Creamy Keto Bacon Cheeseburger Skillet (All the Burger Vibes, No Bun)
A rich, cozy keto bacon cheeseburger skillet with ground beef, cheese, and low-carb veggies. Weeknight-friendly and pure comfort in a bowl.
This skillet was born on a night when I was absolutely craving a greasy diner burger but also trying to not live on bread and fries. I wanted all the burger flavor—the cheese, the pickles, the slight smokiness from bacon, but in something I could eat out of a bowl while wearing sweatpants.
I’d seen a lot of “keto cheeseburger casseroles” floating around, but most of them were either drowning in cheese or involved so many steps they stopped being weeknight food. I wanted something faster and more honest: one pan, real burger flavor, and still recognizably dinner.
Keto bacon cheeseburger skillet (ingredients in grams)
Main ingredients:
- Bacon, chopped, 120 g
- Ground beef (80–85% lean), 600 g
- Yellow onion, finely chopped, 120 g
- Garlic, minced, 10 g
- Dill pickles, chopped, 60 g
- Tomato paste, 25 g
- Dijon mustard, 15 g
- Beef broth, 150 g
- Heavy cream, 120 g
- Cheddar cheese, shredded, 200 g
- Cream cheese, 60 g
- Salt, 6 g (adjust to taste)
- Black pepper, 2 g
- Smoked paprika, 2 g
- Lettuce or shredded cabbage, 80 g (for serving on top, optional)
- Sliced green onion, 20 g (optional)
How I actually made it
I started by cooking the bacon in a big skillet, because honestly, that’s how a lot of good things begin. Once it was crisp and had rendered out a decent amount of fat, I scooped the pieces out and left most of the fat in the pan. This is the “flavor tax” you pay to make it good.
Into that went the onion. I cooked it until it went from sharp and crunchy to soft and a little bit golden around the edges. Then I added the garlic and let it barely toast for about 30 seconds, just until it stopped smelling raw.
The ground beef went in next, and I broke it up with a spatula, seasoning it with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika as it cooked. I let it get some color; gray meat is never the goal. When the beef was mostly cooked, I squeezed in the tomato paste and Dijon, stirring until everything was coated. It already smelled like the start of a really good burger.
I poured in the beef broth to loosen all the browned bits off the bottom of the pan, then reduced the heat. Heavy cream and cream cheese followed, and I stirred until the cream cheese melted into the sauce. It looked like a slightly thick, rosy-colored cream sauce clinging to the beef.
Once that simmered for a few minutes and thickened up, I stirred in the chopped pickles and most of the bacon, saving a bit for sprinkling on top. The cheddar went in last, off the heat, so it melted into gooey pockets rather than seizing up.
Why this recipe stuck with me
Because it hits that weird middle ground: it feels like comfort food, but it also doesn’t knock me out the way a full fast-food meal does. There’s protein, some low-carb vegetables hiding in there, and enough fat to keep it satisfying without going into “oh no I overdid it” territory.
Also, it reheats beautifully. Day two cheeseburger skillet might actually be better than day one.
What it tasted like
It tasted like the inside of a bacon cheeseburger that someone turned into a skillet meal. The pickles cut through the richness in the best way; they keep it from feeling heavy and one-note. The sauce was velvety and clung to everything without being soupy.
If you’ve ever taken a bite of a loaded burger and thought, “I could drink this sauce,” that’s the general vibe.
How I serve it / leftovers
I usually scoop it into a bowl and throw shredded lettuce or cabbage on top, almost like a very lazy burger bowl. Sometimes I add a squeeze of yellow mustard over the top if I’m in the mood.
Leftovers go into containers, and the next day I’ll either reheat and eat as-is or spoon it over steamed cauliflower or roasted zucchini. It reheats well on the stove with a splash of broth or water if it thickens too much.
Honest tips and little mistakes
- Don’t skip the pickles. I tried once, and it tasted flat. They’re the acid that keeps everything balanced.
- Use beef with some fat. Extra-lean beef makes this weirdly dry, even with cream.
- Add the cheese to the heat; if you boil it, it can get greasy.
- Taste before you add more salt; bacon, broth, and cheese all have their own.
This is one of those meals I don’t make every week, but when I do, it absolutely hits the spot. It feels like takeout comfort, but it came out of your own skillet, and you didn’t have to explain your order to anyone.