15 Bun Substitutes for Low-Carb Diets

Stepfanie Romine is a yoga teacher (RYT 500), ACE-certified health coach and fitness nutrition specialist who writes about natural health, plant-based cooking and yoga. A runner and hiker based in Asheville, N.C., her books include The No Meat Athlete Cookbook and Cooking with Healing Mushrooms. Follow her on Twitter.
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“It’s what’s on the inside that counts”: For anyone on a low-carb diet, this sage advice applies to burgers, hot dogs, and sandwiches, too. If you’re nixing carbs, try swapping out the bun or bread around your meat with one of these 15 substitutes for low-carb diets.
The list below includes vegetable alternatives as well as bun and bread substitutes made from low-carb flours, listed in order from lowest carb count to highest.
(For comparison, a plain hamburger bun or hot dog bun contains 22 g carbs, and two slices of wheat bread contain 28 g carbs.)
Low-Carb Substitutes for Hamburger or Hot Dog Buns
1. Collard leaves
Lightly steam, then carefully remove the stem. Wrap it up to keep the toppings from ending up in your lap. (1 g carb per leaf, equivalent to about ½ cup)
2. Romaine Leaves
Chances are, every backyard barbecue will already have lettuce on hand. (1 g carb per leaf)
3. Cabbage Leaves
Steam the leaves to mellow their flavor. These are especially tasty with bratwurst. (2 g carbs each)
4. Plantpower Cauliflower Sandwich Thins
Toast or grill these sandwich thins for more texture and flavor. (2 g carbs each)
5. Cali’flour Foods Cauliflower Pizza Crust Original Italian
Repurpose your favorite low-carb pizza crust into a bun by slicing each serving in two pieces. (2 g carbs, ⅓ crust cut in two)
6. Grilled Portobello Mushrooms
Pop out the stems, and grill these alongside your burgers. (3 g carbs each)
7. Grilled Eggplant Slices
Slice your eggplant at an angle to maximize surface area. (4 g carbs, slices equal to about ⅛ of an eggplant)
8. Planks of Bell Pepper
Slice your peppers down the center, scoop out the core and seeds, then use them raw or lightly grilled. (5 g carbs per ½ large pepper)
Low-Carb Substitutes for Sandwich Bread
9. Paleo Thin Almond Bread
As with most lower-carb breads, this one tastes better toasted. (6 g carbs per slice)
10. Almond Flour
This may take some experimentation, but you can always try subbing almond flour into your favorite bread or bun recipe. (6 g carbs per ¼-cup serving)
11. Mikey’s Sliced Bread
This bread is low-carb and free from gluten, grain, dairy, and soy. (7 g carbs per slice)
12. Julian Bakery Paleo Thin Sandwich Bread Mix
Making your own low-carb bread can be even easier than baking traditional bread. (7 g carbs per slice)
13. SOLA Deliciously Seeded Low-Carb Sandwich Bread
While not the lowest in carbs, this bread has plenty of texture and flavor. (8 g carbs per slice)
14. Dave’s Killer Bread 21 Whole Grains and Seeds Thin-Sliced
Since this bread is on the higher side in terms of carbs, consider using just one slice for an open-faced sandwich. (12 g carbs per slice)
15. Bob’s Red Mill Low-Carb Baking Mix
This mix is formulated to be a cup-for-cup swap for regular flour. (13 g carbs per ¼-cup serving)