Best Keto Buns for Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, and Sandwiches

Cheeseburger with tomato and melted cheese served on golden keto buns, on a wooden board
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Introduction

Hamburger buns are a must for any summer cookout, whether it’s the Fourth of July or a family get-together. Between two starchy buns sit the beef and the cheese.

For those that follow a low-carb, low-sugar diet, a classic hamburger presents a challenge, because most of its carbs are in the bun. If you’re on a keto diet, how do you eat a hamburger without giving up the bun?

These keto burger buns are our answer. They are mostly cheese and egg: a cup of cheddar and three eggs, with just four tablespoons of almond flour, a tablespoon of parmesan and a quarter teaspoon of xanthan gum to hold it all together. That is how a bun ends up with a fraction of the carbs, and a few minutes under the broiler at the end gives the tops a toasty, golden brown finish.

The usual keto workaround is a lettuce wrap, which does the job but is not a bun. This is. It won’t be as soft and fluffy as a bakery bun; think of a sturdy, cheesy roll instead. But it holds a burger together, and the whole batch takes under 30 minutes.

Shape Them Before They Bake

This mixture never gets rolled. You spoon it onto a lined tray in four or five equal mounds — a cookie scoop gives you more even ones than a spoon does — and whatever you leave them looking like is what they bake into. Round for burgers, longer for hot dogs, flatter for sandwiches. It has to happen now rather than after, because there is no reshaping a baked bun.

Then it is ten to twelve minutes at 350°F, and three more with the broiler on. That last part is not a flourish: the broiler is what browns the tops, and the FAQs below cover what to expect if your oven doesn’t have one.

Related: White Bread Keto Chaffle | Wonder Bread Chaffle

Best Keto Buns

2 net carbs
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Total Time
20 minutes
Yield
5 buns
Course
Side Dish
Cuisine
American

Ingredients

Nutrition Facts

5 servings per recipe
Trans Fat 0g 0% 0g 0%
Sugar Alcohols 0g 0% 0g 0%
Allulose 0g 0% 0g 0%

About these numbers: We are home cooks, not certified nutritionists. Nutrition is shared as a courtesy. We pick a representative product for each ingredient, and our recipe system works out the totals from the amounts in this recipe, so please treat them as a helpful estimate rather than a guarantee. The brands you buy, any swaps you make, and how generously you portion the recipe will all move these numbers.

Directions

  1. Whisk three eggs in a large mixing bowl.

    Make certain the eggs are at room temperature. Whisk them until the yolks and whites are fully broken up and the bowl is one even color, with no ribbons of white still running through it.

  2. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl.

    Add the remaining ingredients: (1 cup of cheddar cheese, four tablespoons of almond flour, one tablespoon of parmesan cheese, and ¼ tsp xanthan gum) to the egg mixture and whisk until everything is well combined, with no dry pockets of almond flour left in the bowl.

  3. Spoon the mixture into bun shapes.

    Line your baking tray with parchment paper and spoon the mixture onto it in four or five equal mounds, one per bun. Shape each mound before it bakes — round for hamburgers, longer for hot dogs, or flatter for sandwiches.

  4. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees and then broil for 3 minutes.

    After broiling, remove keto buns from the oven. Place the baking sheet on a cooling rack and let the hamburger buns cool for a few minutes before tasting them. Serve warm, and enjoy!

Notes

  • Coconut flour is not a one-for-one swap for the almond flour here, so it is not a straight substitution — the FAQs below cover what changes if you want to try it.
  • Use a cookie scoop instead of a spoon for equal dough portions.
  • If you don’t have parchment paper, you can slightly grease the baking sheet with butter or oil. This can also prevent the dough from sticking to the sheet.
  • Our low-carb bread recipes serve as a substitute for white bread. You can enjoy them with your favorite spread.
  • You can serve hamburgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, or even tacos (with a few modifications) on these delicious buns! Just shape them accordingly before they bake.
  • Leftover buns should be placed in the fridge to maintain their freshness. Place them in tightly-sealed containers.

Tools You’ll need

  • An oven with a broiler. The buns go under it for three minutes at the end, so you do need one — most conventional ovens have the function.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I substitute the almond flour for coconut flour in this recipe?

You can but it is much preferred to use almond flour, as coconut flour would most likely leave the bun with a more crumbly texture. Some find that a desirable characteristic; however adding a teaspoon of baking powder improves the texture, giving it a similar hold to almond flour. Also note that if you make this swap, you must adjust how much flour you use. Almond flour vs. coconut flour is not a 1:1 ratio.

Will the texture of keto buns differ from traditional burger buns?

Yes because these keto buns are gluten-free, they won’t have the same texture as normal burger buns. These are neither as elastic or as soft and fluffy as buns made with regular or wheat flour. If you have tried those store bought keto taco shells that are just made out of melted and formed cheddar cheese these will be similar in taste. However, the taste of cheese flavor in this recipe is not too overwhelming as there is a combination of cheddar and Parmesan cheese.
If those taco shells had a baby with buns made from Fat Head dough, these keto buns would be their delicious kid (is that weird to say? Just go with it)! What you get is a bun that is not just burnt cheese or a scrambled egg mixed with almond flour. These sufficiently hold up the contents and are savory addition to sandwich, bun etc.

My oven does not have a broiling function. Is that fine?

The three minutes under the broiler are what give the tops their crisp, amber-brown finish, so without a broiler the buns will come out paler and softer on top. They are still baked through and still perfectly good to eat — the bake at 350°F is what cooks them, and the broil is the finish on top of it. A stovetop pan is not a substitute: a broiler works from above onto the top of the bun, which is the surface you are trying to color, and a pan only reaches the side sitting on it.

Can I use these for other things aside from hamburgers?

The best part about these keto buns is that you can use them for everything! We love to serve hamburgers on these so we tend to shape them into circles. However, these are awesome hot dog buns, sandwich bread, or even soft-shell tacos! Before you bake these keto buns, make them into whatever shape your heart desires!

Wrap-Up

We make these for burgers, but they hold a hot dog or a sandwich just as well, and with a little modification they will even stand in for a taco shell. The Nutrition Facts panel in the recipe card above has the numbers for each bun.

Golden cheesy flatbreads folded into taco shells, standing in stainless steel taco holders

For a sandwich filling, our chicken bacon ranch sliders combine ranch-seasoned chicken with cheddar and bacon. You can use that filling with these buns instead of making the sliders’ fathead dough.

We believe strongly that you don’t have to sacrifice eating your favorite foods while on a strict keto diet. If you like this recipe you may also enjoy browsing through our full collection of keto recipes.

Thank you so much for spending time with us. Do you have any experience trying out this recipe? Rate our keto burger bun recipe below. We love reading your comments below!

Correction — September 27, 2026: Broiling is part of this recipe rather than optional, and a stovetop pan does not do the same job. We also removed a coconut flour swap the recipe does not support.