Why use xanthan gum? It’s a must-have in a lot of low carb baked goods, especially bread. Xanthan gum helps hold all of the ingredients together, unlike some other gluten-free breads that end up looking like a pile of crumbs. A small amount can go a long way: You only need about a half a teaspoon for most recipes. For breads, you’ll usually use a full teaspoon.
What exactly does xanthan gum do? It binds the ingredients together and can act as a substitute for gluten. Gluten enables bread to rise because it traps air bubbles and allows them to grow. This ingredient can substitute by doing the same thing.
Xanthan gum doesn’t function as yeast/leavener; it mimics the function of gluten. It actually turns the dough gummy and sticky, which enables the dough to trap gas bubbles from the yeast (or other leavener like baking soda), which in turn allows the dough to rise. Imagine if you will a large piece of bubble gum. That’s the texture of a normal flour dough, and with Xanthan gum, that will also be the approximate texture of your gluten free, low carb dough.
Does Xanthan Gum Ferment?
So, does it actually ferment? Does it replace yeast? Xanthan gum is made by fermentation, it does not itself ferment. Many things are made by fermentation. In the case of Xanthan gum, sugars are digested by bacteria, and they excrete Xanthan gum. An example is vanilla. Vanilla flavor is created by the fermentation of vanilla bean pods. But it doesn’t itself ferment or create fermentation in cooking.
Possible substitutes for Xanthan gum are Guar gum, gelatin powder, psyllium hust and ground flaxseed. These do help hold things together. However, numerous people say that they don’t work quite as well as Xanthan gum does.
Make sure you use a gluten free version as most that are not gluten-free are made from wheat.
Find Recipes That Use Xanthan Gum
Lemon Coconut Cream Cheese Cake
Where To Buy Xanthan Gum Australia
You can purchase xanthan gum right here in Australia from HERE.
Use code WELCOME10 to get 10% off your order.
Xanthan gum helps hold low carb flours together.  It binds the ingredients together and can act as a substitute for gluten.  You only need a half a teaspoon for most keto low carb recipes. This packet will make 100+ keto recipes (1 tsp = 1g)
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Fatimah Aljawi says
Thnk you
Fatimah Aljawi says
Thank you for the article,
I am actually avoiding using Xanthan Gum or any product that has it due to the digestive issues it causes
What could be an alternative
is Arabic Gum possible and if it is so, what’s the ration on that?
what is the Arabic gum texture to be used? grounded or powdered?
Have you ever tried Vital Gluten Wheat? as a replacement for Xanthan gum?
Hope to find some answers
thank you in advance
FatForWeightLoss says
Hi Fatimah,
If you are sensitive to the GI distress, this could be to impaired gut function. Any gums or sugar alcohols are going to affect this.
I would leave it out, since gluten, Arabic gum and psyllium husk are all going to cause issues without proper nutritional support.
emily says
i recently purchased some xanthan gum to make your coconut bread recipe and i wanted to say that omg it is the most versatile ingredient i’ve ever bought. i use in my coffee when doing IF to help get me to my eating window, i use it in sauces to thicken them up, in keto pancakes to get a thicker texture, in dressing , as well as the coconut flour bread. thanks aaron for all the work you do in the keto community.
FatForWeightLoss says
Thanks, Emily! You can make great protein-based ice cream with it too! Look up killin it keto’s recipe for protein ice cream
Alvin-Michael Linton says
The math for keto is fiber minus carbs and then your output would be net carbs so 7 grams of carbs -7 grams of fiber = o net carbs. This is good to know because
you are probably shortchanging yourself.
Jean Castro says
Hi i remember Ive read on one of your post that gelatin may also be a substitute of xanthum gum. Is that right? Thanks in advance.
FatForWeightLoss says
Guar gum is the best, but gelatine will also work yes 🙂 More of a cake style consistency with gelatine.
Rabia says
Hi, may i know if arabic gum can be used in place of xantham gum and the ratio differencevin measurements if it cam.
FatForWeightLoss says
Hmm, I’ve never used Arabic gum before I’m sorry.
sarah says
do the carbs from xanthan gum count on keto. i noticed it has 7 carbs but 7 grams of fiber. i started using it for my keto coffee smoothies in the morning and found it held it together quite well. but now im concerned about the carbs because im trying to stay around 20 carbs per day. please help
pedro says
reciipe for coconut flour pasta please?
Coral henderson says
You can buy coconut flour. Much easier than making your own!