My low carb Mozzarella Dough in a How-To video! This versatile keto dough recipe is so useful, it deserves its own landing page. It makes the best low carb pizza crust but it’s also great for calzones, garlic knots, low carb bagels, and even cinnamon rolls. You won’t believe how good it is.
You know me. I won’t ever claim I came up with a recipe idea on my own when I did not. Sadly, a lot of bloggers do that these days and they never credit their sources of inspiration. But I am old school and I believe in citing my sources and building strong relationships based on trust. So let me say right off the bat that this is a really good variation of the famous Fathead dough. I never ever would have come up with using mozzarella cheese as a base for dough on my own. And I am grateful to the Fathead creators, and Tom Naughton of the Fathead Movie, for thinking of it.
MY LATEST VIDEOS
How To Make Low Carb Pizza Dough
To make low carb pizza crust:
- Roll the dough out between pieces of parchment paper to 12 inches (0r use a silicone mat on the bottom)
- Remove the top parchment and roll up the edge a little to create a crust
- Transfer the bottom parchment with the dough on it to a cookie sheet or pizza stone
- Bake at 350F for 10 to 15 minutes, until starting to brown and firm up.
- Remove and top with your favourite toppings and bake again until melted and bubbly.
Fathead dough is ever evolving stuff, with every blogger putting their own unique spin on it. Mine, which I like to call Magic Mozzarella Dough, is a little sturdier than the original recipe, and uses butter in place of cream cheese, some coconut flour, and a little baking powder to help it rise and puff up a bit. It’s buttery and rich and even a little flaky. This stuff really is magic and can be used for so many different fun recipes, from savory to sweet. I used it for several recipes in my cookbook, The Everyday Ketogenic Kitchen. Including the delicious Pesto Twists, which were a huge hit with my kids!
But it’s not always the easiest to work with and there are some tricks to getting it right. Let’s go over these, shall we?
- As much as it may go against the keto mantra, you actually want the pre-shredded, part skim mozzarella as it contains some fillers that usually help the dough hold together a little better. But it does NOT have to be the junky kind full of extra starches. I’ve found that the good organic stuff contains vegetable cellulose as an anti-caking agent, and with a little extra almond flour in the mix, it works just as well.
- Use finely ground BLANCHED almond flour. Please please please. Do not use almond meal, which is more coarsely ground and often contains the brown skin of the almond. I had one reader tell me that the dough kept falling apart on her but that she couldn’t imagine that the grind of the almond flour was an issue. BUT IT IS! Because those coarse particles don’t combine with the cheese and butter very well and they don’t absorb enough of the oils to come together like a proper dough. This is the case with ANY low carb baked good. While you can get away with that coarse texture in something like a muffin, it just isn’t going to work in a fine cake or a dough and you will have a crumbly, greasy mess on your hands.
- Keep your heat low at all times. Very low. The lowest it will go. And if you have an electric stove and have a little more difficulty controlling the heat than with gas, you may have to take your pot on and off from the element several times to keep it from getting too hot. You want your butter and cheese to melt together but you never want them to bubble.
- Add the egg last and add it off heat. Because we don’t want it cooking before you have a chance to incorporate it into the dough.
- Knead that sucker, both in the pan and out of the pan. It doesn’t need a lot of kneading (or knead a lot of needing — see what I did there???), but if you do it right after you incorporate the egg and flours, it will hang together much better. I use a rubber spatula to knead it against the sides of the pan after I’ve added the remaining ingredients. Only then, when it comes together, do I turn it out onto a surface, where I knead it a little more until it’s mostly uniform.
- Be ready to adjust. I find that this is actually a very forgiving recipe, if you know how to adjust it. If it comes out of the pan very sticky to the touch, you simply need to sprinkle it with a little more almond flour and knead that in, adding more until it’s not longer sticking to your hands.
There you have it. My tips on how to make the best low carb dough that can be used for everything from pizza to cinnamon rolls. Really, this is remarkable stuff and I hope I’ve given you the confidence to try it and make it work for you!
- 6 ounces pre-shredded part skim mozzarella
- 5 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup blanched almond flour
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 large egg
-
Sprinkle a clean counter or a large silicone baking mat with almond flour.
-
In a large saucepan, melt the cheese and butter together over low heat until they are melted and can be stirred together.
-
Remove from heat and add the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, garlic powder, and salt. Add the egg and stir everything together until a cohesive forms. Use a rubber spatula to really knead the dough together in the pan. It may still contain some streaks of cheese.
-
Turn the dough out onto the prepared work surface and knead until uniform. This will only take a little kneading. If your dough is still very sticky, add a tablespoon or two more almond flour and work it in.
Sweet Mozzarella Dough: Leave out garlic powder and add ¼ cup powdered sweetener and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract along with the almond flour.
To make low carb pizza crust:
- Roll the dough out between pieces of parchment paper to 12 inches (0r use a silicone mat on the bottom)
- Remove the top parchment and roll up the edge a little to create a crust
- Transfer the bottom parchment with the dough on it to a cookie sheet or pizza stone
- Bake at 350F for 10 to 15 minutes, until starting to brown and firm up.
- Remove and top with your favourite toppings and bake again until melted and bubbly.
What else can you make with low carb Magic Mozzarella Dough? I say…what can’t you make with it? Check out…
And see more recipes with this amazing dough in The Everyday Ketogenic Kitchen!
Tami Loftin says
What if I don’t have the pre-shredded mozzarella? Can I just add some kind of “flour” to it?
Carolyn says
You can’t add a flour. You can try a tablespoon of arrowroot or corn starch.
Denise Dunkel says
What temo for cooking into bagels?
Jennifer says
This makes me so happy! I was just telling my husband how I was really craving pizza! I’m going to have to try this. BTW, do you have a recipe for cinnamon rolls made out of this dough?
Carolyn says
I do have one and it’s in my cookbook: http://amzn.to/2FhlENQ
allison says
This is truly a magic dough! I love it for pizza, calzones, and flatbread! Adding a little sweetener and it works just like that stuff in a tube! It is my family’s favorite crust for pizza!
olga says
Hi Carolyn, This looks really good. Do you have a cinnamon roll recipe that incorporates this fathead mozzarella dough? I looked throughout your blog and your cinnamon roll recipe did not use mozzarella– just the almond flour and other gluten free / sugar free ingredients. I see you the twists- could we just take that recipe and make those twists into a flat shape to get a more traditional cinnamon roll look?
Carolyn says
Hi Olga. That recipe is my book, The Everyday Ketogenic Kitchen.
Jennifer Varney says
Hi! I was wondering if you had a tortilla recipe made with mozzarella cheese. I thought I saved it off of FB but apparently I didn’t. I’m sure it was from a Keto a few years back. Thanks
Carolyn says
I do not. sorry.
Ashley says
We are new to the Keto lifestyle. In this recipe and many other recipes I notice a combination of different flour. We don’t use tree nuts in this family so could I use all coconut flour and would I need to adjust the amount of flour, eggs and liquid? Thanks!
Carolyn says
No, I’ve tried all coconut in this recipe and it’s too tough.
Tracy says
What can be used instead of almond flour ?
Carolyn says
This recipe has been designed and tested only with almond flour. sorry.
Sarah says
I did the recipe using sunflower seed flour instead of almond flour this evening and it worked fine.
AnneB says
Ashley – you could try using sunflower seed flower. I haven’t but know it functions similar to almond flour. Or try the original fathead recipe using coconut flour. I prefer THIS recipe but we always liked fathead until I recently changed to Carolyn’s. Good luck!
AnneB says
Flour… darn auto correct! LOL! 😉
Kathy Jo Horan says
Carolyn,
I have made both the cinnamon rolls and a sausage mushroom pizza with the Magic mozzarella dough, and I agree, it truly is magic. Both items were hands-down the best low-carb version ever! The only problem I have with it is that I can’t make something from it every. single. day.
Thanks again for all of your fabulous recipes and for making “real people” recipes that include easy to find ingredients!
Kathy Jo
Carolyn says
Thank you so much!
Kathy Jo Horan says
Forgot to add that every recipe in your cookbook, starting with this one, has been delicious! Now my daughter-in-law loves it, too!
Kathy Jo
Tresa says
Love this dough and all your recipes. .My husband likes stuffed crust pizza so I take the outer edge and cut it into sections and seal in pieces of simi frozen mozzarella sticks around the rim. It makes the pizza smaller but so good. You need to seal it well seal it well so the cheese doesn’t ooz out.
Jennifer Farley says
Love this recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Erica says
I just adore experimenting with Fathead/mozzarella dough. I always use whole milk pre-shredded mozzarella (from Smart & Final). In my side-by-side comparisons, part-skim dough was drier, denser, harder to manipulate and less pleasant in texture than the whole-milk dough. In recipes that call for both mozzarella and butter, I reduce the amount of butter slightly to compensate for the extra fat from the cheese (solely for the purpose of mostly maintaining the recipe’s original proportions).
Kiri says
Amazing dough! Great recipe! Thank you for the idea!
Lori says
Looks like flour on the board. I follow a grain free woe and this would be a no no. Or is coconut flour being used?
Carolyn says
No…it’s almond flour. I am grain-free too, I don’t use flour in ANYTHING. I don’t even have any in my house.
Erica says
If you’re grain-free, you’re going to love Carolyn’s recipes. ?
MIchele says
Tree Nut allergy here, any suggestions on substitutions for almond flour?
Carolyn says
You can try sunflower seed flour but I am not sure how it will fare.
Jennifer Blake says
Perfect for our make-your-own pizza nights!
Mary says
Unless I scrolled too fast I didn’t see what temp to set oven or how long to bake. Pre-bake before toppings? Then again after topping?
Carolyn says
This is just a recipe for the dough itself. Search my blog for “Jalapeño Popper Pizza” and it will walk you through what to do for pizza.
Paula says
When making pizza in an outdoor pizza oven, do you need to prebake the dough and bake again with toppings?
Carolyn says
I think that would probably be best but I haven’t tried it in an outdoor pizza oven. Experiment and get back to me! 😉
nora says
350
Beverly says
SO I am dairy free, would goat cheese and ghee work in this recipe?
Carolyn says
No, i don’t believe that would work.
Gerry Speirs says
This is truly magic!!
Cookin Canuck says
I may not be following a Keto diet, but I want to try this the next time I’m making pizza dough. Looks amazing!
nell says
Can this dough be made ahead? Say on a Thursday for use on Friday? Thank you!
Carolyn says
Yes, but I would roll it out to whatever you are using it for because it starts to lose its elasticity the longer it sits.
Nell says
Thank you!
Marsha says
We just made this tonight for a pizza. It worked very well with blanched almonds ground in the Vitamix and then sifted. I also used 28% milk fat pizza mozzarella (the Canadian Superstore no name brand) and it was totally fine. This is the best pizza dough ever, and we have been making low-carb pizza for years and tried a few different recipes for the dough. Cannot wait to try this in cinnamon rolls.
Jenny says
What would you recommend to do with leftovers? If I made a pizza, could I freeze individual slices for another time? If yes, would I reheat in the oven? Thank you, love your recipes!
Amber Weber says
I’ve frozen individual slices and just warmed them in a he microwave. Works out great!
ChapelHillBetsy says
I make this recipe all the time and with two of us, always have leftovers. I reheat the leftover pieces in the toaster oven because it crisps up the crust. I think the microwave makes the leftover slices a bit soggy.
Rachel says
Great recipe! I’m new to the low carb stuff and this is a keeper!
Anna says
The people over at Fat Head credit Cooky’s Creations for this recipe. Either way, thanks for keeping it alive! It has saved many their sanity.
Carolyn says
Oh that’s good to know. I had read somewhere that it was the son of the FatHead creator, Jon Naughton? It’s hard when the origins of an idea are so obscure!
Erica says
According to Tom Naughton on his blog, his nephew discovered the recipe and credits it as a modification of a recipe from Cooky’s Creations.
Carolyn says
Aha! good to know!
Audrey Harder says
Does the coconut flour give it any hint of coconut flavor? I can’t stand coconut! Could I use all almond flour?
Carolyn says
No you really don’t taste it.
Marcelle says
As another person asked, how can I store the leftovers? I want to make this today but I will not (I HOPE!) be eating the whole thing at once!
Carolyn says
Are you making it as pizza? If so, just cut up and keep in the fridge for a few days.
Marcelle says
I just had to add….I have almost 1300 recipes saved on Yummly. I make SOOOO many of your recipes (yes, I just bought your book!) that you now have your own category in my Yummly account! Today is Lemon Ricotta Scones AND the Magic Mozzarella Dough!! WOOHOO!!!!
Carolyn says
<3 thanks!
cherie says
Carolyn I love your book 🙂 I just made this into a bacon cheddar ‘stick’ – I added dried parsley and onion powder [actually tjs onion seasoning stuff – fab] to the dough, rolled it out to a rectangle, laid out strips of cooked [not to crispy but it could be if you prefer] bacon, sprinkled with shredded cheddar and sesame seeds and folded it in half, cut into strips, topped with more cheese and seeds and baked. Yum! I feel like my dough was a bit oily – but I’ll keep working on it – it didn’t feel greasy on baking, just while working with it, however I am not sure my flour was quite as fine as yours either – I’ll keep experimenting. But yum and the video made me brave enough to try LOL – thanks! All your recipes are always so wonderful!
Debbie says
my current roll/biscuit recipe allows you to melt the mozzarella cheese and cream cheese in the microwave. Can you do this with the mozzarella and butter in your magic dough recipe. I did purchase your book looking forward to trying your recipes.
Carolyn says
Yes you should be able to do that.
Kathy says
Hi Carolyn. I would like to make the Keto Cinnamon Rolls, but can’t seem to find a recipe for them. When I click the title or picture of them, all I get is a bigger picture. Can you help?
Carolyn says
That’s because that recipe is only in my book The Everyday Ketogenic Kitchen http://amzn.to/2pexrlM
diana says
Thank you, Carolyn for being so meticulous about citing your sources and inspirations as well as for experimenting and coming up with new ways to use recipes and ingredients.
Just a fun little bit history I found for the mozzarella dough: In 2004, “Betty R” posted a recipe using mozzarella dough on Netrition’s low carb friends site, and even she said she got the recipe from somebody else. http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=224104
Cookie at Cookie’s Low Carb Creations used it as a pizza dough on her blog in 2012, and Tom Naughton made it famous sometime after that. Seems that mozzarella dough has been around for much longer than anybody thought!
Mary says
Hello. I can’t wait to try this. What temp do you bake this dough and for how long?
Carolyn says
Depends on what you are making! Check the recipe suggestions at the bottom, that will help. 🙂
Susan says
This looks amazing! I am going to try it today with some tweaking because I am allergic to almonds :(. HAs anyone else had to do this and had success? It will probably change the net carb total. I am thinking of using oat fiber instead of the almond flour.
Cynthia Law says
I’ve read your post several times and can’t find a temperature to bake the pizza crust or for how long. I saw your previous answer to this question but I don’t see it in the blog post anywhere. Can you post it in the (pizza) directions like you do for most of your other recipes?
Carolyn says
Hi Cynthia…this post is only about the dough itself. There are links at the bottom to all the things you can to do with it and those will have full instructions on how to bake for pizza or spanakopita. It doesn’t make sense for me to put it here, since it really depends on the recipe.
Robin Irwin says
I don’t have coconut flour. May I use all almond flour?
Thanks
Carolyn says
It doesn’t turn out as well but you can try. Use another 1/2 cup or more.
carol says
WHAT TEMP. do we cook at? thank you
Carolyn says
That entirely depends on what you are trying to make. There are specific recipes linked at the bottom.
carol says
Made it today. It’s great.
Jennifer Blake says
My family is totally addicted to carbs and anything pizza related. Looking forward to trying this!
Jennifer Farley says
This sounds SO GOOD!
Liz says
LOVE this! Now I can make a pizza just for me!!
gerry speirs says
I’d love to try this!
Erin @ Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts says
Such a great and easy recipe to cut carbs!
Tina Swift says
Love your spanakopita recipe using the garlic knot dough, but is one LITTLE triangle really the serving? If so, it’s too many carbs for me.
Carolyn says
My husband and I used this magic dough to make the crust for low carb chicken pot pie, in ramekins. It worked out very well!
Leigh Ann says
Is there any difference in texture if you use a mixer instead of mixing by hand?
Carolyn says
I’ve never done it with a mixer but you have to work very quickly so I am not sure transferring it to a mixer is worth your while.
Melissa says
Did I miss the oven temperature somewhere?
Carolyn says
No, because this is for the basic dough. How you cook it will depend on what recipe you are using it for.
Tex says
I feel like swearing like a sailor, this is that good! Magic!
Erika says
Could I possibly use any other cheese if I do not have Mozzarella on hand ?
Carolyn says
It probably won’t hold together.
Andrea says
Is their a substitution that can be used for the egg? We can not do flax or chia seeds.
Carolyn says
I am sorry, this recipe relies on egg.
Heather Jackson says
Yay! Can’t wait to try this – how long does the dough keep in the fridge after you make it?
Carolyn says
It can last for several days but it does lose elasticity.
Tessie says
I tied to make this for the cinnamon rolls but the dough completely fell apart. 🙁 I know its hard to get the hang of it but what did I do wrong. I did not sure bagged cheese I grated my own. I want to cry
Carolyn says
Well, since the recipe does say to use pre-grated cheese, that is the problem right there.
patricia says
Hi Carolyn, I love your recipes and I have your book. Love it. One thing, I have to be dairy free. I can use the dairy free mozzarella, but what can I sub for the butter? I have a coconut oil (butter flavored)……can I use that?
Thanks
Carolyn says
Hi Patricia…I am honestly not sure this recipe will work as a DF recipe. The DF mozzarella tends not to melt very well. I am less worried about the coconut oil than that issue.
Stormie Remus says
Turned out beautifully. It covered a large pizza pan. I’m confused to size .The nutrients says they are for 1/16th. Do you know macros per slice? How many slices in this crust? Thank you, granee
Carolyn says
No, that actually says 1/6th of recipe. It states it serves 6. I’ve re-written to try to make it more clear.
Maribel Tirona says
I positively love this dough recipe. I use it repeatedly and always link it via my blog. It’s topped my Fish Pie, I used it for my Brie en croute, cinnamon rolls with coffee cream cheese icing and most recently, Beef Wellington. Cheers!!!
Ketofilipino_mytirona
Carolyn says
Thanks!
Mia says
Hi Carolyn,
Can I make personal size crusts, par-bake them and then freeze?
I’m trying to stalk the freezer with Keto friendly options for my mom to use when I’m at work.
By the way your Butter Pecan cookies are Amazing!
So far I’ve used the dough to make an almond variation and I’m going to try a chocolate chip and walnut variation next.
I’m really loving your cookbook!
Thanks
Mia
Carolyn says
Yes, you totally can do the mini crusts. I’ve done this myself for my kids.
LISA C HESS says
Delicious! I haven’t tried a recipe of yours that wsnt terrific! Thank you!
Bonnie says
I just made this crust for pizza & loved it. Can leftover pieces that I didn’t put any toppings on be frozen for another time?
Carolyn says
You bet!
Kathe says
HI Carolyn! Reading your wonderful cookbook now! We want to try making the cinnamon rolls using the sweet mozzarella dough recipe. WE couldn’t find how thick to roll out the dough. Any help would be appreciated. Looking forward to trying out so many of your recipes 🙂
Carolyn says
It tells you to roll it out to a 12 inch square.
Rebecca C says
My go-to recipe. Thanks, Carolyn!
Mindy says
This is my go-to recipe for several dough uses. Thank you, Carolyn!
Mary Harrington says
I used Trader Joe’s Almond Meal (not blanched) and made Focaccia (topping: olive oil, crushed garlic, rosemary, parmesan cheese, black pepper) and baked at 400 deg. F 15 min. It came out beautiful. I wouldn’t try it for cinnamon rolls though. Blanched almond flour has been ordered. I LOVE this “bread.”
Carolyn says
Thanks for the feedback, Mary. Yes, almond meal is not ideal here but I am glad it worked out well enough!
Julie says
This is the best keto pizza crust I’ve made yet. After a thin layer of sugar free pizza sauce, I added a layer of caramelized onions, shredded mozzarella, pepperoni and a sprinkling of shredded parm. My pizza yielded eight good-sized slices. Two were plenty for dinner with a small side salad. Will definitely help me get over the every now and then pizza craving.
Carolyn says
Sounds fantastic!
Sasha Cannon says
Made pizza tonight,and it was a flop. The dough worked beautifully: elastic and felt just right. It looked amazing, too, when it was browning. However, I could not even transfer the slices to the plates: they completely disintegrated into a soggy mess! The taste was very good, albeit too salty, so I definitely will skip the salt next time. Used Wellbees almond blanched flour,Kerrygold butter and pre-shredded mozzarella (Kroger brand), so not sure why it did not hold the shape. I wonder if adding whey protein would stiffen it up? Read all the comments– looks like I am the only one with this outcome, so must be the “user error”…
Carolyn says
Hmmm, I wonder what happened! How loaded did you make those pizza slices? I wonder if that’s the issue at all.
Sasha Cannon says
Update. I tried this recipe for the second time, with significant improvements. First, i added no salt , it was still on the salty side from all the cheese and toppings (portabella+shallot+soft sheep cheese+ prosciutto). Secondly, I allowed the crust to fully cook before putting the topings — to a beautiful golden brown all over. Third, I let the pizza rest on the stone out of oven about 15 min before consumption. I think it allowed all fats/liquids to reabsorb/redistribute . The end result was very good: pizza slices were manageable . Thank you.
Carolyn says
Nice! So glad to hear it!
Danny Lineham says
Hi Carolyn, I have read that this can be made more simply by mixing all the ingredients in a food processor, then melting the mixture carefully in the microwave, but I haven’t been able to find any confirmation of this. Do you know if this actually works? Or should I just try in and see how it turns out?
Carolyn says
I have not done it myself. I think neither is more simple. With the food processor, you are dirtying a piece of equipment that requires washing several parts. Personally, I would think my method of melting in a pot and adding all the ingredients into that is the “simplest”.
Katelynn says
I havent made this yet but I was wondering how organic soy flour would work. Im new to low carb and I dont really know how these different flours work while baking.
Carolyn says
Sorry, I don’t use soy flour but it’s definitely not a 1:1 replacement.
Jan OBrien says
Having trouble getting the dough to crisp up. Tastes great, but soggy. Suggestions?
Carolyn says
Did you pre-bake it before putting toppings on?
Jeannette Childers says
Carolyn, I have been looking for a recipe that might work like a wonton wrapper – for egg rolls and rangoons. Gonna give this a try. . .I’ll let you know how it works out. . .
Marc says
Well, I gave this a shot. I tweaked the recipe a bit. I added oregano and garlic to the dough. I always make my own sauce and honestly, it was pretty good. The true test is my oldest daughter, as she thinks healthy food tastes like crap….and she loved it! Winning! Thanks for the recipe!
Jennifer Lundeby says
Has anyone doubled this? Did it work or did you need to make adjustments? Thank you so much, trying this tonight!
Carolyn says
I’ve doubled it without issue.
Jennifer Lundeby says
Thank you! I got six bagels (I used a doughnut pan) and one extra large pizza crust with the doubled recipe. They all came out really good!
Teri says
Can the dough be made in advance, frozen to be defrosted to use later?
Carolyn says
It can but it does lose a little elasticity during the freezer process.
Dodie says
I can’t make this recipe because it contains coconut! I am highly allergic – as in, go to the emergency room allergic. 🙁 Can’t you offer a substitute for the coconut flour or an alternate recipe? It’s very discouraging to get so excited over a recipe only to find you can’t use it. Thank you.
Carolyn says
This works best with coconut flour but you can try doubling that amount with more almond flour.