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Keto BBQ Pulled Pork Pizza

Annie Lampella, Pharm.D. Recipe developer and pharmacist

Published Updated

17 ratings

Tangy BBQ pulled pork pizza on a fathead crust that holds up under heavy toppings — 5.3g net carbs and 27.7g protein. My favorite way to use leftover pork, with sauce that cuts right through the cheese, in about 30 minutes.
  • 5.3gnet carbs
  • 27.7gprotein
  • 25minutes
  • 8servings
slice of keto pizza
whole fathead pizza with toppings
the best keto pizza
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I started making this keto pulled pork pizza because I always have leftover pulled pork sitting in my fridge after a weekend cookout. Instead of reheating the same plate, I threw it on a fathead pizza crust with some BBQ sauce and cheese. That was three years ago, and it's become one of our regular Friday night dinners.

Xanthan gum is non-negotiable in this crust. I know it looks optional, but skip it and the dough falls apart under the weight of the toppings. The other thing I've learned is to keep the BBQ sauce to 2 tablespoons on the crust. Any more and the dough gets soggy underneath, which defeats the whole point of a crispy base.

For the meat, I use my own sugar free smoked or slow cooked pork that I make on the weekends. Any low carb leftover works here. The key is making sure it's well drained before it goes on the crust. Wet meat means a wet pizza, and nobody wants that.

The topping combination took me a few rounds to nail down. I landed on blue cheese, red onion, and cilantro because the sharpness of the blue cheese plays off the sweet BBQ sauce in a way that just works. That said, one of my readers (Katie) has been making this monthly since January and swapped the blue cheese for goat cheese. She said it was tangier and creamier, and paired better with the BBQ sauce sweetness. I haven't tried it yet, but I trust her take.

One thing I'll mention: this reheats better than most pizzas I make. 350 degrees in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or use an air fryer at 375 for about 4 minutes to get the crust crispy again. I wouldn't microwave it. The crust goes rubbery and you lose everything that makes it good. I've kept individual slices wrapped in the freezer for up to a month with no issues.

This is a great entry point if you're new to keto pizza nights. I've got a whole lineup depending on what you're in the mood for: chicken pesto pizza, deep dish pizza, grilled pizza for summer, a chicken crust version if you want to skip the dough, and even a breakfast pizza for mornings. But this BBQ version is the one my husband assumed was delivery. That's the kind of compliment that sticks.

bbq sauce in glass bowl

I spread my homemade sugar free BBQ sauce on the crust in place of red pizza sauce, then top it with leftover pulled pork.

puffed golden edge of the fathead crust on a keto BBQ pulled pork pizza

The fathead crust puffs up like regular pizza dough, with a chewy middle and crispy edges.

Other Toppings That Work

This pizza is great as is, but a few other toppings work well on it too.

  • Jalapeno
  • Bell pepper
  • Bacon
  • Tomato
  • Garlic

How to Make BBQ Pizza with Fathead Dough

The biggest mistake I see with this dough is not getting the mozzarella fully melted. Microwave until every shred is liquid, about 2 minutes, but check at 90 seconds. Let it cool just enough to touch before adding the egg, or you'll end up with scrambled bits mixed into your crust. I use an electric mixer to combine everything because kneading by hand takes forever and gets sticky fast. Once the dough comes together, roll it between two sheets of parchment to about 1/4 inch thick. Don't go thinner or the center won't hold the toppings.

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The recipe

Keto BBQ Pulled Pork Pizza

Print Pin
Prep 15 min Cook 10 min Total 25 min Serves 8

Ingredients

Servings 8

Keto BBQ Pulled Pork Pizza Ingredients

Step by Step Instructions

  1. Preheat oven

    Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

    preheating the oven to 400

  2. Melt the cheese

    Place 3.5 cups of mozzarella in a microwave-safe glass bowl. Microwave for about two minutes until cheese is melted. Stir to combine and make sure all of the cheese is melted. Remove from microwave and let the mixture cool.

    melting mozzarella cheese for fathead dough

  3. Mix dry ingredients

    In a large separate bowl, mix together the almond flour, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt. Set aside.

    mix dry ingredients for keto pizza

  4. Add egg and cheese

    Add in your egg to the melted mozzarella cheese. Mix using an electric mixer until combined.

    mix in egg to mozzarella cheese

  5. Mix dough

    Slowly add the almond flour mixture to the cheese mixture. Using an electric mixer or food processor, stir until you have a uniform dough. Don’t be surprised if dough goes flying if you are using the mixer! This can happen, but this is an easy way to combine the mixtures in order to make the best fathead dough. If you don’t have an electric mixer or food processor, I recommend kneading the dough by hand until it comes together. This is messy and takes longer, but the end result is the same.

    making fathead dough from cheese

  6. Knead keto dough

    Once combined, form the dough into a ball. Knead it a few times on a lightly almond-floured surface until uniform and fully combined.

    kneading the fathead dough

  7. Layer between parchment

    Place the ball in between two pieces of parchment paper.

    layer dough between parchment paper

  8. Roll out crust

    Roll out dough to desired thickness. Remove top parchment layer and place on top of a baking sheet.

    roll out keto pizza dough

  9. Sauce it

    Spread BBQ sauce evenly over the dough.

    spread bbq sauce on keto pizza

  10. Add toppings

    Add remaining toppings to the pizza.

    add toppings to bbq pulled pork pizza

  11. Bake

    Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until cheese is starting to brown and is bubbly.

    Steaming hot keto BBQ pulled pork pizza sitting on a table

Nutrition

Per serving: 1 slice

Calories
391
Fat
28.3g
Protein
27.7g
Total carbs
7.1g
Net carbs
5.3g

Nutrition is an estimate calculated from the ingredients listed. Brands vary, so check labels if you track closely.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get crispy edges on this pizza crust?

The card skips it, but I like to pre-bake the crust for 5 minutes at 400 before adding any toppings. That's the single biggest upgrade I've made to this recipe. Roll the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness and watch for the edges to just start turning golden before you pull it out and load it up. I also make sure my oven is fully preheated, not just close to 400.

Can I use goat cheese instead of blue cheese?

I haven't tried it myself yet, but one of my readers (Katie) has been making this with goat cheese instead of blue cheese for months and swears by it. She says it's tangier and creamier, and pairs better with the BBQ sauce sweetness. If you're not a blue cheese person, I'd go with her take on this one.

How many net carbs are in a slice?

My batch makes about 8 slices, and each one comes out to roughly 5.3 net carbs depending on your BBQ sauce. I use my own homemade version which keeps it on the lower end. If you're using a store-bought sauce, check the label because some 'sugar free' options still have 3-4g carbs per tablespoon.

What keto BBQ sauce brands work for this?

I usually make my own, but when I'm in a rush I've used Primal Kitchen and G Hughes. Both are low carb enough that they won't blow the macros on a couple tablespoons. Just read labels carefully. Some keto-labeled sauces sneak in honey or molasses further down the ingredient list.

Is xanthan gum really necessary?

Yes. I've made this without it and the dough just falls apart, especially once you load toppings on. It's the binder that holds everything together. If you can't find xanthan gum, I'd try psyllium husk powder as a substitute. The texture comes out slightly different but it still works.

How do I reheat leftover pizza without making it soggy?

I reheat mine in the oven at 350 for 8-10 minutes, or in the air fryer at 375 for about 4 minutes. Both keep the crust crispy. I never microwave this pizza. The crust goes rubbery and loses its texture completely. If you're pulling slices from the freezer, I go straight from frozen to oven at 375 for about 12 minutes without thawing first.

Can I use a different crust for this?

If you want to skip the dough, I've used these same BBQ toppings on my BBQ chicken tostada base and it works well. You could also try a crustless version where I just bake the toppings in a cast iron skillet. Different vibe, but the BBQ and blue cheese combo holds up either way.

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Reviews

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4.6 from 17 ratings, 11 written

Made this recipe?

Replying to Terri

Your rating

Terri

Most fathead crusts with this much topping just go soggy. The pulled pork and BBQ liquid had me expecting the same. It held. Puts it above the cauliflower bases I’ve been working through, even with the crust a little thick.

Reply

Olivia

This pizza was SO good!! Made it for dinner and zero leftovers.

Reply

Kim

Spreading the sauce right on the crust first solved the soggy center thing. That’s the move. Also started mixing crisped bacon into the pork layer, and honestly the crunch with blue cheese caught me completely off guard.

Reply

Annie Lampella

Crisped bacon under the blue cheese sounds great. I’m adding that to my next batch.

Reply

Brandon

I’m usually skeptical when a recipe claims it works as a meal prep staple, because most pizza-adjacent things get weird in the fridge after day one. This one holds up. I cut it into portions right after it cools, stack them with parchment between the layers, and they come out two days later without the crust going soft. The skillet reheat is the move: two to three minutes per side on medium-low gets it close to fresh. Microwave just makes the mozzarella gummy and kills the crust. Eight servings at 391 calories and under six net carbs each fit into my weeknight numbers. The pulled pork I already batch-cook on Sundays, so assembly day-of takes about fifteen minutes once the dough comes together. Going to try doubling the crust batch next time and freezing half to see if that holds.

Reply

Annie Lampella

You’ve got a better leftover system than I do, Brandon. I reheat mine in the air fryer at 375 for about 4 minutes and never thought to try a skillet. Let me know how the frozen crust dough holds up.

Reply

Brooke C.

Used an electric mixer for the dough and was convinced I was doing it wrong the whole time. Worked out fine. The blue cheese against the BBQ sauce is what makes it, wouldn’t have guessed that just reading the recipe.

Reply

Annie Lampella

The mixer is fine for fathead, just stop before the dough warms up. Brooke, I can never write that blue cheese combo in a way that makes it sound right on paper.

Reply

Ryan

Swapped the blue cheese for smoked gouda and threw pickled jalapeños on top. The jalapeños cut through the richness of the fathead crust way better than the original, and the gouda just melts right into the pork. If you’ve got leftover pulled pork in the fridge, do this tonight.

Reply

Annie Lampella

The pickled jalapeños are what I’m taking from this. Fresh wouldn’t cut through the fathead the same way, too mild. Trying it next time I’ve got pork in the fridge.

Reply

Dani

Six batches in. Goat cheese over blue, every time now. Less pungent, but the tang still cuts through the BBQ sauce. Crust held up either way, which was all I really cared about.

Reply

Annie Lampella

Six batches and a permanent swap. Katie’s been doing the same thing for months and says the same about the tang. Think I need to actually test it myself at this point.

Reply

Alex Davis

Tried a lot of fathead crusts. The xanthan gum here actually gives it stretch, which most recipes skip. Holds up fine under the pulled pork and sauce. Would go heavier on the BBQ next time, but still one of the better versions I’ve made.

Reply

Annie Lampella

Yeah, that’s all the xanthan gum. Skip it and the crust just cracks once you load it up. More BBQ is right, I’d double it.

Reply

Holly

The crust held up under all that pulled pork (I was genuinely skeptical it would), but next time I’d go a little lighter on the blue cheese so the BBQ sauce can actually come through.

Reply

Annie Lampella

Ha, glad it held up – I had the same worry the first time I piled it that high. Blue cheese can bulldoze everything else if you’re not careful. A little goes a long way with that one.

Reply

Heidi

My husband asked if I ordered it and when I told him I made it he looked at the crust like it owed him an apology.

Reply

Annie Lampella

Ha – the crust gets that reaction. I loaded mine pretty aggressively the first time just to see if it would hold and it didn’t budge.

Reply

Sarah Davis

My husband took one bite and asked ‘wait, did you order this?’ I was pretty proud of making it from scratch so that threw me off. The crust is what gets people, I think. Almond flour sounded weird when I started but you can’t tell. We had leftover pulled pork from the weekend and this was the best use for it. Four stars because I still haven’t figured out the crispy edges thing, but we’re making this again.

Reply

Annie Lampella

Pre-bake the crust 5 minutes at 400 before any toppings go on. That’s what finally fixed the edges for me. And roll it thin, about 1/4 inch.

Reply

Katie I.

This is probably my fifth time making this since January, and this round I finally swapped the blue cheese for goat cheese. Tangier and creamier, which paired way better with the BBQ sauce sweetness than I expected. Crust came out the same as always, golden at the edges with that slight crunch. One thing though: the recipe doesn’t really spell out how much the xanthan gum matters for dough texture. Took me a couple batches to stop treating it as optional.

Reply

Annie Lampella

Goat cheese with BBQ sauce, why haven’t I tried that. And yeah, fair point on the xanthan gum – it looks optional but it really isn’t. Skip it and the dough just falls apart.

Reply

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