3-Ingredient Fluffy Cloud Bread (Keto Friendly!)
If you’re looking for a simple bread alternative that’s high in protein and low in carbs, this light-as-air 3-ingredient cloud bread is the recipe for you!
Even if you’re not on a special diet, the airy texture of cloud bread is an absolute delight! This “bread” isn’t actual bread so much as a baked meringue, which means that it has a soufflé-like texture, especially when you first pull it out of the oven. Also called oopsie bread, it is delicious anywhere you’d use regular bread, like as the base of a sandwich, or just spread with a little peanut butter!
If the idea of making a meringue scares you, don’t worry! Youtube has everything you need to know, and I’ve curated videos to show you the best way to do things in the “Making Cloud Bread” section below. It’s really not super hard, especially if you’re in possession of an electric mixer!
What’s in low carb cloud bread?
There are three simple ingredients to make the cloud bread base. You can jazz it up with extras, but let’s start with the basics:
- Eggs: Eggs are the main ingredient in cloud bread. You’ll whip the whites into a meringue, and the yolks are there to add moisture and taste. You’ll need 3 large eggs for this recipe.
- Cream Cheese: You can use any kind of cream cheese, including full-fat cream cheese, reduced fat, and non dairy. You can also use Neufchâtel cheese, if you’re looking to cut fat and calories even more! Just make sure that your cream cheese is softened before you begin.
- Cream of Tartar: This stabilizes the egg white in the meringue. You can leave this out, although your cloud bread may not be quite as fluffy.
Making cloud bread
Step 1 | Separate the Eggs
The first step is to separate your eggs. Put the egg whites into a large mixing bowl, and the yolks into a separate bowl.
You do not want any egg yolk in the egg whites at all. Even a small amount of yolk can keep the whites from whipping up properly. You can use an egg separator, or, if you don’t want to spring for a new gadget, you can use either of these methods. I’m a toggle the egg shell kinda lady!
Step 2 | Meringue and Yolk Mixture
Once the eggs are separated, you’re going to add the cream of tartar to the egg whites and use some kind of electric mixer (either a stand mixer or hand mixer) to whip them into stiff peaks. This takes about 5 minutes on high.
You really do need stiff peaks for the bread to get that lovely lift. If you’re not sure what you’re looking for, this video does a great job of showing the difference between soft and stiff peaks!
Either while the egg whites are whipping, or after you’re done whipping them, you can beat the softened cream cheese into the egg yolks. It won’t be perfectly smooth, but you want to get as much of a smooth texture as you can. Here’s what mine looked like:
Step 3 | Fold
The final step to make the batter is to fold the egg yolk mixture into the whipped egg whites. If you need help with folding, this video is my go-to. Just pretend that the egg yolk mixture is the cake batter.
Once the whites have been completely folded in, you have cloud bread dough!
Step 4 | Bake
Line baking sheet with parchment paper, or grease the baking sheet with cooking spray. To form the cloud bread, drop about 2 tablespoons worth of dough onto the prepared baking sheet.
Space your cloud bread a few inches apart because it does rise during baking, so you wan to give it some room!
Bake the cloud bread at 350° for 18-20 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown.
Step 5 | Enjoy!
Let the cloud read cool for a few minutes on the sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool the rest of the way. This bread is flexible and can be used in place of any flatbread — naan, tortilla, wraps, you name it. You can also toast it, make pizza with it, use it for breadsticks, and more. Just load it up with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Additions
While the basic recipe is delicious as-is, you can dress this fluffy cloud bread recipe up by adding seasonings and flavorings to the egg yolk mixture before folding in the egg whites. Here are a few ideas:
- Garlic Powder or Garlic Salt
- Italian Seasoning
- Dried (or Fresh) Herbs
- Parmesan Cheese
- Onion Powder
- Vanilla Extract
FAQs
Cloud bread may turn out flat if the egg whites weren’t beaten to stiff peaks or if they were overmixed when folding with the yolk mixture. If you want fluffy bread, be gentle when folding!
Store leftover cloud bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a day or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. For best results, use your cloud bread within the first two days.
No, separating the eggs is necessary because the whipped egg whites create the signature light and fluffy texture. Using whole eggs will make the bread dense.
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°.
- Separate eggs, placing whites in a large mixing bowl, and yolks in a separate large mixing bowl.
- Add the cream of tartar to the egg white and whip them into stiff peaks (about 5 minutes on high).
- Beat the cream cheese into the egg yolks.
- Fold the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture until combined.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drop 2 tbsp of dough onto baking sheet for each bread. Space spread 1-2 inches apart to give room for rising.
- Bake at 300° for 18-20 minutes, or until bread is golden brown.
- Allow bread to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.
Simple, well explained. Very useful content.
I’ve already made the bread and is excellent. Following exactly this easy recipe you obtain the same result and a good bread with no carbohydrates.
Interesting texture. I sprinkled salt on top after baking. They are easy to make.