How To Make Keto Sourdough Bread (Without the Carbs!)

A keto-friendly sourdough bread that rises high, tastes fantastic, and stays low in carbs for your healthy lifestyle.

If you love the unmistakable tang of sourdough bread but follow a keto lifestyle, you’ve probably wondered:.

Is there such a thing as keto sourdough bread?

The good news is yes — and your keto sourdough bread can rise up to a full 5 inches tall, something most keto bakers find impossible.

In this article, you’ll learn:

How sourdough flavor works on keto

How you can use a small amount of sourdough starter without adding carbs

Why keto bread usually doesn’t rise?

Why does this recipe rise?

How your special ingredient combination naturally lifts the loaf

How to create a keto-friendly sourdough starter

And finally — my complete Keto Sourdough Bread Recipe with bakery-style rise and sourdough tang

If you crave artisan-style bread with a real rise and authentic sourdough flavor, you’re about to be blissful!

Why Most Keto Breads Fail to Rise

Before we get into the recipe, it’s essential to understand why keto bakers struggle with flat, dense loaves.

Traditional bread rises because of:

gluten

yeast activity

gas expansion inside a gluten network

Keto recipes don’t use gluten, so most loaves rely on:

eggs

baking powder

psyllium

almond flour

These ingredients can create a loaf, but rarely a tall one. Most keto loaves only rise 2–3 inches.

⭐ Why My Keto Bread Can Rise up to a Full 5 Inches

My bread can routinely rise up to 5 inches, and here is precisely why my method works, unlike most keto breads that never reach that height.

1. Rooibos Tea Creates Expansion and Moisture Balance

My recipe uses one full cup of strong rooibos tea as the liquid base.

This is highly unique and incredibly effective.

Rooibos tea:

Hydrates almond and coconut flour evenly

Creates a steam lift during baking

Expands inside the psyllium network

Supports rise without collapsing the structure

Gives the loaf a warm color and mild flavor

It behaves better than water, nut milk, or broth.

2. Apple Cider Vinegar + Baking Soda Chemistry

Most keto bread recipes use too much vinegar or not enough baking soda, causing collapse.

Mine is perfectly balanced.

My 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar react with baking soda to create:

Carbon dioxide bubbles

Expansion

Upward lift inside the batter.

This contributes to the dramatic rise.

3. Almond Flour + Coconut Flour + Psyllium + Flaxseed Working Together

This four-part combination creates the closest thing to gluten you can get in keto baking:

Almond flour → tenderness + bulk

All-purpose almond flour → extra firmness + structure

Coconut flour → moisture absorption + lift

Psyllium husk powder → elasticity + crumb formation

Ground flaxseed → natural binding + fiber strength

Together, these create a supportive web that traps gases and holds the 5" rise.

4. The Batter Method (Not Dough) Preserves Air Bubbles

My mixture is a thick batter, not kneaded dough.

This matters.

If keto dough is overmixed or kneaded, it collapses easily.

My batter:

Traps gas pockets

Expands in the oven

Maintains height without deflating

This method is crucial for achieving a rise of up to 5 inches.

5. The Perfect Loaf Pan

An 8.5 × 4.5 loaf pan forces the batter upward instead of outward.

Larger pans create flatter, wider loaves.

My loaf pan size is ideal for tall keto bread.

⭐ Adding Sourdough Flavor: The Perfect Finishing Touch

Now let's add the magic.

By mixing just 1–2 tablespoons of sourdough starter into the wet ingredients, you get:

Authentic sourdough tang

Deeper aroma

More complex flavor

Slight fermentation-enhanced softness

Artisan-style bakery appeal

Because the amount is tiny — and because fermentation eats most of the natural carbs — it remains entirely keto-friendly, even for strict keto followers.

With a rise of up to 5 inches and classic sourdough flavor, this becomes one of the best keto breads possible.

How To Make a Keto-Friendly Sourdough Starter

Since most of you probably don't have a starter on hand, here is a simple low-carb version.

Keto Sourdough Starter Recipe

Day 1:

¼ cup coconut flour

¼ cup water

1 teaspoon inulin or ½ teaspoon sugar

(The microbes will consume the sugar, leaving no carbs.)

Day 2:

Feed with 2 tablespoons of coconut flour.

Add 2–3 tablespoons of water.

Days 3–5:

Repeat feeding

Keep the jar loosely covered.

Stir 1–2 times per day.

When bubbly, tangy, and active, the starter is ready.

Store in the fridge and feed weekly.

Keto Sourdough Bread Using My Basic Keto Bread Recipe

Here is my original, proven bread recipe — now enhanced with sourdough flavor for those who love the tang of sourdough.

Basic Plain Keto Sourdough Bread (Rises Up to 5 Inches!)

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients:

1 cup blanched almond flour

1 cup all-purpose almond flour

2 tablespoons ground flaxseed

½ teaspoon salt (optional)

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ cup coconut flour

1 tablespoon psyllium husk powder

Wet Ingredients:

6 tablespoons olive oil or coconut oil

4 eggs, room temperature

3 tablespoons organic apple cider vinegar with the mother

1 cup strong-brewed rooibos tea

(2 teaspoons rooibos steeped for 5 minutes)

¼ cup full-fat sour cream

OR

½ cup Greek yogurt, almond yogurt, coconut cream, canned coconut milk, or canned condensed milk

Sourdough Add-In:

1–2 tablespoons sourdough starter (traditional or keto starter)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8.5 × 4.5" loaf pan with parchment.

Combine dry ingredients:

Almond flours, ground flaxseed, coconut flour, psyllium, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.

Whisk the wet ingredients:

Eggs, oil, ACV, rooibos tea, sour cream or yogurt, plus the sourdough starter.

Mix wet into dry:

Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients.

Gently mix until moistened — the batter will appear thin at first, but it will thicken as the psyllium absorbs the moisture.

Tip: Avoid overmixing, as this can prevent the bread from rising properly.

Let stand

Allow the batter to rest for 5 minutes to develop its structure.

Pour into pan

Optionally top with hemp seeds or sliced almonds.

Bake 25–30 minutes

Bake until a tester comes out clean.

Cool completely

Cooling firms the loaf and preserves the tall rise.

Storage Tips

Refrigerate up to 10 days.

Freeze up to 6 months.

Toasts beautifully straight from the freezer

Keto bread isn’t supposed to rise like traditional wheat bread — but this one does.

Thanks to rooibos tea, a perfect balance of leavening, and a blend of almond, coconut, flax, and psyllium, this bread rises up to 5 full inches, making it one of the tallest keto breads you can bake at home.

Add a touch of sourdough starter, and you transform it into a tangy, aromatic, bakery-style loaf with classic sourdough flavor — all while staying 100% keto.

If you’ve been missing real bread, this is an actual keto miracle loaf.

Did you find this article helpful and informative? If so, please subscribe to Blissfully Keto in the sidebar to receive more informative articles such as this right to your inbox!