• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • meet the team
  • blogger resources
  • Contact Me
My Account
Member Dashboard
40 Aprons Premium (Ad Free!)

40 Aprons

Delicious, Healthy-ish Meals for the Whole Family

  • All Recipes
  • Course
    • Appetizers
    • Cooking Basics
    • Breakfast
    • Condiments
    • Dessert
    • Main Course
    • Meal Prep
    • Side Dishes
    • Soups
  • Method
    • Air Fryer
    • Baking
    • Crockpot
    • Grilling
    • Instant Pot
    • Sous Vide
  • Dietary Needs
    • Dairy Free
    • Gluten Free
    • Keto
    • Low Carb
    • Paleo
    • Vegan
    • Vegetarian
    • Whole30
  • Cuisine
    • American
    • Asian
    • Indian
    • Italian
    • Mediterranean
    • Mexican & Latin
    • Southern
Home Blog Dietary Concern Keto

Keto Cheese Sauce

Cheryl Malik
Cheryl Malik Posted: 04/14/21 Updated: 12/08/21
Leave a Comment
Jump to Recipe
K Keto

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Pin graphic for keto cheese sauce
Pin graphic for keto cheese sauce
Pin graphic for keto cheese sauce
Pin graphic for keto cheese sauce
Pin graphic for keto cheese sauce
Pin graphic for keto cheese sauce
Pin graphic for keto cheese sauce
Pin graphic for keto cheese sauce
Pin graphic for keto cheese sauce
Pin graphic for keto cheese sauce
Pin graphic for keto cheese sauce

Keto cheese sauce is super easy to make and positively delicious! Perfect for dipping or for smothering broccoli, cauliflower, or other veggies, you’ll make this recipe over and over when you’re on a keto or low carb diet.

Keto cheese sauce smothering a bowl of broccoli florets

What Makes This Recipe So Good

  • Instantly dress up steamed cauliflower, air fryer asparagus, or Instant Pot broccoli in a delicious, cheesy, keto-friendly way. It’s amazing on so many other things, too – you might try it on palmini pasta for a kind of low-carb mac and cheese, or drizzle a little keto cheese sauce on an air fryer hot dog with or without a keto bun.
  • Keto cheese sauce is SO easy to make, and if you’re keto then you’ve probably got all the ingredients on hand right now.
  • No flour needed! This cheese sauce is good and thick all on its own thanks to the heavy whipping cream and cream cheese, so there’s no need for any extra thickening agents.
  • It’s perfect for meal prep! Refrigerate your keto cheese sauce in an airtight container and it’ll keep for 5 days or so. Tips for reheating are in the “Chef’s Tips” section below. I don’t recommend freezing it – the consistency just won’t be the same after.

Key Ingredients

Cream Cheese – As always, you’ll want to use a full fat cream cheese, and be sure to pick the one with the lowest carb count. Personally, I prefer Philadelphia brand original cream cheese. It’s got the fewest carbs of all the varieties at my local grocery stores, and it’s always got a great taste and texture.

Cheddar Cheese – Cheddar is a classic, versatile option, but you could also make this with pepperjack or really any kind of cheese you like. For the best results, buy a block of cheese and grate or shred it yourself. It’s not hard to do! Prepackaged shredded cheese is full of starches that keep it from clumping but add unnecessary carbs. These anti-caking agents can make prepackaged cheese behave funny when it’s heated, too. If you use it, the consistency of your keto cheese sauce might be off.

Heavy Whipping Cream – HWC and heavy cream are essentially the same, so you’ll be fine if all your store carries is heavy cream. They both have at least 36% fat content. Whipping cream (as opposed to heavy whipping cream) has a slightly lower fat content, clocking in around 30%. You’ll definitely want more fat for your keto cheese sauce.

Chef’s Tips

  • The keto cheese sauce will get thicker as it stands, so be sure to serve it immediately.
  • Don’t rush the process. If your heat is too high, the mixture can seize. You can try adding a little more heavy whipping cream to thin it out, but it’s better to avoid the situation altogether.
  • Got leftovers? Reheating is easy! Just microwave the leftover keto cheese sauce in 30-second bursts, stirring after each round, until the sauce is liquid again. Once it’s liquid, you might notice some butter oil sitting on top of the cheese – just whisk the cheese sauce vigorously until it’s completely reincorporated!
A bowl of keto cheese sauce on a table

More Keto Recipes I Know You’ll Love

  • Keto Lemon Bars
  • Keto Carbonara
  • 25 Keto Slow Cooker Recipes
  • Keto Sushi Rolls with Smoked Salmon
  • Keto Peanut Butter Cups

Hey – you’ve made it this far, so now we’re basically best friends! If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a quick review & star rating ★ below. Make sure you follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and Facebook, too!

Keto cheese sauce smothering a bowl of broccoli florets

Keto Cheese Sauce

Prep:5 minutes
Cook:5 minutes
Total:10 minutes
Keto cheese sauce is super easy to make and positively delicious! Perfect for dipping or for smothering broccoli, cauliflower, or other veggies, you'll make this recipe over and over when you're on a keto or low carb diet.
Print Save Saved! Click Here to Remove Ads
12

Ingredients

  • 1 ¼ cups heavy whipping cream
  • 2 ounces cream cheese
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 8 ounces cheddar grated, about 2 cups

Equipment

  • medium saucepan
  • Whisk

Instructions 

  • Add cream, cream cheese, butter, and salt to medium saucepan.
    Cream, cream cheese, and butter melted in a saucepan
  • Cook over medium heat until butter and cream cheese have melted.
  • Remove saucepan from heat. Gradually whisk in cheddar, stirring until cheese is melted and mixture is smooth and creamy.
    Keto cheese sauce in a saucepan
  • Serve immediately.

Notes

  • Watch your heat and don’t let the cheese sauce mixture get too hot! You don’t want it to boil.
  • Be sure to use a cream cheese with the lowest carbs possible, and always full fat. Philadelphia original cream cheese is my personal favorite.
  • Prepackaged shredded cheddar contains unnecessary carbs from the anti-caking fillers used. I recommend grating your own from a block of cheddar to avoid those!
  • To reheat leftover cheese sauce, microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each, until the sauce is liquid again. Once liquid, whisk vigorously to completely reincorporate the butter.
 
Recipe yields approximately 12 servings. Nutritional values shown reflect information for one serving out of 12. Macros may vary slightly based on specific brands or types of ingredients used.
To determine the size of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed, then weigh the recipe when finished. Divide the total weight (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by 12. Result will be the weight of one serving.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 195kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 64mg, Sodium: 210mg, Potassium: 38mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 612IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 156mg, Iron: 1mg

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

 

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

 

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

© Author: Cheryl Malik

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @40aprons on social and be sure to leave a review on the blog post!

Rate Recipe Tag Me on Instagram
Cheryl Malik

Meet Cheryl Malik

Cheryl Malik is the recipe developer, writer, and photographer behind the healthy, flavorful, family friendly recipes at 40 Aprons. She's been a blogger for 10+ years and is known for her delicious recipes and detailed recipe instructions. Cheryl is a mom of three who lives in Memphis, TN.

Read more...

You may also like...

  • Pasta with keto alfredo sauce on a white plate with a fork
    Keto Alfredo Sauce
  • Keto Cheese Chips
  • Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce. An amazing way for vegans to get B vitamins, it'll fool even the most skeptical! So versatile, too.
    Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Have a question? Submit your question or comment below.

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

What’s Popular?

Reusable meal prep trays with sweet potato, scrambled eggs, and sausage for a whole30 breakfast

Whole30 Breakfast Meal Prep

Crispy, golden air fryer tater tots in a large white serving bowl next to a small ramekin of bright red ketchup.

Air Fryer Tater Tots

Overhead view of marry me chicken in a cast iron skillet

Marry Me Chicken (Chicken in a Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce)

Instant pot chicken and rice in a bowl

Dreamy Instant Pot Chicken and Rice

In Season

Whole30 In-n-Out burgers close up

Whole30 Burgers – Burger Joint Style (Paleo, Low Carb)

Overhead photo of keto chicken tortilla soup in a rustic bowl

Keto Chicken Tortilla Soup (Low Carb, Gluten Free)

Air fryer chicken wings on a platter with sauce

Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Wings in Buffalo Sauce

Instant pot frozen chicken breast - easy chicken recipes for dinners with few ingredients

Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Breast

As seen on:

More Goodies + NO Ads!

Become a 40 Aprons Premium Member!

All the 40 Aprons content you love - now even better.

  • Member-Exclusive Recipes
  • Meal Plans & Grocery Lists
  • eBooks
  • NO ADS!
Join now

Privacy Policy

Accessibility

Disclaimers

Contact

© 2023 40 Aprons
Site Credits Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled
Back to Top
400 shares