Living Low Carb with Glucomannan Powder

Glucomannan powder is made from ground konjac root. It has 0 carbs, 0 calories, and 0 flavor, so it blends into recipes really well, like in this Berry Yummy Crunch. It is also gluten-free.

Shirataki noodles are made from glucomannan powder. (See my Living Low Carb with Shirataki Noodles lens for info, sources, and recipes for shirataki noodles.)

Glucomannan powder is a healthy soluble fiber, so it is sometimes sold as a supplement, but I would caution against taking it in capsule form. It swells when mixed with liquids and you don't want that happening in your throat; it would be a dangerous choking hazard. It is fine to mix the powder into a liquid and drink it, however.

Beyond the absence of carbs and calories, another advantage to using glucomannan powder is that it doesn't have to be heated to thicken liquids, unlike other thickeners, like cornstarch. It also has about 10x the thickening power of cornstarch, so a little goes a long way.

Glucomannan powder is very easy to use. All you have to do is gradually sprinkle the glucomannan powder into a liquid while whisking briskly to avoid lumps.

It only takes 1 teaspoon of powder to turn a cup of clear liquid into a gel and about 2 teaspoons of powder to get a thick liquid to set up into a pudding or pie filling.

I like to use glucomannan powder to thicken puddings, mousses, fillings for crunches, pie fillings, etc, like in this Mini Raspberry Pie. Check out my recipes using it in the links below...