My popular keto cheese bread is baked in a skillet for an easy low carb side dish. Deliciously tender and with a crisp topping of cheddar cheese, it has only 2.6g net carbs per slice!
You may have noticed that I have been updating a lot of older posts lately. I am working hard to provide more user-friendly content that answers your most pressing questions. I want my keto recipes to be as accessible as possible to everyone.
And this fabulous Keto Cheese Bread deserves such an update. I first created it way back in 2012 and it became an instant hit. It remains extremely popular to this day, and it’s the perfect bread to pair with Keto Beef Stew or Chicken Enchilada Soup.
Did I mention that it also makes the BEST Keto Thanksgiving Stuffing?
Why you will love this easy cheese bread
This might be the easiest keto bread recipe you will ever make. One bowl, one hot pan, pop it in the oven, and you’re done!
Low carb quick breads like this make your keto life so much tastier and more interesting. It’s a rustic-style recipe , with a moist but shaggy texture and a deliciously cheesy flavor.
Baking bread in a skillet also produces a unique crusty exterior. The key is melting the butter in the skillet as the oven preheats. This allows the batter to start cooking as it hits the hot pan.
Adding shredded cheese to the top of the bread and baking it at a high temperature also creates a crusty, cheesy top. It’s absolutely divine with a little butter melting on top! My whole family adores this bread.
Many readers use this recipe in place of cornbread. It’s certainly good that way, although I do have a recipe for keto cornbread as well. Both are delicious in their own special way.
Reader Testimonials
“Very easy to make and I loved the firmness once it’s out of the cast iron skillet. Too many Keto breads are wimpy and fall apart. Not this one. Definitely making this again.” – Peg
“Made it for your sausage stuffing recipe but SO fell in love with it– absolutely divine!!!! The bread is so buttery and the texture— oh yum. I will be making it frequently. And so quick. Thank you!!” – Kristin
“Great bread to have with soup or salad. I have even used it for breakfast with eggs. Another recipe keeper!” – Patricia
Ingredients you need
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- Butter: Adding a tablespoon of butter as the skillet heats up creates a wonderful, crispy crust. The bread batter also takes melted butter.
- Almond flour: This is an almond flour based recipe and it won’t work with coconut flour. But if you need to be nut-free, you can try using sunflower seed flour. Remember to add a tablespoon of acid like lemon juice so you don’t get the green reaction!
- Flax seed meal: I love using some flax seed meal in this recipe to create a coarser texture that resembles rustic breads. You can use more almond flour instead but it’s not quite the same.
- Cheddar cheese: You can’t have keto cheese bread without plenty of cheese! Feel free to sub your favorite here.
- Eggs: This bread really needs the eggs to hold together properly and make it rise nicely.
- Almond milk: You can actually use any thin liquid here so feel free to sub in water, or a mix of water and cream.
- Pantry staples: Salt and baking powder.
Step by Step Directions
1. Heat the pan: Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Add the butter to a 10-inch oven-proof skillet and place in the oven as it warms.
2. Prepare the batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, flax seed meal, baking powder, salt and 1 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese. Stir in the eggs, melted butter and almond milk until thoroughly combined.
4. Add to the pan: Remove the hot skillet from oven (remember to put on your oven mitts), and swirl butter to coat sides. Pour batter into pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheddar.
5. Bake the bread: Bake 16 to 20 minutes, or until browned around the edges and set through the middle. The cheese on top should be nicely browned. Remove and let cool 15 minutes.
Expert Tips
I approach baked skillet recipes with a little trepidation, as inevitably someone tries to pick up the hot skillet with their bare hands. After being burned (literally!) a few times, I now always leave the oven mitt draped over the handle when the skillet is out of the oven. You can also get silicone handle covers that stay on both in and out of the oven.
Be sure to choose a 10-inch oven-proof skillet. It doesn’t need to be cast iron, although that’s the best way to get a nice browned crust on the outside. Allow the butter to melt in the pan as the oven heats up. This helps grease the skillet and create that delicious crust.
I love the combination of the almond flour and flax seed but if you don’t want to use flax, you can use another half cup of almond flour. The bread turns out a touch more crumbly that way so you may want to add half a teaspoon of xanthan gum to give it a bit more structure.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are any number of keto bread recipes out there, and many keto breads you can purchase in stores or online. But you do need to read the labels and look at the ingredients. Many “keto breads” are actually quite high in carbs and may not be suitable for your diet. This keto cheese bread has only 6.6g of carbs per slice and 4g of fiber, so it has 2.6g net carbs per serving.
Choose a cheese that can be grated easily so that they can be incorporated into the batter. Firm cheese like cheddar or mozzarella work well, as do gruyere or Monterey Jack.
Store this bread on the counter in a covered container for up to 4 days or in the fridge for up to 10. It can also be frozen for several months. Wrap it up tightly to avoid freezer burn.
Great for keto stuffing!
I have turned this easy keto bread recipe into Thanksgiving stuffing numerous times and it always gets rave reviews. The trick is to dry the bread out very well in your oven the day before. Then proceed with the usual stuffing ingredients and bake.
Even the non-keto eaters love it. Many readers have said that my low carb stuffing recipe disappears before the high carb versions!
More Keto Skillet Recipes to Try:
Keto Cheesy Bread
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp butter for the skillet
- 2 cups (224 g) almond flour
- 1/2 cup (80 g) flax seed meal
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) salt
- 1 1/2 cups (169.5 g) shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
- 3 large eggs
- 1/3 cup (75.67 g) butter, melted
- 3/4 cup (187.5 g) unsweetened almond milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Add the butter to a 10-inch oven-proof skillet and place in the oven as it warms.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, flax seed meal, baking powder, salt and 1 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese. Stir in the eggs, melted butter and almond milk until thoroughly combined.
- Remove the hot skillet from oven (remember to put on your oven mitts), and swirl butter to coat sides. Pour batter into pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheddar.
- Bake 16 to 20 minutes, or until browned around the edges and set through the middle. The cheese on top should be nicely browned. Remove and let cool 15 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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I don’t have flax seed meal. What can I substitute or can I leave it out?
Thanks,
Do more almond flour.
Do you add equal parts almond flour to sub for the flax seed mea!?
Yup!!!
Hi Carolyn, love your recipes. Just made this skillet cheese bread in order to make the stuffing for our Canadian Thanksgiving celebration this weekend. Just had a tiny skiver still warm from the oven and it is delicious, nice crispy crust on the bottom and the texture is very reminisce t of cornbread. Am looking forward to using in your stuffing recipe. Iam going to use diced fennel instead of celery. I also used shredded goida instead of cheddar in the bread as that is what I had. I can see adding some thinly slice jalapeno to decorate this on top as well to go with keto chili in the future.
Thanks for the recipe.
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!
Wow Carolyn! That is the best thing since sliced bread! ????????????
Topped it with avocado, tomato and basil and it was devine! Thank you for so many wonderful recipes, it will make keto life a lot easier!
Thanks so much!
Really, really good and easy to make!
10 out of 10 Carolyn.
It even made a quite ordinary soup that I had for dinner last night taste absolutely delicious!
Thank you!
Thanks, Lynda! We love this one too.
Can you use dairy milk or heavy cream instead of almond milk?
Yes, that should be fine.
I make this every year For Thanksgiving and it is always a big hit! Also, these croutons are amazing on French Onion soup.
Love this. We add the liquid from a can of organic corn to add to the ‘corn’bread taste. We have tried some other low carb/Keto cornbreads and none of them stack up to this one. The consistency and taste are so close to the cornbread we have grown up eating.
Was my side of choice at last thanksgiving, naively thought I will have leftovers…Everybody ate and ate even the ones on standard american diets. I was scared about the flax seed meal but the final texture was amazing, great source of fiber so needed on a keto diet. A new stapler.
LOVE IT! So so yummy!
I went with water, rather than almond milk and it turned out pretty well. A smidge moist; I didn’t want to cook it any longer due to being crispy around the edges. VERY filling with a small bowl of chili. We’re both pleased with it and will make it again. Next time without the cheese on top, I want to try just a basic batter bread like that with butter.
Wonderful recipe, have bread to eat again! as I do not have a skillet, I used a heavy porcelain baking dish, 9 1/2″ square, got it up to the high oven temperature and put in the mixture. Baked perfectly in about 12 minutes, and was cooked all the way through. Am enjoying it with everything and toasts beautifully when cut horizontally to produce a bread-sized slice.
I just made this for lunch today and my husband and I both loved it! Two things I did differently: added about 1T of corn flavoring, and a few drops of EZ-sweet sweetener. It made it taste a little more like corn bread. We love the crispy crust from the butter in the skillet. We had it for lunch with a low carb tomato basil soup – YUM!
Hon, I am making tbis again just like I did the first time, adding 10 minutes at 175 degrees then turning off the oven and leaving the cornbread in the oven for 10 more minutes. I was afraid to change any thing because it came out soooooooo wonderful the first time. I think the high temperature helps it to rise. What I LOOOOVE is how quick it comes together, and one bowl! Quick and easy is my mantra- I work from home and take care of my 95 year old mom. Thank you for a fabulous recipe. (2nd time I have commented on a blog. You rock! Thanks for all you do.)
Glad you like it!
This is delicious! Had to make another batch for stuffing today, and I don’t know if it will make it there… too yum! Merry Christmas Carolyn to you and yours.
OMG!!!! I just made this and it came out AaaaamaaaaaazING! Some adjustments were needed. I used 1 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, and none on the top. No salt as the cheese is salty. Baked for 16 minutes at 425, middle was not cooked. Reduced heat to 175 for 10 minutes, turned off the heat and left in for 10 minutes more and PERFECTION!!!!! I am thinking 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes may be a better fit.
I have NEVER responded to a blog recipe b4, but had to say how this is a game changer. Cornbread dressing, coffee cake, garlic bread. Can I say more? I made this in a 9″ cast iron skillet and it raised almost 2″, BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!)
Thanks!
Trying this right now it is baking and smells marvellous! Will report back 🙂
It was amazing!! This will be my go to bread on weekends! Family loved it. Thank you! ??
I don’t have a cast iron skillet, can I use a 8×8 baking pan or glass 8×8 pan?
That should do. Go with the glass. It won’t be as crispy and may take a bit longer to bake.