These golden mini keto pancake pies wrap fluffy cream cheese pancake batter around sausage or bacon — 2.4g net carbs each. I keep a batch frozen most weeks and reheat them for a fast keto breakfast.
I started making these in my mini pie maker on a whim, and now I keep a batch frozen at all times. The batter is a cream cheese base (same family as my almond flour pancakes) that you pulse in a blender until smooth. Pour it into the pie wells, drop in your filling, top with more batter, and close the lid. Five minutes and they pop out golden, fluffy, and completely self-contained.
The coconut flour does most of the structural work here. It absorbs liquid from the cream cheese and eggs, so the batter sets up firm enough to hold fillings without going dense. I tested this ratio probably four times before I landed on the half cup. Too much and the pies taste dry. Too little and they fall apart when you pick them up.
My go-to filling is mini sausage patties, but I've also run these with chopped bacon and with chorizo crumbles. The chorizo is worth trying. All that rendered fat soaks into the coconut flour batter and turns it deep orange. Basically self-basting. If you want a fully savory version, skip the sweetener and fold in shredded cheddar and crumbled sausage (similar idea to a keto sausage breakfast casserole but handheld). Reader Kelly asked about this in the comments, and I've been meaning to write it up because it works.
For meal prep, I let them cool completely, stack them in a freezer bag with parchment between layers, and freeze. To reheat, wrap one in a paper towel and microwave for 45 to 60 seconds. That timing is tested, not a guess. They come out soft inside with the edges still holding shape. I grab two on the way out the door most mornings alongside coffee. If you're building a rotation of low carb grab-and-go breakfasts, these sit right next to Instant Pot egg bites and keto breakfast sandwiches in my freezer.
The batter also scales well. I usually double it and run the pie maker in rounds while I'm cleaning up the kitchen. The whole batch takes only a few minutes of actual hands-on time, and then I have keto breakfast covered for the week.
A mini sausage patty hides inside each pancake pie, or you can leave them plain with no filling at all.
After 5 minutes with the lid closed, the pies lift right out of the pie maker.
Everything for the batter goes into the blender at once, the same way as my cream cheese pancakes.
Preheat mini pie maker. Spray each well with cooking spray.
2
Let's make the batter
Add cream cheese, eggs, coconut flour, heavy cream, sweetener, baking powder and vanilla to a blender. Blend until smooth.
3
Pour it
Pour pancake batter into each cavity of the pie maker.
4
Place the sausage
Add in sausage patty or bacon. Top with more batter until it reaches the top of the pie well. Close the pie maker and bake for 5 minutes. Remove and repeat with remaining batter.
5
Freeze directions
To freeze, place all pancake pies in a freezer safe bag and freeze. To reheat, wrap in a paper towel and microwave for 45-60 seconds.
Nutrition
Per serving: 1 pancake pie
Calories
231
Fat
21.2g
Protein
6.7g
Total carbs
3.5g
Net carbs
2.4g
Nutrition is an estimate calculated from the ingredients listed. Brands vary, so check labels if you track closely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a mini pie maker or can I use a muffin tin instead?
I haven't tested a muffin tin myself, but readers have asked about it. If you go that route, grease a standard muffin tin, fill each well about two-thirds with batter, press your filling into the center, and top with more batter. I'd start at 350 degrees and check after 12 to 15 minutes. They won't have the same sealed-edge shape, but the batter should set up fine since it's the coconut flour doing the work. If you want more structured grab-and-go breakfasts without a pie maker, my keto breakfast pizza is another option.
Does the bacon or sausage need to be cooked before adding it to the batter?
Yes, always cook the meat first. I pre-cook mini sausage patties and chop bacon before it goes in. Raw meat won't cook through in the five minutes the pie maker takes. I usually batch-cook the sausage or bacon while the pie maker preheats so everything is ready at the same time.
Can I use almond flour instead of coconut flour?
I've tested both. Almond flour works, but you need about 1.5 times the amount because it doesn't absorb liquid the way coconut flour does. So instead of half a cup of coconut flour, use three-quarters cup of almond flour. The texture comes out slightly less fluffy and a bit more dense, but they still hold together. I prefer the coconut flour version for keto pancake pies, but the almond flour swap is solid if coconut isn't an option.
Can I make a savory version without sweetener?
I've done this and it works well. Skip the monkfruit sweetener entirely and add about a quarter cup of shredded cheddar to the batter. I fold in crumbled sausage and sometimes diced peppers. The batter is forgiving enough to handle extra mix-ins without falling apart. Think of it like a low carb hand pie instead of a breakfast pastry. Similar concept to my keto sausage cheddar biscuits but in pie maker form.
How long do these last in the fridge and how do I reheat them?
I keep them in the fridge for up to four days in an airtight container. For reheating, I wrap one in a paper towel and microwave for 30 to 40 seconds from the fridge (45 to 60 seconds from frozen). You can also pop them back in the pie maker for about a minute if you want crispy edges again. I've tried the toaster oven too, and three minutes at 350 works, but the microwave is what I reach for on busy mornings.
Can I make the batter the night before?
I've kept the blended batter in the fridge overnight and it works fine. The coconut flour absorbs more liquid as it sits, so the batter thickens up. I just give it a stir in the morning and add a splash of cream if it's too thick to pour. It saves me about five minutes on weekday mornings, which adds up. I pour straight from a mason jar into the pie maker.
How do I make these dairy-free?
I've swapped the cream cheese for vegan cream cheese (Kite Hill is the brand I've tried) and used coconut cream instead of heavy whipping cream. The texture is a little softer, but they still hold their shape. Reader Lucy actually suggested Kite Hill in the comments before I tried it, and she was right. If you're building a dairy-free keto breakfast rotation, my breakfast bowl is another one I make without dairy.
Three rounds in now and the one thing I changed was a pinch of salt in the batter. Keeps the sweetener from fighting the sausage. Small thing but these actually taste like breakfast now.
Opening the pie maker after the first batch, I wasn’t sure what to make of cream cheese batter wrapped around a sausage patty. Coconut flour has a sweetness that leans more dessert than breakfast at 7am. But somewhere in the second one I stopped thinking about it and just ate. Keto quietly took my grab-and-go breakfast habit two years ago and I’ve been filling that gap with things that mostly work. These belong in the freezer. Already stocking them.
Was heading for five stars until batch two showed me what my pie maker actually does. Mine runs hot on the outer ring, so the bottoms were browning while the center was still wet. Took a few rounds to figure it out. Timing isn’t fixed, it varies enough by appliance that I’d start low and add thirty seconds rather than trusting the listed time. Sausage gave it away: edges crisped before the batter above it even set. Four stars. Once I figured it out and adjusted, these are really good, and the cream cheese batter freezes better than I expected.
The outer ring thing is real, different on every pie maker I’ve tried. Starting low and adding time is exactly how I’d approach a new appliance. The cream cheese batter freeze is genuinely the best part.
Stopped trying to fix keto breakfasts around month four. Everything before that was a negotiation. These aren’t. Cream cheese batter, sausage in the center, 2.4g a piece, twelve in the freezer by Sunday noon. That’s what I wanted the whole time.
Halved the recipe the first time thinking 18 pies would be too many for one person, and they lasted three days. Full batch now, every Sunday, no question. The batter comes together fast and the pie maker runs while I clean the bowl, so the week’s breakfasts are done before 11am. Still rotating between sausage and bacon depending on what’s in the fridge, both hold up fine through day five.
Three days on half a batch, Holly, and that tells you everything. Day five is further than mine usually make it, but sausage holds better than bacon past day three so I believe you on the rotation.
Double-spray the wells, especially if your pie maker is new. The cream cheese in the batter wants to stick and you’ll lose the bottom on a couple before you figure that out. My kid watched me make the first batch and declared it ‘the best breakfast item I’ve ever eaten from a machine,’ which is very high praise from someone whose bar is usually a gas station hot dog. Been making these every Sunday since.
Ended up more satisfying than I expected given my skepticism about sweet batter around a sausage patty. The cream cheese does something to balance it out (the vanilla’s there without taking over, and the sausage inside keeps the whole thing from going full dessert), and having the protein baked in means it actually carries me to lunch. Four stars because the coconut flour has a flavor I’m still getting used to, but I’ve made them twice, which probably answers the real question.
Getting a mini pie maker felt like a real commitment for something I wasn’t sure would even work. My son saw the box and immediately wanted to help, which meant he stood there watching me measure the coconut flour and fold in the cream cheese, asking the whole time why the batter looked so thin. He’s twelve and very particular about breakfast foods. When he pulled the first one out and bit into it, he looked genuinely confused and said ‘wait, is this just regular pancake?’ I reminded him what he had literally just watched me put into it. He stared at it for another second and kept eating without another word. We went through a full batch and I’m already planning the next one.
These are genuinely good and I keep a batch frozen now for hot mornings when the last thing I want is a whole production in the kitchen. The coconut flour gives them this slightly grainy texture that I’m still getting used to, and I’m thinking a little less might fix it. But I grabbed one before my kids woke up this morning and ate it standing over the sink. Going to try cutting the coconut flour by a tablespoon next batch and see what happens.
Ha, standing over the sink. A tablespoon less should fix the graininess, the batter gets a little looser going in but the cream cheese holds everything together so they still set fine.
Skipped the sausage, used crumbled bacon and sharp cheddar instead. That sweet/salty thing in the coconut flour batter caught me completely off guard. Batch four in two weeks.
Sharp cheddar in that batter is something I haven’t tried yet. Saltier filling is what makes the coconut flour sweetness catch people off guard. Four batches in two weeks checks out.
I batch these every Sunday and stash them in the freezer for the week. Reheated from frozen they’re shockingly good, the coconut flour base doesn’t go rubbery at all and the edges stay crispy. Best breakfast prep I’ve figured out in months.
Coconut flour handles the freezer way better than almond flour. Never goes rubbery. I do 45 seconds wrapped in a paper towel from frozen and they come back almost exactly as good.
Brought a batch to a Sunday brunch last weekend and my buddy who won’t touch anything ‘diet’ kept grabbing them before I told him what was in them. The face he made when I said cream cheese and coconut flour was genuinely priceless.
That face at the reveal gets me every time. The coconut flour and cream cheese combo doesn’t compute for people until they’re already on their third one.
I’ve tried so many keto pancake recipes and most of them go weird and eggy within a day and I just stop making them. Made these twice now and they actually hold up, the cream cheese batter bakes into something sturdy enough that the sausage stays inside and it still tastes like real breakfast and not like a sad egg disc. Every other recipe I had bookmarked just got bumped. Four stars only because I used nut milk my first time and the batter came out thinner than it should have been (figured that out on batch two).
Yeah nut milk thins it out more than expected. The fat content in heavy cream is actually doing something in that batter. If you ever go dairy-free again, coconut cream is a closer swap.
First time using my mini pie maker and went straight for these. Batter came together fast, and I didn’t expect the cream cheese to keep them that moist. Already planning a bacon version for next week.
If your batter has lumps, the cream cheese wasn’t soft enough (mine needs a full hour out, not 20 minutes) and 30 seconds in the blender fixes it. Also swapped the patties for crumbled breakfast sausage mixed with a little sage and it fills the pockets so much more evenly. Two changes and these went from good to something I make every single Sunday.
Crumbled sausage with sage fills those pockets so much more evenly. That cream cheese timing is real, mine usually needs closer to 45 minutes too. Saving that blender trick.
