Keto Pizza Recipe (Fathead Dough)

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This low carb keto pizza recipe has been the most popular keto dinner on Wholesome Yum since 2017 — and for good reason: Fathead pizza crust tastes just like regular pizza! I challenge you to notice that it’s gluten-free and keto. Even my kids love it. The fathead dough has that chewy quality that’s often so difficult to achieve with low carb baked goods.

There’s a long list of keto pizza recipes on my website — including cauliflower pizza crust, pizza bowls, chicken crust pizza, and pizza casserole, among others — but this fathead pizza is the best of them all.

What Is Fathead Dough?

This fathead pizza dough recipe is a gluten-free, low carb, and keto dough that is made with mozzarella, cream cheese, egg, and some type of low carb flour. The melted cheeses create a chewy texture that’s often hard to achieve in low carb baking.

The original recipe for fathead pizza comes from the Fathead movie, a 2009 documentary seeking to refute the lipid hypothesis. The lipid hypothesis is the claimed link between high cholesterol and heart disease, and the source of the “low fat” way of eating promoted in the Western world since the 1950s. Numerous studies have debunked the claim (this is a good scientific paper on the subject citing many sources).

Fathead pizza crust has become a staple for many on a keto diet. It’s super easy to make and the texture is very close to real pizza! I’m sharing my adaptation of the keto pizza recipe with almond flour and coconut flour versions included — and more ways to use fathead dough at the bottom of this post.

In fact, fathead dough has been so popular that I dedicated a whole section to it in my Easy Keto Cookbook. The book includes this keto pizza recipe, as well as tips and tricks and several other recipes using this amazing dough. Plus, it has 100 other easy keto recipes with a photo for every recipe, full macros, and tips.

After spending over a decade on low carb baking, I also developed my own Wholesome Yum Blanched Almond Flour and Wholesome Yum Coconut Flour, to ensure a consistent result every time — I highly recommend using one of these for this recipe. These flours have the finest consistency and the right moisture level, which is super important for the optimal texture, not only in pizza but also in other keto baking recipes.

Ingredients & Substitutions

This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for low carb pizza crust, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.

• Low Carb Flour – You can make the keto pizza crust with almond flour or coconut flour. After over 1000 reviews, I’ve found some people prefer one and some prefer the other. The only difference is the amount: Use 3/4 cup almond flour or 1/3 cup coconut flour. I highly recommend using Wholesome Yum Blanched Almond Flour or Wholesome Yum Coconut Flour, as these have the finest consistency and the right moisture level, for the best texture in your low carb pizza. If you can’t have either of these flours, you can use flaxseed meal or even lupin flour, in the same amount as the almond flour, though the taste and texture is slightly worse than the almond or coconut options.
• Eggs – These help the keto pizza dough stay together. Use one egg for the almond flour version or two eggs for the coconut flour version (because coconut flour absorbs more moisture). If you need an egg-free version, you can try an egg substitute such as a flax egg but I haven’t tested this recipe with any substitutions.
• Mozzarella Cheese – Shredded mozzarella is the star component of fathead dough. It has a neutral flavor and mimics the gluten in white flour to create a chewy texture. For best results, use low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella and buy pre-shredded for convenience, but you can shred it yourself if you like. Avoid using fresh mozzarella (the snow white kind that comes as a ball), which has too much moisture. Other semi-hard cheeses are okay to use, but the texture is typically not as good as mozzarella and your crust will taste more cheesy, due to the stronger flavors in most other cheeses.
• Cream Cheese – Helps to make your keto friendly pizza crust less dense.

How To Make Keto Pizza

This section shows how to make fathead dough for pizza, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.

1. Prep. Preheat the oven. Line a baking sheet or pizza pan with parchment paper. (Or for best results, preheat a pizza stone in the oven and line a pizza peel with parchment paper for preparing the keto pizza crust.)
2. Mix flour and eggs. In a large bowl or in a food processor, mix the egg(s) and either almond flour or coconut flour, depending on which version you are making.
3. Melt cheeses. In a medium bowl, combine the shredded mozzarella and cubed cream cheese. Microwave, stirring halfway through. Stir again at the end until well incorporated. (If you prefer not to use the microwave, melt the cheeses in a double boiler on the stove instead.)

4. Combine the fathead dough. Add the melted cheeses to the flour mixture. Process in the food processor or knead with your hands (depending on the method you are using), until a uniform dough forms, with no streaks. Form the dough into a ball.

5. Form or roll out the crust. Spread the dough onto the lined baking pan or pizza peel to 1/4″ or 1/3″ thickness, using your hands or a rolling pin over a piece of parchment (the rolling pin works better if you have one). Use a toothpick or fork to poke lots of holes throughout the crust to prevent bubbling.
6. Bake the keto pizza crust. If using a pizza stone, slide the parchment paper from the pizza peel to the stone in the oven. If using a pan, just place the pan in the oven. Bake, then poke more holes to pop any bubbles and bake again until slightly golden.

7. Add toppings. Top the crust with sauce and toppings and return to the oven, either directly on the pizza stone or directly on the oven rack (no parchment paper), until hot. If desired, place under the broiler to brown the cheese.

What Kind of Sauce To Use For Keto Pizza?

Top your keto pizza crust with any of these low carb sauces:

• Keto Pizza Sauce – This one comes together in just a few minutes, with common pantry ingredients. It’s fine to buy store bought pizza sauce as well, but avoid any that have added sugar in the ingredients list.
• Marinara Sauce – Similar to pizza sauce, but it’s cooked and typically more chunky. I often buy organic marinara sauce with no sugar added, but try to make homemade keto marinara sauce when I have time.
• Alfredo Sauce – I’m a huge fan of white pizza, and white sauce is lower in carbs than tomato sauce.
• Sugar-Free BBQ Sauce – Barbecue chicken pizza is delicious! But, you have to use a sugar-free barbecue sauce to keep it keto.
• Pesto Sauce – This makes the fathead pizza taste more like a flatbread.

Topping Ideas For Fathead Pizza Crust

You can use almost any kind of toppings for fathead pizza! Most pizza toppings are naturally low carb, since they are mostly meat and veggies. Here are the most popular options:

• Meats – Pepperoni, sausage, Canadian bacon, ground beef, or even shredded chicken all work great. Since the keto pizza with toppings only cooks for a short time, make sure your meats are pre-cooked before adding them. Any other keto meats are also fine to use.
• Veggies – Try sauteed mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, olives, or sliced tomatoes (or even sun-dried tomatoes). Check the list of keto vegetables list for more ideas.
• Cheese – Shredded mozzarella is the classic choice, but other keto cheeses may work well depending on the sauce you use.
• Herbs – Fresh basil, chives, or parsley can make nice additions, depending on what toppings you use.

If you are looking for specific topping combinations to try, I have seven delicious combos in my cauliflower pizza post. Avoid toppings that are higher in sugar, such as pineapple.

Keto Pizza Nutrition

Fathead pizza crust nutrition content is very low in carbs, so it’s great for keto diets.

How Many Carbs In Fathead Pizza?

The nutrition info varies a little depending on which flour is used, but is pretty similar:

Nutrition	Keto Pizza With Almond Flour	Keto Pizza With Coconut Flour
Calories	144	117
Fat	12g	8g
Total Carbs	3g	4g
Net Carbs	2g	2g
Protein	8g	7g

For both versions, this is nutrition info above is per slice of crust (1/8 of the low carb pizza), without toppings. Toppings would be extra, depending on what you add.

This keto pizza crust may be a little on the high side when it comes to calories, but you’ll be surprised at how filling it is. Most people agree it’s well worth it, and you end up eating less, too.

Storage Instructions

Leftover keto pizza will keep in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.

Make Ahead Instructions:

There are three ways to prepare this fathead pizza recipe ahead of time:

1. Make the ball of fathead pizza dough ahead. You can prepare the dough, cover it in plastic wrap, and store in the fridge for up to a week, until you are ready to use it.
2. Bake the crust ahead. You can refrigerate it for up to a week. To make the pizza, just add toppings and bake for 10-15 minutes.
3. Freeze the keto pizza dough. See options for that below!

Freezing Instructions:

Yes, you can freeze keto fathead pizza! There are two options:

1. Make the dough, form a ball, wrap tightly in plastic, and freeze it. When you want to use it, let it thaw completely and then roll out as needed. You’ll have to bake the crust before adding toppings and baking again.
2. Pre-bake the keto fathead pizza crust. I prefer this option for convenience — no thawing needed! Bake the crust as directed, wrap it, and store in the freezer. When you are ready to enjoy the pizza, simply add sauce and toppings to the frozen crust, and bake for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees, until hot. If you prefer, you can also top the pizza before freezing; just be sure you freeze right away so that the crust doesn’t get soggy.

More Fathead Dough Recipes

Fathead dough can be used for so many baked goods beyond pizza! Sometimes the dough is the same, and sometimes there are slight changes, such as adding baking powder or sweetener, omitting cream cheese, or changing the flours. Try these delicious recipes: