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This recipe for Low-Carb Ham and Cheese Sandwich Braid makes a delicious low-carb sandwich alternative. Kids love the ham and melted cheese goodness, so this recipe makes a great family dinner. This recipe can be part of a low carb, keto, Atkins, diabetic, gluten-free, or Banting diet.
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The Recipe for Low-Carb Ham and Cheese Sandwich Braid
This ham and cheese sandwich braid boasts a base of sandwich ham and melted provolone cheese. The flavor is enhanced with a creamy mustard and thyme sauce. The whole thing is wrapped in a blanket of tender bread.
Baking this sandwich browns the bread into scrumptious goodness, warms up the ham, and melts the cheese. This results in the ultimate low-carb sandwich!
This recipe may look difficult, but it’s really very easy. In order to make it easy, I provide step-by-step instructions below.
The inspiration
Who doesn’t love a good grilled ham and cheese sandwich? This recipe was inspired by all of those grilled ham and cheese sandwiches I ate as a kid.
For the dough in this recipe, I used the same dough I used the same keto sandwich bread dough that I used for my low carb meatball sub recipe. This dough is great to work with and versatile. People have shared all kind of foods they’ve made with it including calzones and Philadelphia steak sandwiches.
For the shape of the dough, I borrowed from my low-carb baklava braid. This is a sweet recipe, but I love the way it looks and I thought it would be beautiful as a sandwich braid.
Can you eat sandwiches on a keto diet?
While you can’t eat most wheat breads on a keto diet, you can still enjoy sandwiches! This recipe is only one example of a sandwich that is keto-friendly. You can also enjoy my meatball subs, or wrap up sandwich ingredients in one of my low-carb tortillas.
These low-carb biscuits are perfect for breakfast sandwiches. Also, large lettuce leaves make a wonderful option to use as a keto-friendy wrap.
If you love bread, don’t worry, there are low-carb bread recipes out there as well. You may want to check out this low carb Paleo Bread from My PCOS Kitchen or thisEasy Keto Bread recipefrom Wholesome Yum. For mini sandwiches, these mini-loaves from Trina Krug may fit the bill.
Is ham okay for a keto diet?
Ham is one of those ingredients that you need to read the ingredient section before purchasing. All ham is going to contain a little sugar. It’s used in the curing process.
Usually the amount of sugar used only adds up to one or two carbs per serving. Howeversome brands of ham contain more than others.
For example, “honey-baked” ham or “maple-glazed” ham may contain more sugar. Be sure to check the number of grams of carbs per serving before purchasing.
What do I serve with this Low-Carb Ham and Cheese Sandwich Braid?
This sandwich braid goes wonderfully with a simple lettuce salad, this Greek Cucumber Salad, some steamed broccoli. Another option would beLow-Carb Bacon Cauliflower Salad.
You could also do a soup and sandwich combination. For example, my Low-Carb Broccoli Cheese Soup or my Low-Carb Cheese Soup with Mushrooms and Thymewould both go well.
However you serve it, this Low-Carb Ham and Cheese Sandwich Braid may just become your families new favorite recipe. Enjoy!
-Annissa
Kids love ham and melted cheese goodness, so this recipe makes a great family dinner. It’s the perfect way to use up your leftover holiday Ham, too! 😍😋
5 from 4 votes
Low-Carb Ham and Cheese Sandwich Braid
This recipe for Low-Carb Ham and Cheese Sandwich Braid makes a delicious low-carb sandwich alternative. It's kid friendly so it makes a great keto dinner for the whole family. This recipe can be part of a low carb, keto, Atkins, diabetic, gluten-free, or Banting diet.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, keto, low-carb
Keyword ham and cheese keto sandwich, keto dinners for family, keto ham recipes, keto sandwich, low carb sandwich alternatives
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 396 kcal
Author Annissa Slusher
Ingredients
For the Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 2 teaspoons mustard
For the dough:
- 1 1/2 cup super fine almond flour
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder grain free and aluminum free
- 1 large egg
- 1 ounce cream cheese room temperature
- 2 cups part-skim mozzarella cheese (8 ounces) cut into chunks
For the assembly:
- 4 ounce thinly sliced ham (check the carb content)
- 3 slices provolone cheese cut in half
- 1 medium egg whisked (optional)
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions
For the sauce:
In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise, thyme leaves, and mustard. Set aside.
For the dough:
Preheat oven to 375º Fahrenheit. Have two pieces of parchment paper, about 20 inches long, and a rolling pin available.Add the almond flour, xanthan gum, sea salt, and baking powder to a food processor. Pulse to combine.
Add the egg, cream cheese, and mozzarella to the food processor. Process until the cheeses are completely incorporate and the mixture becomes dough-like.
Transfer mixture to a large heavy saucepan. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly until the mozzarella cheese melts and becomes stretchy.Place one piece of parchment on a cutting board. Place the warm dough on top. Knead a few times to throughly mix the dough.
Pat dough into a rectangular shape and cover with the second sheet of parchment paper. Roll dough into a rectangle about 10" X 15".
For the assembly:
Cut 1.5 inch slanting strips on each side about 1/3 of the way in. Be sure to cut the same number of strips on both sides.Spread the sauce on the middle third of the dough
Layer the ham over the sauce, then top with the provolone. Fold the ends over the dough.Fold the strips over the dough, alternating sides.
Tuck the last strips underneath. If using, brush the loaf with the egg wash and sprinkle on the sesame seeds. Lift the loaf using the parchment paper and transfer it to a baking sheet
Bake in the preheated oven for 23-28 minutes. Cut into six slices.
Recipe Notes
*If you do not have a food processor, you can still make this recipe, just use finely grated mozzarella cheese and follow the dough instructions for the meatball sub recipe.
Nutritional information does not include optional ingredients.
Nutrition Facts
Low-Carb Ham and Cheese Sandwich Braid
Amount Per Serving (1 slice)
Calories 396 Calories from Fat 288
% Daily Value*
Fat 32g49%
Saturated Fat 10g63%
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
Monounsaturated Fat 3g
Cholesterol 86mg29%
Sodium 906mg39%
Potassium 42mg1%
Carbohydrates 9g3%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 24g48%
Vitamin A 950%19%
Vitamin C 0%0%
Calcium 1330%133%
Iron 1.4%8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Sharon on August 22, 2019 at 6:55 pm
This ham and cheese sandwich would be a perfect recipe for brunch! I really like that it’s keto too.
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Noel Lizotte on August 22, 2019 at 7:36 pm
What a great way to feed the family sandwiches while controlling portion and ingredients!
I’m thinking this is perfect with a bowl of soup!Reply
Lisa Huff on August 22, 2019 at 8:25 pm
Loving the braid on top! How pretty is that?! Would never have guessed this was low carb!
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Monica on August 22, 2019 at 8:48 pm
Such a cool adaptation of a classic! I’ll definitely try this next time I have low- or no-carb guests staying with me!
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Deborah on August 25, 2019 at 9:12 am
Annissa, this looks really great…..but what I was really excited about was the link back to your Baklava Braid! I don’t know how I have missed that as I have used so many recipes from your site. I really had missed the Hungarian Nut Roll that was a fixture for my family at Xmas, and your braid is sooo close to that. Definately going to make that this coming Xmas if not before.
By the way, the link to your Meatball Sub in this post is not working…takes you to PALEO CURRIED MEATBALLS instead. I plan to try the Meatball Sub recipe as well….this post has been a gold mine for me. Thank you!
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Annissa Slusher on August 26, 2019 at 10:28 am
Deborah,
Thanks so much! For the Baklava Braid, I don’t think the honey flavoring is available any longer. I need to tweak that post. You can simply substitute the vitafiber syrup with a low-carb “honey”, then leave out the flavoring. Thanks for letting me know about the link. I’ll fix it right now.Annissa
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CC on October 3, 2019 at 7:28 pm
Your nutrition label says per 1 slice. How many slices per bread is it from? For example, 1 slice of 6 or 8?
Thank you, CCReply
Annissa Slusher on October 3, 2019 at 9:20 pm
I’m not sure I understand the question completely, but what you do is divide the loaf into 6 equal pieces. I consider each piece a slice. Does that help?
-AnnissaReply
Sharon on September 13, 2020 at 7:25 pm
How would swiss cheese work with this? Have you tried it?
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Annissa Slusher on September 14, 2020 at 10:48 pm
Swiss cheese would work great in this recipe if you’re using it as part of the filling. I’m not sure if it would work if you substitute it for the mozzarella in the pastry.
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