Keto Low Carb Kentucky Hot Browns (2024)

This easy keto Kentucky Hot Brown sandwich is an open-faced turkey sandwich on my low carb keto bread with layers of tomato, crispy bacon and the creamiest cheesy sauce you've ever had!

What is a Kentucky Hot Brown?

The original Kentucky Hot Brown sandwich was created by Chef Fred Schmidt. It's an open-faced turkey sandwich covered with a delicate Mornay sauce and layers of roasted turkey, pieces of crispy bacon, and tomato slices, on a piece of Texas toast.

The hot brown sandwich was created in 1926 at the Brown hotel in Louisville, Kentucky. As the story goes, the Brown hotel had about 1200 guests for its dinner dance and as the guests were getting tired in the early morning hours, they went into the restaurant for a bite to eat. Chef Schmidt wanted to provide them something more than just ham and eggs and that is how the open-faced turkey sandwich or the Hot Brown was born!

Low Carb Keto Bread

In order to make this open-faced sandwich perfect for a keto diet and low carb diet, I used my Cloud Bread Loaf recipe to replace Texas Toast.

My loaf makes 14 slices, but you only need 4 slices of toast for my keto Kentucky hot brown sandwich.

How to Make Delicate Mornay Sauce

The original recipe for this cheesy mornay sauce, uses heavy cream and whole milk along with butter, flour and Pecorino Romano, nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Since I did not want to use whole milk in this sauce, I opted to include some sharp cheddar cheese to thicken up the sauce, along with the Pecorino Romano.

In a small saucepan, bring the cream and butter to a low boil. Reduce to a simmer and stir until thickened, about 5 minutes. Turn heat off and add cheeses, pinch of nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Stir until completely melted. Set aside.

How to Make Keto Kentucky Hot Brown

Ingredients

Slices of thick cut bacon, 4 slices of bread (my keto bread recipe), cooked leftover turkey, slice of fresh tomato per sandwich, and sharp cheddar cheese, plus the cheese sauce.

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Arrange the bacon on a parchment lined baking sheet pan and bake until crisp about 15 minutes. Set aside.

Arrange 4 slices of my low carb cloud bread onto a small baking sheet pan. Optional: Spread each slice with ½ tablespoon butter. Place into oven for the last 5 minutes that bacon is cooking to toast the bread.

Top each piece of toast with slices of turkey. Add one slice of tomato on top of the turkey. Sprinkle salt and a couple cracks of fresh pepper, if desired on tomato. Spoon sauce over each then sprinkle shredded cheddar over each piece. Broil 2-3 minutes until cheese is melted and golden brown around edges.

Transfer each piece to a serving plate, top with 2 pieces of criss-crossed bacon and fresh parsley. Serve hot, with a fork and knife.

Can I make Kentucky Hot Brown dairy free?

Yes you can make this Kentucky Hot Brown, dairy free. A great substitute for heavy cream is canned coconut milk. You can easily replace the heavy cream used in the sauce for coconut milk. Nutritional yeast is a great option to replace grated Parmesan cheese.

As far as cheddar cheese, I know there are many versions of dairy free shredded cheese that you should be able to find at most grocery stores.

More Keto Bread Recipes

Flaxseed Bread

Coconut Flour Bread

Cheesy Fat Head Rolls

Air Fryer Rolls

Keto Nut Free Breadsticks

This is a perfect dish for the whole family and especially helpful when you really don't want to make an elaborate dinner. It's simple and quick and a good use of my Cloud Bread Loaf recipe, plus a great way to use leftover Thanksgiving turkey!

Keto Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwich