Low Carb Baked Egg Custard: 22g Protein

By Annette

Low Carb Baked Egg Custard: 22g Protein

Keto doesn’t have to mean giving up creamy, silky desserts.

This one bakes up golden-topped with fresh nutmeg, chills into the softest set you’ve ever spooned through, and lands at 22g of protein and just 4g of net carbs per serving.

Dessert that works for you instead of against you.

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đź“Š The Macros

🥩 PROTEIN: 22g

Calories 280 · Carbs 4g · Fat 19g · Fiber 0g Protein density: 7.9g protein per 100 calories Serves 6 · about 50 min (including bake time) · serves warm or chilled

Four net carbs and 22g of protein per custard cup. This is low-carb dessert doing its job.

The original recipe lands at about 13g of protein per cup. Three targeted swaps push it to 22g, every one of them keto-friendly and invisible in the final texture.

🍳 The Recipe

Low Carb Baked Egg Custard. Serves 6. Classic water bath technique, one bowl, six cups.

The water bath sounds fussy but it takes 30 seconds to set up and it’s the only thing standing between silky custard and scrambled eggs in a cup.

Ingredients

  • 12 large eggs (original 8 plus 4 more for the boost; 72g protein total)
  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened (14g protein, adds richness and protein)
  • 18 Splenda packets (or equivalent zero-carb sweetener)
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 cups half and half
  • 3 cups Fairlife ultra-filtered milk (replaces regular milk; 39g vs 24g protein)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Ground nutmeg, generous

Method

  1. Heat oven to 350°F. Set 6 custard cups in a 13x9-inch baking pan.
  2. Beat cream cheese in a large mixer bowl until completely smooth, about 1 minute.
  3. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  4. Mix in Splenda and salt. Then add half and half, Fairlife milk, and vanilla. Mix until combined and smooth.
  5. Pour evenly into the 6 custard cups. Sprinkle generously with ground nutmeg.
  6. Fill the baking pan with hot water to about 1-inch depth around the cups.
  7. Bake 35 to 40 minutes until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
  8. Remove cups from the water bath and cool completely on a wire rack.
  9. Refrigerate until ready to serve. These are best chilled.

Make-ahead: keeps refrigerated for 5 days. The nutmeg flavor deepens beautifully after a day.

First time making custard in a water bath? Reply and tell me how it went. Most people are surprised by how easy it actually is.

🔄 The Swap

Three swaps that all go in the same direction: more protein, zero extra carbs.

Swap 1: Replace the regular milk with Fairlife ultra-filtered milk. Same volume, same creaminess, but Fairlife has almost 60% more protein per cup. It’s also lower in sugar than regular milk, which keeps the carb count down.

Swap 2: Add 4 extra eggs. Eggs are the most keto-friendly protein source on the planet. Four more eggs add 24g of protein across the batch and make the custard set up more firmly.

Swap 3: Beat in 8oz of softened cream cheese. It blends completely smooth and adds 14g of protein and a richer, denser texture that tastes almost like a hybrid between custard and cheesecake. Very keto, very good.

🔬 The Science

Why does a protein-rich dessert change the outcome of your evening?

High-fat, high-protein desserts don’t spike blood sugar. The combination of cream cheese, eggs, and high-protein milk creates a meal that digests slowly and provides a very gentle blood glucose response, even though it tastes sweet.

Casein protein from dairy supports overnight muscle maintenance. Cream cheese, half and half, and Fairlife are all dairy-derived proteins with a high casein fraction. Casein digests slowly across 6 to 8 hours, meaning your body has access to amino acids throughout the night.

Eggs carry choline, which most people don’t get enough of. Twelve eggs across 6 servings means each portion carries significant choline, a nutrient important for brain function, liver health, and cellular membrane structure. Most adults fall short on choline, and egg-based desserts are one of the best ways to close the gap.

Four grams of net carbs and 22g of protein in a dessert that tastes like pure indulgence. That’s not a compromise. That’s an upgrade.

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đź’ˇ The Takeaway

Keto, 22g of protein, 4 net carbs, and it tastes like the dessert you’re not supposed to have.

Make six on Sunday, chill overnight, and you’ve got the most satisfying low-carb dessert of the week handled.

Send this to someone on keto who thinks she has to give up creamy, sweet desserts. She doesn’t.

Want a full week of low-carb meals hitting 120g of protein per day?

Download the free 7-Day 120g-Protein Meal Plan → Seven days of meals and snacks, every day hitting 120g, with a grocery list and honest macros on every plate.

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Written by Annette. Real food, honest macros, not medical advice.

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