Keto Replacements
    • Sweeteners Guide
    • Podcast
    • Nutrition Coaching
    • Blog
  • Macro Calculator
  • Shop
    • Books & Courses
    • Keto Products
    • Nutirtion Coaching
  • About
    • About
    • Press
    • Contact
    • FAQ
  • Instagram YouTube Facebook Pinterest Podcast
  • Keto Desserts
  • Breads
  • Fat Bombs
  • Snacks
  • Main Meals
  • Breakfast
Instagram YouTube Facebook Pinterest Podcast
Home » Posts » Keto Substitutes For Specific Ingredients

Keto Substitutes For Specific Ingredients

FREE 7-Day Meal Prep Guide!
Tap Here to Download
Jun 01, 2020-Updated:Jun 04, 2020
keto substitutes

I get asked so many questions about substituting specific ingredients as keto substitutes, so I thought I could be helpful and create a post outlining replacements.

Please note, this post doesn’t go into the exact product brand details, because it’s not necessary. Most products are made up of similar base ingredients, and any differences would be negligible.

[cmtoc_table_of_contents]

Keto Sweetener Replacements

I have a general rule of thumb. I try to use liquid stevia (or monk fruit) were possible. I only use products that contain erythritol (sugar alcohols) when I’m trying to replicate the physical properties of sugar.

Erythritol

  • Erythritol is 70% as sweet as sugar but bakes and behaves like sugar.
  • I convert regular sugar to erythritol in a dessert at a ratio of 1:1, because when you eliminate sugar from your diet, food tastes sweeter, therefore you have already made up for the 30% reduction in sweetness just by becoming more sensitive to it.
  • Erythritol can have a minty, cooling after taste because it is a sugar alcohol. This is why many companies decide to pair it with stevia or monk fruit.

Keto Substitutes:

I only use products that contain erythritol (sugar alcohols) when I’m trying to replicate the physical properties of sugar.

For example, heating erythritol on top of a creme brulee will give a crispy, golden brown texture. This will not happen if you use liquid stevia or 100% monk fruit.

Another example is chocolate chip cookies. To get cookies to flatten in the oven, you have to use erythritol since it’s melting point is similar to sugar, and its granular texture allows the space between the nut flour to melt.

Keep these rules in mind. If a recipe specifically states that you have to use erythritol, use it. It doesn’t really matter that much if the erythritol is paired with stevia or monk fruit (it will simply be a little bit sweeter).

convert erythritol to stevia

Stevia

Keto Substitutes

If you don’t like the bitter taste of stevia, then use monk fruit. These are interchangeable.

Stevia can also be substituted with erythritol, just remember 1 tsp stevia = 1 cup erythritol.

Monkfruit

Keto Substitutes

If you can’t find monk fruit, then use stevia. monk fruit is less sweet than stevia, so I always use about 1/3 less stevia than 100% monk fruit.

Combination Sweeteners (erythritol + stevia etc)

Combination sweeteners exist because sugar replacements generally have a weird after taste. By combining erythritol (minty cooling effect) with stevia (bitter astringent effect), the two are likely to cancel each other out.

The only combination I use a lot is erythritol and monk fruit.

The balance of monk fruit and erythritol neutralises the cooling effect of traditional erythritol, making it taste very similar to regular sugar and perfect for baking.

Erythritol is found naturally in fruits, vegetables, and wines. Monk fruit is a natural sweetener used in 13th-century Chinese medicine.

The glycemic index of monk fruit and erythritol is 0, meaning the carbohydrate content does not elevate blood sugar levels and won’t halt ketosis.

Keto Substitutes

  • 100% erythritol
  • Any kind of combination sweetener will have a very similar sweetness (i.e. swerve, so nourished etc).

What to know more about keto-friendly sweeteners?

Read here about Which Sugar Replacements Are Keto Friendly?

Keto Substitutes For Binding Agents

Binding agents exist because the ketogenic diet eliminates wheat flour due to its carbohydrate content. A lot of recipes like bread, cakes, sauces etc rely on the gluten and starch inside wheat to help bind and thicken ingredients.

When you switch to using almond flour, or any other kind of nut flour, you no longer have gluten that will hold onto the flour particles, which creates crumbly bread, and desserts or cookies that fall apart when you touch them.

To fix this, there are a few different binding agents that when added to gluten-free flours will give you the same texture and hold as gluten does.

Xanthan Gum

Xanthan gum helps hold low carb flours together. It binds the ingredients together and can act as a substitute for gluten.

Xanthan gum binds ingredients together and can act as a substitute for gluten. Gluten enables bread to rise because it traps air bubbles and allows them to grow. Xanthan gum can substitute by doing the same thing.

Xanthan gum is made by fermentation, it does not itself ferment. Many things are made by fermentation. In the case of Xanthan gum, sugars are digested by bacteria, and they excrete Xanthan gum.

Make sure you use a gluten-free version of Xanthan gum, as most that are not gluten-free are made from wheat.

You only need a half a teaspoon for most keto low carb recipes.

almond flour and xanthan gum

Substitutions

  • Xanthan gum can be replaced 1:1 with guar gum
  • Xanthan gum can be replaced with 2 Tbps psyllium husk powder in bread (not desserts).

Learn more about xanthan gum here: Why use Xanthan Gum in Keto Cooking?

Guar Gum

Guar gum is made from legumes called guar beans. It’s a type of polysaccharide, and has thickening and stabilizing properties useful in food such as keto baking.

Guar gum absorbs water, which then turns into a gummy substance which holds ingredients together and can act as a substitute for gluten.

A small amount of guar gum can go a long way: You only need about a half a teaspoon for most recipes.

Guar gum is helpful with digestive health (fibre), blood sugar levels (due to soluble fibre slow absorption rate of sugar) and has a cholesterol-lowering effect (as fibre binds to bile acids, eventual decrease in circulation)

Has been used in weight maintenance (cal-ban 3000) which was deemed dangerous in high amounts (much higher than you would ever use in baking) as it caused blockages in the esophagus and small intestine.

Substitutions

  • Guar gum can be replaced 1:1 with xanthan gum
  • Guar gum can be replaced with 2 Tbps psyllium husk powder in bread (not desserts).

Gelatin

Gelatin powder is colourless and tasteless, and is derived from collagen and is made by dehydrating parts of animals, including skin, bones and tissue.

It acts like a sticky substance that can also help hold ingredients together, like gluten, but best used in cakes.

Gelatin improves get health and digestion, like collagen. Glycine from gelatin can help the mucus lining in the stomach and help balance your digestive enzymes.

Glycine is an inhibitory neurotransmitter which acts in a similar way to anti-depressants only without the nasty side effects

It also protects joints, improves skin in a similar way to collagen.

Carnivore dieters should consider gelatin, as it neutralizes excessive methionine intake (which increases homocysteine levels).
Unlike collagen, gelatin creates a gell substance that is useful in cooking.

Substitutions

  • Gelatin can be replaced 1:1 with agar-agar (vegetarian substitute)

Agar-Agar

Agar-agar is made from Red Algae but is similar in structure to guar gum.

It sets like gelatin, but in a much clearer way. Best used in harder types of jellies.

Used in cooking throughout Asia and Russia and is a fantastic vegetarian substitute for gelatin

Has been used in weight loss throughout Japan, and recently in the US.

Substitutions

  • Agar-Agar can be replaced 1:1 with gelatin (non-vegetarian substitute)

Psyllium Husk Powder

Psyllium husk is made from seeds of Planto Ovata (mainly grown in India), and is the main ingredient in Metamucil.

Similar to xanthan gum and guar gum, it can absorb water and become thick, useful in baking bread rolls, or other bread that requires a high amount of rising, however, requires hot water to activate.

Psyllium husk power has pre-biotic effects (can help nourish intestinal bacteria), improve digestive health (fibre), regular blood sugar levels (due to soluble fibre slow absorption rate of sugar) and has a cholesterol-lowering effect (as fibre binds to bile acids, eventual decrease in circulation).

Substitutions

  • Psyllium husk powder cannot be replaced in bread rolls
  • Can be replaced 1:2 with chia seeds, but must be soaked.
  • Can be replaced 1:6 with xanthan gum or guar gum in certain recipes (like bread)

What substitutions would you like to see more of?

Leave a comment below with your questions, and I’ll add them to the list of substitutions so we can all bake better keto foods!

More Keto Favorites…

  • why use xanthan gum
    Why use Xanthan Gum in Keto Cooking?
  • keto christmas guide
    Keto Christmas - Your Complete Guide To Christmas On Keto
  • Keto Mayonnaise - Homemade Keto Recipes
  • Keto Cob Salad
    Keto Cobb Salad

About FatForWeightLoss

Hi! I’m Aaron (FatForWeightLoss). I'm an Accredited Nutritional Therapist, Clinical Weightloss Practitioner and Advanced Sports Exercise Nutritional Adviser, and Author of The Keto Sweettooth Cookbook

Previous Post
Keto White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Next Post
Boiled Eggs with Thai Dipping Sauce

Reader Interactions

Leave a Review Cancel reply

Rate this recipe:




Your email address will not be published.

  1. Jan Oldenburg says

    Posted on 17 May 2022 at 11:38 pm

    I’d love to hear your thoughts on allulose and allulose-based sweeteners.

    Reply
    • FatForWeightLoss says

      Posted on 10 August 2022 at 10:36 am

      Thanks for the feedback Jan – Currently not considered a “food” here in Australia, so unable to purchase.

      Reply
  2. Mary says

    Posted on 14 December 2021 at 11:40 am

    As an ovo-lacto vegetarian, I need a keto substitute for collagen powder. Any clue?

    Reply
  3. Joy says

    Posted on 12 December 2021 at 10:40 am

    Thank you so much for this article! Ive been in this diet for more than a year now and you just helped me understand it more.

    How about subs for cream cheese? Sour cream? And i see whey protein and collagen peptides in some recipes, what’s it for and can it be replaced by something simpler?

    Reply
  4. MARY KELLEY says

    Posted on 10 June 2021 at 9:25 am

    I am allergic to all seafood, what can I use beside fish and fish sauce. I also don’t care for Avecado, any subs?

    Reply
    • FatForWeightLoss says

      Posted on 11 June 2021 at 2:57 pm

      Hi Mary – Tamari could be a suitable substitute… but it depends on what it is for?

      Reply
  5. Chantelle says

    Posted on 22 February 2021 at 11:54 am

    I have an allergy to Almonds and cannot use almond flour and sadly I don’t like using coconut flour, what other option could work?

    Reply
    • FatForWeightLoss says

      Posted on 4 March 2021 at 8:34 am

      Same amount sesame seed flour as almond flour 🙂

      Reply
  6. Jacquie says

    Posted on 26 August 2020 at 9:35 pm

    I would love to know the best substitutes for eggs & egg whites in recipes? What cooks the best?
    Thanks
    Jac

    Reply
  7. Jodie says

    Posted on 5 June 2020 at 9:58 pm

    I get confused with Baking Powder & baking soda and bi carb soda. Could you please clarify those 3 for me.

    Reply
Older Comments

Primary Sidebar

Welcome To FatForWeightLoss!

Hey there! I’m Aaron - an Accredited Nutritional Therapist, Clinical Weight loss Practitioner and Advanced Dietary Supplement Advisor here to help you lose weight and feel great for good.

read more about aaron >
FREE Keto Meal Plan
get my free 7 day keto meal prep guide!
download now

Popular recipes

chocolate chip cookies on partchment paper

Keto Chocolate Chip Cookies – Best Low Carb Super Soft Cookies

Keto Bread

Keto Bread

keto new york baked cheesecake

Keto Cheesecake – New York Baked Low Carb Cheesecake

keto cheesecake fat bombs

Keto Cheesecake Fat Bombs

keto smoothie

Keto Blueberry Smoothie

keto coconut bread

Keto Coconut Bread

Opens in a new window Opens an external site Opens an external site in a new window

POPULAR

chocolate chip cookies on partchment paper

Keto Chocolate Chip Cookies – Best Low Carb Super Soft Cookies

keto new york baked cheesecake

Keto Cheesecake – New York Baked Low Carb Cheesecake

Keto Bread

Keto Bread

keto smoothie

Keto Blueberry Smoothie

FREE Keto Meal Plan
get my free 7 day keto meal prep guide!
download now
  • recipes
    • Dessert
    • Breakfast
    • Main Meals
    • Snacks
  • resources
    • Macro Calculator
    • Keto Shopping List
    • Keto Substitutes
  • Shop
    • My Cookbooks
    • Meal Plans
    • Keto Products
    • Recipe eBooks
stay connected
Instagram YouTube Facebook Pinterest Podcast
  • Back to Top
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
© 2022 - Site Credits Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled

Free Keto Meal Plan

get my free 7 day keto meal prep guide!