Lupin Flour : Yep, It’s Keto and Here’s How You Can Use It!
Ever heard of lupin flour?
Today we’re explaining exactly what it is and how you can use it in your keto recipes, so listen up if you’re interested in learning about a unique, keto-friendly flour to try!
We ended up having three of our Hip2Keto team members try this highly-rated Lupina brand of Lupin flour. Here are our honest thoughts below and tips for cooking with it.
What is lupin flour?
Lupin flour is a legume flour made from sweet lupin beans, which are a GMO-free alternative to soybeans. It is uniquely high in protein and dietary fiber. Each 1/4 cup contains just 1 net carb, and is high in antioxidants!
This type of flour is gluten-free, and also vegan. Although lupin flour has been consumed for centuries, it’s becoming more popular now to use in keto and low carb baking recipes.
Hip Tip: Please be aware that lupin beans are a close relative to soy and peanuts, so if those allergies are an issue for you, maybe skip this product. See our list of keto-friendly flours here!
How do I use lupin flour?
Lupin flour can be used in baking bread, cakes, pancakes, as a thickener in soups, and in breading for frying foods. There are all kinds of uses, but like all flour substitutes, you may have to experiment a little.
What we’ve learned about lupin flour is that we wouldn’t recommend you replace the full amount of almond flour called for in a recipe with it. We suggest trying a 1:2 ratio if replacing some of the almond flour in keto recipes. Meaning you’ll use half the amount of lupin flour, and still use the remaining almond flour called for. For example, in this keto pancakes recipe that called for 1 cup almond flour, we used 1/2 cup Lupina flour and 1/2 cup almond flour, and it worked great!
You’ll likely always want to have a different keto flour to combine with it. This flour can tend to have a bitter taste if a little keto sweetener isn’t used or if you use it in large amounts, so keep that in mind when experimenting with recipes.
How did the Hip2Keto team like using lupin flour?
“Well my two attempts were fails because I was trying to straight substitute Lupina for almond flour in fat head pizza crust and in pancakes. They both looked beautiful, but sure had a funny aftertaste, so now I’ve learned that I need to try using half as much lupin flour, and look forward to trying again!” – Lina
“I made our Keto Blender Pancakes recipe, and they turned out wonderful. Personally, I enjoyed them more than the almond flour pancakes I have made in the past. For the 1 cup almond flour called for in the recipe, I substituted 1/2 cup Lupina flour and 1/2 cup almond flour, and it worked beautifully! I didn’t notice a bitter flavor using the Lupin as a substitute and I really liked the consistency of these pancakes.” – Jenna
“I also baked our Keto Pound Cake using 3/4 cup lupin flour and 3/4 cup almond flour. The bitterness was quite strong with this recipe despite the addition of an equal amount of sweetener. This would be a good time to adjust the lupin flour down even further to maybe 1/2 cup versus 3/4 cup. It honestly was still tasty, but I definitely could taste the bitterness this time.” – Jenna
“I made these Almond Lupin Squares as an easy dessert, and ending up loving them! To make them keto-friendly, I used Swerve brown and no sugar added chocolates. This recipe called for 1 cup lupin and 1/2 cup almond flour, but I do think what balanced out the flavors was the Swerve. I can’t wait to try more recipes with Lupina!” – Collin
This didn’t read like a ringing endorsement. Is the advantage to using lupin flour that it improves texture when compared to straight almond flour?
Yep the advantage is it’s another option to try as a keto flour and good alternative to almond flour or coconut.
Lupina flour is very high in protein. But beware GET THE LUPINA from lupinausa.com. I bought another brand without checking the macros and immediately threw it away. It was so high in carbs, the lupina from lupinausa.com has 12 g protein and only 1NET CARB. It does have to be mixed with another flour, usually almond flour. This brand also, at least in my opinion,doesn’t have as strong of a bitter taste.
I have been using lupin flour for a little while now, I find it is very crumbly by itself, but when you use 1/2 almond flour and half lupin the flavour is really enhanced. I also add some psyllium to bind and some yoghurt to moisten a little because it seems drier. Definitely worth using.
I swapped half almond flour with Lupin flour and added extra spices as per normal ginger snaps. I ignore the cooking times because I now make a thick soft and chewy ginger cookie as a meal replacement when on the go. They’re very satisfying and keep the hunger pangs away. My little Shi Tzu goes crazy if I’m eating one and if I don’t give her a small piece she will not settle down. I love Hoosier Lupin flour the most but they’re all good. It’s harder to get in UK.
Half and half lupin and Almond is the way to go for me personally
Please would you share your ginger cookie recipe? Thanks
I second this request lol
I would like a copy of the ginger cookie recipe as well.
Yes please, me to!
I would also love your recipe please. Many thanks!
would also love your recipe for the ginger cookies
I’m confused about the Lupin substitution ratio for almond flour. 1/2 Cup lupin and 1/2 cup almond flour for one cup almond flour is a 1 to 1 ratio, not 1 to 2 as the description says in the article. Which ratio is better?
Hi Susan! We tried just Lupin flour and didn’t love it, which is why we decided to do half & half with almond flour. You can just do all Lupin flour, but we preferred it as a blend. Hope that helps!
Thank you for posting that question–I almost replaced 2 cups of almond flour with 1 cup almond and 1/2 cup lupin flour in a recipe, until I read the example of replacing 1 cup almond flour with 1/2 cup almond flour and 1/2 cup lupin flour. You are right, the suggestion should read use a 1:1 replacement, but don’t completely replace the almond flour, just use half and half.
Hi Diana! Yes Lupin flour can be a bit bitter so we also prefer it in a blend.❤
If you replace 1 cup almond flour with 1 cup lupin flour that is 1:1 ratio.
No, Diana is correct. Ratio notation compares the quantity of two different sets, not one subset to a whole. So if you were finding the ratio of 3 apples and 2 oranges, it would be written as 3:2. There are 3 apples for every 2 oranges. (Not 3:5)
So in the article above, it should be referring to a 1:1 ratio of lupin flour to almond flour.
I’ve done a lot of experimenting with lupin flour and I’d suggest replacing more like 1/4 to 1/3 of the total amount with lupin. Any more than that creates a really tough texture and a bitter taste.
Australia grows and sells sweet white lupin flour. It’s not expensive and is good to work with. Google it. Very high in protein and very absorbent, also very filling. No bitter taste at all. Enjoy!
What is the brand name, please
Interesting sharing Lina. I’m trying to experiment it to bake yeast bread. Have you tried that too?
Hi there! We haven’t tried that. Let us know if you find a yeast recipe you like it with!
This keto yeast bread rises and tastes just like regular wheat bread, It uses vital wheat gluten, oat fiber,, and ground flax seed. No nut flour or coconut flour. It is very low carb and is all the rage now in the keto world. I enjoy it every day. It has changed my life. I make mine in a bread machine. I make up 10 bags of dry ingredients and refrigerate. I first mix the water, yeast, honey and eggs in the bread maker. Then dump in one bag of premixed dry ingredients, add the butter on top and press start. It takes only 2 minutes of work and 3 hours later the Baked bread is touching the top of the bread maker and ready to enjoy.
https://www.lowcarbrecipeideas.com/diedres-kitchen-low-carb-bread/
Do you have any idea why I can’t get my bread to rise well? I love the taste but it’s so dense and only rises about 50%
Keto bread tends to be denser than store-bought bread. We make Lupin flour bread a lot in my home and it only rises about 50%.
That yeast keto bread is sooooo wonderful you do not miss bread at all.the water has to be perfect like 50c before you put the yeast and honey if water is too hot it will kill the yeast too cold and it will not activate the yeast.This is for the bread baked in oven. Not bread maker.
What would you sub out for the lupin flour
Hi Karina! If you dont prefer to use lupin flour, we have a recipe for keto pancakes without it. Hope this helps❤
https://hip2keto.com/recipes/fluffy-delicious-keto-pancakes/
It has honey, though, which is not keto. Also, it has gluten, which I can’t have. Most keto recipes are gluten free.
Hi there Suzanne! I’m unsure as to what you may be referring too as Lupin flour is gluten free & has no sweeteners added to it. Hopefully that clears up the confusion ❤
The bread recipe calls for vital wheat gluten……
I had read where honey was ok in keto bread if you use yeast. Because the little bit you do use is used up in the activation process by the yeast.
Hi there! Yes you are absolutely correct. Although I know some people are still leery about using it❤
Yes, exactly right! The honey is consumed by the yeast – that’s what makes the yeast produce the gas bubbles that makes the dough rise and gives it the proper texture. And a very small amount of honey is acceptable on clean keto anyway. Even if the yeast didn’t consume the honey it would be such a small amount per serving that it falls within acceptable range.
Inulin is a substitute for honey in yeast breads and adds no carbs to the final carb tally. I use inulin in all my breads. I tried honey once and didn’t like the taste it gave the bread. (I don’t like honey in regular high-carb bread either.)
I have been doing Keto for almost a year now and have dropped 40 pounds. I was told we are not to use sugar of any kind and that includes honey. So, how can you call it keto bread if it has honey (sugar) in it.
In a recipe like a keto bread, using a very small amount of honey is okay. It will activate the yeast and will be a very small amount per serving.
One teaspoon of white sugar to “wake up” the yeast only has 4.2 grams of carbs. There is no substitute for the sugar when yeast is involved. I highly doubt that 1 tsp of sugar in a multi-serving recipe, *where the sugar is eaten by the yeast* in the recipe, is going to throw anyone out of ketosis. If you don’t want the sugar (even though the yeast eats it), then just avoid yeasted recipes. [SIGH]
You can use inulin if you don’t want to use honey or sugar.
Because keto confirms it
So what do you replace in this recipe with the Lupin flour?
The bread machine recipe shared is not Keto for most people because of the Gluten.
Gluten is a protein and has no carbs.
Hi Chong Poh Please check out this site! Samya Leighton has done all the science and I make her Lupin yeast breads every week! She even has a recipe for sour dough starter with Lupin flour. I absolutely love her recipes and I think you will too!
Can you give a link for the yeast bread with Lupim Flour you mention here?
I did a bread machine recipe that calls for 190 gm of wheat gluten. I subbed 30 gm of that with lupin flour. It came out great.
Hello what about coconut flour , what ratio should be used if I want to incorporate lupin flour ? Thx
Hi Mona! Be sure to check out the tips in our flour guide over here –> https://hip2keto.com/tips/gluten-free-keto-flours-recipes/
Hope this is helpful!
Has anyone tried replacing coconut flour with lupin flour in bread or desserts (as opposed to replacing the almond flour), while still using almond flour as part of it?
Hi Mina! Oh I think that could definitely work! Coconut flour is rather absorbent. So I think you would need a slightly higher amount of Lupin to replace the coconut flour in a recipe. It might take some experimenting ❤
The general rule of thumb is twice as much lupin as coconut flour for absorbency. Just make sure to adjust for sweetness if the recipe is mostly coconut to begin with, as too much lupin at too high a temperature can result in a bitter taste. It kind of needs to be tempered. I’ve used recipes from I Dont Sugar Coat on YouTube, and they’ve been fantastic!
Hello, is every lupin flour equal? I’m living currently in Europe and I’ve got a lupin flour called “sweet white lupin flour (lupinus albus)” and this one contains 7g of net carbs per 100g!!!! How is that possible? Raffinose?
Hi Leon! We haven’t tried that one. We can only testify for the Lupina brand we mention in the post, but if you’re looking to try alternative lupin flours, consulting with the nutrition information is the best bet. Hope that helps!
Always look for the sweet lupine to avoid bitterness. So I have read.
Hi I’m very new to the lupin flour would anyone share any recipes I would appreciate it
Hi Maria,
I make Keto Peanut Butter cookies by Tara Wright (Wholebodyliving). OMG, they are chewy good!! I double the recipe, and I use almond butter, 70g allulose with 86g Brown sugar substitute( Wholesome Yum) for the sweetener and only 3 Tbs of avocado oil not 4 (45ml). The lupini flour I use is Aviate Foods. I store them in the freezer and take out what I want to snack on when I want to. They are so yummilicious! I have already made them ten or so many times!
I’m new to Lupin flour. I cannot use almond or coconut flour. What do I do when the recipe calls for a combination of flours?
Hey there! Be sure to check out our flour guide for all of the best keto flours and how to use them – https://hip2keto.com/tips/gluten-free-keto-flours-recipes/
Hoping that is helpful!