This cheesy keto zucchini gratin is an easy, creamy low carb side dish that’s perfect for using up fresh summer zucchini. If you’re looking for a simple keto zucchini recipe that actually gets eaten (even by picky eaters), this is the one!
You can skip the origin story for this easy keto zucchini gratin but using the jump to recipe button at the top of the post.
When Mr. Hungry decided to join me on keto recently to drop a few pounds after our carb heavy trip to the states in October, I had mixed feelings about it. He said he was doing it to lose weight and support me in my keto efforts, but as you wives know – that usually means more work for us.
“What can I eat?”
“I’m starving, do we have any snacks?”
“Did you eat all the bacon again?” (Yes, yes I did.)
Don’t get me wrong, Mr. Hungry does more than his fair share around the house, but cooking is mostly my department. And that would be fine – except he hates 90% or more of the things I love to eat on keto.
So while I would be perfectly happy throwing some Better than Potatoes Cheesy Cauliflower Puree in a bowl for myself and calling it dinner (which I do a lot) – he won’t touch anything that has cauliflower in it with a 10 foot pole.
Or broccoli, or spinach, or pretty much any vegetable that isn’t potatoes. Which makes it really hard to make keto friendly meals that he’ll actually eat.
Cue this keto zucchini gratin…
Zucchini is on the list of less offensive but not his favorite (i.e. “I don’t love it, but it doesn’t make me want to kill myself”) vegetables that I sometimes sneak in there.
Those of you with picky eaters in the family know the struggle. Whether it’s finicky kids or veggie phobic spouses, making something that everybody will eat and like is a challenge sometimes.
I find that to be true of keto side dishes most of all. Who doesn’t love a good steak or roasted chicken? But coming up with tasty low carb veggie side dishes that go with those main courses night after night can be a problem.
So when this Easy Keto Zucchini Gratin went down and everybody liked it – I mentally high-fived myself and made it a regular thing. You’re going to want to do the same when you try it!
I used pepper jack cheese the first few times I made this zucchini gratin, and we love the mild heat that it adds – but if you prefer cheddar I tried that too and it’s also delicious.
In fact, I’m pretty sure you can’t go wrong with almost any cheese in this keto zucchini gratin – so you do you, it’s all good.
Any time a keto dinner (complete with vegetables) goes on the table and nobody is whining or complaining?
That’s a win my friends – and I’ll take it!
Let me know in the comments if this zucchini gratin passed the test with your family!
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Easy Keto Zucchini Gratin – Low Carb
- Total Time: 56 minutes
- Yield: 9 servings 1x
- Diet: Diabetic
Description
This Easy Zucchini Gratin has become a staple in our house! It’s cheesy and creamy, super easy to throw together, and the perfect low carb side dish for your keto diet!
Ingredients
- 4 cups sliced raw zucchini
- 1 small onion, peeled and sliced thin
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F).
- Grease a 9×9 or equivalent oven proof pan.
- Overlap 1/3 of the zucchini and onion slices in the pan, then season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.
- Repeat two more times until you have three layers and have used up all of the zucchini, onions, and shredded cheese.
- Combine the garlic powder, butter, heavy cream, and xanthan gum in a microwave safe dish.
- Heat for one minute or until the butter has melted. Whisk until smooth.
- Gently pour the butter and cream mixture over the zucchini layers.
- Bake at 375 degrees (F) for about 45 minutes, or until the liquid has thickened and the top is golden brown.
- Serve warm.
Notes
Depending on your zucchini, you may find it takes longer to cook in order to get your sauce to reduce. If you find it very watery after the 45 minutes, lower the oven temp to 350 and cook it another 10 minutes or so.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 46 minutes
- Category: keto side dishes
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 x 3 square
- Calories: 230
- Fat: 20g
- Carbohydrates: 3g net
- Protein: 8g
More Zucchini Recipes You Will Love
If you’re overrun with extra zucchini, here are a few more low carb favorites:
Keto Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes w/ Mocha Frosting
Easy Four Cheese Pesto Zoodles
keto crispy baked zucchini slices – an edible mosaic
To get more fantastic keto recipes, download my super bundle of FIVE e-books for just $19.99!
Lourdes says
This was very tasty and easy to make. The zucchini was soft and the cheese was crispy. Pepper jack cheese usually gives a good flavor and the family loved it. I’ll be making it again.
Felicia says
I made this tonight, turned out perfect. For the commenters saying it turned out watery, try sweating your onions and zucchini first. I sweat all veggies before making a casserole with them.
Amanda says
How do you sweat veggies?
CARRIE says
SAUTE IN PAN UNTIL ALOT OF THE WATER COMES OUT AND THE VEGGIES ARE SOFTENED
Caroline Beernink says
Slice and lay it on paper towel, sprinkle salt on them and cover with paper towel. You can let them sit an hrif you want. Makes a big difference. I’ve made this recipe a dozen times now.
Emily says
I made this for Christmas Eve dinner, and it was FANTASTIC! I layered the veggies and cheese a couple hours ahead and poured in the cream mixture just before baking. I was worried I might have too much liquid due to the prelayering, so I cooked it a little longer and at a higher temp than recommended and it was PERFECT. Thank you for a great husband (and kid) pleasing recipe!
Kayleigh says
This was absolutely delicious! Blew my main dish out of the water. I did equal parts sharp cheddar, pepper jack and Monterrey jack and it was SO good. I think the only other thing I added was a pinch of cayenne for some extra kick. I salted the zucchini slices beforehand and blotted them as much as I could with paper towels before placing them in the dish. I also cooked it about 10-15 minutes longer than the recipe says. It was slightly watery at the bottom but the onions flavored the liquid so well that we wanted to slurp up the extra liquid!
Thank you for this amazing recipe! I am always looking for low-carb sides as I get sick of side salads and this will be a staple!
Mellissa Sevigny says
So glad it was a hit Kayleigh!!!
Ceil B says
Ditto! So tired of salads. This was amazing. I halved the recipe because I only had 2 sad little zucchinis, and I reduced the baking time by ten minutes. It was perfect. It wasn’t soggy or raw. It was perfectly cooked zucchini and delish browned cheese. And the onion flavor was divine! I think I will add cayenne next time like you said, for that extra little kick. I loved it!
Belinda says
Another winning recipe! I made this last night, I used about 2.5 medium zucchini and followed the recipe, I had no excess liquid. I ate seconds and put it away for my own good! My garden squash was a bust last year but I will try again next spring and hope for a big harvest!
Katie says
Just thought you should know how good this is! I made a version of this without onion and included bacon and it was amazing. No issues with texture or moisture. I am always afraid to try internet recipes but this was very good. And I hate zucchini! Not any . Thank you for sharing!
Jeanie says
Would it be possible to cook this in a crockpot? If so how long do you think it would take?
Christine says
I just made this for my husband and I to accompany a nice piece of steak. It was so delicious! I had read the reviews saying that there was too much liquid so I did end up cooking it about 20 minutes longer than the recipe states. There was just a little liquid and it was completely wonderful. We will have this again and my designs on the leftovers include breakfast. I am sooooo sick of bacon and eggs!! Thanks for your good work developing these recipes for us.
Kristina says
Oh em gee! This was amazing! I made it to go alongside baked chicken and my family all agreed that this could have been the main dish. I didn’t have pepper jack, but I did have sharp cheddar, mozzarella, and shredded parmesan. I mixed them all together on each layer. Followed everything else to a T. Absolutely delicious. Thank you!
Haylie says
I made this today, it is absolutely delicious! I am not a fan of courgette (zuccini) but this is a great way to eat them. The only thing I found with mine, was it was very oily once it came out of the oven, but that could be down to the amount of butter I used, I didnt measure 2 tbsps and just guessed it, so perhaps too much? I drained off some of the fat though . Really tasty :)