We were spending time with friends recently and found that a few of our close friends are eating low-carb diets. While we haven’t tried it ourselves, it seems that low-carb diets are becoming more and more common.
We love that our friends are taking control of their health, but it makes us sad that pizza isn’t on the menu for them anymore. So we decided to see what pizza options are out there for low-carb eaters, and we were pleasantly surprised at the different ways to make low carb pizza at home.
So we want to share three yummy ways to make low-carb pizza. We have tried them all, and they are all delicious. In addition, check out our list of 7 low carb pizza snacks, as well!
Why Eat Low-Carb?
There are a lot of reasons to try a low-carb diet. Healthline states that a low-carb diet can help with weight loss and stabilize blood sugar and insulin levels.
In addition, it can help boost good cholesterol and lower bad cholesterol, So we can definitely see the appeal of following a low-carb diet and why this diet seems to be more than just a fad.
Low-Carb Diets
The three most common ways to follow a low-carb diet are Keto, Atkins, and the Mediterranean diet. Both Atkins and Keto seem to be fairly strict, while the Mediterranean diet allows more wiggle room.
Keto
Keto focuses on eating high fat and high protein foods and limiting carbs to put your body into ketosis or fat-burning mode.
Atkins
Atkins was popular in the 90s as a way to lose weight quickly. It’s similar to keto and allows unlimited protein, and has different phases from super strict to less rigid.
Mediterranean
This is probably the easiest low-carb diet and focuses on fish, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains with limited amounts of dairy and red meat.
Ok, so how do we fit pizza into these low-carb diets/lifestyles? Well, there are a few ways to make homemade pizza compatible with a low-carb diet.
Basically, we have to find a way to cut the high carb base and substitute it with another pizza base. The three best ways we found to do that are with eggplant, portobello mushrooms, and cauliflower crust.
How to Make Low-Carb Pizza
Eggplant
We started our low-carb pizza journey with everyone’s favorite emoji, the eggplant. Eggplant is a common staple in Italian cooking and is readily available in most supermarkets. You want to choose Globe eggplants rather than the thinner Japanese eggplant to make eggplant pizzas.
One medium eggplant has 27 grams of carbs. So depending on how thick you slice them, you can probably get six slices of pizza base, making one eggplant pizza with 4-5 grams of carbs.
First, you will need to slice the eggplant, lay them flat on a baking sheet, and sprinkle salt on each piece. This is called sweating the eggplant, and it removes any bitterness. Let the slices sweat in the salt for about 30 minutes. Then rinse each slice, pat dry, and place in a dry skillet or comal.
It is important not to use oil. The idea is to cook each slice to soften it before we add sauce and pizza toppings. Cook each slice for a few minutes on each side. You don’t want to add oil because the eggplant will absorb all of the oil and become mushy, and it won’t be able to hold the rest of the pizza.
After each slice has been cooked, let them cool for a few minutes, then add your sauce and toppings. Next, bake in the oven or toaster oven for about 8 -10 minutes and enjoy.
Of course, the texture is different than regular pizza, but it is a tasty way to enjoy pizza without the carbs. If you prefer a crispier texture, we think using an air fryer would give the eggplant slices a crunchier crust.
Portobello Mushrooms
Portobello mushrooms offer another way to make healthy low carb pizza. These large mushrooms are available in most grocery stores and farmers’ markets and are roughly 4-5 grams of carbs per one cap.
Full disclosure, this version of low-carb pizza is for mushroom lovers only. If you don’t like mushrooms, then this definitely won’t work for you.
First, you need to remove the stem of the mushroom and wipe the cap clean of dirt and debris. Never wash mushrooms with water because they already have a lot of moisture, and you will be adding to the moisture, which makes for a, you guessed it, mushy pizza.
Pre-cook the mushroom similar to how you par-bake a pizza crust. Then fill with your favorite pizza toppings and bake on 400ºF for 15 minutes. Depending on the size of your portobellos, it is similar to a Chicago deep-dish pizza minus the thick crust.
Cauliflower
Lastly, cauliflower is the savior vegetable for low-carb eaters everywhere. The humble white cruciferous vegetable can transform into mashed potatoes, rice, pretzels, and pizza crust.
Cauliflower pizza crusts are available in most supermarkets and online. We have tried a few different types of cauliflower pizza crusts and were again pleasantly surprised at the taste.
You can still add all of your favorite toppings, and it’s much more like a traditional pizza than the eggplant and portobello mushroom versions. You can even make your own cauliflower pizza crust at home with riced cauliflower and some time on your hands, but we haven’t tried that yet.
So, to sum up, we liked all three forms of low-carb pizza, but our favorite was the cauliflower crust. It was the easiest to make and resembled regular pizza so much that we barely noticed the difference. Just be careful to check the package for carb count as there are several different cauliflower crust brands, and they all vary slightly on the carb count.
The main thing we love about low-carb pizza is that our friends who follow a strict low-carb diet can still enjoy our favorite food, pizza.
Now that you know three ways to make low-carb pizza, your friends will never have to miss another pizza party because of their diet. What is your favorite way to make low-carb pizza?
