Say YES to pizza again with our signature keto pizza recipe.
This keto pizza recipe has been in the making for 2 1/2 years. Trial after trial felt into the "it's okay-ish" category... but I was determined to create the perfect low carb pizza for my friends on the keto diet.
The thing is, most of us tend to cheat on the keto diet when we feel deprived of certain foods we love. One of the most common cheat excuses in our vocabulary has been PIZZA night! We talked about this a bit on a recent video we did for a new frozen, ready-to-cook keto cauliflower crust pizza. Which is what we turn to when we're in a hurry or are being super lazy. (Yes, even we are lazy some nights!)
Eureka!
The evening I was working on what ended up being the final version of this low carb pizza crust, I had a house full of people. My sister was there with her two kids who have Cystic Fibrosis and she was busy with managing treatment in the living room which marries into our kitchen area. Mom was hanging out in the kitchen with me...offering quiet support and washing dishes as I dirtied them. And...our informally adopted 19-year old was in and out with her girlfriend. I had promised them all recipe samples.... and they were hovering near the kitchen awaiting their first bite.
Turning A 'Whoops!' Into A Roaring Success
Because I was chatting with my mom as I rolled out the dough, I accidentally rolled the crust too large to fit on my baking sheet. After berating myself for trying to multi-task during recipe testing, I decided just to roll up the edges of the crust. This turned out to be a genius move because it helped hold the toppings on the pizza and gave the finished pizza a beautiful crusty edge.
Finally, we put the pizza in the oven and I started rolling the other half of the dough. Once the second one was ready, I went to peek in the oven and squealed with joy as I saw the beautiful crust.
We let it cook until the cheese was beautifully browned on top and bubbling all the way through. The house was filled with the smells of the baking cheese, the basil in the pesto and the spiciness of the pepperoni... which was drawing a crowd.
As we sliced and sampled, we were all incredibly impressed... and I MIGHT have been jumping up and down for joy. Pizza IS my favorite food, after all.
When my informally adopted daughter's girlfriend bit into the low carb pizza she said "Um... this is diet food? This is the best tasting diet food I've ever had in my life".
And, that's my favorite thing about eating keto. With the right recipes and know-how in the kitchen we do NOT have to miss out on our favorite foods. In fact, the keto version of our favorite foods are often even better than the real thing.
In fact, my niece and nephew are super picky to the point of only eating certain brands of frozen pizza. We had put a frozen pizza in for their dinner and everyone laughed when I had the keto pizza and frozen pizza sitting side-by-side. Which one would YOU rather eat??
This is the best tasting diet food I've ever had in my life!
Anonymous 20 year old Taste Tester
Tips For Perfect Low Carb Pizza
Before we get to the keto recipe, there's a few things I'd like to share with you so that you get great results when you make this low carb pizza recipe. First, let's talk about substitutions.
Can I Substitute This for That?
Coconut Flour & Almond Flour
If you're sensitive to coconut flour, you can actually substitute a half cup of almond flour. Additionally, increase the xanthan gum by 1/4 tsp.
If you want to substitute the almond flour for coconut flour, check out my coconut flour pizza crust recipe here. You'll note a number of differences.
As for other keto friendly flours on the market such as sesame seed flour, hazelnut flour and so on and so forth... I haven't tried making this crust with any of those. If you have some on hand and want to experiment, please do! Comment below or email me with your results. I'll be happy to publish those and of course...give you the credit. 🙂
Why Gelatin?
When we use keto-friendly (gluten-free) flours, we need something to mimic the behavior of gluten that's found in wheat flour. Gelatin is one of the three ingredients in this recipe that is working to do that for us. Specifically, the gelatin gives the pizza crust a more real pizza crust like chew. You can omit it but it won't be quite as good. Fortunately, gelatin is pretty easy to find and an inexpensive ingredient.
If you can't find gelatin, other viewers have reported that using an additional teaspoon of xanthan gum works well. But, I notice the best texture when you use gelatin.
Why Xanthan Gum?
The xanthan gum in this recipe adds more structure to the pizza crust so that when we pick up our slice, it doesn't droop and fall apart.
Actually, the cheese and gelatin are working together with the xanthan gum to mimic the binding properties of gluten found in traditional wheat flours. Omitting it means you'll have less structure in the dough.
Whole Milk Mozzarella
It can be a bit tricky to find whole milk mozzarella that's affordable. Our local Sam's Club carries a large bag of pre-shredded whole milk mozzarella which is what I used when I created this pizza.
If you can only find the part-skim mozzarella, I recommend a swap instead. Use half part-skim mozzarella and half medium or sharp cheddar cheese. Some people end up preferring mixing half and half this way!
Chillin' Time
The chilling time in this recipe is important for two reasons. One, we want to allow the coconut flour time to absorb the moisture so you get the best results possible. Twenty to thirty minutes in the fridge allows time for this to happen.
Keep this trick in mind any time you use coconut flour. If the mixture is too runny... just give it some time to rest. You'll be amazed at how much liquid coconut flour soaks up.
Second, we want the cheese in the recipe to firm up so that handling the dough is easier. You can actually make this recipe ahead and put it in the fridge overnight. It's a little tougher to work with the next day so you may want to pull it out and set it on the counter an hour or so before you're ready to roll the dough. If you don't have time, you'll just have to put a little muscle into rolling out the dough.
The Ingredients
Here's are the ingredients you'll need to make this low carb pizza dough:
- whole milk mozzarella (Sam's Club has big pre-shredded bags)
- cream cheese
- gelatin
- almond flour
- baking powder
- coconut flour
- xanthan gum
What About The Pizza Sauce?
Great question!! If you don't have time to simmer up your own homemade pizza sauce or want to keep the carb count as low as possible here are a few alternatives that we use.
Pesto Sauce
Find a pesto sauce at the store without any added sugars and use this for pizza sauce. For those of you with big, beautiful gardens... plant and harvest basil and make your own. My mom does this for me regularly so I always have a supply of pesto on hand. In fact, I should probably get her recipe so I can post it online for you.
Ranch Dressing
Use ranch dressing (without any added sugar) as a pizza sauce. We really like using Primal Kitchen's for this. It tends to be a bit thin so we will mix in a quarter teaspoon of xanthan gum to thicken it up before spreading it on the crust.
Seasoned Cream Cheese
This was a random invention of mine one night when we had absolutely nothing in the house to use for a pizza sauce. It turned out really well and we use it from time to time when we're looking for a white sauce. All you need is an ounce or two of cream cheese. Soften it in the microwave for about 30 seconds or until it's easily stir able. Then mix in a tablespoon of Italian seasoning and a quarter teaspoon of salt. Mix it all together and then smear it onto your pizza crust. It is very important to warm the cream cheese so it is mixable and spreadable.
Nothing
This pizza is so flavorful, you could just skip the sauce all together. Instead, sprinkle a little basil or Italian seasoning directly onto the crust before topping. What a delicious and easy hack skipping the sauce is!
Okay, let's learn how to make this yummy low carb pizza....
Keto Pizza
Ingredients
- 2 Cup Whole Milk Mozzarella
(shredded) - 2 Oz Cream Cheese
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Tbsp Gelatin
- 1 ¼ Cup Almond Flour
- 2 Tbsp Coconut Flour
- 1/4 Tsp Baking Powder
- 1 Tsp Xanthan Gum
- ½ Tsp Salt
Instructions
Making The Pizza Dough
- In a large microwave safe bowl, microwave mozzarella and cream cheese for 2 ½ minutes on power level 5, or until gently melted. Stir together with a spatula so that everything melts without overheating the mixture.
- In a separate small mixing bowl with high edges, blend together 2 eggs and gelatin until foamy and gelatin is blended in. Start on low speed and then increase blender speed to help combine the egg and gelatin. This will take about a minute.
- Mix the egg-gelatin mixture into the cheese mixture with your blender on low speed. The batter may climb up your blender just like real bread would do. Work slowly and patiently, stopping to clean off your paddles and then mixing again until combined.
- Now, add coconut flour, almond flour, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt and blend on low speed until combined.
- Place the mixture in the fridge for 15-30 minutes. This will make the dough easier to roll out.
Prepare To Roll The Pizza Dough
- Prepare a place to roll out the crust and gather your toppings.
- Gather together the following items:Parchment Paper, Rolling Pin, Pizza Sauce, Pizza ToppingsNote: This is a great time to make your pizza sauce. See my recipe for low-carb pizza sauce here. https://www.wholebodyliving.com/easy-low-carb-pizza-sauce/
Rolling The Pizza Crust
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees (325 degrees convection)
- Place a kitchen towel on your counter and then place on a piece of parchment paper on top of the towel. The towel simply holds the parchment paper still so you can roll out your dough without the parchment paper sliding around.
- With a bread knife, cut the dough in half. Then, take one half of the dough in your hands and shape it into a circle. Place it on top of the parchment paper. Clean your hands if necessary and then place the other sheet of parchment paper on top.
- Roll out the dough to your desired crust thickness, rolling no less than ⅛ inch thick. Remove the top piece of parchment paper
- Gently roll the outer edges to create an edge roll that’s taller than the rest of the pizza. This helps to hold your toppings in when the cheese melts when you bake it. It also gives you a nice pizza crust to hold on to when you eat it.
- Transfer the crust onto the baking sheet you’ll use to bake the pizza by sliding the parchment paper right onto your baking sheet. If your parchment paper is too large, use scissors or rip off some of the extra paper so the paper isn’t going over and beyond your baking pan.
- Repeat with the other half of the dough.
- Now you are ready to top your pizzas! Top with keto-friendly ingredients such as pepperoni, sausage, bacon. We use a low carb homemade pizza sauce or things like Pesto Sauce or even Ranch Dressing for a white sauce base.
Baking Your Keto Pizza
- Once your pizza is topped to your satisfaction, place baking sheets with pizza in your preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until edges are brown and the cheese is melted.
- Remove from oven and allow to sit for a few minutes. Slice and enjoy your delicious keto pizza.
Notes
Nutrition
More Low Carb Pizza Recipes
Lower Carb Pizza Sauce
Coconut Flour Pizza Crust
Keto Portobello Pizzas
Betsy says
Can these crusts be cooked & frozen without toppings on then?
Tara Wright, CHC, MBA says
Yes!
Arundev says
I tried this recipe today and it turned out delicious and that too my first keto pizza :).....Thank you So much
Tara Wright, CHC, MBA says
We're having this for dinner tonight!! Yum, yum 🙂
Annette Wood says
When nutrition facts are given is this for an entire crust or one piece or what? And how big is the dough circle to be?
Tara Wright, CHC, MBA says
When I make the dough, it makes two pizzas with 9 slices each. So, the serving size is one of these slices. (18 servings total). 🙂
Tara Wright, CHC, MBA says
Oh, and you can roll it as thick or thin as you want. Just divide the dough in half. We roll it to about 1/4 inch thick. But some may want it thinner.
Tony says
How long would you say the raw dough can stay good for in the fridge
Tara Wright, CHC, MBA says
About 3 days from our personal testing 🙂
John says
This pizza is legit. Make it, you wont be sorry!! I doubled the baking powder and added a packet of yeast. I rolled it thicker than she said. Thick crust keto pizza? YES and it's amazing!
Linda says
I think I will try sugar free b-b-q sauce and chicken for my toppings.
Robin M says
I had an inspiration when I went to roll out the crust. I happen to own a tortilla press, so I divided the dough for one pizza (half the recipe) into thirds and used the tortilla press instead of a rolling pin. I still used parchment and after pressing, I still rolled up a bit to make an edge, but they came out beautifully and just right for individual pizzas! Thank you for this recipe!
Tara Wright, CHC, MBA says
This is genius Robin!!! I love this idea and will have to try it 🙂
Trudy says
I just made this tonight and whole family said it was the best Keto Pizza I have ever made. I used the tortilla press to make 8 small mini pizzas. I did not bother chilling the dough in fridge to save on time since I was not rolling by hand. It worked out perfectly and was quicker.