How To Use Xanthan Gum In Low Carb Baking

Used for baking or thickening soups or sauces xanthan gum has zero net carbs.

How to use xanthan gum in low carb baking. So how to use xanthan gum in keto baking. Overall xanthan gum has a wide variety of uses in the kitchen especially if you are following a low carb diet such as keto. When using xanthan gum you ll need to add liquid to activate it s gel like qualities. There s a little bit of food science involved but once you get used to the different ingredients it starts to make sense. That gel helps keep ingredients emulsified and suspended so they look appetizing on the shelf.

Think salad dressings with lots of herbs and spices. For breads and doughs add 2 tsp xanthan gum per 1 cup flour. Simply omit the eggs and whisk 1 to 2 tsp 2 1 2 to 5 g of xanthan gum into your dry ingredients. Most importantly xanthan gum does a great job of duplicating the elasticity of gluten in gluten free flours. If you experience undesirable results increase the amount of xanthan gum for the next batch.

I cover the basics of subbing for starch and gluten when making high carb recipes into low carb keto recipes. For cakes and cookies add 1 tsp xanthan gum per 1 cup flour. It is recommended that the use of xanthan gum in cooking not exceed over 2 teaspoons. The more xanthan gum you use the denser your baked good will be. One of my most used ingredients in my recipes xanthan gum has a slew of uses from thickening soups and gravy to emulsifying smoothies and making chewy cookies.

If i had to guess i would say about 50 of my recipes include xanthan gum. Xanthan gum is a versatile thickener and is a great substitute for eggs in baking recipes. Xanthan gum acts as a binding agent. Xanthan gum is a common additive in a variety of foods such as ice cream yogurt sauces and dressings as well as gluten free baked goods it is a corn based fermented product that is made by fermenting corn sugar with a microbial called xanthomonas campestris. Why use xanthan gum in gluten free baking.

If you dabble in low carb keto friendly or gluten free baking xanthan gum is the secret ingredient to creating a dough that s as close as possible to the gluten filled counterparts. When added to water xanthan gum forms a gel. Use in small amounts and be sure to sprinkle the thickener into soups or sauces a little at a time so that it doesn t clump. Use xanthan gum as a binder if you re vegan or have an egg allergy. It is a great replacement for corn starch and white flour in keto soups and stews.