Who wants a delicious guilt-free pizza? This crispy keto pizza crust is made with cream cheese, eggs, and parmesan cheese. Add your favorite sauce and toppings such as pepperoni, sausage, bacon, and mushrooms! Keep this low carb dinner recipe in your meal rotation.
Low carb and keto crusts have been a big game-changer for all those who have adopted the low carb, keto lifestyle since traditional pizza is completely off the radar for people eating a low carb diet.
Why not buy two containers of cream cheese and make my Keto Buffalo Chicken Dip! Serve it with this pizza or use it as a pizza topping!
Why This Recipe Works
There are many recipes for low carb crusts and one of the most popular is called Fathead Pizza Crust or Fathead Dough. Fathead dough typically contains mozzarella or parmesan cheese, eggs, cream cheese, and almond flour.
For this recipe, we leave out the almond flour for two reasons: (1) it makes the dough terribly sticky and (2) quite simply, you just don't need it to make a great low carb crust! Spend that extra money on more toppings!
If you happen to be out of tomato paste, there are many great ways to substitute for tomato paste that will work well with this recipe.
Crispy Keto Crust Ingredients
Cream cheese - adds a unique flavor and texture to pizza crust. It add a rich, creamy, and slightly tangy flavor which can enhance the overall taste of the pizza.
Eggs - helps to bind the ingredients together and hold their shape.
Parmesan cheese - adds flavor to the crust and helps add a crispy texture as it bakes.
Seasonings - basil, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper are the basic seasonings.
Keto Pizza Sauce
Tomato based sauces - for this pizza, I suggest blending 1-½ tablespoons of tomato paste with 3 tablespoons of low sugar tomato sauce (add salt and pepper to taste). You can also opt for no-sugar added pizza sauce or marinara sauce.
Other pizza sauce options - store-bought jarred alfredo sauce or green pesto.
Keto Pizza Toppings
Meat toppings - pepperoni slices, ground sausage or hamburger meat, shredded chicken, diced ham, or pulled pork. Try shredded buffalo chicken for extra flavor!
Vegetable toppings - raw vegetable choices include fresh spinach, broccoli, asparagus, sliced onion, black or green olives, diced tomatoes, or chopped bell pepper. Sauteed vegetable options are mushrooms, zucchini,
Cheese toppings - mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese, blue cheese, or feta. Tip - shred your own cheese for best flavor and texture. Pre-shredded cheese may contain extra carbs so check the label.
Organic Tomato Sauce and Tomato Paste Brand Suggestions
365 Everyday Value Organic Tomato Paste - 1-½ tablespoons = 2.25 net carbs Hunt's Organic Tomato Sauce - 3 tablespoons = 1.5 net carbs
Ingredient Substitutions and Additions
Substitute your own low carb pizza toppings such as cooked sausage, cooked ground beef, cooked chicken, mushrooms, olives, green bell pepper slices, etc. Be creative! Just be mindful to use low carb vegetables. Here's a handy list of low carb keto vegetables from Diet Doctor.
How to Make It
Step 1 - Make the crust.
Step 2 - Spread the dough onto a baking sheet and bake it until crispy.
Step 3 - Remove the crust from the oven and top with your favorite keto sauce (see recipe card for a simple pizza sauce recipe.
Step 4 - Add your favorite toppings and cheese. Return pizza to the oven until cheese is melted and browned.
Tips for a Crispy Crust
Achieving a crispy keto pizza crust can be a bit challenging since traditional pizza crusts rely on gluten in wheat flour to create that crispy texture. However, there are a few strategies you can use to achieve a crispy keto pizza crust:
Pre-bake the crust: Before adding your toppings, consider partially baking the crust. This step helps remove excess moisture and allows the crust to crisp up. Once the crust is partially baked, you can add your toppings and finish baking the pizza.
Use a pre-heated pizza stone or baking sheet: Preheat a pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven before placing the pizza on it. This will help distribute heat evenly and create a crispier crust. The hot surface will give the crust a better chance to crisp up as it bakes.
Don't overload with toppings: While it's tempting to pile on the toppings, a heavy load can make the crust soggy. Be mindful of the amount of sauce, cheese, and other toppings you use. Keep the toppings relatively light to prevent excess moisture from making the crust soggy.
How to Store Leftovers
This pizza will stay fresh for up to 3 days in the refrigerator (but may not stay as crispy). Store it in airtight containers. I like to use BP A-free glass containers with locking lids. Check out this 18-piece set of glass food storage containers with locking lids. These containers are great for meal prep, too! Consider re-heating the pizza in a toaster oven to bring back the crispiness.
More Keto Recipes
If you tried this recipe, please let me know by leaving a comment! I'd love to hear from you.
Recipe
Crispy Keto Pizza Crust
Ingredients
Crust
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2 large eggs (room temperature preferred)
- ⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1-½ teaspoon dried oregano, divided
- 1-½ teaspoon dried basil, divided
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder, divided
Pizza Sauce Suggestion
- 1-½ tablespoon tomato paste
- 3 tablespoon tomato sauce, low sugar
- salt and pepper to taste
Pizza Topping Suggestions
- 4 oz pepperoni slices
- 1 c shredded mozzarella cheese
- fresh basil for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place a sheet of parchment paper in your sheet pan.
- Place the cream cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon basil and oregano, and ½ teaspoon garlic powder in a bowl. Add a small amount of salt and pepper (be careful with adding salt because the cheeses contain salt). Whisk until the mixture is smooth.
- Spread the dough onto the sheet pan until it forms a rectangular or circular, thin crust. A thick crust won't be as crispy and sturdy.
- Bake the crust for 8-10 minutes, or until nice and brown. Check on the crust several minutes before time is up to make sure it's not getting overly browned or burnt.
- Remove the crust from the oven and let it cool for 5-10 minutes.
- While the crust is cooling, prepare the pizza sauce. Stir the tomato paste, tomato sauce, the remaining dried herbs, and the garlic powder in a small bowl. Lightly season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Alternatively, you can use your favorite no sugar added jarred pizza sauce.
- Spread a thin layer of pizza sauce onto the crust, add sliced pepperoni, and shredded Mozzarella cheese. Add additional topping of your choice but be mindful the more toppings you add could release moisture onto the crust making it less crispy. Particularly vegetables that release moisture while cooking such as onions, bell peppers, and tomatoes.
- Return the pizza to the oven and bake just until the cheese is melted and bubbly (5-10 minutes). Remove pizza from oven and top with optional fresh basil.
Notes
(B) Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Pre-bake the crust: Before adding your toppings, consider partially baking the crust. This step helps remove excess moisture and allows the crust to crisp up. Once the crust is partially baked, you can add your toppings and finish baking the pizza. Use a pre-heated pizza stone or baking sheet: Preheat a pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven before placing the pizza on it. This will help distribute heat evenly and create a crispier crust. The hot surface will give the crust a better chance to crisp up as it bakes. Don't overload with toppings: While it's tempting to pile on the toppings, a heavy load can make the crust soggy. Be mindful of the amount of sauce, cheese, and other toppings you use. Keep the toppings relatively light to prevent excess moisture from making the crust soggy.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in 2019 and was updated in 2023.
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy to my readers. I'm not a nutritionist and I don't guarantee the accuracy of this data. The data may differ according to the brands I used versus the brands you use. To calculate the data yourself using your brands, try using an online nutrition calculator or app.
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