There’s no denying it’s hard to resist a good pizza. After all, pizza is easily everybody’s favorite meal. Whenever people think of treating themselves to something fun and delicious, pizza is often at the top of the list. Pizza nights are something that many people look for and are a tradition for some households. If you’ve chosen the keto lifestyle on your quest for better health, you may be wondering if you’ll ever get to enjoy a delicious pizza ever again. The simple answer is that you can with a keto food pizza. Below, we take a look at pizza keto options and how you can still enjoy a pizza without ruining your diet.
What is a Keto Food Pizza?
If you’ve embraced the keto lifestyle, you’re probably thinking that pizza is completely out of the question. After all, the keto lifestyle focuses on reducing your carb intake as much as possible in order to allow your body to rely on fat for energy. Pizza is high in carbohydrates mostly because of the wheat-based crust. Surely, pizza can only be enjoyed as a cheat meal while on this path?
Yes. Regular pizza is high in carbs and should be avoided in the keto lifestyle. However, as more people embrace the low-carb lifestyle, more alternatives to wheat-based products are being introduced. There are now many grain alternatives that you can use to make your pizza crust keto friendly including coconut flour, almond flour, and even vegetables such as cauliflower. Eggs and cheese are a great choice to hold your keto-friendly dough together.
Is Ordering a Gluten-Free Pizza OK For a Keto Lifestyle?
Pizza crust keto-friendly options are usually gluten-free. However, this doesn’t mean that gluten-free pizza crust options are usually keto-friendly. Some gluten-free options are even high in carbs. For example, there are some pizza chains that offer gluten free crust options by swapping out the wheat flour with a highly processed high-carb option such as tapioca flour or rice flour. These are certainly gluten free but they are not keto-friendly.
The same goes for grain-free and paleo pizza bases. These pizza bases may not contain wheat flour and gluten, but the use of tapioca starch means that they are not suitable for the keto diet. Tapioca is high in carbs. It is not recommended for those on a keto diet.
The good news is that if you have food intolerance you can trust that a keto-friendly pizza would be a good choice for you. However, if your food intolerance is to eggs or cheese, you should check the ingredients. Eggs and cheese are a common ingredient in these pizzas.
Exploring Keto Pizza Crusts
There are now many options for a keto-friendly pizza crust. You only need to determine exactly what you want in your pizza in order to have the perfect base. For example, if you prefer a crispy crust, you would probably enjoy a cauliflower pizza crust or one made from almond flour. Here are a few favorites you may want to try.
Cauliflower pizza crust
This is probably one of the most popular types of keto pizza bases. The base is made from riced cauliflower. Fresh cauliflower is steamed until it is tender then grated or ground with a food processor. While you can purchase cauliflower flour from a grocery store, it is better not to. Many commercially produced cauliflower flours contain flours from grains such as maize or rice.
This pizza crust involves combining eggs and cheese with cauliflower flour to form the base. It often doesn’t require kneading. You can use broccoli in place of the cauliflower rice or even mix them for increased flavor.
Keto-friendly chicken pizza crust
Chicken is certainly one of the most keto-friendly foods available. However, not many would consider it as a pizza crust. While it is an unconventional choice of ingredients, it is a great option for supporting the keto lifestyle. After all, if you can make a pizza crust from cauliflower, why not from chicken?
To make the chicken pizza base, use chicken mince or mince your own chicken breast. Combine the minced chicken with egg or cheese. You may also want to add keto-friendly flour options such as coconut flour or almond flour.
Conclusion
Embracing the keto lifestyle doesn’t have to mean giving up enjoying a pizza night. With a keto-friendly crust, you can enjoy a low-carb pizza guilt-free. The options above are just two of many pizza crust options available for those looking for a low-carb option. They are also a great option if you’re looking for a gluten-free option.
If you prefer to order a keto-friendly pizza, check out Big Mario’s Pizza. You can even build your own pizza with Big Mario’s menu options.
