Pizza Bowl
Published February 19, 2022 • Updated March 9, 2026
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Layer pepperoni, olives, mozzarella, and marinara in a ramekin and microwave for one minute. This crustless pizza bowl is my go-to when I need dinner in 60 seconds, at just 3.5g net carbs.
When I want pizza but don’t want to deal with dough or wait for delivery, I grab a ramekin. Sixty seconds in the microwave and dinner is done. I’ve been making this alongside my crustless pizza and pizza chaffle for years now, and this version wins when I need something in under two minutes from fridge to fork.
The microwave method is the right call here. Layer marinara, pepperoni, olives, and mozzarella in a ramekin, then microwave for about one minute until the cheese gets that bubbly, stretchy pull you actually want from pizza. The sauce heats through underneath and the pepperoni edges curl slightly, concentrating the flavor the same way they do on a properly baked pie. I’ve made this dozens of times and the microwave consistently beats the oven for both speed and cheese texture on something this small. Most other sites recommend baking at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes, but for a single serving that’s just unnecessary oven time.
No crust means the carb count stays at 3.5g net. The only thing to watch is your marinara. A lot of bottled sauces sneak in added sugars, which is why I stick with Rao’s or Yo Mama’s. One tablespoon of a clean marinara adds roughly 1g net carbs, so even with a generous pour this stays firmly keto.
The ramekin size matters more than you’d think. I use those little 6oz ones and the cheese crisps up around the edges almost like a frico. That crispy ring is genuinely one of the best parts. A wider, shallow bowl spreads the toppings too thin and you lose that layered, stacked bite. You want the cheese to melt over the toppings, not around them. One thing I’ve learned: if your microwave runs on the lower end (700w vs 1000w), go 90 seconds or just watch for bubbling at the edges. That’s the real doneness cue, not the timer. A minute in a 700w microwave is completely different from a minute in a 1000w.
This is also one of the best keto meals to scale for a group. Set out ramekins with sauce, a spread of toppings, and let everyone build their own. I’ve done this for game nights and the whole assembly line takes about 12 minutes for four people, microwaving one at a time. For a higher protein version, try the cottage cheese version, which uses seasoned cottage cheese as the base layer instead of straight marinara. I tested it after seeing it blow up on social media, and it earned its own page.
KetoFocus fans agree it’s the best quick pizza option on a keto diet!!
“ When the rest of my family eats pizza, I usually just eat this! It’s the best way to go.”
➥ from YouTube subscriber @airman6822
How to make a pizza bowl
- Grab a small microwave-safe bowl or ramekin.
- Pour in 3 tablespoons of low carb pizza or marinara sauce.
- Add pepperoni slices, black olives, and any other toppings you like.
- Top with half a cup of shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Add a dash of Italian seasoning.
- Microwave for about 1 minute or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Key ingredients
Pizza sauce: Use a low sugar marinara or pizza sauce. Rao’s and Yo Mama’s are both reliable low carb options. I keep a jar in the fridge at all times specifically for quick meals like this.
Pizza toppings: Pepperoni and black olives are the classic combo here, but I also rotate in cooked sausage, diced bell peppers, mushrooms (sliced thin so they cook through in one minute), and banana peppers. For extra crunch, try some Italian slider toppings or crumbled stuffed Italian sausage.
Cheese: Shredded mozzarella gives you the best melt and stretch. A blend of mozzarella and provolone works well too. I’ve started adding a tablespoon of ricotta underneath the mozzarella before microwaving, and it creates this creamy layer at the bottom that I actually prefer now.
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Ingredients
3 tablespoons pizza or marinara sauce -
4 slices pepperoni
-
1 tablespoon sliced black olives
-
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
-
dash Italian seasoning
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Add sauce
To a small microwave safe bowl or ramekin, add marinara sauce.
- Marinara sauce
Layer in pizza toppings
Add pizza toppings on top of the marinara sauce.
- Pepperoni
- Sliced olives
Top with cheese
Sprinkle shredded cheese on top and add a dash of Italian seasoning.
- Shredded cheese
- Italian seasoning
Microwave instructions
Microwave 1 minute or until cheese is melted.
Oven instructions
Bake in an oven proof container under the broiler on high for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Air fryer instructions
Bake in an oven proof container like a ramekin placed in an air fryer basket and bake at 400 °F for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
What is a pizza bowl?
I layer all the classic pizza ingredients (sauce, toppings, melted cheese) in a small ramekin without any crust. Microwave or broil for about a minute until the cheese melts and bubbles. It's how I do pizza night when I don't feel like making dough, and my family can't tell the difference once all those toppings are melted together.
Is this keto friendly?
Yes. My version with marinara, pepperoni, olives, and mozzarella comes in around 3.5g net carbs per serving. The key is choosing a low sugar marinara (I use Rao's or Yo Mama's) and skipping high carb toppings like pineapple or sweetened barbecue sauce. Without the crust, almost all topping combinations fit within keto macros.
Can you make this in the air fryer or oven?
Yes, I've tested both. For the air fryer, I place the assembled ramekin inside the basket and cook at 400 degrees for 2 to 3 minutes. For the oven, I set the broiler to high and broil for 2 to 3 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly, watching for the edges to start browning. Both methods give you slightly more browning on the cheese compared to the microwave. I still prefer the microwave for speed, but the air fryer gives the best edge browning if you have the extra two minutes.
What kind of bowl should I use?
I use a 6oz ramekin and I'm convinced it's the single most important variable in this recipe. A smaller, deeper container keeps the toppings stacked so you get a better cheese-to-topping ratio in each bite. For the oven or air fryer, use an oven-safe ramekin, a small cast iron dish, or any ceramic bowl rated for high heat. I tried a wide shallow bowl once and the toppings spread too thin, losing the layered bite entirely.
Can I make these ahead of time or freeze them?
I prep these the night before all the time. Assemble with sauce, toppings, and cheese, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 3 days. For freezing, I wrap assembled bowls in plastic wrap and then foil. They hold up for about a month in the freezer. To reheat from frozen, I microwave at 50% power for 2 minutes, then full power for 60 seconds. Skipping the low-power step makes the edges rubbery.
How do I reheat without the cheese getting rubbery?
I've reheated these enough to know the trick: lower power, longer time. From the fridge, 60 to 90 seconds at full power works fine. From frozen, start at 50% power for 2 minutes to thaw the center, then 60 seconds at full power to get the cheese bubbly again. The mistake I made early on was blasting frozen ones at full power, which cooks the outside edges while the middle stays cold.
Can I use cottage cheese as a base?
Yes, and it adds a serious protein boost. I developed a whole cottage cheese variation that uses seasoned cottage cheese as the base layer instead of marinara. The cottage cheese gets warm and creamy underneath the melted mozzarella. It's been trending hard on social media and after testing it myself, I understand why. More filling, more protein, same cook time.
Can I make several at once for a group?
This is one of my favorite ways to do a casual dinner. I set out ramekins, sauce, and a spread of toppings (plus some caprese bites as appetizers) and let everyone build their own. Microwave one at a time, about a minute each. For four people the whole assembly line takes about 12 minutes. If you have an oven, you can broil 3 to 4 ramekins at once on a sheet pan, which cuts the total time to about 5 minutes.
Made these for a spring cookout (yes, inside, it was raining) and I had no idea what I was getting into because I've never made anything keto for a group before, just for myself. I set up like eight ramekins on the counter and microwave-batched them one by one while everyone was grabbing drinks, and the smell of the pepperoni with the marinara was stopping people mid-conversation to ask what was cooking. Something about the cheese pulling up with the pepperoni when you dig in, it looks like a tiny skillet pizza, and I think that's part of what got people. Two of my friends who are nowhere near doing keto stood at the counter and finished theirs before anyone sat down. One of them went back and made a second one herself once she figured out the ramekin situation. I've never had something this effortless do that to a room.
Someone who doesn't eat keto going back to figure out the ramekin herself because she wanted another one. That's the review.
My son watched me put this together and told me I was 'cheating at cooking.' Didn't argue. The mozzarella bubbles up like actual pizza, and that's what got him. He's been making his own bowl after school every day this week, which is more than I can say for anything else in the fridge.
'Cheating at cooking' and then making it himself every day after school. That's the review right there.
Works exactly as advertised for a 60-second lunch, and I mean that. Pepperoni stays soft in the microwave, though. Two minutes under the broiler and the edges crisp up. Worth it.
Made a few other pizza bowl recipes before this and they always came out soupy because I was putting the sauce on top, so the layering was what I'd been missing the whole time. Came together in literally 60 seconds, which still surprises me. Docking one star only because I want to try the broiler version before I'm fully sold.
Sauce on the bottom is what unlocked this one for me too. The broiler does get the cheese more golden on top but the 60-second version holds up.
My husband refuses anything crustless on principle, so I made this for myself on a Wednesday and he immediately asked if there was another ramekin. That reaction sold me. I've started pushing the pepperoni under the mozzarella before it goes in the microwave so it crisps against the sides, and with Rao's marinara it tastes like actual pizza rather than a bowl of toppings.
Pepperoni under the cheese gets it to crisp in a way that feels wrong for a microwave recipe. And Rao's is the only call here, I won't use anything else for this.
There was a pizza place near my college apartment that did these baked dishes in little crocks, cheese browned over the top. I hadn't thought about it in years, but eating this brought it back instantly, something about the way the mozzarella goes golden at the edges while the sauce stays bubbling underneath. Three nights this week. Not planning to stop.
Three nights and counting. The 6oz ramekin is what gets it to brown like that , anything wider and the cheese spreads too thin to get that edge color.
I gave up pizza when I started keto last year and just accepted it was gone. Made this on a Tuesday night when I had nothing planned and the second the mozzarella started bubbling up over the pepperoni I literally got a little emotional about it, which sounds insane but here we are. One minute. I cannot wrap my head around the fact that this takes one minute. I don't even think about the crust anymore.
Getting emotional over bubbling mozzarella is not insane, it's just Tuesday night keto. That one-minute thing still catches me off guard and I've made this hundreds of times.
There was this pizza place my dad used to take me to every Friday growing up, and I swear the smell that hit me when I pulled this out of the microwave was that place. A ramekin of pepperoni and melted mozzarella doing things I didn't expect in 60 seconds.
The smell is the whole thing for me too. Hot ceramic concentrates it in a way a sheet pan never does.
I prep four of these on Sundays now, ramekins loaded with sauce, pepperoni, and olives, just sitting in the fridge. Throw the mozzarella on when I need lunch and it's ready in a minute. Protein's a bit low solo so I usually make two, but that's still faster than anything else I make.
Two at 7.6g each still beats almost everything else for speed. If you want to stay at one, the cottage cheese base version pushes the protein up a lot.
I'll be honest, I came in skeptical. Every crustless pizza bowl I'd tried before came out rubbery or with liquid pooling at the bottom. This one handled both. Something about the layering order keeps the cheese from going soupy, and at the one-minute mark the mozzarella was blistered and pulling from the edges exactly right. Wish there was a bit more protein so it could stand alone as a meal, but with Rao's marinara this has completely replaced my sheet pan version.
The cottage cheese base fixes that. Swap the marinara for seasoned cottage cheese (same assembly, everything else on top), and you're looking at probably 10-12g extra protein depending on the brand. Gets warm and creamy under the mozzarella.
Been skeptical of microwave pizza forever, but needed dinner in under two minutes on a Tuesday and this actually worked. Mozzarella got properly melted, bubbling up around the pepperoni. Does the broiler version get a golden top, or does the microwave come out about the same?
Broiler gets actual color on top. Two minutes under high broil and you get spotty brown edges around the pepperoni. Microwave just melts, no browning at all.
Made this for the first time and my husband grabbed a fork before I could get a photo. He has no idea it's keto and I'm keeping it that way. The mozzarella bubbles up around the pepperoni just like real pizza.
The photo window is like 30 seconds max. Cheese goes from 'almost there' to 'he already ate it' that fast.
I've never made a pizza bowl before and wasn't sure about microwaving cheese, but it came out fully melted and bubbling at exactly one minute. Didn't expect it to actually taste like pizza. The olives with the pepperoni and marinara just work together. Trying mushrooms next time.
Mushrooms are my favorite add to this. Slice them thin so they actually cook through in that one minute.
My son kept asking where we ordered the pizza from. Had to explain it was just marinara and mozzarella in a bowl I microwaved for a minute. He didn't believe me. Making it again tonight.
Ha. The one-minute cook time is always the part that gets people. My kids do the same double-take.
Did an assembly line for game night, everyone got their own ramekin, done in 12 minutes. My friend who is SO not keto went quiet after her first bite and grabbed my mozzarella bag to read the label.
The label grab is everything. They're always looking for the catch.