This Cloud Pizza Recipe Makes Being Keto Dreamy
We get it; you’re on a diet but craving your fave comfort foods like ice cream and chicken noodle soup. With our new food series, #NotCheating, we’re turning these cheat-day dishes into compliant recipes. If you’re dabbling with gluten-free, vegan, keto, paleo, Whole30, or other plans, allow these takes to curb your hankerings healthfully.
Low-carb diets like keto can be the most challenging in terms of managing cravings. As soon as the reduction of sugar intake occurs, it seems like higher glycemic index items like carbohydrates are the only appetizing foods around. But there is a work-around to satisfy your cravings for pizza while on a low-carbohydrate diet.
Cloud bread is a keto dieter’s best friend. This high-protein alternative to bread is basically a meringue with its yolks added back in to the mixture and baked. Since it is almost 100 percent egg, it does have a slightly eggy flavor, but the fluffiness mimics the texture of traditional bread. From there, add in dried herbs and spices to complement your desired flavor profiles. Think cinnamon for breakfast breads or curry for an Indian open-faced sandwich lunch. The options are endless. Here, we’ve used ricotta cheese alongside garlic and dried Italian herbs to ensure we accomplish Italy on the palate.
Keto Mini cloud bread pepperoni pizza RECIPE
(Makes 8 mini pizzas)
Recipe Notes: Substitute yogurt, cream cheese, cottage cheese, or goat cheese for the ricotta and any combination of dried herbs and spices in place of what we’ve chosen here.
Ingredients:
3 eggs, separated
3 tablespoons full fat ricotta cheese
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
about 8 tablespoons sugar free pizza or marinara sauce
8 ounces part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese
24 slices pepperoni
optional toppings: sliced black olives, diced bell pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 300°F and prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the egg whites and cream of tartar.
Whip the egg whites with a hand mixer (or by hand or with a stand mixer) until stiff peaks are achieved.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the egg yolks with ricotta cheese, garlic powder and dried Italian herbs; stir until thoroughly combined.
Gently fold the egg yolk mixture into the egg white mixture by using a spatula to “cut” into the middle and fold over while rotating the bowl after each fold over.
Using a 1/4 cup measure, portion 8 (3-inch) rounds of fluffy egg white mixture onto prepared baking sheet. Each round should be about 1/2-inch thick.
Bake cloud breads for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown. Allow to cool and rest for at least 30 minutes before building pizzas.
Adjust oven temp to 350°F.
Build pizzas by spreading about 1 tablespoon of pizza sauce, plenty of cheese, and 3 slices of pepperoni (and/or any other toppings).
Place in oven for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and slightly browned.
Serve immediately.
Show us your Keto Cloud Bread Pizzas by tagging us @BritandCo on Instagram!
(Recipe via Ashley Bare/Brit + Co; photo via Brittany Griffin/Brit + Co)
