A low carb gluten free bread recipe that is quick and easy to make. Using a blend of cheese and alternate flours, you can have your bread and it it too.
Can you ever have enough low carb bread recipes? I don’t think so, especially since gluten free low carb bread is difficult to buy in regular stores.
And, if you do find a bread that’s low carb, it tends to be very expensive. That’s why I like to have a few simple and quick low carb bread recipes that are easy to make and don’t require much time.
This recipe for gluten free low carb bread has cheese mixed into it. You may be wondering why I decided to add cheese.
Cheese, particularly mozzarella cheese, can provide a bit of elasticity that is needed in gluten free bread. That’s why it’s used in a lot of low carb pizza crust recipes like the beloved Fat Head pizza crust.
In the past, I’ve always added a little xanthan gum to prevent crumbling. Xanthan gum is made by fermenting corn sugar with the bacteria Xanthomonas campestris. This is the same bacteria that creates black spots on broccoli and cauliflower. Pretty gross, huh?
Although xanthan gum is a popular food additive, I’ve started to experiment with ways to leave it out of my low carb recipes. It’s not always needed.
The first time I made this bread, it was really dry. To get rid of the dryness, I added a half stick of butter to the cream cheese. The butter added a nice flavor to the bread as well as some much needed fat.
I tested this recipe with both a hand mixer and my food processor. Both work, but the mixer whips up a lighter batter which seemed to result in a fluffier bread.
The batter is thick, but not thick enough to work like real bread dough. It needs to be poured into molds. Adding some chia or psyllium husk could possibly make it more like bread dough so modification of the recipe is needed to make this a real bread dough.
I used an 8×4-inch silicone bread pan so I didn’t have to grease or use non-stick spray. You could use a 9×5-inch pan, but the batter will only fill about half the pan which results in a shorter loaf.
We like to eat this gluten free low carb bread as an appetizer before dinner, to compliment fried eggs, or just for snack. A few variations of this bread would be to top it off with shredded cheese before baking or adding herbs to the batter to enhance the flavor. Muffins could also be made for easy individual servings without having to slice the loaf.
Cheese Gluten Free Low Carb Bread
Ingredients
- 5 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup butter softened
- 2/3 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 3 tablespoons unflavored whey protein
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese shredded
- 3 tablespoons water
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray or grease 8x4-inch bread pan if needed.
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Combine cream cheese and butter with mixer or in food processor.
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Add remaining ingredients and process until well blended.
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Spread into bread pan.
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Bake 25-30 minutes or until firm and lightly browned.
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Store leftovers in refrigerator.
Recipe Notes
Makes 15 slices
Nutrition per slice: 1.8g net carbs
Tracy A Scott says
I love this bread so much! It looks so much like cake so it’s very difficult for me to divorce the image from the savory taste but I love it!
Lisa says
It is a quick bread so adding sweetener and flavor may make it taste like cake. 🙂
Jacqueline Craddock says
Hello. I hope it’s ok to comment here. Just wondering, if you wanted regular bread, can you just leave out the cheese? Also, can this be done with a bread machine, cheese or otherwise.
Thank you.
Lisa says
The cheese is needed in this one and it’s a quick bread so if the machine has that setting, it would be okay to use a bread machine.
Charmi says
Hey Lisa,
Thanks for the wonderful recipe… I don’t consume eggs, so can I substitute this with flaxegg or chia egg without compromising on the texture of the loaf?
Lisa says
It’s worth a try. I’ve had the best success with egg-free baking using psyllium eggs.
De says
Omg so good, next time i dont think i will add the salt, it wouldnt really affect the rising will it?
Lisa says
That won’t affect the rise.
Don says
If you add psyllium husk, how much would you recommend? Does the psyllium husk replace any other ingredient or just an additional ingredient? Does any other ingredients need to be modified when adding the psyllium?
Same questions as above for Chia flour.
Lisa says
Adding psyllium or chia typically requires more liquid. Both can be used in place of flour and or eggs.
Cyndi R. says
Mine came out fluffy, with a nice crust. I subbed extra coconut flour for the whey powder. Somehow, it was super salty. Maybe next time, I’ll leave out the salt and decrease the cheese. Great texture, though.
Lisa says
Some cheese can be salty.
DeMarcy Brock says
How much coconut for did you add to sun the whey?
Jenn says
Just made this and my husband was so excited to try it! He wouldn’t even give it a chance to cool down! I think if he did it wouldn’t be so crumbly! Also I think the next time I will have to bake for a few more minutes. The middle is a bit soft and it did “fall” as it was cooling. Can’t wait to have toast with my fried eggs tomorrow morning! Thanks for sharing!
Lisa says
It is less crumbly as it cools.
Amey Gilbert says
Can you use Italian cheese or Italian blend cheese instead of mozzarella? If you can how much? Are usually don’t have mozzarella but I always have the Italian blend cheese shredded. Please help me out
Lisa says
I’m pretty sure you can sub in the same amount. However, that cheese isn’t as stretchy as mozzarella so texture may change.
Judith says
Just made this today exactly to the recipe (except for the whey protein – subbed more ground almonds) and it’s lovely, texture just like the picture of the sliced loaf above! My husband liked it too. I look forward to trying many variations on this bread. Now I can have my favourites again: tomato and avocado on toast, and toast fingers with my boiled eggs! This is only the second time I have done baking on Keto (never was much of a baker anyway) and the only other thing I made was cloud bread which I didn’t like at all. Keto baking ingredients like flours and sweeteners etc are very expensive here in New Zealand so it’s great to know they weren’t wasted. Thank you so much!
Lisa says
Yay! I’m so glad it worked out for you and your husband. I still haven’t tried avocado toast, but will be sure to try it next time I bake this bread.
Laurie Thomas says
Hi, Lisa
I used your bread recipe for my Thanksgiving stuffing. It was delicious. I crumbled it and dried it in the oven before adding sauteed onion celery and sage. I also made your mock sweet potato casserole it was awesome. Thank you.
Laurie
Lisa says
You’re welcome Laurie. Enjoy the rest of the holiday season!
D says
Hi Lisa
Love your recipes. What amount of physillium husk should I use in place of the whey powder?
Thank you!
Lisa says
You are better off just subbing in more almond flour for the whey.
Marijane says
Hi, Lisa,
I have some mascarpone cheese that needs to be used very soon. Could I use it in place of the cream cheese? I saw where a couple of reviewers mixed up the parmesan and mozzarella cheese, and I started wondering about my mascarpone. Or, maybe mix some of it in with the cream cheese? What do you think?
Lisa says
You should be able to use it or mix it up with some cream cheese. I find them similar enough to use for one another. Mascarpone is just a bit softer.
Mirinda says
Mine didn’t rise at all… Would you know why? My baking powder is fresh…
Lisa says
The rise comes from the baking powder and eggs. But, the flours used may also have an impact.
Jessica says
Think you could skip the butter to save on calories. Im more low calorie than low carb, but I also carb cycle so always need low cal & low carb options. Thanks
Lisa says
You could reduce the fat, but if you take it out, you’d need something to replace it with.
Edie says
Thank you so much for this recipe. My entire family loved it. I did substitute 1 tsp psyllium husk powder for the protein powder (based on another review). ”This is the first recipe that tastes like bread!! And I will be using it in so many variations. Just thinking about how good bread crumbs would be from this. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Lisa says
You’re welcome Edie! I’m glad the family enjoyed it too.
Debbie says
Made this used garlic powder and coconuts oil, flour mix of almond coconut and flaxseed mix really delicious . I’m excited about trying more varietions.
Anjala says
I need a good substitute for the coconut flour as my husband is highly allergic to coconut.
Lisa says
You can replace it with more almond flour in the same amount. I just find the combination to be more like regular flour.
Lhot says
Whatabout using oat flour? Almond and coconut flour is extremely expensive from where I live….
Lisa says
If you don’t mind the extra carbs you could give it a try. However, oat is a grain which many on keto avoid.
Nadine says
Love this recipe!! So good to toast & use with a BLT! I’m going to make a second loaf this weekend. I just discovered blackberry sugar free seedless jam that rocks with this bread…only 2 net carbs! Just one thing I omitted the whey and used ground chia flour instead…turned out just perfect. Went on a low carb diet to loose some baby weight 15 years ago because it was just so easy to follow having extreme sensitivity to gluten. Back then there was really nothing available for a gluten free diet and trying to find the flours in grocery stores where next to impossible to find. Just recently returned to the low carb diet. There is just so much more info and great tips available now.. I can’t believe how many more recipes are available that are gluten free!!! I should have tried this out again years ago!! I love your site! Thanks for sharing!
Lisa says
Thanks for the tip on chia flour. I’ll have to give that a try. It’s a good option for those sensitive to whey.
Tara says
Can you make this without adding the whey protein?
Lisa says
It’s just to lighten up the bread. You can try subbing with either the coconut or almond flour.
Kat says
Finally a a low carb bread that does not taste eggy!
I absolutely loved this!
I cooked mine in a 9×5 pan so it was really short. The slices where like cute little bread sticks.
I Added 1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum to help it hold together. I also omitted the salt as the cheese added plenty of saltiness.
This bread is so moist and flavorful!
http://imgur.com/a/jV9M0
Lisa says
They do look like cute breadsticks!
Tanya says
Turned this into an “everything bagel” loaf by spraying the sides of the pan with Non-stick spray, sprinkling the sides with home-made everything seasoning, and topping the loaf generously with more seasoning. I can’t stop snacking on it! I also subbed the Parmesan for a shredded Mexican cheese mix because I had a bag on hand I wanted to use up, but I’m sure this would work well with any combo of cheeses. Thanks for sharing the recipe – it will be the base for most of my Keto bread recipes going forward!
Lisa says
Sounds delicious Tanya!
Debbie says
I made this into little rolls, I left out the water and added 1/4 tsp of xantham gum. They were incredible!!! Tastes like cheesy bread, didn’t have that sad texture a lot of other gluten free breads have.
Lisa says
Awesome! Thanks for the feedback Debbie! 🙂
Marna says
I’ve got this in the oven as I write…I used Yellow Pea Protein Powder( a little less than 2 scoops=140 calories/2 carb/2 fiber/2 fat) instead of the vanilla whey powder I had on hand for carb count reasons….it is smelling good and the tiny taste of the batter gave my taste buds promise of yumminess to come… thank you for the recipe!!
Lisa says
I’ve never tried pea protein in recipes, but I have seen it listed as an ingredient on low carb products I’ve eaten. Sounds like it would be a good sub for whey.
Susan says
Could dry milk powder be substituted for whey protein? Thanks
Lisa says
I’ve never tried milk powder as it has more carbs than the whey protein. They are different so I’m not sure of it would work.
Jen says
Quick question…I am new to low carb. What type of protein powder did you use? Was it flavored or plain? Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks!
Lisa says
Plain whey protein. Isopure is zero carb.
Bob says
Is the calorie PER SLICE correct? Regular bread is in the 40-60 calorie range. These breads seem extremely high.
Lisa says
Regular bread is full of empty calories that make you hungry a lot sooner. You can double check the calories by plugging into the recipe analyzer at Calorie Count.
Rachel says
This bread has a lot of fat in it. 1 fat gram is 9 calories, where as 1 gram carb is only 4 calories.
J says
I made this bread tonight. It was very easy & made with ingredients that I always have on hand. It didn’t rise very much, but that was ok. It kind of gives me a cornbread vibe.
Lisa says
It is a smaller loaf of bread, but I’ll take it for the taste.
Harriett says
I make this every week, but can not get it to raise like the picture. I added a 1/2 tesp. o husk powder and that kept it from falling after cooling. But my loaf is only about 2 1/2 inches high. in a 8×4 pan..
Lisa says
You could try adding more baking powder or a mix of baking soda and cream of tartar. A little more psyllium husk may also help.
DonnaL says
I have never heard of mixing baking soda with cream of tartar. I’m going to give it a try, but can you tell me the reason it may help the rising??
I have a loaf of Soul Bread in the oven right now, but I’m going to give this recipe a try as soon as I get some almonds to grind or almond flour. How does one not notice the almonds are gone?!?
Thank you for all the hard work and tweaking you do for us.
Lisa says
People make their own baking powder with baking soda and cream of tartar. See the post at http://allnaturalideas.com/aluminum-and-grain-free-baking-powder/
Linda says
Hands down this beats the “soul bread” recipe in both simplicity, texture and flavor. Thank YOU!
Lisa says
Thanks Linda! I thought this recipe was pretty great myself and it is easier to do than the other. It’s almost impossible to mess this bread up!
Carol says
Hi Lisa,
I guess I am in the percentage of bad bakers. I messed this one up. It looked wonderful after I took it out of the oven, but then it started falling and just gave up. I followed your recipe to the tee. I have no idea what I did wrong. Any ideas? Yours looks so good and I was so looking forward to this.
Lisa says
Oh no! The only thing I can think of is bad baking powder as that’s the leavening agent I used.
Carol says
Actually, when I cut into it, it was raw in the middle. That is why it fell. I think my oven is set to a higher temperature than it should be. The bread was a bit darker on the outside than yours, and it was only put in for 20 minutes. I am going to try this again! I will not be beat. 🙂
Kat says
I just made this and I’m totally in love!
Every Keto bread I’ve tried so far has been terrible; either too many eggs or flax or chia.
This is DELICIOUS!
I’m a cheesemonger so I did alter it a tad… mostly because I haad a few cheeses I needed to use up.
I substituted the mozz for Caciocavallo (melts like a cheese curd) and the parm for a strong aged Cheddar.
I’m really excited to mix and match more cheeses though!!
Thank you soooo much!! I’m so happy to have a bread that I can actually enjoy!
Lisa says
Thanks for sharing! I’ll have to change up the cheese next time!
JoAnne says
How do you think this bread would hold up in a low carb sausage stuffing mix? Also, how far in advance could it be made before serving?
Lisa says
It could be made up to a week ahead if kept in the refrigerator. I’d slice and dry/toast it in the oven first for stuffing. It should hold up fine if dried first.
Melanie says
which tablespoon do you use? U.S. , UK, or Aus? I’m assuming US, but wanted to check.
Thanks
Lisa says
You are right. It’s the US tablespoon.
Terra says
Making this right now. Excited, we love fathead crust and this uses the same principle. Thanks for sharing.