Keto Ham and Cheese Bites
These Keto Ham and Cheese Bites are only 1.5 net carbs each, and are great warm or cold! This is one of the best keto recipes!
Two of the most popular recipes on this site are my Keto Sausage Egg and Cheese Bites and my Keto Pizza Bites. If you’ve been a reader long and you are trying a low carb diet, chances are you have already tried them. I think they are so popular because they are very easy, make a large batch and are perfect for meal prep.
I got a message on Instagram last week asking if I had any varieties to share and of course I do! I made these Keto Taco Bites for my dedicated low-carb website a few weeks ago, and today I’m sharing this easy ham and cheese version!
What is the Keto Diet?
Keto is a high fat, low carb diet. When your body is in a state of ketosis it burns fat for fuel instead of carbs. The total amount of suggested net carbs can vary from person to person, but generally people can reach ketosis when they have had 40-20 net carbs.
It can be difficult to find grab and go or meal prep-style foods that fit this diet because so many of those go-to options are full of carbs. These ham and cheese homemade egg bites are tasty eaten warm or cold. One batch makes over 20 bites (24 for me) and they contain 1.5 net carbs each! They make a great low carb breakfast, or a good lunch paired with a garden salad or other low-carb side.
Ingredients for Ham and Cheese Bites
As always, this is a quick overview of the ingredients needed for this recipe. For the complete, printable recipe just keep scrolling. To make simple ham and cheese bites you will need:
- Ham: any good quality thick-cut ham will do, this is a great way to use up leftover holiday or “Sunday” ham.
- Cream Cheese: you can use full or reduced-fat cream cheese in this recipe.
- Coconut Flour: coconut flour provides the best fluffy texture, but you can use almond flour if needed. Please see the substitution information below.
- Baking Powder: provides lift and rise for these cheesy bites.
- Shredded Cheese: I prefer sharp cheddar in this recipe but Swiss, or another cheese will work as well.
- Eggs: you will need size large eggs for this recipe. I have not made this recipe with any egg substitutions.
Can I Substitute the Coconut Flour?
I get a lot of questions regarding the coconut flour. I do not notice any coconut flavor, but I suppose if you are highly sensitive you might get some hint of the flavor? You can substitute almond flour in equal amounts if you wish, but the bites will not be as light and fluffy with almond flour.
How to Make Keto Ham and Cheese Bites
Aside from the ingredients listed above you will just need a mixing bowl, a spatula, and a large cookie sheet. You can use a silicone-lined baking sheet if you wish, they help prevent sticking and help the bites cook evenly.
Chop Ham
Chop the thick-cut ham into small pieces. You will need two cups of chopped ham for this recipe. I love to buy the small hickory smoked quarter ham, it has great flavor and is perfect for easy meals like this. Remember, if you are watching carbs don’t grab a ham with added sugar such as honey baked ham.
Combine the Ham and Cream Cheese
In a medium size mixing bowl combine the ham and softened cream cheese. Mix well until there are no clumps of cream cheese.
Add Remaining Ingredients
Add the shredded cheese, beaten eggs, coconut flour, and baking powder to the bowl. Combine the ingredients well until a soft dough forms.
Chill
Chill the mixture for at least 10 minutes in the fridge. Do NOT skip this step! Coconut flour is very absorbent. You must give it time to soak up the egg mixture, or the bites will be flat. Allow the mixture to chill while the oven preheats.
Bake
Using a small cookie scoop, drop the mixture onto a large baking sheet. Make sure there is a bit of room between each bite, as they will puff up as they cook. Bake at 350F until golden brown on top.
Storage and Freezing
To store these Ham and Cheese Bites place them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
You can also freeze these bites. Let them cool to room temperature, then freeze on a baking sheet so that they don’t clump together. Once hard, seal inside a freeze bag. To reheat, microwave in 30-second intervals.
FAQ Keto Bites
Yes, you can make these bites with almond flour instead of coconut flour, use equal amounts. The bites will not be as fluffy with almond flour.
If using smoked ham the carbs are very minimal. Be sure you are not using ham with sugar added and check the nutritional information on your specific ingredients.
Yes, this recipe is naturally grain and gluten free.
Yes, you can certainly double this recipe. You will need two large baking sheets.
Best Keto Breakfast Recipes:
- Sausage Egg & Cheese Bites: excellent for low carb meal prep and just 1 net carb each!
- Ham, Egg & Cheese Muffins: super easy and a great way to use any leftover ham from this recipe.
- Keto Bacon, Egg, & Cheese Bites: a great grab and go breakfast that even your pickiest eater will love!
- Cinnamon Roll Chaffles: quick, easy and tastes just like a cinnamon roll without the carbs!
- Keto Bacon Biscuits: loaded with bacon and cheese these will be your new favorite!
- Air Fryer Bacon: perfectly crispy and ready in 10 minutes!
Get the Recipe: Keto Ham and Cheese Bites
Ingredients
- 2 cups ham, chopped
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/3 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 3 eggs, beaten
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Combine ham and cream cheese until completely combined.
- Add in remaining ingredients until well combined and chill 10 minutes.
If you skip chilling the dough they will flatten as they cook and not be nice round balls. - Drop onto a greased baking sheet (I like to use the silicone baking mats) using a small cookie scoop.
- Bake 20-23 minutes until golden brown.
These keto ham & cheese bites look wonderful. Do you think they would freeze well?
Yes! I have frozen most of my second batch actually, I just microwave them 30 seconds, then about 15 seconds more if I am doing quite a few. 🙂
These would be so great for a party too. They look amazing
These sound delicious! Dangerously good…
I love all the ingredients. I am sure I will love these!
YUM! The perfect grab & go breakfast or snack!!
What an awesome recipe that won’t throw me off my diet! I love it!
Could I use almond flour instead?
Yes coconut flour or almond flour work in equal amounts on this one. Hope you enjoy!
Is one ball a serving?
The nutrition is calculated per ball to make it easy to calculate however many you eat.
It is the BEST Keto recipe I found, I cooked it several times and even my kids love it and I am also grateful I found , it helped me not only lose weight but keep it off, I hope it help others too
Can you use gluten free flour?
Hi Elle, I imagine an all purpose gluten free flour would work fine, but I have not tested it.
Can you taste the egg? My husband doesn’t like eggs. thanks
Hi Laura, they don’t taste like a quiche or egg muffin they are definitely more of a light/fluffy ham and cheese muffin/bread if that makes any sense? But I’d say you would notice the egg a little, so if he is super sensitive to them he might not like them. I hope that helps! 🙂
Just made these and they are delicious! I did sub Almond flour and they still turned out great. One suggestion is after chilling the mixture give it a quick stir. I just dug in and started scooping and found as I got to the bottom of the bowl there was excess egg mixture.
I’m so glad you liked these Rita, we love them!
These are great! Really easy and tasty. Didn’t even add salt! On one hand, it’s impossible to think they’re so calorie dense for their size, on the other it means I have office lunch down packed for the month! Thank you! Your recipes never fail!
Do you think I could leave this to chill for 2 or 3 hours in the fridge without affecting it? I will be in a little bit of a hurry this evening and thought I might make them ahead of time and keep them in the fridge until time to cook
Hi there, yes that will be fine as long as the mixture is covered. I’ve done this a couple times and find it didn’t make any difference. I hope you enjoy! 🙂
I followed the directions exactly as they were, but I have a baking sheet full of liquidy goo after nearly 15 minutes…. The mix seemed very runny when I got it out of the fridge, but I was hopeful. Is it really just 1/3 cup of flour and 3 eggs?
Amanda, we make these weekly with no issues. If you used extra large eggs that could be a problem but these come out perfectly for us. Coconut flour absorbs moisture pretty rapidly there is no reason why it would be runny if you let it chill.
I used large eggs and almond flour. The flat “biscuits” were quite a hit with my 2 and 4 years olds! Lol The second batch, I added a heaping 1/4 cup of almond flour more and they turned out more full. Flavor was definitely on par though, so I’m making them again tonight! My kids have decided breakfast for dinner is their new favorite and the 4 year old specifically asked for these! 🙂 I’m in Texas, wonder if that has anything to do with the difference…
These are so addicting!! I live with my husband and two grown sons and I’m the only one on Keto. I make these so I can have a quick breakfast in the morning but I seriously have to hide them because my men will steal them all! They can’t tell and don’t care that they are low carb…everyone loves these!!!
My grown daughters and I have all recently started Keto. It’s been a struggle as you mentioned above because there aren’t any easy snacks to grab. These were SO good! I know I’ve eaten more of them than I should have today (Father’s Day – we all got together and youngest daughter brought these), but I couldn’t help myself. Will be making and freezing some and sharing with my Keto neighbors too. LOVE them! Thank you so much. Just when I start to think this Keto thing is going to be too hard, I discover something like this.
Hi Charlene, thanks for your kind words! I also have some keto pizza bites on the site you might like those as well!
Can I skip or sun the cream cheese?
Hi Ana, no I don’t believe these would turn out well without the cream cheese.
Mine turned out really good…I melted butter and mixed in garlic powder to pour on mine after baking…really good….Will be making these again….
These are good, but I am a condiment freak. Any suggestions what I could use for a dipping sauce with
these?
I made these with melted butter, garlic and parsley and for my mayo loving toddler I made an roast garlic&parsley aioli dipping sauce. When she ran out of aioli she dipped in pesto.
These are super delicious!
Hi! Thanks so much for the recipe. Do you think this will work on a non-stick frying pan? I don’t have an over as of now and am so tempted to try this! Thanks!
I’m not on a keto diet but these look yummy could I just use regular flour?
Hi Kathy, I’ve never made these using real flour, so I can’t say for sure, but I believe that would work.
My kiddos and husband approved which is a huge win for us. I eat a lot of healthier keto meals that they don’t always enjoy or love so when they ask for more it definitely is awesome. I also put two scopps in a muffin tin lined with parchment liners and they come out perfectly!
Can you taste the cream cheese ? I’m not a fan of cream cheese but these sound delicious otherwise
I do not find the cream cheese noticeable, but I suppose it would depend on how sensitive you are.
I’m wondering if adding chopped green chilies would work?
Yum just made this! I added garlic powder and Italian spices and it came out so flavorful!
Ever made them with bacon or sausage instead of ham?
Just search sausage bites and bacon bites in the search bar, there are recipes for both.
I decided to make this, pulled out left over “ham” from freezer to thaw~mixing up ingredients, I realized I grabbed the smoked turkey 🤦🏽♀️
DELICIOUS mistake! Now, I’m making more to freeze and can’t wait to try it with ham!
I minced the ham, and made a double batch. I used a mexican blend of cheese instead of cheddar. Plus I had to cook them at 400 for 20 minutes. Out of the 40 I made, within the first 10 minutes only five were left. Were great with Ranch dressing and BBQ sauce.
Can these be baked in a cast iron skillet?
wow
Instead of coconut flour may I use all purpose flour?
Excellent recipe! I made this as described, and cooked up a small batch of 6 in my airfryer (180C for 15min). They were tasty, but did have a noticable hint of coconut flavor (due to the brand of coconut flour I have, no doubt). I then mixed in about a quarter cup of minced onionn and a half teaspoon of garlic powder to the mix, and cooked up another batch the next day — they are now perfect!
can I use regular flour in this recipe?
I used bamboo fiber in place of coconut flour. Used equal amount, 1/3c. Worked very well and the texture was light on the finished product.
Excellent recipe. I use a 16 oz package of diced ham, so it’s really quick to prep. And I make them a little bigger for a total of 12. My husband and I both love them for breakfast. That little bit of coconut flour makes them a little less eggy — perfect!