This easy Fathead Dough recipe makes the best keto pizza crust. It’s chewy and tender, just like the real thing. And it holds up to all of your favorite toppings!
Fathead dough is pretty remarkable stuff. And it’s an absolute game changer for anyone who loves pizza. It has all the elasticity and stretchiness of real pizza dough, but with a fraction of the carbs.
I never would have come up with using mozzarella cheese as a base for keto pizza crust on my own. And I am grateful to the Fathead creators, and Tom Naughton of the Fathead Movie for making it famous.
And it’s so versatile too! I’ve made everything from keto garlic knots to spinach artichoke calzones. You can even make it sweet for recipes like keto cinnamon rolls.
Of couse, one of the most oft-requested recipes for keto beginners is pizza. It’s really just the ultimate American comfort food. And fathead dough has filled the void like no other.
Why this recipe is the best
I have put my own unique spin on it, to make it a little sturdier for keto pizza crust. I use butter in place of cream cheese, a bit of coconut flour for added structure, and baking powder to help it rise and puff up nicely.
The resulting dough is buttery and rich, and even a little flaky. This stuff really is magic and can be used for so many different keto recipes, from savory to sweet.
But if you’re new to fathead dough, then pizza crust is a great place to start. It’s easy and you get a feel for how the process works. And it only takes about 20 minutes, start to finish.
Best of all, this recipe has only 3.3g net carbs per serving.
Reader Testimonials
“I have tried a lot of fat head dough, however this hands down is my favorite. I gave a slice to a friend of mine who cannot eat flour and yeast. She also thought it was amazing. Thanks so much!!” — Cheryl
“This is by far the most superior recipe for fathead dough that I’ve used yet! Using butter makes it so much better than using cream cheese, in my opinion. My pizza crust was flavorful and was not dry at all.” — Pam K
“WOWZERS with a capital W!! devoured by hubs and me – we are both very impressed! Shared widely. congrats on such a great adaptation – so light considering the ingredients and so easy to find in a regular supermarket. hooray!” — Alice
Ingredients you need
- Shredded mozzarella: Pre-shredded, part skim mozzarella works best for fathead dough. It usually has some added fillers but this actually helps the consistency of the dough. But it does not have to be full of extra starches. I usually purchase organic cheese that has vegetable cellulose as an anti-caking agent.
- Butter: Most fathead dough recipes use cream cheese, but butter makes it lighter and flakier. And more buttery!
- Blanched almond flour: You must use finely ground almond flour and NOT almond meal. Almond meal is more coarsely ground and often contains the brown skin of the almond. Those coarse particles don’t combine with the cheese and butter very well and don’t absorb enough of the oils leaving you with a dough that falls apart.
- Coconut flour: The addition of coconut flour adds more structure, making the dough sturdier and yet still flexible.
- Kitchen staples: Egg, baking powder, garlic powder and salt.
Step-by-step instructions
1. In a large saucepan, combine the cheese and butter over low heat. Stir until they are melted and can be mixed together.
2. Remove the pan 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.
3. Turn the dough out onto a work surface dusted with almond flour 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.
4. Roll the dough out between pieces of parchment paper to 12 inches (or use a silicone mat on the bottom). Transfer the parchment with the dough on it to a cookie sheet or pizza stone. Bake at 350ºF for 10 to 15 minutes, until starting to brown and firm up.
5. Remove and top with your favourite toppings and bake another 7 to 10 minutes, until the toppings are melted and bubbly.
Expert Tips and FAQs
Fathead dough is amazing, and it’s easy to make once you get the hang of it. Here are some added tips and tricks for getting it right.
Low heat: When melting the cheese and butter together, keep the pan over the lowest heat you can. If you have an electric stove, you may want to take the pan on and off the heat a few times to keep it from getting too hot.
Adding the egg: Add all of the dry ingredients before adding the egg, so that they protect it from the hot cheese. You don’t want the egg to cook before you have a chance to incorporate it into the dough.
Kneading the dough: Really work the ingredients together, both in the pan and out of the pan. If you do it right after you incorporate the dry ingredients and the egg, the dough will come together much better. I use a rubber spatula to knead it against the sides of the pan.
Making adjustments: 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.
Nut-free variation: If you are allergic to almonds, use my keto bagel recipe for your pizza crust. A half recipe is enough for one 10 to 12 inch pizza and it is made entirely coconut flour.
Frequently Asked Questions
This fathead dough crust is completely gluten-free. It takes mozzarella, butter, almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, garlic powder, salt, and an egg.
This keto pizza crust recipe has 6g of carbs and 2.7g of fiber per serving. That comes to 3.3g net carbs per slice.
This fathead dough is a delicious alternative for keto pizza, calzones, and even pastries. It is rich and buttery, with a mild flavor. You can add Italian herbs or spices for added flavor.
Fathead dough loses elasticity as it cools. Thus, I recommend shaping it into a pizza crust, and then freezing it. Wrap it up tightly to avoid freezer burn, and let it thaw completely before baking.
More recipes that use fathead dough
- Keto Spanakopita
- Keto Cinnamon Twists
- Chocolate Walnut Swirls
- Keto Turkey Pot Pie
- Air Fryer Pretzel Bites
Keto Pizza Crust Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 ounces (170.1 g) pre-shredded part skim mozzarella
- 5 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup (56 g) blanched almond flour
- 1/4 cup (30 g) coconut flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) salt
- 1 large egg
Instructions
Dough
- 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 the pan from over the heat and add the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, garlic powder, and salt. Add the egg and stir everything together until a cohesive dough 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.
Pizza Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and place an oven rack in the middle position.
- Roll the dough out between pieces of parchment paper to a 12 inch circle. Remove the top piece of 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 10 to 15 minutes until starting to brown and firm up.
- Remove the crust from the oven and top with your favourite toppings. Bake again until the toppings are melted and bubbly.
Notes
Sweet Fathead Dough Variation
Leave out the garlic powder and add ¼ cup powdered sweetener and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract along with the almond flour. Storage Information: Store leftover pizza in a covered container for up to 5 days. The shaped crust can also be frozen, tightly wrapped, for up to 2 months.Nutrition
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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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.
Hello. I can’t wait to try this. What temp do you bake this dough and for how long?
Depends on what you are making! Check the recipe suggestions at the bottom, that will help. 🙂
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!
I miss low carb friends!
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?
That’s because that recipe is only in my book The Everyday Ketogenic Kitchen http://amzn.to/2pexrlM
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.
Yes you should be able to do that.
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!
Cherie did you mean Traders Joe’s Onion Salt?
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!!!!
<3 thanks!
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!
Are you making it as pizza? If so, just cut up and keep in the fridge for a few days.
Does the coconut flour give it any hint of coconut flavor? I can’t stand coconut! Could I use all almond flour?
No you really don’t taste it.
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.
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!
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.
Aha! good to know!
Great recipe! I’m new to the low carb stuff and this is a keeper!
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!
I’ve frozen individual slices and just warmed them in a he microwave. Works out great!
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.
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.
Can this dough be made ahead? Say on a Thursday for use on Friday? Thank you!
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.
Thank you!
I may not be following a Keto diet, but I want to try this the next time I’m making pizza dough. Looks amazing!
This is truly magic!!