Real grill char on a fathead crust sets this keto grilled pizza apart — 5.7g net carbs and 36.4g protein per serving. I grill it year-round, and the brie, prosciutto, and toum combo I stumbled into is one I can't stop making.
I started grilling this pizza as a summer thing, and then I kept making it in October, January, February. It's a year-round recipe in my house now. When it's cold I use a cast iron grill pan and it works the same way. The char on the bottom of a fathead crust is something you can't get from an oven, and once you've had it, regular baked keto pizza feels flat.
The brie on this was almost an accident. I was testing toppings for a grilled pizza and threw some brie on one batch just to see what would happen. I tried it once and couldn't go back to just mozzarella. It melts into the crust in this creamy, rich way that mozzarella alone doesn't do. Combined with prosciutto, arugula, and a thin layer of toum as the sauce, this is a pizza that actually impresses people at a cookout. If you've made my keto pesto pizza, think of this as the grilled, slightly more grown-up version.
The crust itself is standard fathead dough. Mozzarella, almond flour, egg, xanthan gum. Nothing complicated. The difference is what the grill does to it. You get this chewy center with crispy, almost cracker-like edges that no oven replicates. I roll mine to about 1/4 inch thick between two sheets of parchment, and if you're nervous about the transfer, chill the rolled dough in the freezer for 8 minutes first. That tip came from a reader (Maria H.) and I've been using it ever since. It firms up enough to slide right onto the grill tray without tearing.
Toum as a pizza sauce is my favorite discovery here. Nobody else does this and I don't know why. It's garlic-forward, creamy, low carb, and it pairs with brie better than any red sauce would. A thin spread of toum plus a little pesto gives you a base that's savory without being heavy. If you're looking for more ways to use the grill this week, my grilled marinated chicken and grilled keto burgers are both in regular rotation too.
The recipe card adds every topping before grilling. One thing I learned the hard way: I like to add the arugula and prosciutto after I pull the pizza off the heat. Arugula wilts in seconds on a hot surface and prosciutto goes papery if it sits on the grill. I add the toum, pesto, and brie while it's still on the grill so the brie gets a minute to melt, then pull it and finish with the cold toppings. That finishing sequence makes a real difference. If you want a simpler weeknight option, my crustless pizza skips the dough entirely.
Other Toppings for Grilled Pizza
The recipe card tops this pizza with brie, prosciutto, arugula and grape tomatoes over a toum and pesto base. Here are other topping options for grilled pizza.
Sauces: pizza sauce, ranch dressing or horseradish sauce
Vegetables: sliced red onion, garlic cloves, mushrooms, black olives, bell pepper, shaved fennel, artichoke hearts, green onions or kale
Herbs: basil, oregano, rosemary or thyme
Cheese: mozzarella, ricotta, goat cheese or parmesan
Protein: salami, pepperoni, grilled chicken, grilled steak, eggs, or sausage, bacon or pancetta cooked ahead of time
Charcoal, Gas or Pellet Grill
This pizza works on a charcoal grill, a gas grill or a Traeger pellet grill. Fathead dough is mostly cheese, so start the crust on a grill safe tray, grill mat, pizza stone or sheet of foil instead of raw on the grates, where it can melt and drop through.
Charcoal grill: light a chimney, dump the hot coals into the grill base, spread them evenly for direct heat and let the grill reach 450 degrees.
Gas grill: ignite the grill, let it heat to 450 degrees and cook the pizza over direct heat.
Traeger pellet grill: add pellets, preheat and cook the pizza until the crust is golden brown.
How to Grill Fathead Pizza Dough
The key to grilling keto pizza dough is working with a firm, cold crust and a hot grill. I roll the dough to 1/4 inch between parchment sheets, then chill it in the freezer for about 8 minutes so it's rigid enough to transfer without tearing. Slide it onto a grill-safe tray or a sheet of foil and grill at 450 degrees.
Some people go directly on the grates for deeper char marks. I've done it both ways. The grate method gives you better grill lines but the tray method is more forgiving, especially your first time. If you go grates, firm the crust on the tray first for a few minutes, then flip it directly onto the grates with tongs.
The card adds all the toppings before grilling, but I like to add them in stages. Spread your toum and pesto base while the crust is still on heat, add the brie so it starts melting, then pull the pizza and finish with arugula and prosciutto cold. The arugula wilts fast and prosciutto goes papery if you grill them. This same grilling setup works for other proteins too. I'll throw on grilled pork chops or chicken caprese kebabs alongside the pizza to make it a full spread.
Whisk together almond flour, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt until combined. Set aside.
2
Melt cheese
Microwave cheese in a glass bowl until melted (1-2 min).
3
Add egg
Using an electric mixer, beat in egg.
4
Mix in dry ingredients
Add in dry mixture and beat until combined.
5
Roll the crust
Roll out dough between two pieces of parchment paper until 1/4 inch thick.
6
Spread toum pesto
Spread toum and pesto onto crust.
7
Add toppings
Add remaining toppings.
8
Add to grill tray
Place pizza on a grill safe baking tray or sheet of aluminum foil.
9
Grill it
Grill at 450 degrees on a parchment lined grill tray for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Nutrition
Per serving: 1 slice
Calories
500
Fat
38.6g
Protein
36.4g
Total carbs
8.1g
Net carbs
5.7g
Nutrition is an estimate calculated from the ingredients listed. Brands vary, so check labels if you track closely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this in the oven instead of on the grill?
I do this all the time when it's raining or I don't feel like firing up the grill. I bake it at 450 degrees on a parchment-lined sheet pan for about 15 minutes. You won't get the smoky char, but the crust still crisps up nicely. I've also used a cast iron grill pan on the stovetop to fake some grill marks before finishing in the oven. If you want another keto pizza that's built for the oven, my BBQ pulled pork pizza is a good one.
Can I make this keto pizza crust ahead of time and freeze it?
I make crusts ahead constantly. I roll them out to 1/4 inch, leave them between the parchment sheets, and stack them in the fridge for up to 3 days or the freezer for about a month. When I'm ready to grill, I pull one out and let it sit for 5 minutes (from the fridge) or 15 minutes (from the freezer) before transferring to the grill tray. The dough holds its shape better cold, so don't let it come fully to room temp.
Can you grill fathead pizza dough directly on the grates?
I've done it both ways. Direct on the grates gives you deeper char lines, but it's trickier to manage. What I do is start the crust on a grill tray for the first 3-4 minutes until the bottom firms up, then flip it directly onto the grates with tongs for the last few minutes. That way the dough is set enough that it won't sag through. My first attempt without pre-firming did not go well.
How do I transfer the keto pizza crust to the grill without it falling apart?
This was my biggest problem early on. I kept trying to slide raw dough off a spatula and it would tear or fold over. A reader named Maria shared a trick that I've used ever since: chill the rolled-out dough in the freezer for about 8 minutes. It firms up just enough to slide off a cutting board onto the grill tray in one piece. I've done this dozens of times now and it works every time.
How do I reheat leftover grilled pizza?
I reheat mine in a skillet on the stovetop over medium heat for 3-4 minutes with a lid on. The skillet re-crisps the bottom instead of making it rubbery the way a microwave does. I tried the microwave once and the crust turned soft and chewy in a bad way. Skillet is the move. If you stored it in the fridge, it keeps well for about 3 days wrapped in foil.
What temperature should the grill be for keto pizza?
I grill mine at 450 degrees. I've tried lower (around 375) and the crust doesn't crisp, it just dries out. At 450, I get golden edges in about 15 minutes and the center stays chewy without being raw. I preheat the grill with the lid closed for at least 10 minutes before putting the pizza on. Consistent heat matters more than exact timing here.
Can I use a different cheese instead of mozzarella for the crust?
I've only tested the crust with mozzarella and that's what I'd stick with. It melts into a stretchy dough that holds together on the grill. I tried a cheddar blend once and it was too oily and wouldn't bind. For toppings though, swap freely. I use brie on this one, but provolone, fontina, or gouda all work. My favorite combo is still brie with prosciutto, but I've done gouda with grilled chicken and that was solid too.
I wasn’t sure a pre-grilled fathead crust would hold up in the fridge for two days. Turns out it holds better than regular pizza. I make two at once on Sunday, bag the crusts without toppings, and by Wednesday the dough still has that slight char without going soft. Three minutes back on a medium grill with the prosciutto and brie melting in, and lunch doesn’t feel like leftovers. The 36 grams of protein is what got me trying this, and once I proved the reheat worked I stopped making just one at a time. Running two at once adds maybe ten minutes and covers four lunches.
Kept skipping this because I figured almond flour dough would fall apart on the grill. Finally tried it last weekend. Held up fine, real char marks and everything. Now it’s what I make when it’s too hot to turn on the oven.
Third summer making this and I’ve got the grill timing down. Two minutes per side on high heat gets real char without losing the structure underneath. The brie and prosciutto combo sounds fussy but it comes together faster than anything I’d make in the oven, and on a hot day that matters. Going in the rotation for the rest of the season.
Three summers of this and you’ve got tighter grill timing than my own notes. Two minutes a side on high is right. Not heating up the kitchen in July is half the reason this stays on the grill.
Pizza was the one thing I hadn’t actually solved in two years of keto. Every fathead crust I’d tried was fine, but I always knew I was eating a substitute. The grill changes that. The char on the bottom alone is worth it. Brie pools into the crust, prosciutto goes crispy at the edges in those last 2 minutes. Glad this one exists.
Never made fathead dough before and was nervous it’d stick or fall apart, but it came off clean and the char gave it a nice smoky bite. The brie melted way better than I expected. Do you add toppings before the second flip or after you take it off the heat?
Toppings go on after the second flip, still on the grill. I do the toum/pesto base and brie first so it gets a minute to melt, then pull it off and add the arugula and prosciutto cold. Arugula wilts fast if you heat it.
My dad used to grill pizza every Fourth of July and I figured that was gone when I went keto. The brie and prosciutto here hit something I hadn’t tasted in years. February, cast iron grill pan, smelled the char from the other room.
February, cast iron, smelled the char from the other room. That’s exactly it. Brie was almost an afterthought when I was testing toppings and it ended up being the one I kept coming back to.
Getting the crust onto the grill in one piece was my biggest hurdle, so I started chilling it in the freezer for about 8 minutes after rolling it out to 1/4 inch. It firms up enough to transfer with a cutting board and slides onto the grates without tearing. The brie and prosciutto combo is the best part, and I add the prosciutto after pulling it off the heat so it just warms through instead of crisping. Still dialing in my timing, but at least the transfer problem is solved.
8 minutes in the freezer, I’m trying that next time. I’ve been wrestling mine onto the grill with a thin spatula and it’s 50/50. And yes on the prosciutto after – keeps it from going papery.
Just made this. Was my first ever keto pizza. Was absolutely delicious. Only crust variation I made was to not nuke the cheese. Instead I just used finely shredded motz then worked the crust ingredients by hand like I would with regular dough. Also didn’t have toum so made a sub consisting of greek yogurt, garlic and lemon juice.
OMG this was the best pizza I have ever made…and I’ve tried quite a few. The crust was tender and delicious – I could actually pick up the pieces and nibble. I did use the brie cheese – never tried that before on pizza – amazing! I used pepperoni because that’s what I had. I also made this in the oven at 450 degrees because it started to rain…no problem. Just try this!
Brie was almost an accident when I was testing this. Tried it once and couldn’t go back to just mozzarella. 450 in the oven is what I do when it’s cold anyway.
