Keto Garlic Cheese Bread

Ingredients & Substitutions

Here I explain the best ingredients for my keto cheesy bread recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.

Fathead Dough:

• Mozzarella Cheese – Use shredded low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella. Avoid fresh mozzarella (the very soft kind that often comes in a ball shape), which has too much moisture.
• Cream Cheese – Full-fat plain is best, but low-fat or neufchatel would work.
• Wholesome Yum Blanched Almond Flour – Many brands are too coarse, which will yield gritty bread. Wholesome Yum brand almond flour is the finest out there, for the best texture in your keto cheese bread.
• Baking Powder – To help the bread rise a bit, though it won’t rise a ton. Be sure you’re using baking powder, not baking soda; the latter will result in bitterness and no rising due to the lack of acid in the recipe to react.

SWAP: For a nut-free option, make keto cheese bread with coconut flour instead of almond flour.

To do this, replace the 1 1/2 cups of almond flour with 1/2 cup Wholesome Yum Coconut Flour and add 2 extra eggs (for a total of 4) to the dough. Otherwise, the recipe will be the same, but you may end up with a smaller dough disc, so may need less mozzarella to stuff inside and/or garlic butter to brush on top.

Optional Yeast Ingredients:

• Active Dry Yeast – One packet, like this one. All the ingredients in this section are optional, if you want more lift and the flavor of yeast.
• Water – It needs to be lukewarm, like a baby’s bathwater, to activate the yeast properly.
• Inulin Powder – This is a prebiotic fiber used to feed the yeast, and it’s required if you’ll be including yeast in your keto cheesy bread. Keto sweeteners and sugar substitutes will NOT work, as yeast does not consume them like it would sugar. You can get inulin here (and use it for other yeast recipes, such as keto yeast bread, and for making keto chocolate), but regular sugar or coconut sugar would work as well. The yeast will consume most, if not all, of it, so the carb count in the final bread shouldn’t be much higher.

Garlic Butter Topping & Cheese Filling:

• Butter – Unsalted.
• Italian Seasoning – Use your favorite brand or make homemade Italian seasoning for all your healthy Italian recipes.
• Garlic Powder – I used this for convenience, but you can also use 2 cloves (or more!) of minced or crushed garlic instead. If you do, it’s best to stuff it into the cuts with the shredded cheese instead of mixing it with the melted butter, because it may burn on top of the bread but will be fine inside the cuts.
• Mozzarella Cheese – Preferably the same kind as used for the dough above, but other keto cheeses that melt well would work. Harder cheeses are not recommended for a pull-apart bread like this one, though you could add a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top if you like.

How To Make Keto Cheese Bread

I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.

1. Bloom yeast. The yeast in this keto cheesy garlic bread is optional, but I highly recommend it as it adds classic flavor. Stir the warm water, inulin, and yeast in a small bowl to bloom.
2. Start the dough. Process almond flour, baking powder, and eggs in a food processor.

3. Melt the cheeses. Melt mozzarella and cream cheese together in a microwave or double boiler.
4. Add cheese to dough. Before the cheeses cool (they should still be stirrable as shown above), add them to the mixture in the food processor and process until a dough forms.
5. Add yeast. When the yeast is frothy and puffy, add it to the food processor and pulse until combined. If the dough is sticky, chill in the fridge to make it less sticky.

6. Shape. Flatten the keto cheese bread dough into a disc, about 3/4 inch tall and 7 inches in diameter.
7. Slice. Cut rows one inch apart in the dough disc, cutting almost to the bottom, but not all the way through. Then add cuts in the other direction to form a grid, as shown below.
8. Brush. In a small bowl, stir together melted butter, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder. Brush over the dough, letting it drip down into the cuts you made.

9. Stuff. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella over the cut areas (not all over) and push inside the cuts.
10. Bake. Place in the oven until the keto friendly cheese bread is golden and cooked through. It needs to not only brown on top, but also be cooked inside.

Serving Ideas

Serve this keto garlic cheese bread recipe with your favorite Italian dish, such as a keto soup, low carb pizza, or low carb salad, to make a complete meal:

• Soups – Try vegetable soup or creamy cauliflower soup for a vegetarian meal, or zuppa toscana for something more hearty.
• Pizza – My favorite is classic keto pizza, but lighter, veggie-filled options include zucchini pizza crust, eggplant pizza, or pizza casserole.
• Salads – Try wedge salad, Caesar salad, or antipasto salad.
• Marinara Sauce – For dipping!
• Appetizers – Make a complete appetizer spread featuring keto meatballs, low carb mozzarella sticks, and buffalo chicken wings.

More Keto Bread Recipes

If you like this recipe, try these other easy keto bread ideas:

Keto Bread

Keto Dinner Rolls

Cloud Bread

Coconut Flour Bread