Do pancakes and waffles fit in a ketogenic diet? Normally the answer is no. Thanks to advances in food technology and manufacturing, several low-carb baking mixes and flours are available to help meet the restrictions of low-carb diets like the keto diet. If you thought you had to give up anything that has flour in it, think again!
Carbquik is keto-friendly. Carbquik is a low-carb baking mix, containing only two grams of net carbs per ¼ cup serving. It is very low in net carbs compared to traditional baking mixes thanks to its high fiber content. Other keto-friendly flour and baking mixes include HighKey Original Pancake and Waffle Mix and Kiss My Keto Baking Mix.
If you haven’t heard of Carbquik before, you probably have lots of questions about what’s in it and what makes it keto-friendly. If you want to learn about other flours and baking mixes that are keto-friendly, you’re in the right place!
Contents
- What is Carbquik?
- But first: a refresher on the ketogenic diet
- What are the advantages of Carbquik?
- What are the disadvantages of Carbquik?
- Why is fiber okay on a keto diet?
- What are the benefits of eating fiber?
- Are there downsides to eating too much fiber?
- Carbquik Nutrition Information
- Keto-friendly baking mixes and flour
- Related Questions
What is Carbquik?
Carbquik is a low-carb baking mix. It can be used in place of regular baking mix (such as Bisquik) to make things like pancakes, pizza dough, biscuits, and more.
Carbquik is very low in net carbohydrates. Net carbohydrates are the number of carbs that have an impact on blood sugar levels as well as the state of ketosis. Net carbs are calculated by subtracting the grams of dietary fiber (which isn’t digested) from total carbohydrates.
Other ingredients that don’t impact blood sugar levels such as erythritol and allulose (common ingredients in low-carb products) are also subtracted from total carbohydrates. The lower the net carbs, the more keto-friendly the product.
But first: a refresher on the ketogenic diet
The ketogenic (keto) diet is a very low carbohydrate diet. Most keto diets contain fewer than 50 grams of carbohydrates per day, while stricter keto diets might limit carbs to around 20 grams per day.
The ketogenic diet is high in fat (70-80% of total calories) and moderate in protein. When you restrict carbohydrates and rely on fat for your energy, your body goes into ketosis. Ketosis is a metabolic state where your body burns fat for fuel instead of carbs.
Potential benefits of following a keto diet include weight loss, improved blood sugar levels, and increased insulin sensitivity. However, the long-term benefits of the ketogenic diet have yet to be studied.
How can I tell if a food is keto-friendly?
Some foods have a keto stamp on them or say “keto-friendly” to make it easy. However, many foods won’t necessarily have this stamp even if they are keto-friendly.
In general, keto-friendly foods are low in net carbohydrates and low in/free of added sugar.
Net carbohydrates are the amount that impacts blood sugar levels and ketosis. To determine the net carbs, subtract dietary fiber from total carbs. Most keto-friendly foods will contain around ten or fewer grams of net carbs per serving, but that isn’t a set-in-stone rule.
What are the advantages of Carbquik?
Low in net carbohydrates
Carbquik uses carbalose flour instead of traditional wheat flour. Carbalose flour is very high in fiber, which means it doesn’t raise blood sugar or impact ketosis as much as regular wheat flour. Carbquik contains 2 grams of net carbs per 1/3 cup serving compared to Bisquik’s 27 grams of net carbs for the same serving size.
Keto-friendly
Most ketogenic diets include 20-50 grams of net carbs per day. Carbquik is very low in net carbs (2 grams), making it keto-friendly. It contains 16 grams of total carbs, but 14 of those come from fiber.
What are the disadvantages of Carbquik?
Processed
Processed foods like Carbquik can be lower in nutrients and higher in additives than whole foods. While it’s fine to eat processed foods in moderation, it’s ideal to opt for whole, unprocessed foods more often.
Sodium
Quick bread mixes like Bisquik and Carbquik have baking powder to help them rise. Baking powder is high in sodium, so Carbquik isn’t a low-sodium food. In addition to the baking powder, Carbquik contains salt, further increasing the sodium content.
Why is fiber okay on a keto diet?
Carbohydrates are your body’s primary and preferred fuel source. When you eat carbs that are digested (starch and sugar) they are broken down into sugar in your bloodstream. Rising blood sugar levels stimulate the release of insulin to let the sugar into your cells.
On a keto diet your carbohydrate intake is very low. This prompts your body to enter the state of ketosis, which is when it burns fat for fuel instead of carbs.
The human body can’t digest fiber (a type of carbohydrate) so it doesn’t stimulate the blood sugar/insulin response. High-fiber foods like Carbquik are okay on a keto diet since the fiber content doesn’t disrupt ketosis.
What are the benefits of eating fiber?
Heart health
High-fiber diets can help lower cholesterol levels. High cholesterol is one of many risk factors for developing heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States. Soluble fiber (like the kind found in oats) is especially beneficial for lowering levels of LDL or “bad” cholesterol.
Blood sugar
Eating high-sugar, low-fiber foods can cause blood sugar spikes. The abrupt increase in blood sugar stimulates your pancreas to make insulin to help lower your blood sugar. A sudden spike in insulin levels can lower blood sugar too much and cause a blood sugar crash.
Fiber takes longer to digest compared to starch and sugar. The slower digestion time comes with a delayed rise in blood sugar. When your blood sugar levels are steady without highs and lows, you’ll feel more energized and stable.
Gut health
You’ve probably heard of probiotics. Probiotics are strains of bacteria that feed the healthy bacteria in our digestive tract. These bacteria are important for healthy digestion, immune health, and much more. Fiber is known as a prebiotic, which means it feeds probiotics.
Fiber can also help improve digestion by preventing constipation and improving regularity.
Are there downsides to eating too much fiber?
Carbquik is very high in fiber with 14 grams per serving, which is 55% of the daily value. Most people don’t get enough fiber and fall short of the 25 gram per day recommendation. However, eating too much fiber does come with some potential drawbacks.
Carbquik Nutrition Information
Low-Carb Baking Mix
Ingredients:
- Carbalose Flour (Enzyme-Enriched Wheat, Vital Wheat Gluten, Oat Fiber, High-Protein Patent Wheat Flour, Wheat Starch, Canola Oil, Salt, Emulsifiers, Enzymes, Ascorbic Acid)
- Palm Oil
- Buttermilk
- Baking Powder
- Egg Whites
- Salt
- Natural Flavor
Nutrition Facts (per 1/3 cup):
- Calories: 90
- Total Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Sodium: 210 mg (9% DV)
- Total Carbohydrate: 16 g
- Dietary Fiber: 14 g
- Total Sugars: 0 g
- Protein: 6 g
Carbalose All-Purpose Low-Carb Flour
The maker of Carbquik also makes plain carbalose flour. Carbalose flour isn’t as keto-friendly because it’s higher in net carbs compared to Carbquik. Carbalose flour contains 8 grams of net carbs per serving, which is relatively high for a ketogenic diet with a range of 20-50 grams of net carbs per day.
You could theoretically eat a small amount of carbalose fiber on a keto diet, but eating more than one serving of it could quickly meet or exceed your daily carb goals.
Ingredients:
- Enzyme-Enriched Wheat Components (High-Protein Wheat Flour, Wheat Fiber, Wheat Protein, Vital Wheat Gluten, Wheat Starch)
- Fibers (Oat, Soybean)
- Canola Oil
- Salt
- Emulsifiers
- Enzymes
- Ascorbic Acid
Nutrition Facts (per 1/4 cup):
- Calories: 70
- Total Fat: 2 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Sodium: 65 mg (3% DV)
- Total Carbohydrate: 14 g
- Dietary Fiber: 6 g
- Total Sugars: 0 g
- Protein: 7 g
Keto-friendly baking mixes and flour
HighKey Original Pancake and Waffle Mix
This pancake and waffle mix contains 2 grams of net carbs for three 4-inch pancakes because of the fiber, erythritol, and allulose content.
Ingredients:
- Almond Flour
- Tapioca Flour (Resistant Dextrin)
- Organic Coconut Flour
- Erythritol
- Allulose
- Leavening (Baking Soda, Monocalcium Phosphate)
- Tapioca Flour
- Sea Salt
- Stevia Extract
- Monk Fruit Extract
Nutrition Facts (per 30 g mix – makes three 4-inch pancakes):
- Calories: 130
- Total Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Sodium: 310 mg (13% DV)
- Total Carbohydrate: 13 g
- Dietary Fiber: 7 g
- Total Sugars: 1 g
- Added Sugar: 0 g
- Erythritol: 2 g
- Allulose: 2 g
- Protein: 4 g
Kiss My Keto Baking Mix
This baking mix contains 1 gram of carbohydrate because it contains 5 grams of fiber and 5 grams of allulose which don’t affect blood sugar levels. 11 grams total carbs – 5 grams fiber – 5 grams allulose = 1 gram!
Ingredients:
- Allulose
- Soluble Tapioca Fiber
- Almonds
- Cocoa Powder (Processed with Alkali)
- Medium Chain Triglycerides (Derived from Coconut)
- Gum Acacia
- Sea Salt
- Xanthan Gum
- Monk Fruit
Nutrition Facts (per 2.5 tbsp.):
- Calories: 40
- Total Fat: 3 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Sodium: 90 mg (4% DV)
- Total Carbohydrate: 11 g
- Dietary Fiber: 5 g
- Total Sugars: 0 g
- Added Sugars: 0 g
- Protein: 5 g
King Arthur Keto Wheat Flour Blend
This keto-friendly flour is an excellent source of protein with 17 grams per 1/4 cup and only contains 4 grams of net carbs.
Ingredients:
- Vital Wheat Gluten
- Wheat Protein
- King Arthur Unbleached Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour)
- Wheat Fiber
- Whey
- Sunflower Oil
- Buttermilk
- Cellulose Gum
- Natural Flavor
Nutrition Facts (per 1/4 cup):
- Calories: 110
- Total Fat: 2 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Sodium: 55 mg (2% DV)
- Total Carbohydrate: 8 g
- Dietary Fiber: 4 g
- Total Sugars: 0 g
- Protein: 17 g
Related Questions
Is Carbquik gluten-free?
Carbquik contains wheat ingredients so is not gluten-free.
Is Carbquik good for diabetics?
Carbquik is low in net carbohydrates, which makes it a suitable option for people with diabetes.