Keto Ham Frittata
Published January 5, 2021 • Updated July 20, 2026
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I make this keto ham frittata when I want breakfast done in one pan with whatever's in my fridge. Cream cheese melted into the eggs gives it a soft, custardy center that my kids keep coming back to.
Frittatas are my go-to when I need one pan, minimal cleanup, and a meal that feeds the whole table. I started making this ham frittata years ago as a way to clean out the fridge (leftover deli ham, a block of cheddar, a couple of green onions that were about to turn), and it became the recipe my kids actually ask for on weekends. The secret is the cream cheese. It doesn’t stay in chunks. It melts through the egg mixture and gives you a soft, custardy set in the middle while the edges crisp up around the ham and cheese. I’ve tried it without the cream cheese, and the difference is obvious.
I usually make this alongside my keto sausage breakfast casserole when I’m feeding a crowd, or I’ll pair it with a breakfast bowl for something lighter. On weekends when I want to go all out, I’ll add a French toast casserole to the table too. Either way, this keto frittata holds up as the centerpiece.
Budget friendly breakfast
This is one of the cheapest meals I make. All you need is eggs, cream cheese, cheddar, deli ham, and green onions. Eggs are one of the most affordable low carb proteins out there, and deli ham stretches further than you’d think when you cube it small. I spend maybe $6 on the whole skillet, and it feeds four of us with leftovers. If you want to portion it out for the week, try my mini frittatas in a muffin tin.
What’s the difference between a frittata and a quiche?
- Frittata: A crustless egg dish cooked mostly on the stovetop and finished under the broiler. It’s naturally low carb since it’s just eggs, cheese, and whatever fillings you have on hand. I prefer frittatas on weekday mornings because they come together faster and there’s no crust to deal with.
- Quiche: A quiche has a pastry crust and gets baked entirely in the oven. The custard filling is similar, but the crust adds carbs unless you swap in a grain-free version. I make both, but when I’m short on time, a frittata wins every time.
Why cream cheese makes the difference
I’ve gotten more comments about the cream cheese in this recipe than almost anything else on my site. One reader’s daughter ate the whole thing and refused to believe it was eggs. Another first-timer said she was nervous about mixing cream cheese into raw eggs, but it melted right through and made everything creamy without any lumps. I use 1 oz of softened cream cheese (about 2 tablespoons), and I whisk it into the eggs until it’s completely smooth before adding the shredded cheddar. That extra step takes 30 seconds and it’s what gives this frittata its texture.
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Ingredients
12 eggs -
1 oz cream cheese, softened
-
1/2 teaspoon salt
-
1/4 teaspoon pepper
-
3 oz shredded cheddar cheese
-
2 tablespoons avocado oil
-
4 oz ham, cubed or sliced
-
2 green onions, sliced
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Get a large bowl
In a large bowl, mix together eggs, cream cheese, salt and pepper using a whisk or fork.
- 12 eggs
- 1 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Add the cheese
Add cheddar cheese, mix and set aside.
- 3 oz shredded cheddar cheese
Heat the skillet
Heat a medium skillet to medium heat and add avocado oil.
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
Saute
Add ham and green onions and saute for 2-3 minutes or until ham starts to brown.
- 4 oz ham, cubed or sliced
- 2 green onions, sliced
Add egg mixture
Pour the egg mixture into skillet and cook. Use a spatula to stir and scrape the bottom of the skillet until large curds begin to form and the spatula starts to leave wakes but the egg remains wet (2 minutes). Shake the skillet to evenly distribute the eggs. Cook without stirring for 30 seconds to set on the bottom.
Finish in the oven
Place skillet in the oven and broil until frittata has puffed up and starts to brown on top, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes to finish cooking. Loosen frittata from the skillet and cut into wedges to serve.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
Is deli ham keto?
I use regular deli-sliced ham and it works well as long as you check the label for added sugar. Some honey-glazed or brown sugar varieties sneak in 2-3g of sugar per serving, which adds up. I look for options that are sugar-free or under 1g per serving. You can also cube up a leftover ham steak, which is what I do when I have one sitting in the fridge.
How do I tell when my frittata is done?
I check two things: the center shouldn't jiggle when I give the pan a shake, and a knife inserted in the middle should come out mostly clean. The edges will be puffed up and golden. I always pull it out when the center still looks slightly soft because it firms up as it rests for those 5 minutes on the counter. I've overcooked more frittatas than I'd like to admit by waiting too long.
Can you freeze ham frittata?
I freeze this all the time. I wrap individual wedges in plastic wrap, stack them in a freezer bag, and they keep for 2-3 months. I thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the oven at 300 degrees F covered in foil. The texture holds up better than I expected, and the cream cheese seems to help it stay creamy even after freezing.
How do you reheat frittata without it getting rubbery?
I cover it loosely with foil and reheat in the oven at 300 degrees F for about 10 minutes. The foil traps enough steam to keep the eggs from drying out. Microwaving works if I'm in a rush (30-45 seconds, no longer), but the oven gives me better texture every time. I've tried reheating uncovered and it goes rubbery fast.
Can I make this in a muffin tin for meal prep?
I make these as mini frittatas in a muffin tin when I want grab-and-go portions. Grease the tin well (I use avocado oil spray), divide the egg mixture evenly, and bake at 350 degrees F for 18-20 minutes. They pop right out once they cool for a minute. I make a batch on Sunday and reheat one each morning. They're just as convenient as my breakfast quesadillas for busy mornings.
What size skillet do I need?
I use a 10-inch oven-safe skillet for 12 eggs. If you have a cast iron, use it. One of my readers tested cast iron versus nonstick and confirmed the edges get a golden crisp that doesn't happen in nonstick. I use my cast iron every time now. If you only have an 8-inch skillet, cut the recipe in half. The handle needs to be oven-safe since the skillet goes under the broiler.
Can I use leftover holiday ham?
Leftover ham works perfectly here. I've used Easter ham, Christmas ham, you name it. Just cube it into small pieces (about half an inch) and saute it with the green onions to warm it through. Thicker cuts from a whole ham give you better texture than thin deli slices because they hold their shape in the eggs.
What does cream cheese do in a frittata?
I whisk 1 oz of softened cream cheese into the eggs before adding anything else. It melts completely into the mixture and creates a soft, custardy set in the center that you don't get with eggs alone. I've made this without cream cheese and it's a completely different texture. One reader told me his daughter ate the whole thing and said 'those aren't eggs.' That's what the cream cheese does.
More salt next time. That cream cheese, though.
Salt is personal, I'd go to 3/4 teaspoon. The cream cheese was a weird experiment that ended up being the whole reason I keep making this.
Trying 3/4 next batch. And now that cream cheese bit makes way more sense to me.
when did keto get this close?
Somewhere around the third test batch.
First frittata ever and it actually worked, really happy with the texture. Only real note is 4 oz of ham kind of vanishes into 12 eggs, you can taste it but you're not gonna see it. Bumping to 6 oz next time.
Six oz is what I do when I have extra ham around. 4 is almost a seasoning at that egg volume. First frittata nailing the texture is the hard part anyway.
Four days in the fridge and the cream cheese still held. That sold me. One pan Sunday, eight portions, done.
Four days and still good. Plain eggs get watery by day three. Cream cheese buys that extra day.
12 eggs. felt like her kitchen for a minute.
That's the thing about not halving it. 12 eggs in one pan, cream cheese already soft, it looks like you know exactly what you're doing.
Cast iron changed how this cooks for me. At medium on a non-stick, the bottom firms up before the center can catch up, but cast iron holds heat well enough that I can drop to medium-low once the eggs go in and the cream cheese stays soft all the way through.nnI also started holding back half the green onions to scatter raw on top instead of cooking them all with the ham. Fresh crunch, cuts the richness, looks better on the plate.nnOne more tweak: small pinch of smoked paprika in the egg mix before pouring. Gives the top a warm color and makes the ham taste smokier than you'd expect from that amount.
The raw green onion scatter at the end makes total sense. I've been folding them all in but you lose that fresh bite. Smoked paprika in the egg mix is going in my notes.
Swapped the ham for leftover rotisserie chicken and threw in some baby spinach. Cream cheese is what keeps it from going watery. Made it Sunday and we've been eating it cold all week.
Cold frittata all week is exactly why I make 12 eggs at a time. Haven't done rotisserie chicken in this one yet but I'm trying it Sunday.
I've tried three or four frittata recipes over the past year and none of them had that soft center. The cream cheese changes everything, and I finally get why people keep coming back to this one.
Yeah, that 1 oz does more than you'd expect. I've tried making it without and it's just eggs (fine, but not the same).
My daughter picked out all the ham first, then went back for the egg part anyway. The cream cheese does something unexpected to the texture. Would add more green onions next time, but we'll definitely be making this again.
Double the green onions next time, I always do. That cream cheese center is the part nobody expects.
Easter brunch next weekend, 16 people. If I double everything, better to run two separate skillets or transfer the whole thing to a bigger baking dish? Want those eggs to stay custardy from the cream cheese, not rubbery.
Two skillets. A bigger dish cooks more like a casserole and the center takes forever to set without the stovetop start. I'd run them side by side, pull when the center still has a slight jiggle.
The cream cheese has to be fully softened or you get clumps instead of that custardy center. Learned that the hard way. Pull it out 30 minutes ahead, or microwave at 50% for about 20 seconds.
Good call on the 50% power. Full power just melts the outside and you still end up with pockets. I pull mine out when I start preheating.
Was genuinely skeptical about the cream cheese in eggs (I've tried some weird textures in keto cooking and didn't want to go there again). Made it anyway because I had ham to use up. The center came out so soft and almost silky, nothing like what I expected from eggs in a pan. Still thinking about that texture three days later. Four stars because I slightly overcooked mine, but that part is on me.
Three days later is accurate. Pull it when the center still has a slight jiggle, it finishes off the heat and that's where the silky set comes from.
My teenager, who calls everything keto 'weird,' didn't say a word. Just kept eating. That custardy cream cheese center got him. Two years I've been trying to get that kid to eat eggs.
Silent eating from a keto skeptic is the best review. The cream cheese melts in completely (doesn't taste like cream cheese, just makes the eggs softer). Two years of egg resistance, done.
I cried a little eating this, I know that sounds dramatic, but that cream cheese center hit something I forgot I was missing on keto.
Not dramatic at all. That center was almost cut during testing (I thought it might be too fussy). Really glad I kept it.
Made this Sunday because we had ham leftover from the week and I wasn't sure what to do with it. Never cooked with cream cheese in eggs before, almost didn't add it because I didn't know what it would do. My wife said just follow the recipe. The center came out softer than I expected, different texture than regular eggs, and my 9-year-old sat down and ate the whole thing quietly which is not what he usually does at breakfast. He looked up at the end and asked what it was called. Didn't say it was good or anything, just wanted to know the name. We have ham again this week so we're making it again.
'What's it called' without saying it was good is a better review than you're giving it credit for. That's exactly how my kids approve something. And your wife was right, just add the cream cheese.