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Perfect for your holiday table, this rich and creamy kale gratin recipe features nutrient-dense greens in a velvety cheese sauce. It’s a great gluten free, low carb, and keto side dish option to have for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any fall or winter meal!
With Thanksgiving swiftly approaching, many people are turning their thoughts to holiday fare.
Every year my family has a few ever-present staples (things like cranberry sauce, cornbread stuffing, mashed potatoes, and candied sweet potatoes) to go along with the turkey. But we’re always looking for a few new favorites to grace our table as well. Enter this lovely kale gratin!
I can’t resist a beautiful bunch of kale, it really sings to me. I love its heartiness, earthy flavor (especially when paired with garlic), and versatility. This is a unique side dish that will help you get some greens into your holiday meal. (And it’s also great paired with roast chicken or a steak dinner!)
This kale gratin is so good, it’ll convert just about anyone into a kale-lover. Garlic is a perfect flavor accent with leafy greens. We use a blend of three cheeses, as they all contribute different things to this gratin – because when kale is swimming in a rich, cheesy sauce, what’s not to love, right?! And the fact that this side dish is keto is just a bonus.
Heads-up, if you have to travel to be with loved ones this Thanksgiving, this gratin travels and reheats excellently.
Ingredients
Breaking It Down
Ingredients Explained
In this section I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas where applicable. For the full recipe (including the ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
- Olive oil cooking spray – For the pan.
- Extra-virgin olive oil – To sauté the garlic and wilt the kale.
- Garlic – Garlic is a beautiful pairing with greens; it adds sharp flavor to contrast the earthy kale.
- Kale – The star of the show!
- Vegetable broth – Or chicken broth for richer flavor.
- Salt and black pepper – So this casserole isn’t bland.
- Half and half – To create a rich, creamy sauce.
- Cream cheese – Acts as a thickener and helps make the sauce rich and velvety.
- Sharp white cheddar – For pungent flavor and rich, gooey, cheesiness.
- Parmesan cheese – Or you can use Gruyère cheese. Sprinkled across the top, this browns the casserole.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Spray the inside of an 8 by 8-inch or equivalent baking dish with olive oil cooking spray. Wash, de-stem, and chop the kale.
- Heat the oil in a 5-quart pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the garlic and cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Stir in the kale, vegetable broth, salt, and black pepper. Cover the pot and cook until starting to soften, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the half and half, and let it come up to a simmer. Stir in the cream cheese until incorporated. Add the shredded cheddar half at a time, stirring until fully incorporated. Cook until the cheese is melted into the sauce, stirring constantly.
- Transfer the kale mixture to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the Parmesan evenly on top.
- Bake until the casserole is bubbling throughout, about 15 minutes. After that, broil it for a couple minutes to brown the top.
Storage and Reheating
Cool to room temperature, and then store covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To reheat this dish, preheat the oven to 350F. Cover the dish with aluminum foil, and bake until warmed throughout, about 10 minutes.
Variations
- Kale – I used common curly kale for this recipe. However, you can switch it up and use any type of kale you like. This gratin is also particularly delicious with lacinato kale (also called dinosaur kale or Tuscan kale).
- Cheese – Don’t be afraid to play with the cheese here! Instead of sharp white cheddar, you can use Fontina or Provolone. And just about any dry, aged cheese will work instead of Parmesan.
- If keeping this dish keto isn’t a concern – The original version of this recipe on my website wasn’t keto. I made a couple quick and easy changes to make it low carb, but if you want to make the original version, it’s easy. To so so, omit the cream cheese, and instead of half and half use whole milk. You will need to make a Béchamel sauce; to do so, melt 1 1/2 tablespoons of unsalted butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, whisk in 1 1/2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour and cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly. Whisk in the milk, bring up to a gentle boil, and then turn the heat down to simmer for 1 minute, whisking frequently. Remove from the heat and whisk in the sharp white cheddar half at a time. Continue on with the rest of the recipe.
Tips For Making Gratins With Leafy Greens
- Don’t overcook the greens. For this recipe, when you cook the kale in the pot, it only needs about 3 minutes. It should be just starting to soften, but not fully wilted. And it should still be a gorgeous shade of green. Don’t forget, it will continue to cook in the oven!
- Take your gratin to the next level. Just a tiny pinch of freshly-grated nutmeg will add complexity. If you didn’t know it was there you probably wouldn’t be able to pick it out, but nutmeg adds that special je ne sais quoi to this dish!
- Make it ahead of time. If you’re like me, you’re always looking for Thanksgiving or holiday side dishes that you can make ahead of time. This kale gratin is perfect for that. To make this dish ahead of time, make this recipe through step 3 in the recipe card below. Let it cool to room temperature, and then wrap it and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days before continuing with the recipe.
- Let it cool down for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. The sauce in this gratin thickens up gorgeously if you let this sit for about 10 to 15 minutes once it’s out of the oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here we use a three cheese blend to make this simple kale side dish something truly special. Velvety-smooth cream cheese helps create a luscious sauce. Sharp white cheddar contributes rich, umami depth. And lastly, Parmesan adds a touch of salty, nutty flavor to finish.
Absolutely! Swiss chard, collard greens, and spinach are all great substitutes for kale in this recipe. Just be mindful of your cooking time and adjust as necessary; the greens should just be barely wilted in step 2 of the recipe card below.
More Low Carb Side Dish Recipes to Make
- Broccoli Stem Gratin
- The BEST Mashed Cauliflower
- Low Carb Biscuits (Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits Copycat)
- Cheesy Celery Gratin
- Crispy Brussels Sprouts With Bacon and Balsamic
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Kale Gratin Recipe
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Ingredients
- Olive oil cooking spray (for the baking pan)
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 large cloves garlic (crushed)
- 8 cups chopped kale
- 1/2 cup vegetable stock (or chicken stock for richer flavor)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/4 cups half and half
- 3 ounces cream cheese (at room temperature)
- 1 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (or Gruyère cheese)
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 400F. Spray the inside of an 8 by 8-inch or equivalent baking dish with olive oil cooking spray.
- Gently wilt the kale. Heat the oil in a 5-quart pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the garlic and cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly.Stir in the kale, vegetable broth, salt, and black pepper. Cover the pot and cook until starting to soften, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Create the creamy, cheesy sauce. Stir in the half and half, and let it come up to a simmer. Stir in the cream cheese until incorporated. Add the shredded cheddar half at a time, stirring until fully incorporated. Cook until the cheese is melted into the sauce, stirring constantly.
- Bake. Transfer the kale mixture to the prepared baking dish.Sprinkle the Parmesan evenly on top. Bake until the casserole is bubbling throughout, about 15 minutes. After that, broil it for a couple minutes to brown the top.
Notes
- Net Carbs: 8 grams per serving
- Serving Tip: The sauce in this gratin thickens up gorgeously if you let this sit for about 10 to 15 minutes once it’s out of the oven.
- Storage: Cool to room temperature and store covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Reheating: To reheat this dish, preheat the oven to 350F. Cover the dish with aluminum foil, and bake until warmed throughout, about 10 minutes.
- Make Ahead: To make this dish ahead of time, make this recipe through step 5 above. Let it cool to room temperature, and then wrap it and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days before continuing with the recipe.
- Original Version (Non-Keto Version): The original version of this recipe on my website wasn’t keto friendly. I made a couple quick and easy changes to make it low carb, but if you want to make the original version, it’s easy. To so so, omit the cream cheese, and instead of half and half use whole milk. You will need to make a Béchamel sauce; to do so, melt 1 1/2 tablespoons of unsalted butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, whisk in 1 1/2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour and cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly. Whisk in the milk, bring up to a gentle boil, and then turn the heat down to simmer for 1 minute, whisking frequently. Remove from the heat and whisk in the sharp white cheddar half at a time. Continue on with the rest of the recipe.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
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This post was first published on An Edible Mosaic on November 19, 2010 and updated on October 21, 2026.
I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
Free Bonus
I didn’t have quite enough kale, so added some leftover rice. Very good. Will add this to my repertoire. Also added a Ritz cracker/parmesan topping.
I made this for Thanksgiving yesterday and it was so good! Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Just made this for a Christmas dinner this year and every last bit was scraped up and devoured. Absolutely fantastic – thank you for the amazing recipe!! Definitely will be making this again. :)
Liz, Yes, the cheese amounts are correct, just make sure to weigh the cheese when you make this. The 2 oz Gruyère and 1 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano shred up to be quite a bit of cheese. Also, as I state in the recipe, be sure to finely shred the cheese (I used a microplane for this). If you prefer a more cheesy gratin, you could always add more cheese, but this was really quite cheesy. Hope you like it!
This sounds like a delicious alternative to the classic boring potato dishes. I love the use of kale!
This sounds and looks fantastic! I can’t wait to try it myself!
Faith,
I too will be cooking some kale on Thursday. It is one of the most nutrient rich greens. The use of gruyere and parmeasan provides great flavor. The execution of your gratin was perfect. The cheese is good fabulously.
Gorgeous! I am making this when we return from Thanksgiving travels!
Oh my gosh! I’m literally drooling over here! This dish looks amazing!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!
This looks delicious! I’ve been eating more kale lately and love it! :)
This looks awesome!
I love a gratin, and one that includes my favorite veggie, kale, is even better. I can’t wait to give this a try!
It does look wonderful! Just not sure if I like Kale. Perhaps spinach could be subbed? I just need to do it right?!
~ingrid
I love kale, but never would have thought to use it in this way. It looks delicious! This would definitely make the perfect addition to our Thanksgiving line-up :) Thanks for sharing!
Oh no you didn’t! You made dark leafy greens look like something children would want to eat, all covered in gooey cheese! Wow, I really love this idea, and good to know it travels well! I’ll keep it in mind :)
I haven’t cooked with kale yet, but every time I see it on another blog, it makes me really want to. This looks and sounds delicious… and again makes me want to try kale. I wouldn’t make this in time for Thanksgiving, as I have been assigned my dish already to take to my mom’s house… but I am bookmarking this as a future side dish for one of our regular weeknight meals.
undeniable fact: kale has never, ever looked so appetizing. :)
This sounds like a great one all-year round! Love the idea of gruyere with kale.
What a delightful dish…I have never tried anything like this, but love the flavors :) And I so love anything with cheese…
That’s an excellent side dish to make for Thanksgiving, definitely a nice change to the usual veggies. Love the Gruyère cheese here!
I do need to add more kale to my meals and what better way to enjoy it than in a gratin like this one. Excellent ingredients…especially with Gruyère cheese, yum ;o)
Ciao for now,
Claudia
I’ve been eating a ton of kale lately – I really love it. And I love your gratin! This would be a delicious addition to my Thanksgiving table!
Wow, you have managed to make kale look sinfully delicious! This would be a great way to introduce someone to kale, because who can resist a gratin?
This is the perfect accompaniment to roasted meats Faith! I love gratin anything, especially the top cheese layer :P
I honestly would never think to use kale in a gratin – but this looks amazing!!
I never would have thought to prepare kale in this way. It looks wonderful and I’m sure it is delicious. I hope you are having a wonderful day. Blessings…Mary
Crazily enough, my dad actually loves kale way more than spinach and I know he would adore this gratin! Definitely putting it on the to-make list!
I adore Gruyere so I’d love this one too.
Such a wonderful dish for Thanksgiving. I love kale too! I am bringing a couple of side dishes to my in-laws. I should give this a try!
Silly me! Here, I’ve been sauteing my kale all this time with just some olive oil and garlic. To think I could have topped it with a mess of Gruyere instead! Oooh, must make up for lost time. I’m doing the full-on cheese-thing with the next bunches of kale I pick up from the farmers market.
Never would have thought to make a gratin dish with kale! Cool!
This looks like a dish that could become a favorite. :) I love kale but collards are my favorite. I bet they’d work just as well. Thanks!
Yum! I think kale is similar to silverbeet, which we normally have an abundance of from our garden. I think I will convince Soy to make this for me :)
I only recently started using kale in my cooking and I love it. This looks like a great recipe to use that wonderful vegetable. This kale gratin looks so creamy and yummy.
Love posts with an ingredient I am not so familiar with. I have bought kale in the past but did not do anything inspiring with it. Serving it au gratin is a great idea!
I’m used to seeing potatoes au gratin..this is a great idea!
This kale gratin looks and sounds extremely good; i would skip the turkey to have that!
I absolutely love kale and your gratin is perfect with the gruyere and parm.!
This is a great substitute for the ordinary creamed spinach. I will give it a try. Thanks for the lovely comment you left on my blog.
WOW … that looks awesome! It never occurred to me to make a kale gratin and I’m bookmarking this recipe! Thanks for sharing :)
Scrumptious use of kale! Looks delicious, Faith.
I had to grow kale for a science project once. I can’t see it as food!
A scrumptious gratin!
I love Kale! Top it with cheese and it’s even better!
I haven’t tried Kale yet and this is a great looking recipe to finally try it! Saving this, it looks fantastic!
Kale is my absolute FAVORITE veggie, so I’m very glad you’re spotlighting it this year! Especially in a cheesy gratin, which I have never thought of before but makes perfect sense. I’d like to see a dish of that on my Thanksgiving table! Great recipe, as always, Faith!
This recipe is perfect timing b/c I just realized this week that my kale is still growing like crazy! I’ve been looking for ideas on what to do with it all!
I love all the delicious kale recipes, this sounds yummy!
Gruyere is one of my favorite cheeses…I love this recipe! And I love kale. :)
A friend and I were just having a conversation about kale-I feel inspired now. This looks fabulous.
Faith this will be the perfect thanksgiving side! I’m going to print this right away :)
Delicious choice this one and love the fact that it travels and reheats well!!
I would certainly want to include this for thanksgivin and since kale is a rare find here ,i think subbn with spinach wud be excellent too!
IT really looks yummy!
I love kale , and we dont find it here, unless i grow my own:-(
Excellent choice this one!!
Specially since it travels and reheats well, looks really delish!
Faith,
This looks great! And with the Gruyère cheese, that made it for me. Great recipe!
Bon appetit!
CCR
=:~)
I was looking for a new Thanksgiving side in the green family, this may be it.
Mimi
Wow- this looks just perfect! Gruyère cheese is heavily undervalued :) I cannot believe Thanksgiving is next week!
Hi Gorgeous!
PRINTING! Another fabulous, unique and mouth watering recipe! Thank you Sweet Friend! Happy weekend to you.
xoxo
Karyn
Faith,
I was planning to make gratin, but not the potato one, this one sounds delicious. I will try with kale or spinach.
So scrumptious! That gratin is really appetizing.
Cheers,
Rosa
What a fabulous idea, Faith! My mouth is watering. I was looking for another veggie…this is it! My daughter loves kale.
So you’re going to comment on how many stories I’m turning out?? I think you may be the one who never sleeps! Man, this looks really good. Good enough, I think, for me to copy at my family’s Thanksgiving … with your permission, of course …