When it comes to keto-friendly foods, I am all about dairy.

Fortunately as someone who isn’t very lactose intolerant, dairy can provide a lot of fat, with usually very few carbs in most meals on the keto diet.

However not all types of dairy are created equal, and some may be more prone to having sugars or being used in dishes that are high in carbs in general.

In this article, I’ll be doing a deep dive on cream cheese, and will explain just how keto-friendly it actually is.

Nutrition Breakdown of Cream Cheese

Cream cheese can come in a variety of different forms, with different flavors, and different ways in which the dairy was cultivated.

On the keto genie diet, I generally recommend aiming for grass fed cream cheese whenever possible.

The nutrition facts for one serving (three ounces) of standard grass fed cream cheese are as follows:

• 50 calories
• 5 grams of fat
  • 2.8 grams of saturated fat
  • 0 grams of polyunsaturated fat
  • 1.2 grams of monounsaturated fat
• 0.6 grams of total carbohydrates
  • 0 grams of dietary fiber
  • 0.5 grams of sugar
• 0.9 grams of protein
• 46.5 milligrams of sodium
• 16 milligrams of cholesterol

Cream cheese also comes with around 40% of the recommended daily allowance of Vitamin A, and 1% of the recommended daily allowance of calcium, along with trace amounts of magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium.

There are also quite a few health benefits that come along with cream cheese. It’s a great healthy fat, and if you purchase an organic variant, you’re likely to cut down on sugar that you’d see in a lot of other dairy products.

Additionally, when compared to butter, it is typically far lower in calories. However the drawback is that it tends to be lower in fat than things like butter as well.

Because cream cheese is so rich in Vitamin A, it packs in the added benefits that Vitamin A provides. These benefits can include:

• • Boosting immune function
  • Improving vision
  • Regulating genes
  • Stimulating positive growth and development
  • Strengthened bone and skeletal health

Is Cream Cheese Keto-Friendly

So looking at the nutrition breakdown, is cream cheese keto-friendly? Because it is so low in net carbs, while still being a good source of fat and protein, cream cheese is definitely keto-friendly.

The real factor that determines cream cheese’s usefulness in the keto diet however is what you choose to spread it on.

Traditionally cream cheese is often used on foods like breads and bagels, which are obviously not keto-friendly at all. But it does have its place in keto-friendly recipes too.

For example, I like to cook it in with my eggs along with some spinach and other vegetables in order to get a heartier, creamier omelet for breakfast. You can also spread it on keto-friendly home made breads, mug cakes, and all sorts of fat bombs.

I like to spread it across celery for a quick and easy snack, and it goes great in stuffed bell peppers if you’re craving something both sweet and savory.

If you’re looking for some more cream cheese inspiration for your keto diet, I’ve included some of my favorite quick and easy keto cream cheese recipes below.

Keto-Friendly Cream Cheese Recipes

• Cream Cheese Fat Bombs

Ingredients:

• • 4 ounces of cream cheese
  • 1 tablespoon regular of 100% cocoa powder
  • 2-3 tablespoons of powdered erythritol or Swerve
  • 2 tablespoons of butter spread of or coconut oil

Instructions:

• • Soften up the cream cheese and coconut oil
  • Combine all ingredients until smooth using a KitchenAid Mixer
  • Spread mixture into a fat bomb mold, freeze to set
  • Take out after properly frozen, and enjoy

• Low Carb Cream Cheese Cookies

Ingredients:

• • 2 ounces of cream cheese (softened)
  • 1 large egg white
  • 1/4 cup of butter (softened)
  • 1/2 cup of Erythritol
  • 1/4 teaspoons of pink himalayan salt
  • 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
  • 3 cups of blanched almond flour

Instructions:

• • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
  • Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  • Use a KitchenAid Mixer to beat together the cream cheese, butter, and erythritol until the mixture is fluffy and light in
  • color
  • Beat in the vanilla extract, salt, and egg white
  • Lastly, beat in the almond flour, adding half a cup at a time
  • Use a medium cookie scoop to form balls of dough, to be laid out on the prepped cookie sheet
  • Flatten the cookie balls with the palm of your hand
  • Bake for about 15 minutes until the edges are lightly golden
  • Allow to cool in the pan before serving

• Cream Cheese and Salami Pinwheels

Ingredients:

• • One 8-ounce block of grass-fed cream cheese
  • 8–10 thin slices of pepperoni and genoa salami
  • 4 tablespoons of finely diced pickles

Instructions:

• • Bring cream cheese to room temperature and whip until it has fluffy consistency
  • Spread the cream cheese in a 1/4 inch thick rectangle in the center of a large piece of plastic wrap
  • Spread pickles over the top of the cream cheese
  • Place the salami over the cream cheese in overlapping layers so that all cream cheese layers are covered
  • Place a second pice of plastic wrap over the salami layer, and gently press down on it
  • Flip the entire rectangle over so the bottom cream cheese layer is now on top
  • Carefully peel back the plastic wrap off the top of the cream cheese layer
  • Begin rolling the entire dish into a long shape, removing the bottom layer of plastic wrap as you go
  • Place the pinwheel in tight plastic wrap and refrigerate entirely for at least four hours
  • Slice the log of cream cheese and salami into preferred thickness for serving

• Bacon and Cheese Fat Bombs

Ingredients:

• • 4 slices of bacon
  • 3 ounces of cream cheese at room temperature
  • 1/2 of a lime, zested
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup of butter
  • 2 tablespoons of shredded cheese
  • 4 sprigs of chopped cilantro
  • 3 serrano peppers, seeded and finely chopped

Instructions:

• • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
  • Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
  • Lay bacon strips in a single layer on the top of the sheet.
  • Bake the bacon in the preheated oven until browned and crisp, for roughly 15 minutes.
  • Drain bacon slices on paper towels (save the fat for future cooking later!)
  • Mix cheddar cheese, cream cheese, and butter together in a bowl until combined.
  • Add in the lime zest, along with a squeeze of lime juice, and garlic.
  • Fold the serrano peppers into mixture; refrigerate until chilled and stiff, for roughly 10 minutes.
  • Divide chilled cream cheese mixture into 6 equal parts and roll into balls to form the fat bombs.
  • Chop up the bacon and place in a bowl with cilantro.
  • Roll one fat bomb at a time in the bowl to coat. Serve cold.

• Microwave Cheese Cake in a Mug

Instructions:

• • 2 ounces of full fat cream cheese softened
  • 1 tablespoon Natural Mate All Purpose Granular Stevia or sugar substitute of your choice
  • 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons of heavy cream
  • 1 large egg at room temperature

Ingredients:

• • Add cream cheese to a medium microwave-safe bowl.
  • Cover the bowl with a paper towel and heat for just about 15 seconds.
  • Mix the melted cream cheese with a whisk until smooth and no lumps are remaining.
  • Add in the stevia, vanilla extract and whisk together until batter is smooth and ingredients are combined.
  • Add in heavy cream and egg.
  • Whisk again until batter is smooth.
  • Whisk on and off for the next five minutes or so to get rid of any potential lumps that may form as the batter combines
  • Pour batter into a microwave-safe 8 oz ramekin.
  • Cook the cake at full power in microwave for about one minute.
  • Cake should be bubbling at the surface but not completely set in the middle.
  • Cook for an additional one minute, but only for 30 seconds at a time until it starts to harden
  • Allow the cake to cool a few minutes at room temperature.
  • Use a spatula to loosen edges of cake from the sides of the ramekin.
  • Slide the cake out onto a plate.
  • Place the cake in fridge to set for one hour.
  • Serve the cake chilled with fresh fruit (blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries work great!)

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there are plenty of ways to make the most of this healthy fat on the keto diet. You may have some trouble ordering foods high in cream cheese at restaurants, because it is often paired with bread and mixed into sugary baked goods.

But at home, or on its own, cream cheese can be an excellent way to make any meal a bit more richer in flavor and texture.

Do you have any favorite cream cheese keto recipes of your own? Drop them in the comments below!