This Keto Cheese Sauce recipe is perfect for drizzling over steamed broccoli or pouring over low-carb chips for nachos! Use it as a veggie dip or even in a burrito bowl. It's gluten-free, keto-friendly, and perfect for the keto diet.
We don't know about you, but cheese just seems to make everything better. While we're partial to plant-based cheeses lately, this classic Keto Cheese Sauce is perfect for when you're craving a little dairy. This cheese sauce is smooth and creamy, not lumpy like a lot of lower carb cheese sauces, and it's perfect for so many things.
We even give options below on how to make this cheese sauce vegan AND low-carb, it's a win-win! There's also no need for fancy contraptions (we do love our contraptions though 😉 ) but you won't need an Instant Pot or Slow Cooker for this easy recipe, just a single cast-iron skillet, the truth Swiss Army Knife of the kitchen.
Our favorite way to serve this Keto Cheese Sauce is to drizzle it over steamed broccoli that's also been drenched in garlic butter. HOLY FREAKING YUM. Seriously, you'll never want anything other than broccoli again 😉 It's a great way to get kids to eat some green goodness.
Obviously, you could also recreate your high school years and make football stadium-style nachos with some low-carb tortilla chips and some pickled jalapeño slices. Fun times 😆 We're all for junky nostalgic eats.
Read on for all of the details and helpful tips and tricks to make this easy recipe come together in a flash!
Ingredients in Keto Cheese Sauce
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 10 ounces heavy cream
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened and cut into small blocks
- 8 ounces mild cheddar, freshly shredded
- ½ tablespoon keto taco seasoning (or just salt and pepper to taste)
How to make Keto Nacho Cheese Sauce
- Heat a 10” or larger cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Melt butter in a skillet, add in heavy cream, stir to warm, but don’t boil. Slowly add in cream cheese in small chunks, stirring constantly, until cream cheese is melted and smooth.
- After cream cheese is completely incorporated, add in the cheddar cheese, stirring constantly to combine until melted. Add in taco seasoning to taste*. Serve immediately.
- If not using the taco seasoning, add the cheese then the salt and pepper to taste. This is perfect if you're serving the cheese sauce over broccoli and not a Mexican-inspired dish.
How to make this low carb keto recipe vegan/dairy-free
To make this Keto Cheese Sauce dairy free and vegan, make the following swaps:
- use vegan butter in place of regular (we like Miyokos)
- use unsweetened plain almond milk in place of heavy cream
- use vegan cream cheese in place of regular (we like Kite Hill)
- use vegan cheddar in place of regular (we like Violife Cheddar Slices in this recipe)
How to store leftovers
Store the leftovers in a lidded jar or container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To reheat, place the cheese sauce back into your skillet over medium heat. Maybe add a splash of cream (or almond milk if making this vegan) to thin the sauce out just a bit if it has thickened while refrigerated. Bring to a simmer for just a minute while whisking until smooth.
To make sure that the leftovers stay good for longer, always use a clean spoon to remove the amount you need from the container.
How to use this keto cheddar cheese sauce
SO MANY WAYS!
- Drizzle over steamed broccoli
- Make nachos with low-carb tortilla chips or pork rinds
- Drizzle over burrito bowls or hashes
- Dunk fresh-cut veggies into it
- Use it to make a keto mac and cheese
How to make a Queso Blanco style Cheese Sauce
We love a good cheddar sauce but we really LOVE a queso Blanco style cheese sauce for Mexican style dishes like nachos and burrito bowls. To make a queso Blanco style sauce, simply use shredded Monterey jack cheese instead of the cheddar.
Following our vegan instructions? We adore Violife Smoked Provolone for a queso Blanco. It tastes SO similar to the white cheese sauce we're used to at our favorite Mexican restaurants.
We usually mince up a jalapeño and add it to the sauce as well. YUM!
Common Question: Is regular cheese sauce keto?
Most of the time, yes cheese sauce would work within a keto diet. But you will find places that use thickeners (sometimes gluten-free and sometimes not) in their cheese sauce.
This recipe is made to be super keto-friendly with just 1 g of net carbs per serving as well as gluten-free. It's made with whole ingredients and can even be made dairy-free as you read above. We love recipes like this so that you can tailor them to your and your family's preferences.
Nutritional information
This high-fat, low-carb cheese sauce has just 1g net carbs per serving. As always, you can find the full nutrition info breakdown including the carb count (total carbs and net carbs) at the bottom of the recipe card (listed per serving). You can find the serving size/yield at the top of the recipe card. You should always double-check your ingredients since different ingredients may have different values.
To get a specific serving size you’ll want to weigh the final dish then divide it by the number of servings. We can’t provide this information as your cooking style will vary from ours as well as the brand ingredients you choose to use.
Tools we used to make this recipe
- Cast Iron Skillet [budget option, heirloom splurge option]
- Cutting Board
- Cheese Grater
- Whisk
Keto Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 10 ounces heavy cream
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened and cut into small blocks
- 8 ounces mild cheddar freshly shredded
- ½ tablespoon keto taco seasoning
Instructions
- Heat a 10” or larger cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Melt butter in a skillet, add in heavy cream, stir to warm, but don’t boil. Slowly add in cream cheese in small chunks, stirring constantly, until cream cheese is melted and smooth.
- After cream cheese is completely incorporated, add in the cheddar cheese, stirring constantly to combine until melted. Add in taco seasoning to taste*. Serve immediately.
KC says
Thank you for this! It was a success! We used this to help some picky eater dress up their broccoli. Since I always end up eating what they don't, I needed it to work for me just in case. Great news- it was a hit! They loved it! Sad news- I need to make more for me now 🙂 thanks again!