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!
Eric says
Made this last night with zucchini from my garden, and substituted for the garlic powder 3 cloves of pressed fresh garlic from this year’s crop. Also forgot all about the onion, so have to add that next time. The result was terrific, but my fresh garlic must be way stronger than your powdered… I didn’t have to worry about vampires last night at all!! Next time, 2 cloves, or maybe only 1. Might also try adding some fresh herbs in with it, too, or diced jalapenos.
I, too, had excess moisture issues, even after baking it an extra 20 minutes, but just served it with a slotted spoon and it was fine.
Anne-Lise says
Omg! My favorite dish as of now. I don’t know why but it is unbelievably delicious. My husband made it and said it was too watery so that next time he will try to add almond flour to it. I told him that if he changes anything to it I would divorce him ?
Whitney says
This was amazing!!! So delicious, I almost couldn’t stop eating it! It was perfect exactly the way it was written. Thanks!
Karen says
I don’t have heavy whipping cream today…but I have canned coconut milk. What do you think of subbing that? Otherwise I will save this recipe for another day!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Personally I think the flavor will be weird since I never combine coconut milk with cheese. But maybe it can work, let us know if you try it.
Taryn says
Question- doyou peel the zucchini before making? Or leave peel on?? Thanks!
Mellissa Sevigny says
No.
Leslie says
Even my picky teenage daughter liked this. My teenage son got thirds and my husband asked if I would make it again. Sounds like a winner for our family!!
SARA says
I made this today and it is SO GOOD! Like better than I thought it would be. I made it exactly as written except I salted the sliced zukes and left them on paper towels, changing out a few times over a few hours. My garlic powder clumped up on me in the microwave, not sure why. So we’re going on vacation next week and since we’re driving I had this amazing idea to cook/prepare everything ahead of time and freeze it so there’s no huge grocery run or working with a condo’s limited kitchen supplies. I really want to make this and freeze it and I can’t decide if I should bake it, cool it then freeze it or freeze it unbaked. Do you have any thoughts on that?? Thank you for a wonderful recipe!!
Lynn says
This was absolutely amazing!! I made it exactly as written. Not watery at all. Very delish!! #keeper!!
Rebecca says
This is a solid recipe. :-) It was easy and fast to make and came out delicious. My one critique is that like many other reviewers, there was so. much. water. I tried to head it off by sweating the veggies before baking, as others suggested but there was still a significant amount of water when it came out of the oven, even after giving it an extra 10 minutes of cooking time. That said, although this was a bit soupy the first night, it firmed up in the refrigerator overnight and we enjoyed the leftovers for several days. It is definitely one of those dishes that gets better later (which would make it perfect as a Thanksgiving side dish, since Thanksgiving is all about the leftovers. :-) Thanks for a great recipe!
Amanda Sterner says
Has anyone tried this in a crockpot? Would love to make a larger batch for a family dinner tomorrow.
Wendydawn Brindley says
I am histamine intolerant and there are few things that taste as indulgent as this fabulous recipe. Important note: due to histamine intolerance I substituted the Pepper Jack cheese for plain shredded mozzarella! This dish was so yummy and satisfying. Thank you for posting it!
Nina says
Wendydawn I too am histamine intolerant! I have not come across anyone until now who is. Have you figured out all the foods that you cannot tolerate? I am having a rough time figuring out what I CAN eat. Any tips would be appreciated :)