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 pre-shredded part skim mozzarella
- 5 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup blanched almond flour
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon 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.
Chris says
I just made pizza and garlic knots using this dough (more garlic in the knots than than the pizza). We were very disappointed. I used finely ground almond flour from Bob’s Red Mill for the pizza and having run out of that Costco house brand finely ground almond flour for the knots. Otherwise the same ingredients in both recipes.
Both were grainy and crumbly. The pizza batch rolled out nicely and prebaked with no issues but the pizza would not hold up to being picked up and the crust was crumbly. The batch for the knots would not roll out into the logs specified in the recipe they kept crumbling. Then when I tried to knot them they just fell apart!
I am contemplating trying again with the addition of 1-2 table spoons of protein powder.
Carolyn says
It’s likely not the almond flour that’s the problem here, but the cheese. I’ve found that most shredded mozzarella works fine but a few just won’t work. One of them is Organic Valley for some reason. But the Whole Foods 365 brand works fine.
Kim says
Best dough I’ve tried yet. This recipe is a keeper. Thank you
Ana says
Hey Carolyn,
I love this recipe for pizza dough. Wondering if you’ve tried it as a crust for quiche? Perhaps a pre-bake in the pie dish before adding the custard?
I’d love to hear your thoughts. Thanks!
Carolyn says
Honestly, it may not work that well for quiche. For one, it’s too big for a 9 inch pie pan. I also suspect it won’t firm up. You’re better off with this recipe. https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/easy-low-carb-press-in-pie-crust/
Ana says
Okay, thank you!!
Hina says
I love the pizza dough recipe it came out so good thanks for sharing the wonderful recipe 🙂
Heather B. says
Do you leave the crust on the parchment paper to bake on a stone? Will it still crips up through the parchment? LOVE all of your recipes!
Carolyn says
Yes, and you need the parchment. It sticks like crazy to a hot stone.
Lola Marshall says
I bought your latest book full of foolproof recipes :). dough recipe is the best i have come across. i made pasties. the dough is easy to handle, takes a few minutes to make and i did not have to wait for it to cool in the fridge. thank you x
Carol Schmidt says
I have made the original fathead dough twice and not liked it in the least. I ended up throwing the food out. And I do not even look at recipes now which contain it. However, since your recipes are always amazing I decided to read this recipe and the comments. I am sold on trying it and I just have a feeling it will be delicious. Thankyou Carolyn.
I do enjoy your recipes and your wit. You keep me smiling!
Carolyn says
Thanks, Carol. Now, if you would prefer a coconut flour based dough, be sure to check out my keto bagels. It can be made as pizza crust too.
Julia Pridgen says
Outstanding taste, and pretty easy to make! It’s the best low carb crust I’ve ever had.
Deborah says
Great dough….but to take it to the next level, just crisp the bottom in a hot skillet on the stove top after it comes out of the oven. I make a half recipe ( beating the egg and discarding or saveing the half I don’t need) as two “personal pizzas” ….and crisp the bottom in the skillet. So so good …..soft top, crisp bottom.
Carolyn says
Great idea!
Judy Baker says
I love this dough too, but I remember Tom saying he didn’t create it. Maybe he will weigh in on who deserves the credit and a great big thank You!
Amy R says
This was great as a flatbread! I used it for steak and cheese with horseradish mayo and sour cream as the sauce. Will try the sweet version next time. I’ve done fathead dough many times but this stovetop version with the butter and coconut flour is the best I’ve ever made! Thanks Carolyn, your recipes are the best, as always!
Joe Alexander says
Prep time 2 min? It takes that long just to get ingredients together! Then add your mix and kneading time.
Carolyn says
It’s just a typo, thanks for letting me know!
Kaureen says
This is the BEST keto dough I have ever eaten. I don’t remember how many times I have made this recipe. I’m the only one who is on keto, however my family enjoys it a lot. Its even to the point that I don’t eat it as a pizza and just on its own. I made a pizza for my birthday (I am a triplet, so i couldn’t eat a lot of the foods from my party, so I had to make my own pizza.) It doesn’t even taste like it was “keto” at all. Amazing recipe! I’m teaching my sister how to make it as I am typing this!
Abeer Shehzad says
Hey Carolyn, my dough came out stringy. Do you know where I could have gone wrong.
Carolyn says
Could be many issues but probably your brand of cheese.
Lynn says
I had to come back and talk about this lovely dough. I had made a bunch if hot dog caddies, which turned out great. I then flattened the remaining dough and froze it. I defrosted it a week later and used part of it to make a sausage wrap…all done in the air fryer (370 degrees for 4 minutes on each side). That turned out amazing. I took the last bit of leftover dough and smooshed it with my tortilla press, and re-froze it. The dough doesn’t lose any of its fabulosity being frozen. The taste is deliciously buttery and flakey. You’re a genius, Carolyn.
Megan SparkleBig says
Hey there! I am allergic to Almonds. Will this recipe still work with all Coconut flour? If so, what would the measurement be? (I find coconut flour soaks up a bunch more than almond did when I could have it)
Carolyn says
Hi Megan… use this recipe instead https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/chewy-keto-bagels/
A half recipe is enough for one 10 to 12 inch pizza and it’s all coconut flour!
Lynn says
I’ve been making Fathead dough for years, but I have to say this recipe will be my new go-to. Substituting butter for the cream cheese is brilliant. The result is a nice, buttery, moist dough. I heated up the butter and mozzarella in the micro, and tossed the works into my food processor. Yes, it’s one more thing to wash, but it mixes the dough to a wonderful, cohesive thing of beauty. I turned them in hot dog caddys. Utterly amazing, and I couldn’t tell the difference between them and the wheat four caddys I used to buy in the grocery store. Once again, my waistline and taste buds are in your debt. Thank you!
Liz says
Nutritional information is FAR from correct! Really upset – was looking forward to this recipe – made it and the net carbs are DOUBLE (12g) per slice what your nutritional information says. For someone on 20g per day this is totally not doable!
Carolyn says
Hello. I am very careful with my nutritional info and I use software that pulls from the USDA database. I am confident of my numbers so I do not know where you are getting yours but I think you need to re-check them.
Amanda says
Can this dough be frozen? How perfect it would be to come home from a long day and pull out a pre-formed pizza crust that I can top and bake in no-time. (Sorry if this is answered somewhere here, if it is I couldn’t find it myself)
Carolyn says
Hi Amanda… it can be frozen but it loses elasticity so I recommend rolling it out and shaping it, and then freezing it that way. Let it thaw completely before baking.
Bec says
sorry that should read Cooky’s Creations