Keto Cheese Sauce (For Dipping Or Drizzling)

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This quick and easy keto cheese sauce is both creamy and delicious… and only uses three ingredients! Dress up steamed broccoli, dip your favorite low-carb chips, or top your tacos with it.

You’ve heard the expression that the dressing makes the salad? Well, this sauce makes the veggies! And the chips and the beef and the… Well, you get the point.

Butter is a keto staple on steamed veggies and creamy ranch dip is perfect for your fresh, crispy vegetable sticks. You might have even tried a quick and easy hollandaise sauce recipe before.

But, sometimes you just want something savory and decadent; that’s when this creamy keto cheese sauce becomes your BFF. After all, everything tastes better with queso dip!

Most traditional cheese sauce recipes use flour as a thickener making them off-limits for people on certains diets or lifestyles. (low-carb, keto, Atkins, Banting, gluten-free) This creamy cheddar sauce has no thickening agents, however, and is perfect for all of those ways of eating!

This easy low-carb cheese sauce is about to become the best thing to hit your plate since you started cutting the carbs. And, if you have kids, they’ll love it, too!

Ingredients Needed For Keto Cheese Sauce

Now for one of the best parts: this keto cheese sauce only has three ingredients!

While there are other keto recipes for cheddar cheese sauce, they call for so many more ingredients and take a lot longer. This one tastes so good, why would you make life harder?

Cheese

Be creative and use a different kind of cheese each time. If you want a traditional cheese sauce, use shredded cheddar cheese.

For a spicier cheese sauce, use shredded pepper jack or buy some jalapeno cheddar cheese.

Gruyere melts beautifully and has a very distinct flavor that is popular for people who enjoy French onion soup.

Heavy Whipping Cream

This is what makes the sauce really creamy and rich. Use full-fat heavy whipping cream for the best results.

Dijon Mustard

I like the zest that dijon mustard gives the sauce. If you want a spicier sauce, then use spicy brown mustard instead.

Please note: Check out the recipe card at the bottom for a full list of ingredients used to make this low-carb recipe.

Quick Tips:

• It isn’t necessary to grate the cheese, but I prefer to because it helps the cheese melt faster.
• Grate your cheese at home instead of buying pre-shredded cheese. The bags of pre-shredded cheese have extra ingredients (like starches) added to them.
• When in doubt, use the lower heat. If the stove or pan is too hot, you could scorch the cheese.

How To Make Keto Cheese Sauce

This low carb, high fat (LCHF) treat is ridiculously simple to make. All of the exact steps are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

First, here are some extra tips for you!

Grate Your Own Cheese

You could just chop your brick of cheddar cheese, but it melts much more quickly if you grate it ahead of time. Pre-shredded cheese won’t give it the same flavor/consistency/health as using your own brick. So, stick with fresh cheddar and not pre-processed.

Heat the Ingredients On The Stove

All you do is heat your cream with the mustard and cheese in it, stirring the ingredients over medium-high heat.

Stir it constantly and remove it from the heat as soon as it is all melted.

And that is how you make easy keto friendly cheddar cheese sauce!

What To Serve With Creamy Low-Carb Cheddar Sauce

The possibilities are truly endless, and the carb count is only 1 gram per serving.

This sauce is amazing over broccoli or cauliflower. If your kids resist the vegetables you serve, try topping them with melty cheddar sauce next time!

Pour it over your favorite low-carb noodles or riced cauliflower for a keto mac and cheese alternative. Consider topping it with some diced tomatoes and jalapenos for a Tex Mex inspired side dish.

Looking for inspiration to branch out from your normal vegetable choices? Check out this list of vegetables for a keto diet. Keto and low-carb diets don’t have to be boring!

This keto cheese sauce is also delicious drizzled on top of Crock Pot tacos or a taco salad.

To enjoy your creamy keto cheese sauce as an appetizer, pair it with an assortment of sliced low carb vegetables. Or, homemade keto chips or pork rinds are a good choice.

The plain salted ProTings chips are another option for low-carb friendly tortilla chips.

Frequently Asked Questions About Keto Cheese Sauce

Before we get to the recipe at the bottom of this post, here are some questions that people often ask me about it.

How do you store cheese sauce?

If you make this keto cheese sauce recipe ahead of time, store it in an airtight container (like a mason jar). It will keep for up to a week in your fridge.

How do you reheat homemade cheese sauce?

To reheat it, you can use the stovetop or your microwave. 

If you’re going to microwave your low-carb cheese dip, add a few drops of cream first. Then, heat in 1-minute intervals, stirring in between, until you reach your desired temperature.

If you heat it on the stovetop, adding a few drops of fresh cream is still a good idea. Be sure to stir constantly so it doesn’t scorch!

Other Low Carb Recipes To Try

Once you discover how simple it is to make your own low-carb sauces, you may want to try a few more. Here are some of my favorite recipes:

• Homemade Low Carb Ketchup tastes amazing on burgers or as a dip for your keto-friendly onion rings.
• Dill Mustard Sauce tastes perfect as a dip for vegetables or on a lettuce wrap.
• Keto Barbecue Sauce is the best thing ever with some chicken wings.
• Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce is another fantastic topping for steamed broccoli or cauliflower.
• Keto Worcestershire Sauce is low in sodium and only takes 5 minutes to whip together.

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Creamy Keto Cheese Sauce

Author: Lisa MarcAurele

4.8 from 25 votes

A creamy low carb cheese dip that only uses three ingredients. It's perfect for dipping keto friendly tortilla chips or using as a sauce for broccoli and other steamed vegetables.

Recipe Video (Click on Image to Play)

Prep Time1 min

Cook Time4 mins

Total Time5 mins

Course: Condiment

Cuisine: American

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Servings 8 people

Calories 160

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup heavy cream
• ▢ 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese grated
• ▢ 2 teaspoons dijon mustard

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients in medium saucepan.
• Stir over medium to medium high heat until all cheese is melted.

Notes

Makes about 1 ½ cups sauce.

It isn’t necessary to grate the cheese, but it will melt faster if grated. Grate your cheese at home instead of buying pre-shredded cheese. The bags of pre-shredded cheese have extra ingredients (like starches) added to them.

If the stove or pan is too hot, you could scorch the cheese.

If you make this keto cheese sauce recipe ahead of time, store it in an airtight container (like a mason jar). It will keep for up to a week in your fridge.

Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart

Nutrition

Calories: 160 | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 113mg | Potassium: 36mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 0g | Vitamin A: 580IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 122mg | Iron: 0.1mg

Additional Info

Net Carbs: 1 g | % Carbs: 2.6 % | % Protein: 10.3 % | % Fat: 87.1 % | SmartPoints: 7

Values

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    [carbohydrates] => 1
    [protein] => 4
    [fat] => 15
    [saturated_fat] => 9
    [cholesterol] => 55
    [sodium] => 113
    [potassium] => 36
    [fiber] => 0
    [sugar] => 0
    [vitamin_a] => 580
    [vitamin_c] => 0.2
    [calcium] => 122
    [iron] => 0.1
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Note on Nutritional Information

Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.

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First published on January 2, 2012. Post updated on April 29, 2021, with enhanced images and additional recipe information.