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.
Laura says
Best dough ever! So easy to make too and so filling!
Lynde says
I could not get my mozzarella cheese and butter to mix together, using a double boiler. Is it not hot enough? Is it better to use direct heat? The dough was greasy, not sticky. Also, is there a particular brand of shredded cheese that you use?
Carolyn says
My recipe doesn’t ask you to use a double boiler… it has you doing it right in the pan. I am not sure why you chose to do that?
Lynde says
I was just trying to make sure it didn’t get too hot. The problem may be that it didn’t get hot enough to melt and emulsify together. I will use direct heat next time.
Gina Clark says
always go by directions as they are tested. double boiler lacks heat.
Al says
Few improvements to this recipe:
I make it rectangular shape to get a thinner crust
I bake it on 375 degrees and I put it on the lower level of my oven for baking the crust to make sure the bottom gets cooked well.
When putting back in the oven I broil on high for 3 min and not bake it so you get a nice grilled cheese on the top
Karen Jones says
The dough was so easy to make!! Our pizza came out wonderful and my husband absolutely loved it and can’t wait to have it again.
Sarra Mossoff says
I’m buying mozzarella in large blocks and grating my own. Can you please tell me how to measure 6 ounces? is that volume or weight? Do you have a cups measurement for the grated mozzarella? Thanks!
Carolyn says
6 ounces is always by weight.
Shannon says
I read all through your blog and didn’t see the answer to my question, so here goes… I have regular shredded mozzarella in the fridge, does it have to be part skim? Thanks in advance 😊
Carolyn says
It should be fine, it will just be a little greasier.
Gail O says
My non keto niece came over and really wanted homemade pizza. I made this crust and she really liked it. She said it does not compare to traditional crust but she said she really enjoyed it and would eat it again (she ate a whole 8″ pizza by herself). LOL so I take it as a hit. I have not had traditional pizza in several years and thought this was the best tasting, sturdiest keto crust I have ever had. It is VERY filling.
Naseebah Khalil says
Hello. What brand almond flour did you use for this recipe? I ask because Bob’s Red Mill doesn’t appear to be finely ground.
Thanks
Carolyn says
Unless you are looking at the “natural almond flour” rather than the blanched. Because I can assure you that Bob’s is one of the MOST finely ground, as long as you are using the blanched.
Lillian says
This turned out really well. Next time I will bake the cheese and toppings at 500 so the cheese melts better without overcooking the crust. I had to take it out before it was fully melted. Also think that because of the cheese in the crust, I will use less cheese topping as it doesn’t need it to achieve the taste.
Robin says
This was so good! It had a great flavor and texture! I will make this often!
Emily says
I was asked to make a Keto pizza for a gathering and decided to try three of the numerous pizza recipes out there. This pizza was the easiest by far and was delicious. This will be my go-to pizza crust from now on!
Ann says
I will say this is the first time I’ve made this crust, but it didn’t turn out well for me. The flavor is too much garlic, which I know is needed to offset the coconut flour, but I could also still taste the coconut flour. The crust never got crispy, and was a complete soggy mess when I first cut it. Seems like it needs to sit for a few minutes before serving. Also, would a higher temperature help? Other pizza crust recipes are 400 or higher.
Jeanette says
Coming back to keto lifestyle, and I was reviewing my old recipes. This had pork rinds in it, but now it’s the FatHead crust. I linked your recipe, so I’m sure I got it from you. Did you change it up? Do you have the original recipe you could share?
Carolyn says
My recipe for fathead dough never ever had pork rinds in it.
Bessie Hilbert says
I loved the flavor of this crust. Mine turned out kind of brittle. I think I either overlooked or over mixed crust. Do you have any thoughts?
Carolyn says
I am not really sure what you mean by brittle?
Linda Camp says
BRITTLE:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brittle
Carolyn says
I know what the word means, thanks. I am asking her what she means by that in regards to the recipe. Without a better description, I can’t help.
Cara says
This is soooo good! I couldn’t get my cheese and butter to melt together. I’ll try the microwave next time. But I finally just mixed in the dry ingredients and it worked great. My first attempt at fathead dough…I’m in love! Thank you!!!
Carolyn says
What brand of cheese were you using? Some of them have a lot more additives and it does make them harder to melt.
Jess says
Has anyone tried this in an outdoor pizza oven? How did it turn out?
Jennifer Gonzalez says
I was wondering the same. Did you ever try it?
Susan says
This has become my go-to pizza crust. I love how easily it comes together and how well it works. I melt the cheese & butter in the microwave – in mine it takes about 70-80 seconds and it works perfectly every time. Thank you for a great keeper recipe.
Ella says
The thing that stops me from going full keto is the amount of cheese in most things.
Any kind of cheese, vegan or regular, even sour cream triggers my allergies.
I wish there was another way to enjoy pizza and the like.
Carolyn says
Try this crust! https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/keto-breakfast-pizza/
Diane says
I haven’t seen this version before.
The original recipe has almond flour, mozzarella cheese, egg and cream cheese. I love everything you do so I’ll give this a try.
Sherry Smith Cook says
This is only the second fathead dough recipe I’ve made and it’s the best. Not a fan of garlic powder but I did add about a tablespoon of Italian seasoning. The dough cooked up nice and brown with crunchy edges. I’ll will be making this again. The husband is getting seconds as I write this.