Keto Cinnamon Blueberry Fritters

Cooking fritters is an easy and convenient way of incorporating fruits, vegetables and meat into your diet. You can prepare your own version with the help of basic ingredients such as herbs, spices and a binding agent, to serve as a light appetizer or snack. Instead of veggies, why not try and make a simple but appetizing dessert out of fritters? Check out this keto-friendly recipe by Megan Patiry of Paleohacks:

Keto Cinnamon Blueberry Fritters

Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes Serving Size: 4

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 2 tablespoons coconut flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 organic pastured eggs
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup Dr. Mercola’s coconut oil + 1 tablespoon, divided
• 1/2 cup fresh blueberries

Procedure

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flours, baking soda and cinnamon.
3. Add the eggs, almond milk, vanilla extract and 1/4 cup of coconut oil to the dry ingredients. Stir in most of the blueberries and reserve a handful for later. Continue mixing until a semifirm dough forms.
4. Form the dough into four fritter patties and press the reserved blueberries on top. Drizzle with remaining coconut oil to crisp the outer edges and tops.
5. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, remove from the oven and then let cool. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Boost Your Health with Blueberries

Whether frozen or fresh, blueberries are a great addition to pastries and desserts. They’re available all year-round and are grown all over the U.S.¹ Although small in size, this “superfruit” contains fiber, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, vitamins C, A and K, and folate.² It is packed with flavonoids that help boost cognition in school-aged children³ and in older adults.⁴

A 2015 study also found that blueberries may help lessen the complications of hypertension in postmenopausal women.⁵ If you are on a ketogenic diet, consuming blueberries in moderation is beneficial for you because they are rich in antioxidants⁶ that may help improve your health. When buying blueberries, choose those that are firm, plump and dry with deep purple-blue or blue-black skin. If you are not going to use or eat them immediately, do not wash them yet, and refrigerate for up to 10 days.⁷

Here’s Why You Should Use Organic Pastured Eggs

Eggs, with their thickening and binding properties, are used to hold the ingredients together in these fritters.⁸ Though they are known to provide a number of nutrients such as iron, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin D and phosphorus,⁹ you may not be able to reap these benefits if the eggs you buy and use come from conventional factory farms.

Organic pastured eggs are a better option than the regular eggs sold in supermarkets and convenience stores. Pastured hens forage for their own food, which includes plants, fruits, insects and worms, while caged chickens are fed corn, soy and cottonseed.¹⁰ Caged chickens are usually fed with antibiotics to help them gain more weight, but they alter a chicken’s gut microbiome, resulting in antibiotic-resistant gut bacteria. These bacteria either spread to the environment via the animal’s manure or the processed meat, which people basically come in contact with and consume.

Aside from the above mentioned nutrients, a 2010 study found that pastured eggs contain higher amounts of vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acids compared to eggs from caged hens.¹¹ Their dietary cholesterol content produces only a minimal effect on cardiovascular disease risk, contrary to what many people think.¹² For older people with sarcopenia, or the decline in muscle mass during adulthood, eggs are good sources of protein and leucine, which may help boost muscle synthesis.¹³

Additionally, organic pastured eggs are perfect for consumption if you are on a ketogenic diet because they contain both healthy fats and an ideal amount of protein. Generally, free-range or organic pastured eggs have bright orange yolks, while caged hens produce eggs that have pale yellow yolks.

Make Healthy and Delectable Fritters With These Ingredients

Aside from blueberries and organic pastured eggs, this recipe uses ingredients that offer their own set of benefits: 

• Almond flour — This gluten-free flour alternative is rich in calcium, as almonds contain the highest amount of this mineral compared to other nuts. Made from ground blanched almonds, it can also be used to make bread, pancakes and muffins, and to coat meat when frying or baking.¹⁴
• Coconut flour — This is a byproduct of coconut meat and is another gluten-free flour alternative to wheat flour and other grain-based flours. Its high fiber content is beneficial for people with insulin resistance.¹⁵
• Coconut oil — Aside from the benefits that it provides to your skin, this healthy oil helps support thyroid function,¹⁶ manage insulin and leptin sensitivity,¹⁷ and improve metabolism.¹⁸ It also helps promote weight loss as its healthy fats get converted into energy during ketosis.¹⁹
• Cinnamon — This popular aromatic spice used in curries and in baking has antioxidant properties that may help reduce the risk of acute and chronic diseases.²⁰ It may also help minimize fasting blood glucose in people with Type 2 diabetes or prediabetes.²¹

This recipe also uses almond milk, which is a good alternative if you are lactose intolerant, or insulin or leptin resistant. It contains nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and vitamins E and D.²² However, I advise you to check almond milk labels when buying in supermarkets. I have released an article about concerns surrounding conventional almond milk products — not only do they contain very few quantities of almonds, but they are also loaded with unhealthy ingredients like thickening agents, such as carrageenan and guar gum, and emulsifiers like lecithin.

If you do not suffer from the conditions mentioned, I would advise you to opt for raw, organic pastured milk, which would also work great for this recipe. Plus, if you’re after the protein content in almonds, it would be better to eat them instead of choosing almond milk. If you opt to retain almond milk for this recipe, you can make your own homemade version to ensure that it will not contain any unhealthy additives that may damage your health. You can find a recipe on how to make homemade almond milk in this article “Almond Milk Nutrition: Better Than Raw Milk?”