This Keto Battered Fish is just as you remember; crispy batter on the outside and juicy and tender on the inside.
This delicious fish is best served with our lemony Keto Tartar Sauce.
Battered seafood is the quintessential summer food but almost impossible to find low-carb options at the local fish & chip shop. No need to worry because you can make it at home using the same batter that we created for our Sweet & Sour Pork.
The batter ingredients cannot be substituted (unless you want a soggy and soft coating).
When picking out your fish, you want a firm, white-fleshed fish with no skin or bones that is no thicker than 1.5cm/ 3/4in. For Australians, I recommend using Ling, Perch, Flathead, or Whiting, and for Americans, Alaskan Pollock, Tilapia, Catfish, or Cod.
Not sure what oil to put in your deep fryer? Read about the different oils in our article on the best oils for deep frying.
This Low Carb Battered Fish recipe makes four serves. One serving has 4g net carbs.
Leftover Keto Battered Fish can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheated in a 200C/400F oven for 15 minutes.
Keto Battered Fish Ingredients
- 1.7 pounds of White Fish (see above for suggestions)
- 1/4 cup of Unflavored Protein Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of Salt
- 2/3 cup of Almond Flour
- 2 Large Eggs
- 2 teaspoons of Baking Powder
- 1/4-1/3 cup of Sparkling Water, chilled
- 1/4 cup Keto Tartar Sauce
- Lemon wedges, to serve
How to make Keto Battered Fish
- Cut the fish into evenly sized pieces, place on a tray, and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
- In a mixing bowl, add the rest of the salt, almond flour, protein powder, and baking powder, and whisk together.
- Add the eggs and sparkling water and whisk well. Set aside for 10 minutes.
- Heat your deep fryer to 180C/355F.
- Dry the pieces of fish by patting them with a paper towel.
- Dip into the batter, allow the excess to drip off, then gently lower into the hot oil. Depending on the size of your fryer, you will need to cook in batches.
- Gently flip the fish over and cook until golden brown. It should take about 5-7 minutes.
- Drain the fish in the fryer basket before placing it onto a cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining fish.
- Enjoy with Keto Tartar Sauce and fresh lemon.
We recommend serving your Keto Battered Fish with a side of Keto Coleslaw. They’re an ideal match.
Keto Battered Fish - Perfect Low Carb Crispy Batter
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Ingredients
- 1.7 pounds White Fish
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 2/3 cup Almond Flour
- 1/4 cup Unflavored Protein Powder
- 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 2 large Eggs
- 1/4-1/3 cup Sparkling Water chilled
- 1/4 cup Keto Tartar Sauce
- Lemon wedges to serve
Instructions
- Cut the fish into evenly sized pieces, place on a tray and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
- In a mixing bowl, add the rest of the salt, almond flour, protein powder, baking powder and whisk together.
- Add the eggs and sparkling water and whisk well. Set aside for 10 minutes.
- Heat your deep fryer to 180C/355F.
- Dry the pieces of fish by patting with a paper towel.
- Dip into the batter, allow the excess to drip off, then gently lower into the hot oil. Depending on the size of your fryer, you will need to cook in batches.
- Gently flip the fish over and cook until golden brown, it should take about 5-7 minutes.
- Drain the fish in the fryer basket before placing onto a cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining fish.
- Enjoy with Keto Tartar Sauce and fresh lemon.
Nutrition
Looking for more great seafood meals? Try some of our other great Keto recipes;
To make a larger batch of this Keto Battered Fish recipe, adjust the servings above.
I made this last night. It was Awesome !!!! I’ve already been asked by 4 people to give them the recipe. Going to try with some shrimp tonight.
Hello Constance, so glad you enjoyed it and thank you for the feedback. I’m yet to try the batter on shrimp let me know how it goes.
Loved this ! So light and crispy it was awesome must try
Hey Kelly, thank you for taking the time to comment. So glad you loved it.
This is legit amazing. It even works well as a tempura for veggies.
Thank you so much for the feedback Johanna. So glad you liked it.
I can’t believe I stumbled upon this recipe! I never write reviews but I felt compelled to write this one. This recipe is THE BEST I have tried while on my low carb journey. Very easy to make as well. Can’t wait to try some fried mushrooms! Thank you for the recipe.
Thank you so much for your feedback Fel. So happy that you enjoyed the battered fish, we love it too.
I made this recipe tonight and instead of frying in a pan I used my air fryer at 390 degrees for approximately 13 minutes.
My husband and I both Loved it!!!
So glad it worked in the air fryer Lisa.
Any ideas for air frying the fish? I don’t have a deep fryer but want to make this all the time but oh the mess!! Thank you!
Hi Vickie, we’re yet to own an air fryer so we couldn’t tell you, sorry.
First pan-ful the batter was all thick and clumpy and just wasn’t working.. Oh. I forgot the protein powder. *facepalm* So I added it in then it was too thick. Then I added more sparkling water – perfect! It was fantastic. First panful tasted fine, just didn’t look as good. I had leftover batter and used it to batter/fry some zucchini. Delicious. This recipe is a keeper!
Ha, ha so glad it worked out for you in the end Vickie. Thank you for your kind comment.
Great recipe. Swapped light beer for the water. It was delicious.
Hi! Was wondering if this works with low carb beer?
Hey Rick, I do not know but I’d like to if you’re willing to sacrifice a beer to do it 🙂
I made your keto batter fish tonight and it was delicious! I posted it on my instagram page and in 3 keto groups that I am a member of – and shared your recipe link, I tagged you on my IG post. So easy and delicious. I had batter left over and saved it to make chicken or something – I just couldn’t bear to toss it. Thank you for an easy and tasty recipe.
Oh Helen, thank you!! You are too kind! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, and your fish on Instagram looked amazing!!
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!! My husband and I were so hungry for some fried catfish and you have made that possible. It was delicious!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Carolyn!!
Oh gosh, wished I would have seen this before dinner tonight. I tried to make a batter for chicken tenders but it just wasn’t crispy (the coating). How does this batter turn out?
Hi Lisa,
It’s deliciously crispy! If you’re on Instagram, scroll through the images that we’ve been tagged in, there are a lot of lovely looking crispy battered fish photos there!
I made it and the family loved it. They think I’m fabulous! I made fried mushrooms and zucchini yesterday, so good. Next I’m going to try chili relleno. You’ve opened up a whole new world. We get bored with eating our same old recipes. Thank you for sharing!
Hi LaLonnie,
What a great idea to batter your veggies! It works great for onion rings too 🙂
Thank you for stopping by to share your kind words!
This is delicious! I wouldn’t know it was Keto or my mama! Execution flawless, delicious like right off coast in Cali Valley
Do you think this batter would work for cheese curds?
Hi Jennintx,
I think it would be worth a try! Just follow a similar process as with making mozzarella sticks, and freeze the cheese curds for several hours before cooking so they don’t just instantly melt when they hit the hot oil.
Please pop back and let me know how they go!
Can this be cooked in an air fryer instead of deep fryer?
Hi Debi,
I wouldn’t recommend it. The batter needs an “instant” heat to fuse to the fish, you would be better off making crumbed/breaded fish in your air fryer as the coasting is already stuck on.
I am drooling over here – this looks so good – I’m loving this – simply delicious! Such a soul-satisfying dish!
Absolutely saved these new keto-people desperately missing ‘fish n’ chips’ type fry-up! Added onion powder, paprika, garlic powder, curry powder into the mix – no problem. Even tested an onion slice with leftover batter. Diabetic wife over the moon with the onion slice and the fish. Thank you, thank you.
That’s fantastic to hear Stuart!! Thank you for your kind words 🙂
By far the best low carb fish recipe I’ve found. Skipped the protein powder, just used a full cup of almond flour and still turned out awesome. (for those who may not have unflavored protein on hand)
Oh Mark, you are too kind!! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This was amazing! I’ve tried a few different batters and some were good, some not so much but I never found the “one” until now. This is the one for me! I tried with Cod and Chicken strips. The key is the carbonated water. I didn’t have anything other than St. Croix and it worked. This is a game changer for me. I even used the same batter over a couple days when trying the fish then the chicken. It was thick so I just added some water to thin it out a bit. I’m going to try other things to fry up with this batter. Thank you!
Oh, Shannon! What a beautiful compliment! I’m so pleased that my batter is “the one” for you 🙂
Can I use vegan protein powder like a pea protein? Thanks!
Hi Karen,
I have never used pea protein so I can’t offer any advice here! At best guess, give it a try and see what happens 🙂
We only had vanilla protein powder also, didn’t seem to make a difference for us on the fish. But I had extra batter left over and tried it as a pancake. That was also a hit with some sugar free salted carmel syrup.
That’s great to hear Eva! Fish batter one day pancakes the next, I’ll have to give it a try!
This was a big hit at my house!!!
Once again, your recipes have saved us from another repetitive low carb meal!
I love low carb/keto cooking but this broke up the monotony!
Can you use collagen powder in place of the protein powder
Hi Cathy,
I haven’t tried using collagen powder, so I can’t be sure. Collagen is generally finer than protein powder and dissolves easier so it may affect the batter.
I am planning on doing a test with collagen but that is still a few weeks away, as I am waiting on the collagen to arrive. If you want to test yourself in the meantime, I’d love to know how it goes!
oh! I cannot wait to try this. I absolutely love fried shrimp and catfish and on low carb no can do. I really thank you for your recipe!!
I hope you enjoy it Lynn! We have been seeing some great images of other’s successes on social media! Don’t forget to tag us, if you share 🙂
AH-MA-ZING!!!
So light and crunchy. Better than the regular recipes. I added a bit of spices to the batter and only had lemon flavoured sparkling water on hand which I used. Best fried fish ever!! Thank you SO MUCH!
This was delicious! Thank you for sharing. I used tilapia. My picky 4 year old ate several pieces! A miracle!
Is this recipe ok for shallow frying ?
Hi Breeze,
I don’t recommend shallow frying as the fish needs to float so that the batter can puff up around it.
Thankyou 🙂
The bomb
This is such a good recipe! Easy to follow and tastes just like the real deal. I just need to find keto curry sauce now…
Why sparkling water? Can you use plain water? I was about to make this and have no sparkling water 🙁
Hi Susan,
The sparkling water makes the batter light and crispy. You could try using plain water, but your batter will be denser.
Wonderful… Light, fluffy, and crispy. I only had vanilla flavored protein powder available and was worried it would be too sweet. I added some savory and extra lemon juice to balance it and it was a hit. Thanks for recipe.
Hi Bruce,
It’s great to know that vanilla protein worked for you! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Can this be made without the protein powder? My son doesn’t really like protein powder.
Hi Melissa,
You cannot taste the protein powder in this recipe, you can try using all almond flour but the batter with be denser.
Awesome recipe! Thanks for sharing.
This looks incredible! I was gonna fry up fish in an egg and pork rind coating but this looks way closer to true fried fish batter. And it just so happens that I have a bag of unflavored protein powder that I never used for a previous recipe. Will give it a go!
This batter was so good. Thank you!
Ps can I use this same batter for chicken?
Hi Fehmina,
You sure can! I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Can I use in air fryer
Hi Pam,
Airfryers are not suited to cooking battered foods, as the wet batter needs to be fused onto the food as quickly as possible (as it happens when dipped into hot oil). The airfryer is more like a tiny benchtop oven. I hope that helps!
Pretty darn good. Crunchy and golden. Next time I’ll make the batter a little thinner. Basa fillet was perfect for this recipe.
The best batter ever.
I addad afew Italian herbs and it was amazing…thank you so much for such a simple but great recipe.
Long may you cookXxxx
You are too sweet Vicky! Thank you for your kind words, you have made my week!
This was a very nice recipe. I liked that the batter stayed on the fish. The only thing I will change in the future would be to add a few spices to the batter. Thank you for this recipe I will be using it again.