Delicious, fluffy cloud bread is the perfect low carb and keto bread alternative. Great for sandwiches, burgers, even desserts!
The best thing about this keto bread is the AMAZING smell that fills your kitchen when you bake it. It actually smells like real bread baking in your oven!
The second best thing: you can comfortably hold your hamburger in your hands (no need for a knife and a fork!), and make great sandwiches. 🥪
Is it difficult to make cloud bread?
It's not exactly difficult. But any recipe that requires separating eggs and whipping the egg whites, then carefully folding them into a batter, is an involved recipe that requires patience, which I severely lack. So I almost always default to the super-easy 90-second keto bread.
But when I do have the patience, which usually happens on long winter weekends when we're home all day, I make this recipe and then I'm rewarded with the best (in my opinion) low carb bread alternative.
The ingredients you'll need
Cloud bread is basically eggs, something creamy (such as cream cheese), salt, and a leavening agent.
I usually make it with plain, full-fat Greek yogurt, because this is an ingredient that I always have on hand.
I'm fairly certain you could use the same amount (¼ cup, 4 tablespoons) of sour cream, cottage cheese or mayonnaise. They all seem interchangeable when I look up recipes online. Specifically, these are the ingredients I use (the exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below):
Nonstick cooking spray: Used for greasing the pan.
Eggs: I use large eggs in most of my recipes, including this one.
Cream of tartar: This ingredient is used as a stabilizer in recipes that contain whipped egg whites.
Plain Greek yogurt: I use full-fat yogurt.
Salt: Just a pinch (⅛ teaspoon).
How to make cloud bread
The detailed instructions are included in the recipe card below. Here are the basic steps:
You start by separating the eggs into two bowls.
Whip the egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff, as shown in the video below.
Mix the yolks with the Greek yogurt and salt.
Fold the egg whites into the yolk mixture, as shown in the video.
Spoon mounds of the mixture onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Gently flatten.
Bake at 300°F until golden-brown, about 30 minutes.
Does it taste like real bread?
No, it doesn't. But it's strangely similar in its texture to white spongy buns, like hamburger buns. So even though it's not exactly bread, it does fill the need (if you have it) to serve a burger on a bun or to make a sandwich.
When I make this recipe for burgers, like I did today, I sometimes sprinkle sesame seeds on top. This is purely optional, so I didn't include it in the recipe, but it does look pretty and makes for a more authentic hamburger bun look.
How many calories are in cloud bread?
This recipe makes between 10-12 pieces. It's usually 10, but today I got 11, and sometimes I get 12. It all depends on how generous (or stingy) you are when scooping the batter out into the pan.
When dividing this recipe into ten portions, one piece has about 30 calories. The nutrition info provided below is for 2 pieces.
How to use it?
The obvious would be using it as burger buns or making sandwiches with it. Another option is to use it for dessert. For example, you can make a keto strawberry shortcake using cloud bread.
Do you need to refrigerate it?
It's actually best to make this recipe right before you plan on eating it. It gets soggy when stored in the fridge.
No doubt this is a disadvantage of this recipe, as it requires some work and it would be lovely to make a big batch and store it for a few days.
But so far, I haven't found a way to successfully store leftovers. Freezing them, separated with wax paper squares, might work. But I haven't tried that.
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Cloud Bread
INGREDIENTS
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 3 large eggs
- ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and lightly spray them with nonstick spray.
- Separate the eggs into two bowls, whites in a medium bowl and yolks in a large bowl.
- Using an electric whisk, whip the egg whites and the cream of tartar until stiff.
- Whisk together the egg yolks, Greek yogurt and salt, until smooth.
- Using a spatula, carefully fold the egg whites into the yolk mixture, working in batches. Work by placing a mound of egg whites on top of the yolk mixture, then gently fold the yolk mixture from under and over the egg whites. Fold again and again until the mixture is incorporated.
- Using a ¼-cup ice cream scoop or measuring cup, spoon 5-6 large mounds of the mixture onto each of the prepared baking sheets. Gently press with a spatula to slightly flatten.
- Bake until golden brown and set, about 30 minutes.
- Cool a couple of minutes on the cookie sheet, then gently transfer the cloud bread to a wire rack to cool completely. You can also use them while still warm.
WATCH THE VIDEO:
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living.