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Is cheese keto friendly? It depends- while most cheese is keto, many cheese sauce recipes aren’t suitable for keto diets. This keto cheese sauce recipe without flour uses heavy cream for thickness and creaminess. Use this delicious keto cheese sauce for broccoli or cauliflower, chicken, mac and cheese, or in your favorite low carb nachos recipe. You can also use it as creamy keto cheese dip!
Easy cheese sauce is on the menu today. And not just any drizzly, melty cheddar cheese sauce. Nope.
Today’s cheese sauce is of the very low carb variety. And trust me, that means it is extra rich and buttery.
But what is keto cheese sauce? Isn’t all cheese sauce low carb friendly?
Most cheese sauce actually isn’t keto friendly, though cheese is certainly a keto friendly food. This is because most cheese sauces are based upon French white sauce (i.e., bechamel sauce).
To make bechamel, you would typically make a roux of butter and flour. Then you whisk in milk over heat to make the famous French mother sauce. To make cheese sauce, you simply whisk some cheese into your bechamel, letting it melt.
Both flour and milk are high carb ingredients, so cheese sauce is not keto friendly by default. However, it’s really easy to make cheese sauce low carb; let me show you how!
I had whipping cream leftover from holiday cooking. It is the perfect low carb replacement for milk and flour in classic cheese sauce recipes. This cheese sauce has only 1.4 grams net carbs per serving!
The cream provides the liquid component instead of milk. Since it is thicker than milk, we can skip the roux used to thicken this sauce. Plus, the heavy cream makes one of the most velvety, indulgent cheese sauces around!
🧀 How to Make Keto Cheese Sauce
Here’s what you need to make the creamiest, dreamiest keto cheese sauce with no cream cheese:
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup heavy cream or whipping cream
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
Get a printable recipe card at the end of the post!
Here are the step-by-step instructions for low carb cheese sauce:
- Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, whisk in the cream.
- Next, lower the heat a little and add the grated cheese. Let the cheese completely melt into the sauce while you whisk for 1-2 minutes. Then stir in the garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
- After adding the seasonings, let the sauce thicken over the heat for 3-5 minutes. Whisk the sauce constantly to prevent sticking.
- Let the sauce cool a bit before serving; it will thicken a little more. So rich and delicious!
I love this keto white sauce with no cream cheese on steamed veggies. I mean, why have this plain old plate of broccoli and a pork chop…
…when you can have the pork chop, steamed broccoli, and cheese sauce? YUM
(And for the non-keto family members, maybe add some roasted potatoes. Cheese is pretty great on those too!)
I usually use cheddar in this cheese sauce, but feel free to think outside the box. Pepper jack cheese or jalapeno cheddar would be my top picks for cheese sauce with some kick. Try other cheeses, and I bet you’ll find some family favorites.
➕ Which cheese is keto-friendly?
Most full fat cheeses are OK on keto. One exception would be cheeses that incorporate high carb ingredients such as honey, other sweeteners (including refined added sugar), or dried fruits. The highest carb cheeses tend to be soft cheeses, such as cottage cheese.
Can you have Velveeta cheese on keto?
Yes, Velveeta can technically fit in many keto diets. Velveeta has 3 grams total carbohydrates (which includes 2 grams sugar) per ounce. That said, it’s an ultra-processed food, meant to be enjoyed in moderation if you choose to include it.
🥦 How to Serve Keto Cheese Sauce
Here are a few of my best low carb ideas for cheese sauce:
- Drizzle the sauce over Air Fryer Radishes
- Try it on Air Fryer Frozen Tilapia
- Dollop it on some Air Fryer Spaghetti Squash
- Use your cheese dip with Air Fryer Jicama Fries
You could also serve your cheese sauce with your favorite keto pasta alternative for keto mac and cheese. (And enjoy a little chuckle the next time someone says low carb diets are super restrictive. Lol)
⭐ How to Make Keto Cheese Sauce No Cream
We used heavy whipping cream to thicken cheese sauce in this recipe. If you want to make keto cheese sauce without cream, you have other options. Here are some other ingredients I’ve seen used as thickeners for keto cheese sauce:
- Cream Cheese
- Xanthan Gum
- Glucomannan Powder (Konjac)
- Crème Fraiche
FAQs
Can you freeze keto cheese sauce?
I don’t recommend freezing this keto cheese sauce because the texture will change a bit when it is reheated. Luckily, unless you live alone or in a dairy free household, you’re not likely to end up with leftovers. If you do have leftovers, store them in an airtight container the fridge for up to 1-2 days.
Why is cheese keto, but not milk?
Cheese is keto because a lot of the natural sugar in milk (i.e., lactose) is broken down in the process of making cheese. This is especially true for hard cheeses, such as Parmesan.
Can you make keto cheese sauce without milk?
Yes! Actually, many keto cheese sauce recipes have no milk since milk is a high carbohydrate ingredient. This keto cheese dip uses heavy cream in place of milk. I’ve seen other recipes for keto cheese sauce that use unsweetened almond milk in place of dairy milk.
Can I eat unlimited cheese on keto?
No, as a registered dietitian, I can’t recommend eating unlimited cheese on keto. If you are using the keto diet for weight loss, eating unlimited cheese will likely hinder your goals and crowd out other healthy foods. While cheese offers many nutritional benefits from nutrients such as calcium, protein, phosphorus, and potassium, it’s also high in calories and fat.
Where can I buy keto cheese dip?
Most store bought cheese dips have starchy fillers that are not keto compatible. One of your best bets for a keto friendly cheese dip is to mix a little cream with this cheese powder. Easier still, just sprinkle the powder on foods where you want a cheese flavor.
👩🍳 More Cheese Recipes
Are you looking for more recipes using cheese? Check out these delicious cheese recipes if you need more dairy decadence in your life:
- Keto Parmesan Crisps
- Air Fryer Stuffed Burgers with Cheese
- Air Fryer Stuffed Mini Peppers
- Keto Big Mac Salad Bowl
- Low Sodium Cottage Cheese
Watch How to Make It!
Keto Cheese Sauce Recipe (Is Cheese Keto Friendly?)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup heavy cream (or whipping cream)
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat on the stovetop. Whisk in the cream.
- Lower the heat a little and add the grated cheese. Let the cheese completely melt into the sauce while you whisk for 1-2 minutes.
- Whisk in the garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Let the sauce thicken over the heat for 3-5 minutes, whisking constantly to prevent sticking.
- Let the sauce cool a bit before serving; this will help it to thicken a little more. I highly recommend having some broccoli with this sauce. Yum!
Equipment
Notes
💭 Expert Tips from Dietitian Summer Yule
This is a level 3 recipe (weight maintenance and active lifestyles). Keto diets for weight loss often push people towards satiating foods that also lead to eating in a calorie deficit. That said, some foods that fit into the keto category may not be the best option if you have a weight loss goal. This cheese sauce is a high fat and high calorie addition to meals. It’s not a great pick for fat loss; I think of this keto cheese sauce as an added fat. In addition, if your primary health goal is to create a more heart healthy diet, this cheese sauce is not the best choice. It is very high in saturated fat due to the butter, heavy cream, and cheese. Diets high in saturated fat may increase your LDL cholesterol levels, and high LDL is linked to increased cardiovascular risks. A classic cheese sauce will likely be much lower in saturated fat. You can use a small amount of butter plus whole grain flour for the roux. Add low fat milk to the roux and let thicken, then add low fat (or regular) cheese. Classic cheese sauce is not keto friendly, but it does tend to be lower in both fat and calories. But what if your main health goal is to achieve better control of your blood sugar in diabetes with a low carb diet? In that case, this diabetic cheese sauce may be a better choice for you than higher carb cheese sauce. This cheese dip is also a great way to use up some leftover cream. Additionally, it’s naturally vegetarian and gluten-free, and it may help you eat more vegetables. 🙂 Nutrition information is for one serving of keto cheese sauce. Carbohydrates listed are net carbs (total carbs minus fiber).
nutrition info disclaimer
All recipes on this website may or may not be appropriate for you, depending on your medical needs and personal preferences. Consult with a registered dietitian or your physician if you need help determining the dietary pattern that may be best for you.
The nutrition information is an estimate provided as a courtesy. It will differ depending on the specific brands and ingredients that you use. Calorie information on food labels may be inaccurate, so please don’t sweat the numbers too much.
“To taste” means to your preferences, which may have to be visual to follow food safety rules. Please don’t eat undercooked food x
Nutrition
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Hello! I’m Summer, a registered dietitian and home chef who loves to cook, eat, and create recipes for you! Every recipe on this site has been tested by me to help ensure your success in the kitchen. All eaters are welcome here 🙂