Although originally created as a component for my Deconstructed Kentucky Hot Brown, this Keto Gruyere Bread Pudding stands very well on its own. Made with rich Mornay sauce, more gruyere and parmesan and a savory blend of spices, it can be a delicious side dish or a tasty appetizer (think something like pull-apart bread).
What You Need to Make Keto Gruyere Bread Pudding
Equipment
- Cutting Board
- Chef’s Knife
- Bread Knife
- Rimmed Baking Sheet
- Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil
- Rubber Scraper – Or other utensil for stirring
- Cheese Grater – If you need / want to shred your own cheese.
- Saucepan – Large enough to hold and comfortably stir about a quart of liquid volume.
- Induction Burner – Completely optional, but if you have one, making the Mornay sauce is a good time to use it.
- Fine Mesh Strainer – For straining the onion, cloves, and bay leaf out of the heavy cream.
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Stand Mixer or Large Mixing Bowl with Hand Mixer
- Medium Mixing Bowl
- 9 x 13 inch Casserole Dish
- Nonstick Cooking Spray
Ingredients
Mornay Sauce:
- Heavy Cream
- Onion
- Whole Cloves
- Bay Leaves
- Grated Parmesan Cheese
- Shredded Gruyère Cheese
Bread Pudding:
- Dried Keto Bread Cubes – Directions for how to make them are in the recipe. You can either make them as part of this recipe or make them ahead of time and store them in a zip top bag on the counter. See the Recipe Notes below if you’d prefer a non-store bought alternative.
- Eggs – I almost always use Jumbo eggs, unless the store is out of them.
- Mornay Sauce (See above)
- Chicken Stock or Broth – I recommend my Homemade Chicken+ Broth if you have the time and inclination.
- Kosher Salt
- Ground Black Pepper
- Nutmeg – I recommend freshly ground / grated. I use a microplane zester.
- Paprika – You can use any paprika, but I recommend smoked paprika if you have it.
- Dried Parsley
- More Grated Parmesan Cheese
- More Shredded Gruyère Cheese
Getting Started with Making Keto Gruyere Bread Pudding
Okay, we’ll approach this in 4 stages:
- Dry the Keto Bread Cubes
- Make the Keto Mornay Sauce
- Assemble and rest the Bread Pudding
- Bake the Bread Pudding
Drying the Keto Bread Cubes
First, we’ll make our keto bread cubes. (I often just make a bunch at once and keep them on-hand.) We’ll cube 12 ounces (for me this is 12 slices) of keto bread. I like to cut my slices into a 4×4 grid for 16 cubes each. Then we’ll preheat the oven to 250°F and toss the cubes on a rimmed baking sheet. I toast them for 20 minutes, toss them around to expose the other sides to the heat, and put them back in the oven for another 20 minutes. Frequently, I’ll do this a day or two in advance and just store them in a zip top bag on the counter.
Making the Mornay Sauce
As a quick reminder: you can make this sauce in advance and refrigerate it if that works better for your Time Budget.
Due to the fact that we’ll need 2 cups of Mornay Sauce and that the cooking process will reduce the volume, we’re starting with 2 ⅔ cups of Heavy Cream. To flavor the cream, you’ll place the Heavy Cream in a medium saucepan with ¼ of a large Onion, 8 Whole Cloves, and 2 Bay Leaves.
Over medium high heat, we’ll bring the liquid just to a boil and then drop the heat to a simmer. To prevent scorching, burning, or an icky skin, I recommend continuously stirring for the next 10-15 minutes or until the liquid has thickened and reduced by about a third. Then, you’ll use a fine mesh strainer to strain out the onion, cloves, and bay leaves. Once done, you will pour the liquid back into the saucepan and set it over medium heat.
Next you’ll stir in 2 ounces of Grated Parmesan Cheese and 2 ounces of Shredded Gruyère Cheese until all the cheese is melted. After that, you’ll remove the sauce from the heat and set it aside for the moment. We’ll use it here shortly to assemble the Keto Gruyère Bread Pudding.
Assembling the Keto Gruyere Bread Pudding
Now we have our Mornay Sauce and are ready to prepare the Keto Gruyère Bread Pudding. First, in a stand mixer or large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, you’ll beat 2 Eggs, 1 cup of Chicken Broth or Stock, and 2 cups of the Mornay Sauce (as made above).
Once that mixture is cohesive, you can add in 1 teaspoon of Kosher Salt, 1 teaspoon of Ground Black Pepper, ½ teaspoon of Nutmeg (freshly grated), ½ teaspoon of Paprika (preferably Smoked), and ½ teaspoon of Dried Parsley. You will beat the mixture for about another 30 seconds to get it all incorporated.
Then we can mix in 2 ounces Parmesan Cheese (grated) and 6 ounces Gruyère Cheese (shredded). (Yep, we’re using more cheese!) You’ll beat it one more time to make sure everything is well mixed. Now you’re ready to fold in the Keto Bread Cubes until they are all coated in the mixture.
Next you’ll liberally grease a 9×13-inch casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in the mixture. Then you’ll place the casserole in the refrigerator to sit overnight or for about 8 hours.
Baking the Keto Gruyere Bread Pudding
After the bread pudding has had its rest, we’ll remove it from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking and preheat the oven to 325°F. You’ll bake the casserole uncovered for 1 hour or until cooked through. (Alternatively, you can put the cold casserole dish into the cold oven and then preheat it with the dish in it. Just don’t start the clock for baking time until the oven has come up to temperature.)
You can bake this in advance as well and then reheat it if that is what works best for you. However, this baking step can also be completed “day of”. If you are baking this bread pudding “day of”, then I suggest starting the bake about an hour and a half before you want it to be available for serving.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
Related Recipes
For a really fun dish that uses this Keto Gruyere Bread Pudding as a component, try my Deconstructed Kentucky Hot Brown.
If you like savory bread puddings, you should check out these recipes:
- Keto Spinach and Artichoke Casserole
- Keto Chicken, Ham, and Cheese Stuffing
- Keto Kentucky Hot Brown Casserole
- Keto Caprese Stuffing
- Reuben Raclette Casserole
Maybe you like sweet bread puddings instead? If so, here are some recipes you might like:
- Keto Bourbon Bread Pudding with Bourbon Caramel Sauce
- Keto Pineapple Bread Pudding
- Keto French Toast Casserole
- Keto Pistachio Bread Pudding
- Low Carb Pumpkin Bread Pudding
Keto Gruyere Bread Pudding
Ingredients
For the Keto Bread Cubes:
- 12 ounces Keto Bread Usually 12 slices
For the Mornay Sauce:
- 2 ⅔ cups Heavy Cream
- ¼ Onion large onion
- 8 Whole Cloves
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 2 ounces Parmesan Cheese Grated or Shredded
- 2 ounces Gruyere Cheese Shredded
For the Keto Gruyère Bread Pudding:
- 2 Eggs
- 1 cup Chicken Broth or Stock I recommend my Homemade Chicken+ Broth.
- 2 cups Mornay Sauce from above
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Nutmeg Freshly ground
- ½ teaspoon Paprika preferably Smoked
- ½ teaspoon Dried Parsley
- 6 ounces Gruyère Cheese Shredded
- 2 ounces Parmesan Cheese Grated or Shredded
- 12 ounces Keto Bread Cubes from above
Instructions
For the Keto Bread Cubes (See Recipe Notes for Alternative):
- Preheat the oven to 250°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Cut 12 ounces Keto Bread into cubes. For me, this is usually 12 slices of keto bread. Place the cubes on the rimmed baking sheet, toast in the oven for 20 minutes, toss, and then toast them for 20 more minutes. Set them aside.12 ounces Keto Bread
For the Mornay Sauce:
- Place 2 ⅔ cups Heavy Cream in a medium saucepan with ¼ Onion, 8 Whole Cloves, and 2 Bay Leaves.2 ⅔ cups Heavy Cream, ¼ Onion, 8 Whole Cloves, 2 Bay Leaves
- Over medium high heat, bring the liquid just to a boil and then drop the heat to a simmer. To prevent scorching, burning, or a yucky skin, stir continuously for the next 10-15 minutes or until the liquid has thickened and reduced by about a third.
- Use a fine mesh strainer to remove the onion, cloves, and bay leaves from the sauce. Pour the liquid back into the saucepan and set it over medium heat.
- Stir in 2 ounces Parmesan Cheese (grated) and 2 ounces Gruyere Cheese (shredded) until all the cheese is melted. Once done, remove the sauce from the heat and set it aside until assembly time.2 ounces Parmesan Cheese, 2 ounces Gruyere Cheese
For the Keto Gruyère Bread Pudding:
- In a stand mixer or large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, beat 2 Eggs, 1 cup Chicken Broth or Stock, and 2 cups Mornay Sauce (as made above).2 Eggs, 1 cup Chicken Broth or Stock, 2 cups Mornay Sauce
- Once that mixture is cohesive, add in 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt, 1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper, ½ teaspoon Nutmeg (freshly grated), ½ teaspoon Paprika (preferably Smoked), and ½ teaspoon Dried Parsley. Beat for another 30 seconds to get that all incorporated.1 teaspoon Kosher Salt, 1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper, ½ teaspoon Nutmeg, ½ teaspoon Paprika, ½ teaspoon Dried Parsley
- Then add 6 ounces Gruyère Cheese (shredded and 2 ounces Parmesan Cheese (grated). Beat it again to get everything well mixed.6 ounces Gruyère Cheese, 2 ounces Parmesan Cheese
- Fold in the Keto Bread Cubes.12 ounces Keto Bread Cubes
- Liberally grease a 9×13-inch casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in the mixture. Place the casserole in the refrigerator to sit overnight or for about 8 hours.
- To bake, remove the Keto Gruyère Bread Pudding from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking and preheat the oven to 325°F. Bake the casserole uncovered for 1 hour or until cooked through. (Alternatively, you can put the cold casserole dish into the cold oven and then preheat it with the dish in it. Just don’t start the clock for baking time until the oven has come up to temperature.)
Equipment
- Bread Knife
- Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil
- Rubber Scraper Or other utensil for stirring
- Cheese Grater If you need / want to shred your own cheese.
- Saucepan Large enough to hold and comfortably stir the liquid volume.
- Induction Burner Completely optional, but if you have one, making the Mornay sauce is a good time to use it.
- Fine Mesh Strainer or Sieve For straining the onion, cloves, and bay leaf out of the heavy cream.
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Stand Mixer Or Large Mixing Bowl with Hand Mixer
- Medium Mixing Bowl
- Nonstick Cooking Spray
Notes
- Alternative Keto Bread Cubes
- If you either can’t find or do not want to use store bought keto bread for your Keto Bread Cubes, I suggest making this Keto Cheese Bread from All Day I Dream About Food.
- Once it’s baked, allow it to cool, cube it, and then dry it in the oven on a rimmed baking sheet like you would for the store bought keto bread.
- For this Keto Gruyere Bread Pudding, I would use all of the Cheesy Keto Bread from 1 recipe.
- https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/low-carb-cheesy-skillet-bread/
- If you either can’t find or do not want to use store bought keto bread for your Keto Bread Cubes, I suggest making this Keto Cheese Bread from All Day I Dream About Food.
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