Fathead Pizza Crust

It’s time for Fathead Pizza! If you are looking for an easy fathead pizza crust then look no further…this one is it! With only 5 ingredients this is the BEST fathead pizza recipe, and one of the best parts is that it’s ready to eat in just 20 minutes.

If you enjoyed our recipe for keto pizza, then I think you are going to equally like our new Fathead Pizza recipe. It’s similar to the keto pizza but we use a traditional fathead dough instead. I’ll get into those details later on. 

Using this fathead pizza dough recipe is going to make your life so much easier when making homemade pizzas. It should only take about 20 minutes to whip up your favorite pizza, and don’t forget to add all the toppings you want. 

Ok so let’s get into how to make the best fathead pizza recipe.

What is Fathead Pizza Crust?

Fathead pizza crust is a keto and low carb dough made with shredded mozzarella cheese, cream cheese, egg, and some type of low carb flour such as almond or coconut flour. 

It’s not just super easy to make, it actually tastes just like real pizza…I know you may not believe me but go ahead and try it for yourself. You won’t regret it.

What Does it Taste Like?

I know it must sound crazy, especially to all of you pizza lovers out there but it really does taste just like regular homemade pizza crust. 

Fathead pizza dough is pretty thin, which honestly is how we all like our pizza in my family. We live in Connecticut, which means that we are right near some of the best pizzerias and we are all about the thin crust.

When making recipes that are keto and low carb, you all know that some things can be a challenge, especially when baking or making doughs. However, I have to say, the texture of this fathead pizza crust is pretty spot-on and tastes really good. 

Some of you may be wondering “Does this fathead pizza crust taste like cheese?” The answer is no…I honestly couldn’t taste any cheese in the dough. The only cheese I could taste was the mozzarella I put on top of the baked fathead keto pizza.

Why Is It Called Fathead Dough?

The original recipe for fathead dough is from the Fathead movie, which is a documentary from 2009. Tom Naughton sticks to a low carb diet, and not only loses weight but also lowers his cholesterol levels as well.

Thanks to the film we all now have this delicious fathead dough. For more info, please check out the Fathead Movie.

Is Fathead Pizza Keto-Friendly?

Fathead pizza is pretty much the definition of keto-friendly. Fathead dough is used to make this delicious keto-friendly pizza and honestly, it tastes just like regular pizza but without all the added carbs. 

I’m going to compare a classic frozen pizza that I’m sure most of you are familiar with, and our fathead keto pizza. 

• 1 Slice of our Fathead PIzza has 3.7 NET CARBS.
• ⅕ of DiGiorno Thin Crust Four Cheese Pizza has 26 NET CARBS.

Fathead Pizza Ingredients

Fathead Pizza Crust: 

• Mozzarella Cheese – 1 ½ cups shredded low-moisture mozzarella. Go ahead and use pre-shredded mozzarella cheese, it actually works better. 
• Cream Cheese – 2 ounces of cream cheese. Don’t worry about it being room temperature, because you are going to microwave it. 
• Almond Flour – Blanched superfine almond flour, do NOT use almond meal. 
• Egg – Helps bind the dough together. 
• Spices – Italian seasoning, but you could add any other spices that you want. Go easy on the salt though, the mozzarella cheese makes the fathead dough already salty.

Toppings: 

• Keto Pizza Sauce – We used our own homemade keto pizza sauce. It literally takes 2 minutes to whip up a batch. 
• Mozzarella Cheese – Whole milk mozzarella is my favorite. 
• Pepperoni – I like to use Boar’s Head thin-sliced pepperoni. But feel free to use any brand you like.

Cheese Options

A true fathead dough uses mozzarella cheese and cream cheese. Mozzarella cheese really is the best because it’s very mild in flavor and the texture is just what you need. Plus the cream cheese helps give you the right texture without having an overpowering taste. 

As far as other cheeses you can use, I honestly don’t recommend using different ones, mainly because I just don’t know how they will taste and how their texture will be.

Almond Flour or Coconut Flour in Fathead Pizza Dough?

Most of the time people use almond flour in their fathead pizza dough, but if you have a nut allergy then you can use coconut flour instead. My preference is almond flour but honestly, both flours work nicely. 

My FAVORITE and go-to almond flour is Costco’s Kirkland Blanched Almond Flour. It not only tastes great, but the price is the best. For a 3lb bag it’s right around $13.00, give or take a little bit.

Variations

Nut-Free – To make this fathead pizza dough nut-free replace the almond flour with coconut flour instead.  Coconut flour and almond flour have different absorption properties so that’s why you can’t use them equally. 

Coconut flour absorbs liquids like a sponge, so if you add too much or don’t add enough eggs then it will dry out. 

• I recommend using ⅓ cup coconut flour and 2 eggs, with the 1 ½ cups of mozzarella, plus the rest of the ingredients. 

Can I Substitute the Eggs? – I have not tried substituting the eggs in this fathead dough but I have heard some people have. For each egg, replace it with 1 flax or chia egg. 

• 1 Flax Egg: 1 tbsp flaxseed meal + 3 tbsp hot water. Combine and let sit for 5 minutes before adding. 
• 1 Chia Egg: 1 tbsp chia seeds + 3 tbsp hot water. Combine and let sit for 5 minutes before using.

Other Uses for Fat Head Dough

What are some other ways that you can use fat head dough?? Good question! Here are some great ways: 

• Keto Dinner Rolls 
• Keto Cinnamon Buns 
• Low Carb Bagels 
• Keto Bread 
• Calzones 
• Soft Pretzels 
• Empanadas 
• Danishes 
• Garlic Parmesan Knots 

And the list goes on…

Toppings

Toppings on a fathead pizza crust really have endless options, and in my experience, this is where everyone has very different tastes.

The Sauce:

You want to make sure you chose the right sauce for your fathead pizza.  Try any of the following ones for your base. They are all delicious…trust me. 

• Keto Pizza Sauce – The most common tomato-based sauce.
• Pesto Sauce 
• Olive Oil and Garlic 
• Buffalo Sauce – Perfect for Buffalo Chicken Pizza 
• Keto BBQ Sauce – Great for a BBQ Chicken Pizza

The Cheese:

• Shredded Mozzarella 
• Fresh Mozzarella 
• Gorgonzola 
• Feta 
• Parmigiano 
• Cheddar 
• Provolone

Meat:

• Sausage 
• Bacon 
• Meatball
• Pepperoni 
• Chicken 
• Prosciutto 
• Ham 
• Ground Beef

Veggies:

• Mushrooms 
• Broccoli 
• Eggplant 
• Onions 
• Peppers
• Olives 
• Garlic 
• Fresh Tomatoes 
• Spinach 
• Arugula 
• Basil 
• Pickles

Topping Combos:

• Margarita: Top your crust with low carb pizza sauce, shredded or fresh mozzarella, and top with fresh basil. 
• BBQ Chicken: Top the keto crust with our homemade sugar-free BBQ Sauce, shredded rotisserie chicken, caramelized onion, and shredded mozzarella cheese. 
• Meat Lovers: Sausage, bacon, meatball, and pepperoni, then topped with shredded mozzarella cheese. 
• Veggie: Broccoli, mushroom, eggplant, onion, peppers, and olives, then topped with shredded mozzarella cheese. 
• Buffalo Chicken: Buffalo sauce, shredded or grilled chicken, caramelized onion, mozzarella cheese, and drizzle ranch or blue cheese dressing. 
• Pesto Chicken: Top the keto crust with our homemade pesto sauce, grilled or shredded chicken, and mozzarella cheese. 
• Cheeseburger Pizza: Keto pizza sauce, shredded cheddar cheese, ground beef, onions, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles.

Tools to Use

• Mixing Bowl
• Parchment Paper – Do NOT use wax paper
• Rolling Pin 
• Baking Tray or Pizza Stone 
• Pizza Cutter or Large Chef’s Knife

TIP: I bought a round pizza pan on Amazon and I absolutely love it! It’s perfect for our fathead keto pizza recipe. Or really just any pizza recipe for that matter. Check out the link for our pizza pan we used. 

If you don’t have a round pizza pan, then go ahead and use a baking sheet, the biggest size tray you have.

How to Make Fathead Pizza Dough 

Follow these easy instructions to make the easiest and best fathead pizza dough!

Mixing & Forming the Dough

STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

STEP 2: In a microwave-safe bowl, add 1 ½ cup of low moisture shredded mozzarella cheese, and cream cheese then microwave for 60-90 seconds. Be sure to stir the cheese every 30 seconds.

• 

• 

• 

STEP 3: Add the almond flour, egg, and Italian seasoning to the melted cheese.

• 

• 

• 

Mix the dough together until fully combined. I find it much easier to mix the dough with your hands. Form the dough into a ball.

• 

• 

• 

(Another way of mixing the dough is to put the melted cheeses, almond flour, egg, and spices into a food processor and mix.) 

STEP 4: Place the fathead pizza dough in between 2 pieces of parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a circle.

• 

• 

• 

The thinner you roll the crust, the crispier it will get. 

STEP 5: Gently roll the edges of the pizza creating a nice rolled crust.

• 

• 

• 

STEP 6: Using a fork poke holes all over the keto pizza crust.

STEP 7: Transfer the fathead crust to a baking tray, leaving the crust on the bottom piece of parchment paper.

Pre-Baking the Crust

STEP 8: In the preheated oven, bake for 5 minutes then rotate the tray and bake for another 5 minutes.

The crust should be nice and golden brown. Remove from the oven but leave the oven on.

Adding Toppings

STEP 9: Add ½ cup of keto pizza sauce to the crust, using a spoon or spatula to spread it.

• 

• 

• 

STEP 10: Sprinkle 1 ½ cups shredded whole milk mozzarella all over the pizza.

STEP 11: Place the thinly sliced pepperoni over the pizza. (Or whatever toppings you choose to use)

TIP – If you choose to use other toppings, then I suggest cooking them ahead of time. The fathead pizza is only in the oven for a few minutes, which is not enough time to cook veggies or meat. 

So prep and cook all your toppings before adding them to the pizza.

Baking

STEP 12: Place the pizza back into the oven for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted.

STEP 13: Broil for 1-2 minutes. (This step isn’t mandatory, but I like the extra little crisp it gives to my low carb pizza)

STEP 14: Slice using a pizza cutter or a large chef’s knife.

• 

• 

How to Know When the Crust Is Done?

The fathead pizza crust is done when it’s golden brown all over. In my oven, it took exactly 10 minutes to pre-bake the crust, and that was at 425 degrees. So yours may be a little different. 

When in doubt, always set the timer for less, you can always leave it in longer if needed, especially if you like your fathead crust crispy.

FAQs & Tips

What Size Pizza is this Recipe for?

The way I rolled out the fathead dough made about a 12” pizza….give or take a little. It’s definitely way bigger than a personal size pizza. 

TIP: If you want a personal size fathead pizza, then after the dough has been rolled into a ball, cut it in half then roll it out. You will end up with 2 personal pizzas, that way you can add different toppings to both.

Does it Taste Like “Real” Pizza Crust?

Everyone that has tried our fathead pizza recipe has beyond loved it, and they all said that it tastes just like a thin crust pizza. The texture and taste are very very close to regular pizza.

How to Make Fathead Crust Crispy?

You are gonna want to roll the fathead dough out pretty thin to get a crispier crust. Also, rotating the pan in the oven halfway through the baking time helps the crust to cook evenly. 

Another tip for a crispy fathead crust is to carefully peel the crust off the parchment paper and flip it over before adding the toppings.

How Thin Should I Make the Crust?

Roll the fathead dough out to about a 12-inch circle. If you want a thicker crust, then roll it out to about an 8-inch circle instead, that will be more like a personal size pizza.

Do I Have to Chill the Dough?

You don’t have to chill the dough before rolling it. I have made this fathead pizza recipe many times and have not had any issues when rolling the dough. 

However, some have found that chilling the dough may make it easier to roll. So if you are having a hard time working the dough, then go ahead and chill it for 20-30 minutes.

Handling Sticky Pizza Dough

Just like our keto pizza dough recipe, our fathead dough recipe can occasionally be too sticky to properly roll out. If that happens to you here are 2 ways that can help with that problem. 

1. Use oiled hands – Add a few drops of olive oil or avocado oil to your hands then work the dough. It will help the dough from sticking to your fingers.
2. Chilling the dough – Place the ball of dough in the fridge for about 20-30 minutes, and it should help make the dough more workable.

Do I Have to Poke Holes in the Dough?

Yes, make sure to poke holes all over the fathead pizza dough. The reason to do this is that it helps prevent bubbles from forming while baking. 

If you see any bubbles popping up while baking, just poke a few more holes into the crust and it will deflate right away.

Diets This Recipe is Good For

Gluten-Free: This fathead pizza dough recipe is not only gluten-free but yeast free too. It’s perfect for those with a gluten allergy. 

Nut-Free: Seeing that we use almond flour the fat head pizza crust is NOT nut-free. However, you can replace the almond flour with ⅓ cup coconut flour instead. If you do, then be sure to add in an extra egg because the coconut flour soaks up a lot of moisture. 

Dairy-Free: Our low carb fat head pizza crust is NOT dairy-free because of the mozzarella cheese in the crust. To fix that, replace it with vegan mozzarella cheese, and vegan cream cheese. 

Egg-Free: I personally have not tried making the fat head pizza crust without eggs, but I have heard that you can replace the egg with a flax egg or chia egg instead. Since I haven’t tried it myself I can’t give you an honest review on it, but please let me know if you try it.

Making Fathead Dough Ahead of Time

Sure thing! You definitely can make the fathead pizza crust recipe with almond flour ahead of time. When having pizza night, it’s actually a great idea to prep and pre-bake all of your fathead keto pizza crusts first. That way you can assemble all the pizzas quickly. 

The 3 best ways to make keto pizza crust ahead of time: 

1. Make the ball of fat head dough, wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for up to a week. 
2. Bake the crust ahead of time. Like I said previously, you can bake the fathead crust ahead of time, and place them in the fridge until they are ready to assemble. 
3. Freeze the fathead pizza crust. Below are more details on how to freeze fathead crust.

How to Store 

Store the fathead pizza crust in the fridge either before it’s been baked or after the pizza has been baked. The fathead pizza will last 2-3 days in the fridge after it’s been baked. 

Since fathead dough is made with cream cheese and cheese it really should be refrigerated after baking, don’t let it sit out too long.

How to Reheat

Reheating your leftover fathead pizza is beyond easy. You can place it in the oven for 10 minutes at 300 degrees, or you can place it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Either way, it still tastes good after it’s been reheated.

Can You Freeze Fathead Pizza?

The two best ways to freeze the fathead pizza crust are: 

1. Make the dough, form it into a ball, tightly wrap it in plastic wrap, then place it in the freezer. When you are ready to use it let it thaw out completely then roll out as normal. 
2. Pre-bake the fathead keto crust. Roll out the crust as you would, then bake it per recipe instructions. After it has been baked and is cooled down, wrap it in plastic wrap and foil then place it in the freezer. When ready to use it add the sauce and toppings to the frozen crust and bake for about 15 minutes. 

Other Low Carb Pizza Recipes

If you are in the mood for some other delicious low carb pizza recipes then try these:

• Low Carb Keto Pizza Crust
• Cauliflower Pizza Recipe
• Keto Crustless Pizza

They all are Keto-friendly and low carb, and will be a hit with your family and friends!

Print