How To Use Xanthan Gum In Low Carb Baking

For cakes and cookies add 1 tsp xanthan gum per 1 cup flour.

How to use xanthan gum in low carb baking. That gel helps keep ingredients emulsified and suspended so they look appetizing on the shelf. Used for baking or thickening soups or sauces xanthan gum has zero net carbs. If i had to guess i would say about 50 of my recipes include xanthan gum. 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. This fundamental property is what makes the gum powder a great stabilizing agent for many products from soups salad dressing and gravy to keto ice cream and baked goods.

Add xanthan gum to the dry ingredients before mixing with the wet. When added to water xanthan gum forms a gel. Use xanthan gum as a binder if you re vegan or have an egg allergy. The more xanthan gum you use the denser your baked good will be. Overall xanthan gum has a wide variety of uses in the kitchen especially if you are following a low carb diet such as keto.

Well once this powder is added to a liquid it quickly disperses and creates a thickening solution. Think salad dressings with lots of herbs and spices. 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. Also too much xanthan gum can yield a gummy or slimy texture so it s best to use minimal amounts. Xanthan gum is a versatile thickener and is a great substitute for eggs in baking recipes.

Xanthan gum acts as a binding agent. When using xanthan gum you ll need to add liquid to activate it s gel like qualities. It is important to remember though that it is a man made product and may have side effects if mishandled or used regularly. There s a little bit of food science involved but once you get used to the different ingredients it starts to make sense. Most importantly xanthan gum does a great job of duplicating the elasticity of gluten in gluten free flours.

I cover the basics of subbing for starch and gluten when making high carb recipes into low carb keto recipes. It is recommended that the use of xanthan gum in cooking not exceed over 2 teaspoons. It is a great replacement for corn starch and white flour in keto soups and stews. 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.