A flourless keto garlic bread: a dense crumb made with feta, eggs, seeds and walnuts, flavored with crushed garlic and dried herbs.
The golden crust gives a gentle crunch, the aroma of crushed garlic and dried herbs rises to your nose, then the dense, tender crumb melts in your mouth. This keto garlic bread is made without flour: its structure comes from feta, a cheese suitable for grating, eggs, ground flaxseed, pumpkin or sunflower seeds and walnuts. For a dozen slices, allow around fifty minutes of baking time. This recipe is part of my keto breads and doughs collection.
What is keto garlic bread?
Garlic bread is, first and foremost, bread defined by the aroma of garlic. This version is ketogenic, so it is low in carbohydrates: it replaces grain flour with a mixture of cheeses, eggs, seeds and walnuts that gives the dough its structure. The crushed garlic is mixed straight in, flavoring the entire crumb rather than just the surface.
Feta provides a salty, moist base, while the young or lightly aged cheese melts during baking. Finely ground flaxseed absorbs moisture, while pumpkin or sunflower seeds and walnuts give the dough more body. Dried herbs and chili flakes balance the richness of the cheeses.
The idea behind this version
This version lets you enjoy garlic bread as part of a low-carb diet. It relies on ingredients that can give a flourless dough structure: ground flaxseed, walnuts and pumpkin or sunflower seeds provide body, while the eggs and cheeses bind everything together during baking.
The bread is seasoned all the way through, with garlic, dried herbs and chili infusing the entire crumb. With its feta, olives and herbs, it fits right into an appetizer spread, bringing a distinctly savory flavor.
The main ingredients
The foundation of the dough consists of 250 g of feta for salt, moisture and fat, 100 g of young or lightly aged cheese suitable for grating, which melts and binds, and 3 eggs to help the bread hold together when sliced. The 125 g of finely ground flaxseed forms the absorbent base, soaking up moisture from the eggs and feta as the dough rests.
The 40 g of pumpkin or sunflower seeds and 40 g of ground walnuts give the dough body and nutty flavors. The garlic, 4 cloves or more for garlic lovers, gives the bread its character from the very first bite. Dried herbs, rosemary, oregano and thyme at one teaspoon each, bring Mediterranean notes, while 2 teaspoons of chili flakes add a kick.
The 6 chopped Kalamata olives add salt, umami and pockets of softer texture. Half a tablespoon of avocado oil, mild olive oil or high-oleic sunflower oil is used to brush the surface. Four sun-dried tomatoes can also be added to taste, but they change the carbohydrate content and are not included in the stated nutritional values. There is no need to add salt, as the feta, cheese and olives already provide it.
Baking tips and serving suggestions
The nutritional values are per slice, based on a loaf cut into 12 slices and made without sun-dried tomatoes: 2 g net carbs, 197 kcal, 10 g protein, 16 g fat, 5 g saturated fat and 3 g fiber. Baking takes place in two stages, just over half an hour at 200 °C, then 15 minutes at 160 °C: the crust turns golden while the inside stays tender and dense. Once out of the oven, let the bread cool on a wire rack so the steam can escape and the slices cut more cleanly, even though the crumb remains more delicate than that of wheat bread.
Serve this bread sliced with simple toppings: smoked salmon, dry-cured ham, Asian-style rillettes, egg salad or deviled eggs. Cream cheese or avocado adds creaminess that contrasts with the crust and seeds. Since the garlic, feta, olives and chili are already there, simple accompaniments work best. Store the cooled bread in an airtight container in the refrigerator, or freeze it in separate slices so you can take out just what you need.
For more low-carb ideas, browse all my keto recipes.
Keto Garlic Bread
Ingredients
- 250 g feta
- 100 g young or lightly aged cheese (goat’s cheese if preferred)
- 125 g flaxseeds
- 40 g pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds (moderate-carb)
- 40 g walnuts
- 3 eggs
- 4 cloves garlic up to double if you love garlic
- 2 teaspoons chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon rosemary (dried)
- 1 teaspoon oregano (dried)
- 1 teaspoon thyme (dried)
- 6 Kalamata olives
- 0.5 tablespoon avocado oil, mild olive oil or high-oleic sunflower oil
Optional
- 4 tomatoes dried (moderate in carbs)
Instructions
- Grind the flaxseeds. I use a small electric coffee grinder for this.125 g flaxseeds
- Grind the walnuts, then add the seeds and grind them together. I use a small food processor for this.40 g pumpkin seeds, 40 g walnuts
- Grate the cheese. In a mixing bowl, combine the feta with the grated cheese, eggs and ground nuts and seeds.250 g feta, 100 g young or lightly aged cheese (goat’s cheese if preferred), 3 eggs
- Crush the garlic and add it. Add the herbs and spices. Let rest for 15 minutes. The flaxseeds will absorb the moisture from the eggs and feta.4 cloves garlic, 2 teaspoons chili flakes, 1 teaspoon rosemary (dried), 1 teaspoon oregano (dried), 1 teaspoon thyme (dried)
- Add olives and sun-dried tomatoes to taste. No salt is needed, as the cheese and olives already contain it.6 Kalamata olives, 4 tomatoes
- Knead into the desired shape and place on the baking sheet. Brush with a little olive oil.0.5 tablespoon avocado oil, mild olive oil or high-oleic sunflower oil
- Bake for a little over half an hour at 200. The crust should turn a lovely golden color. Then continue baking for 15 min at 160 degrees.
- Let cool on a wire rack. Slice gently, as the bread may crumble a little.
