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Just three ingredients — ham, white cheddar, and heavy cream — and somehow they bake into something that tastes like the cheesiest, crispiest edge of a casserole in every single bite. Warm, melty, and impossibly savory, these low carb ham and cheese bakes come together in minutes and disappear just as fast. Every time I make them, someone asks for the recipe.
Why You’ll Love It
- Only 3 ingredients — ham, white cheddar, and heavy cream. That’s it.
- 10 minutes of prep — layer, top with cheese, and the oven does the rest.
- Make-ahead friendly — assemble the night before, refrigerate, and bake when you’re ready.
- Low carb without trying — no swaps, no substitutions, just naturally fits the way you’re eating.
- Seriously hard to stop eating — that bubbly, golden cheese crust gets everyone every time.
About the Ingredients
Ham is the one place I won’t compromise much. You want the big, round deli slices — the thin-cut ones, not the thick. Some stores carry a “low-sodium” version that works fine. What you’re watching out for is anything with honey or maple in the name. Check the back. Some of those hams have more sugar in them than you’d think, and if you’re making this for someone who’s managing carbs for health reasons, it matters. I’ve used Black Forest ham in a pinch, and it works, but it has a slightly different flavor — a little smokier, a little less neutral. Not bad. Just different.
White cheddar — not yellow. I know that sounds fussy but it actually does taste different to me. Something sharper about it, more complex. I buy the pre-shredded kind because I’m not going to pretend I always have time to shred cheese, but if you’ve got a block and a grater and a free arm, go ahead. The shreds tend to melt a little more smoothly from a fresh block, I’ll admit.
Heavy whipping cream. Not half-and-half. Not milk. The fat is the whole point here — it’s what creates that thick, almost custardy layer between the ham, and it’s what keeps everything from turning dry and sad in the oven.
Ingredients
- 1 pound thinly sliced deli ham — the large, round kind
- 2 cups shredded white cheddar, divided (I use a full 2 cups, sometimes a little more if the bag’s almost empty)
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
To Make It
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Take a medium ceramic casserole dish — I use one that’s roughly 8×10, or thereabouts, I’ve never actually measured it, it’s just the one that lives in the cabinet under the stove — and grease it with a little butter or nonstick spray. Don’t skip this step. Cheese on ungreased ceramic is a pain to clean, and you’ll remember that I warned you.
Stir together the heavy cream and one cup of the shredded cheddar in a small bowl. It’ll look a little lumpy and thick. That’s right. Set it aside.
Start laying ham slices over the bottom of the dish, overlapping them a bit, tucking pieces into the corners. You want to cover the whole bottom. Tear slices in half if you need to — this part is completely forgiving, it’s not architecture. Spoon some of the cream-cheese mixture over the ham and spread it loosely. You don’t need to cover every inch; just kind of dot it around and let it be.
Then do it again. Another layer of ham, this time folded and crumpled a little so you get some ruffled edges — those are the parts that brown up and get slightly crispy and honestly they’re my favorite. More cream mixture. Keep going until you’ve used everything up, and try to end with a ham layer on top so the last thing you do is cover the whole surface with that remaining cup of cheddar.
Then you wait. Eighteen to twenty-two minutes, middle rack. The cheese should be fully melted and bubbling around the edges, with some golden-brown spots on top. If you want more color — I usually do — hit it under the broiler for a minute or two, but watch it. It goes from golden to burnt faster than you’d think. I know this from experience and from one Thanksgiving appetizer situation I don’t need to revisit.
Let it sit for five minutes before you cut into it. I know. I know. It smells incredible and you don’t want to wait. But the layers will slide apart if you go in too soon, and you’ll end up with a delicious mess instead of actual servable pieces. Five minutes is not that long.
On Variations
Smoked cheddar works really well here if you want to go in a more barbecue-adjacent direction — different, but very good. Turkey slices can sub in for the ham if needed; just watch the bake time since turkey has less fat and can get a little leathery if it goes too long.
If you want heat, a pinch of red pepper flakes on top before it goes in the oven is enough. Or fresh cracked black pepper, which I almost always add even though it’s technically not “in” the recipe.
Leftovers
Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge. They’re good for three, maybe four days, though in my house they’ve never made it that long. Reheat in the toaster oven — not the microwave. The microwave will make the ham rubbery and the cheese will turn into a weird plastic texture that I find genuinely upsetting. A few minutes at 350°F in the toaster oven and it comes back close to what it was fresh. Not exactly, but close.
Don’t leave the dish sitting out after it’s baked. Two hours, then it needs to go in the fridge. I feel like everyone’s mother has said this at some point and everyone ignores it until something goes wrong at a party, so I’m saying it again.
Final Notes
Serve this straight from the dish while it’s still hot, with a green salad alongside or some raw veggies and ranch if you’re keeping things simple. It’s also very good next to scrambled eggs if you’re doing breakfast-for-dinner, which is something I find myself doing more and more now that the kids are older and nobody’s arguing about what to eat anymore. That phase was exhausting. I didn’t realize how exhausting until it ended.
Set out toothpicks or small tongs so people can serve themselves. Spicy mustard on the side is a nice touch if you think of it, though I often don’t.
Honestly, these are pretty great cold too — straight from the fridge the next morning with a cup of coffee. Not that I’d know anything about that.
Low Carb Ham & Cheese Bakes
Ingredients
- 1 lb thinly sliced deli ham large round slices preferred
- 2 cups shredded white cheddar cheese divided
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- butter or nonstick spray for greasing the casserole dish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and grease a medium casserole dish with butter or nonstick spray.
- In a small bowl, stir together the heavy whipping cream and 1 cup of shredded white cheddar until combined.
- Layer ham slices over the bottom of the prepared dish, overlapping as needed to cover the surface.
- Spoon some of the cream-cheddar mixture over the ham and spread it loosely.
- Repeat the layers with more ham and cream-cheddar mixture, folding or crumpling some ham slices to create ruffled edges.
- Continue layering until the ham and cream mixture are used, ending with a ham layer on top.
- Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of shredded white cheddar evenly over the surface.
- Bake on the middle rack for 18–22 minutes, until the cheese is melted, bubbling around the edges, and golden in spots.
- For more browning, broil for 1–2 minutes, watching closely.
- Let the bake rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.