Fathead Dough - A Guide to the Best Keto Pizza Crust (2024)

Fathead dough is one of the best resources for a sustainable keto diet. This delicious, easy to make recipe will give you the freedom to make many traditional dishes in a low carb way!

Fathead dough is probably the most versatile dough in the keto world.

It transforms a few simple ingredients into a bread-like creation that can be used for anything from keto dinner rolls to keto fathead pizza pockets.

The recipe is super easy, and it can be customized to add more seasoned flavor, like in these keto calzones. It can even be sweetened like in my low carb stuffed cinnamon rolls.

I've been working with fathead dough pretty much since I started following a low carb diet in 2016. But I haven't put together a guide to show how I make it and how I mix it up. Until now...

What ingredients do you need to make fathead dough?

Fathead dough is usually made with a mix of:

• Almond Flour or Coconut Flour. I prefer working with almond flour, but coconut is pretty tasty as well, especially when making a sweeter recipe.

  It's important to note that almond flour does not have a 1:1 substitution ratio with coconut flour.

  Coconut flour is much more absorbent than almond flour, so you'll need much less of it.

  Usually when making a coconut flour substitution, I start with ⅓ as much of the almond flour the recipe calls for. You can see this in my recipe for keto coconut flour cupcakes, which was based on my recipe for keto pound cake.

  Here's a great recipe for keto bagels, showing you exactly how to make fathead dough with coconut flour.

• Mozzarella cheese. Mozzarella is very melty and very mild in flavor. It's the perfect ingredient to bind the fathead dough, which is essential for its eventual bread-like consistency.

  Shredded mozzarella that comes in a bag at the store is totally fine to use, BUT if you have the time I'd always recommend shredding it yourself off of a block of mozzarella.

  Blocks of cheese don't have the added fillers in them to keep the pieces from caking together, like the pre-shredded varieties do.

  Mozzarella shredded off the block also melts easier to make for an easier to work with fathead dough, and (in my opinion) it just tastes better!

• Cream cheese or butter. This rich and creamy addition helps smooth out the dough. This high fat ingredient is essential to getting the dough to come out with the right consistency.

  And both cream cheese and butter are completely interchangeable in this recipe.

• Egg. This recipe uses one large egg.
  
• Baking powder. The baking powder helps give this keto dough a little bit of rise. If you omit it, you'll end up with something similar to my keto spinach pesto flatbread.

How do you make fathead dough?

The steps are super simple. You'll be enjoying low carb dough in no time!

1. In a large, microwave safe bowl, melt the cream cheese (or butter) and mozzarella together. This will take about 1 minute, but should be done in 30 second increments at most to avoid burning the cream cheese.

2. Once melted, stir the cream cheese (or butter) and mozzarella together until smooth. Add your egg and continue to stir until everything is well combined. (If your dough is too stiff or will not spread, it may be too cold. Place it back in the microwave for 5-10 seconds and it should be easier to spread)

3. In a separate bowl whisk together your almond flour (or coconut flour), any seasonings, and baking powder.

4. Mix the cheese and egg mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until a soft ball of dough forms. This dough ball will be sticky.

See Also

How to Make Homemade Bread Less Dense or More Light & Fluffy

5. Using wet hands, work the dough and form it into whatever shape you need for your recipe. This example shows a rectangular keto pizza crust.

   You can also opt for the method of rolling the dough between two sheets of parchment paper so that you get an easy, even roll without the dough sticking to anything.

6. Bake at 400° F for 12-15 minutes.

Can you freeze keto pizza dough?

Yes! If you're interested in making the fathead dough ahead of time and freezing it for later, I would recommend rolling out the prepared dough, then wrapping it tightly in cling wrap before storing it in the freezer.

When it's time to make your pizza, bake the frozen dough in the oven for 5-10 minutes before topping it and finishing off the baking.

Can you buy pre-made fathead dough?

Yes! I had been wanting someone to do this for so long, and it's finally available from Fattyhead Keto Crust! You can buy the dough made into everything from baguettes to pizza crust, and there are even pre-made frozen pizzas loaded with keto-friendly toppings!

I've ordered Fattyhead and seen it in my local Hy-Vee store. It's a super delicious, convenient option, and I even have some left in my freezer!

How many carbs are in fathead dough?

And here's a breakdown for each ingredient: