All Day I Dream About Food

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Almond Flour Pizza Crust – Low Carb and Gluten-Free

Ask many low carbers what they miss most about their old diet, and the vast majority of them will say pizza.  I often say pizza, and I was never that much of a pizza fanatic.  I was certainly not one of those people who ate pizza every day in university, although I liked it well enough.  I didn’t go out of my way to eat pizza, but I didn’t say no to it either.  But on a low carb diet, I often find myself wistful about it  It’s just that pizza is the whole package, you know?  It has the bread and carbohydrates that most people in Western society crave, it has a touch of sweetness from the pizza sauce, and it has meat and cheese and perhaps a few veggies.

So I’ve long been on a mission to make a really great bread-like pizza crust.  Yes, I know there are lots of interesting and healthy low carb “pizza crusts”, made with things like cauliflower or zucchini, and I think that’s all well and good.  But I wanted something I could serve to my kids and not see that eye-roll or that look of horror that I had so bastardized one of their favourite foods.  That meant that the crust had to be as close to the real thing as possible.

It definitely took a few tries to get this one right.  My first was good, but a touch on the soggy side.  It just didn’t quite stand up to the toppings well enough, although the flavour was fantastic.  So on the second go round, I added more oat fiber for dryness and structure, and a little less liquid.  I also baked it a little longer without the toppings, and a little less with them.  Broiling the pizza at the end helps melt the cheese and get it nice and browned.  The whole family loved both attempts, and the kids ate it without question, but the second try held together a little better.  It’s still on the fragile side compared to wheat dough, but it’s a fantastic stand-in!

If you have a pizza stone, I definitely recommend using it.  The pizza crust is good on a regular baking sheet but slightly crisper and better on the stone.  Let the stone heat up while you are preheating the oven, and then just transfer the piece of parchment paper with the crust on it to the stone.

Print
Almond Flour Pizza Crust
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
17 mins
Total Time
32 mins
 

Indulge your pizza cravings with this almond based pizza crust. It’s a fantastic stand-in for wheat crust!

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 8 servings (2 medium pizzas)
Ingredients
  • 3 cups almond flour
  • 1 cup oat fiber OR 1/3 cup coconut flour
  • 1/4 cup unflavoured whey protein powder
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 4 eggs lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup butter melted
  • 1/4 cup almond milk
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together almond flour, oat fiber OR coconut flour, whey protein, baking powder, garlic powder and salt.
  3. Stir in eggs, melted butter and almond milk until dough comes together. It will be somewhat sticky.
  4. Take half the dough and form into a ball. Flatten the ball into a disc and roll out between two pieces of parchment paper to about 1/2 inch thickness (around 10 inches in diameter).
  5. Peel off top layer of parchment. Lift bottom parchment with crust on it onto a baking sheet or pizza stone.
  6. Bake 8 minutes, then remove from oven and put on your favourite toppings. Bake 5 to 7 minutes more.
  7. Turn on broiler to high and broil pizza 4 to 5 inches from heat source for 1 to 2 minutes, until cheese is melted, bubbly and a bit browned.
  8. Remove from oven and let site 5 minutes.
  9. Repeat with remaining dough.
Recipe Notes

Serves 8. Each serving has 21.25 g of carbs and 16.75 g of fiber (oat fiber is ALL fiber). Total NET CARBS = 4.5 g.

Nutrition Facts
Almond Flour Pizza Crust
Amount Per Serving
Calories 85
% Daily Value*
Total Carbohydrates 21.25g 7%
Dietary Fiber 16.75g 67%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Disclaimer

Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.

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Comments

  1. I have noticed many of your recipes include Almond Milk; since we dislike it, would low carb milk work as well?
    Thanks for your help.

    Reply

  2. Oh, this looks so wonderful, Carolyn. So glad you’ve used YOUR kids as recipe tasters as they are for sure the toughest critics. My DH is diabetic, and pizza is one of the things that he “cheats” on and it send his numbers way up. Will make this tomorrow, all I need to pick up at the market is more cheese.

    Reply

    • Very good question. I rolled it out to about 10 inches diameter, and 1/2 inch thick or so. I need to edit my recipe to reflect that. Thanks!

      Reply

  5. This looks amazing…can’t wait to try it! I happen to have oat fiber that I bought for some low-carb recipe a long time ago, but was wondering where you get yours? Thanks again, Carolyn, for all your work developing these great recipes!

    Reply

  6. i luv the recipe. i can totally see almond flour giving you the right texture. about the oat FIBER. is that the same thing as oat FLOUR? cause i got a crapload of it and no idea what to use it for.

    Reply

  7. This looks great! I’ve tried a lot of almond flour and other… weird… grain-free pizza crusts recipes and have only had one that I’ve liked. I really loved it, but trying a new one wouldn’t hurt. And I just happened to have bought unflavored whey for the first time on Friday. So I’ll definitely be making this! Just have to get the oat fiber.

    Reply

    • Kiersten, caulilflower crust pizza is actually quite good, especially if you bake the cauliflower rice until it just starts to cook, rather than steaming or, worse, boiling it. If you steam or boil it, you have to put it in a towel and squeeze out the extra water. If you bake it, the excess water evaporates in your oven. That said, I wouldn’t call it a pizza substitute. I’d call it a flavorful way to get more vegetables in your diet. If I want pizza, Carolyn’s crust looks like a much better way to go. But topping cauliflower crust with cheese, basil, and fresh tomatoes, for example, is an awesome way to eat your veggies. 🙂

      Reply

  9. This looks great! Where is a good place to purchase oat fiber? Also, did you use a particular brand of unflavored whey protein powder?

    Reply

  10. I so would like to become gluten-free but the recipes seem to have hard to find ingredients (not to mention expensive) … maybe some day. In the meantime, I am enjoying the recipes.
    😀

    Reply

  11. I so luv sitting down at the computer with my second espresso and some bite of a sweet ‘Carolyn’ inspiration (today it’s the gingerbread biscotti) AND peruse your newest posting!

    And my order of oat fiber just arrived…can’t wait to give this one a go. Let’s see just since yesterday I’ve made those biscotti, the frozen raspberry mousse tart with chocolate crust. Soon up, the sticky toffee pudding cakes…there’s a trip to the liquor store for the dark rum.

    Thanks for your delicious inspiration!!!

    Reply

  14. Is Whey Protein Powder the same as Whey Protein Isolate? I am having trouble finding carb-free (or at least very low carb) unflavored whey protein powder, but can find the protein isolate. Any recommendations or examples of what you use would be helpful.

    Thanks for guiding the way!

    Reply

    • Hi Eric – I use Jarrow Unflavoured Whey Protein (purchased on Amazon). It has all of 2g of carbs per scoop, which I’ve measured out and it comes to a little less than 1/3 cup. Hope that helps!

      Reply

    • I use protein powders a lot in my almond flour baking…not so much to up the protein as to give the baked goods some structure. I find it helps replace the proteins in gluten.

      Reply

    • Yes, big huge difference. Oat fiber is all fiber, therefore has no carbs. Oat flour has plenty of carbs and should be used more sparingly.

      Reply

  17. Would love to try it, but don’t do oats in any form (or rice, tapioca flours), what else would you sub in? (coconut flour or more almond flour?)

    Reply

  19. This looks amazing. I know it will taste delicious. If my blood sugar doesn’t freak out, it could be a life changer. (Do I want to be a pizza addict again?) 🙂

    How do you think the dough would freeze? It would be nice to make a lot at once and then have it around when the pizza craving comes.

    Reply

  22. Carolyn, your pizza sounds fantastic! I have almond flour…no I need to go get me some almond milk. Would skim milk do?? I am low-carbing, low cal-ing it these days (post pregnancy body is lookin’ pretty ugly 😉 ) so I’m often on your page jotting down recipes. 🙂

    Reply

      • Hi Daniel. Not every reader of my blog is low carb, many just want healthier versions of things. Besides which, subbing in skim milk would add about 4 g of carbs to the WHOLE RECIPE, so the additional carbs per serving would be negligible.

        Reply

  23. Carolyn, your pizza sounds fantastic! I have almond flour…now I need to go get me some almond milk. Would skim milk do?? I am low-carbing, low cal-ing it these days (post pregnancy body is lookin’ pretty ugly 😉 ) so I’m often on your page jotting down recipes. 🙂

    Reply

    • I have no idea, because I no longer use wheat bran. I think you could, although your dough will be a little stickier than mine when you roll it out.

      Reply

    • I’ve never used it, but I think anything that is powdery and high fiber, like coconut flour and I suppose psyllium husk powder, would work. Does it absorb a lot of liquids?

      Reply

      • Psyllium is usually used sparingly in gluten free/grain free baked goods. It givens a similar chew and elasticity to gluten. It also does absorb liquids. I use it a lot in grain free breads and crusts, where I want that chewiness.

        Reply

    • I would not use a cup of psyllium or this recipe as it will have a very strong flavor and not come out right. You could add about 1-2 Tbs to give a bit of elasticity ( similar to gluten) but that’s it.

      Reply

  31. This looks amazing, Carolyn! I’m astounded you were able to use as much as 1/2 oat fiber in anything and it not be too dry to eat. I’m eager to try this.

    Reply

  32. I noticed that you added baking powder. Did it actually help the dough to rise? I was under the impression that almond dough can’t rise.

    Reply

    • Everything rises with a little leavener. Almond flour can indeed rise, I do it all the time in my baked goods, all of which contain baking powder and/or baking soda. For many baked goods, you want AT LEAST twice the leavening agent you would use in regular baked goods, because almond flour doesn’t rise as easily as wheat flour. In this recipe, you only want it to rise a little, you want a nice dense crust.

      Reply

  33. Hi,

    I’m new to your website and really loving it, can you tell me though where you find gluten free oat fiber? I can’t wait to try this and your other bread recipes!

    Thanks!

    Reply

    • Hi Colleen, Sadly, the one place I got GF oat fiber has gone under. I now make this pizza crust with coconut flour instead, half the amount of the oat fiber and it works great. Guess I should actually update the recipe…

      Reply

  35. This recipe is awesome!! Just made it, but had to substitute some blanched almond flour with the non-blanched, and the oat fiber with wheat bran (the fine version) as I couldn’t find oat fiber. It still turned out great, and non soggy, which was my biggest issue with other recipes. The crust could kinda taste like scones, so I might try to use this recipe for that!

    Reply

  36. Just a little FYI….I just purchased Oat Fiber from Netrition….they get it from LifeSource Foods. And, I am trying your pizza crusts today….my husband says he will eat something else (?) tonight besides pizza since he has NOT liked any of my attempts at low carb pizza so far. I’ll definitely let you know how this turns out! Thanks for all your hard work….I love your site.

    Reply

    • Thanks, Linda. It’s hard to accept pizza that isn’t made with wheat flour, but maybe your husband will like it if he tries a bit. My kids did and they are my toughest critics!

      Reply

  37. I can’t wait to try this this weekend! I just got some Oat Fiber from Honeyville Farms (THANKS for recommending them!). I’ve been making the cauliflower crust for some months now – which is acceptable – but I want to pick up a slice and hold it in my hands! lol Have you ever tried making the crust ahead and freezing or refrigerating it?

    I will continue to thank you for all you share with us! I just made three of your Almond Crusted Butter Cakes (with different variations), sliced them up and put them in the freezer. They freeze like a dream!!

    Reply

  38. This looks awesome! My son and I are on a casein free/gluten free diet so we can’t use the Whey powder. Would the recipe still work the same…or should I substitute something else in?

    Reply

    • I’d sub some sort of protein powder but it can be hemp or egg protein. Protein helps it rise and holds its shape.

      Reply

  39. Hi, Carolyn. This recipe looks great. I need a clarification. You say that the recipe serves 8. Do you mean that two pizzas serve 8 people (each person gets 1/4 of a pizza), or do you mean that each pizza serves 8 people (each person gets 1/8 pizza)? I am trying to track my carb intake, so the carb content/slice is important.

    You have a great website, and your photography is awesome. As an amateur photographer, I am curious what camera you use. You do a great job controlling the depth-of-field, keeping only the foreground in focus.

    Thanks,

    Jim

    Reply

    • 8 servings total, both pizzas together. So yes, each person gets 1/4 of a pizza. The crust is dense and filling, I think you will find.

      Thank you for the compliment on my photography! I am a complete amateur but I’ve taught myself a lot over the past few years. I use an 8 year old Canon Rebel XT that was handed down to me from my brother. I used to use the kit lens (18 – 55mm) but now I have the 1.8 50 mm and it makes a huge difference in the ability to control depth of field! I am actually doing an amateur photography presentation at a blogging conference this weekend!

      Reply

  40. I stumbled on this recipe via a Google search and I’m really glad I did. I’m a Type 1 Diabetic, diagnosed two years ago. And pizza is one of the foods I miss the most. It’s so hard finding a good pizza recipe that doesn’t wreck my numbers. And yours sounds really really great. I’ve used almond flour before and had varying levels of success making a pizza. I can’t wait to try this. One thing I’ve done myself that I think I might try with yours too is a tablespoon of stevia. It really adds a noticeable amount of sweetness.

    Reply

    • Hmmm, I am interested in trying it with stevia, that might be good. One note on this recipe…it’s really quite filling. I decided last time I made it that I was going to roll it out even thinner next time, so that I could get more toppings on and less crust filling me up. You might want to experiment with that a bit. Good luck!

      Reply

  41. I just had a delicious slice of pizza made with this crust. I cut the recipe in half, since I was making it for two, and used coconut flour instead of oat fiber. I also added a little hemp and a little flax meal to the dough and sprinkled some on the bottom of the pizza stone. I was surprised by how much the coconut flavor comes through, but to me it was still very tasty. I will definitely be making it again!

    Reply

  42. Hi Carolyn, I was searching the web for a low carb pizza crust recipes and found this. My family loves pizza nights and I usually only have one piece or opt out as the calories are so high. I am excited to try this recipe and it looks delicious in the picture as well. I’m wondering if you can provide nutritional information for this recipe; sorry if I missed it in the comments. Thanks so much.

    Reply

  43. I just came across this site via a google search for a low-carb pizza crust. This site is FABULOUS! I can’t wait to start trying some of these recipes.
    You have also been officially liked on Facebook by me! 🙂

    Reply

  44. I will try this very soon, I am very excited to make pizza. I have seen other recipes but by the ingredients it didn’t look good, but this may be just the one! 🙂

    Reply

  45. As to the almond milk…do you use original or flavored? Sweetened or unsweetened? I’m trying to go low carb so I assume I would use the unsweetened as it has fewer carbs. You may have already answered this question, but in skimming the comments I didn’t see it.

    Reply

  46. Could I make this dough ahead of time and refrigerate? Then bring the room temp before I roll out? Making for a party that I’d love to prep for the day before. Thanks!

    Reply

  47. do you think a pea protein powder could work instead of whey? we have a dairy allergy.
    do you add the extra protein to everything? what is the ratio you use? have you ever tried xanthum gum? I’m new to gluten free and I’m trying to figure out how to make substitutes for some of my favorite recipes. I like the idea of using a different protein powder. this is the first I’ve seen it used. I’ll be trying it tonight!

    Reply

    • How much protein does the pea protein have per 1/4 cup? Then I can give you a better answer. I don’t add protein to everything but it helps gluten-free things rise and hold their shape (since gluten is actually a protein). And yes, I do use xanthan in some of my recipes. You could also use hemp protein or egg white powder.

      Reply

  48. Hi Carolyn

    This looks sooOooo good, must give it a whirl. One question – do you think it feasible to make the whole crust recipe, and then freeze half for later? Thank you!

    Reply

  49. I noticed you now have “OR 1/3 cup coconut flour” next to the oat fiber in the ingredients list – what are the carb counts per serving based on? Oat fiber or coconut flour?

    Also, if you’ve tried both, what are the differences in the end product? 🙂 I Have both, but a whole cup of oat fiber seems almost wasteful (I love it and I’m hoarding it a bit – I do find it helps in many LC baking and flour mixes) but would probably impart a better flavor and texture?

    Reply

    • The carb count is for oat flour, but it should be less with coconut flour. I haven’t run those numbers. The dough is stickier with coconut flour and the end result is a little more tender but still very flavourful.

      Reply

  50. Thanks for the pizza dough recipe. I tried it the other night and it turned out a bit dry. I used 2 Tbs of pysillium husks to replace the protein powder. How can I make it a bit more moist? More almond milk. Thnaks!

    Reply

  51. I am so appreciative of your recipes! I am new to low carb and none of your recipes have failed me!

    I am weary about protein powder. Can I substitute flaxseed meal? Any other whey protein suggestions?

    Reply

    • You need the protein powder to help it rise (since gluten is a protein, in its absence you need another dry protein). You can skip it but it might not rise as much or be as tender.

      Reply

  52. This maybe silly but when you give the nutritional information does that mean 4.5 carbs is that for both pizzas or just one. With my granddaughter beings that she has a pump everything has to be exact.
    Thanks again. You can’t even imagine how grateful I am to you.
    God Bless

    Reply

    • I understand you need to be really careful! It’s 8 servings total (between the two pizza) so it’s 4.5 g of carbs per serving (including both pizzas – a serving is 1/4 of a pizza).

      Reply

    • I don’t but you should be able to run the ingredients through My Fitness Pal and get a good idea.

      Reply

  55. Hi Carolyn,

    This crust has literally kept me from ditching the low carb way of eating. I have been very consistent (no cheating) for 5 weeks now and was just about to slip when I came upon this recipe. I tried it yesterday, and it is great! My crust was a little crumbly, but still good. Maybe a little more liquid would help that? I used coconut milk because that is what I had on hand.

    I am so excited that I can have real pizza crust (not cauliflower). Thank you for all these amazing recipes!

    Reply

  56. The pizza looked really nice, but the crust was too sweet for me. I knew it may be like that. Is there anything I can do to make it less sweet, maybe decrease the almond flour and increase the oat fiber? I know it will never take like pizza made with semolina flour, but if I can make it little more so, it would be so nice.

    Reply

  57. I’ve been stalking your blog for a year now! You’ve got such wonderful recipes here, and this pizza crust is just…it’s fabulous. It’s the first savory recipe I’ve tried of yours. I’ve made some of your desserts with ( mostly ) success. I bought vanilla bean powder to use in the vanilla bean scones ( which were amazing ) and I now use a little bit of the powder in my morning coffee. Yum.
    I’ve been on a low carb, sugar free “diet” for the better part of six years now, and have tried quite a few recipes for low carb “bread” and/or pizza crust. Your pizza crust blows them all away. It’s easy to work with, is nice and firm upon baking ( and even before ) and has a nice, mild flavor, but isn’t bland either. This will be my go-to from now on.
    Thank you for all the hard work you do. This low carber definitely appreciates it.

    Reply

  58. The unflavored protein powder is very important here. Using vanilla flavored powder resulted in a very cake-tasting crust, because of all the butter and eggs used. Even with the garlic powder, it had a subtle sweet taste. I liked it, but it definitely would have been better with unflavored powder. That being said, I am very happy with this recipe! One slice of pizza was enough to satisfy my appetite, and I can typically put away a whole medium pizza by myself! Thank you!

    Reply

  59. How well does this recipe freeze? I would love to freeze half of it for crazy and/or lazy days. I’m planning on giving it a shot regardless and will let you know how it goes, but if anybody has had any luck, please let me know!

    Reply

    • Yup, that’s exactly it. That almond flour is very filling so you can’t eat too much or you risk a tummy ache!

      Reply

  61. Such a good recipe! I have made it twice in the last three days. My husband was recently diagnosed with celiac and I basically have also cut out gluten and sugar as well. This tastes like REAL pizza crust. I didn’t have any whey protein, so I added in a little cornstarch and some Parmesan cheese. It will be our regular crust recipe, thanks for posting!

    Reply

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