Think of this crazy keto dough as your (easy peasy!) master recipe, good for anything from pizza, hot pockets, tortillas, pasta… and much, muuuuch more!
Gluten Free & Keto Dough
Crazy Universal!
The term ‘crazy dough’ is one I encountered in the internet a while back, dubbed for a dough soooo crazy that it could be used endlessly. And no, this is not fathead dough (at all!)… but a rather terrific alternative for those dairy free!
It was first created for our famous tortillas (i.e. the most plagiarized recipe on the site!), but I soon realized it had many (many!) more uses. So with little tweaks here and there, I’ve also turned it into pizza, pasta (and ravioli), cinnamon roll knots, hot pockets, naan (with yeast!), and quite a few more!
The great thing about it?! You can whip up a batch (double or triple even!), and keep it handy in the fridge for 3-4 days to be used for multiple goodies. It also freezes well, just check individual recipes for deets.
And so, in this post I’m giving you some more tips and tricks I’ve learned along the way, with subs included for every ingredient.
The Flours
The original recipe is a mixture of super fine almond flour (I love Anthony’s) and coconut flour (again Anthony’s best taste and texture by a mile!). Add a touch of xanthan gum, baking powder, and we’re golden.
The Substitutes
I know you guys need to substitute often (allergies, preferences etc), so this should come in handy:
- Almond flour can be substituted with sunflower seed flour on a 1-to-1 ratio. Given its similar fat and protein content to almond, this really is the best sub out there for those of you with nut allergies! Just note that its generally not ground as fine as almond and it has a different flavor profile, but I know you guys love it as you report back on it often.
- Coconut flour is a bit of a trickier one to sub as its more unique in its behavior, but still totally doable (as I found out in the naan recipe!). In fact, when yeast is involved, oat fiber had the best texture out of the lot, arguably as it is a grain. Oh, and the neat thing about oat fiber is that it’s virtually carb-less (I’m assuming there’s a trace, but labels read 3g carbs – 3g fiber = 0 net carbs!). Also keep in mind that brands vary a lot here and Lifesource seems to be the best (no weird aftertaste, etc).
- Xanthan gum is the trickiest of the lot to sub, because of its totally unique ability to act like a binder to replace gluten. Which means that for best results I suggest not trying to sub this one. Having said that, in case of allergies or sensitivity (or if paleo), you can use 1 tablespoon of psyllium husk powder instead. The dough won’t be a as malleable, but results will still be solid.
The Method
Couldn’t get any easier tbh! You simply whisk together the flours (very thoroughly!), add them to your food processor, add in a touch of apple cider vinegar (or any neutral tasting one), add in the egg and a touch of water. The dough will then come together into a ball, which you’ll wrap with plastic wrap and knead for a couple minutes (think sort of like a stress ball!).
No food processor? No worries! You can use your hand or stand mixer or even do it by hand with a little extra elbow grease. I don’t suggest using blenders though, as the dough is quite stiff and it could damage your engine.
Keto Dough With Yeast (!!)
I suggest checking out the naan post for full deets. You simply proof the yeast, pulse all the ingredients together in your food processor or in your stand/hand mixer, let the dough rest for thirty, roll it out and cook it up.
In terms of the cooking up, you can do either in the oven or on the stovetop. Both do require that you heat up a skillet (or pizza oven?!) so the naan gets a burst of heat and cooks rapidly.
Oh, and do feel free to play around with the thickness. Though keep in mind that, in my experience, thinner naan cooks best in the stovetop while thicker one in the oven (perhaps a no brainer?!).
Even though this low carb naan does employ the help of yeast (can’t beat the taste guys!), it doesn’t require all the fuss of say the sandwich bread or cinnamon rolls. So as long as you proof your yeast properly (read below), and you let it rest in a nice warm spot to develop the flavors you’ll be golden!
Top tips for proofing yeast: Mix dry active yeast with water that’s just warm to touch (between 105-110°F to be precise) and inulin or an actual sugar (think maple syrup or honey) for 7 minutes until foamy. If you don’t see any activity, your yeast may’ve gone bad or your water temperature was off (so start over!). And before you scream sugar (!!) remember that the yeast will feed on such sugar to emit carbon dioxide, so it doesn’t affect the carb count. And yes, this is a scientific fact.
The Uses
A little proof that this dairy free keto dough is truly universal! Click through to get the full deets on each application:
- suuuper pliable tortillas
- crisp ‘n poofed tortilla chips (and nachos!)
- taco shells
- naan (with yeast!)
- deep dish pizza
- 15 minute stove-top pizza
- suuuper tender dumplings
- pasta (i.e. fried gnocchi)
- pillowy-soft ravioli (ricotta or three cheese!)
- 30-minute cinnamon roll knots
- hot pockets
Crazy Keto Dough (For Everything!)
Think of this crazy keto dough as your (easy peasy!) master recipe, good for anything from pizza, hot pockets, tortillas, pasta… and much, muuuuch more!
Ingredients
- 96 g almond flour
- 24 g coconut flour
- 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt depending on whether sweet or savory
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 3-5 teaspoons water as needed
Instructions
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Add almond flour, coconut flour, xanthan gum, baking powder and salt to food processor. Pulse until thoroughly combined. Note: you can alternatively whisk everything in a large bowl and use a hand or stand mixer for the following steps.
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Pour in apple cider vinegar with the food processor running. Once it has distributed evenly, pour in the egg. Followed by the water. Stop the food processor once the dough forms into a ball. The dough will be sticky to touch.
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Wrap dough in cling film and knead it through the plastic for a minute or two. Think of it a bit like a stress ball. Allow dough to rest for 10 minutes (and up to 3-4 days in the fridge).
If cooking on the stove top (tortillas, naan)
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Heat up a skillet (preferably) or pan over medium heat. You can test the heat by sprinkling a few water droplets, if the drops evaporate immediately your pan is too hot. The droplets should ‘run’ through the skillet.
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Transfer to skillet and cook over medium heat for just 3-6 seconds (very important). Flip it over immediately (using a thin spatula or knife), and continue to cook until just lightly golden on each side (though with the traditional charred marks), 30 to 40 seconds. The key is not to overcook them, as they will no longer be pliable or puff up.
If baking (pizza, cinnamon rolls)
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Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Line a baking tray with a baking mat or parchment paper. If making pizza, you'll want to blind bake the crust without toppings until lightly golden (10-13 minutes). Add the toppings and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.
If frying (pasta, ravioli)
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Heat up butter or oil in a skillet or pan over low heat. Cook pasta until it just begins to get some color, I found this gave the most 'al dente' texture (soft but with a bite). Feel free to make a test with one piece.
Recipe Notes
The Substitutes
I know you guys need to substitute often (allergies, preferences etc), so this should come in handy:
- Almond flour can be substituted with sunflower seed flour on a 1-to-1 ratio. Given its similar fat and protein content to almond, this really is the best sub out there for those of you with nut allergies! Just note that its generally not ground as fine as almond and it has a different flavor profile, but I know you guys love it as you report back on it often.
- Coconut flour is a bit of a trickier one to sub as its more unique in its behavior, but still totally doable (as I found out in the naan recipe!). In fact, when yeast is involved, oat fiber had the best texture out of the lot, arguably as it is a grain. Oh, and the neat thing about oat fiber is that it’s virtually carb-less (I’m assuming there’s a trace, but labels read 3g carbs – 3g fiber = 0 net carbs!). Also keep in mind that brands vary a lot here and Lifesource seems to be the best (no weird aftertaste, etc).
- Xanthan gum is the trickiest of the lot to sub, because of its totally unique ability to act like a binder to replace gluten. Which means that for best results I suggest not trying to sub this one. Having said that, in case of allergies or sensitivity (or if paleo), you can use 1 tablespoon of psyllium husk powder instead. The dough won't be a as malleable, but results will still be solid.
Baking powder has cornstarch in it, read the labels. It’s the first ingredient. So your nutrition information is not correct. Use baking soda and cream of tartar as a replacement. Then this recipe will be true keto.
Hi Melissa! Yup, check your labels- not all baking powder has cornstarch (and the nutrition info is correct btw!). Also, keep in mind that keto is a metabolic state not a list of foods 😉 xo!
Hear hear, Paola u are correct! Funny! Lena
It’s sad that you do all this work and provide awesome recipes that most of us could never come up with ourselves and then the “keto/recipe” nazis come in trying to correct or prove you wrong 😡😤… I say get ur own blog if you want to be seen! Love your recipes and thanks for what u do as I know it’s a lot of work , because it’s a lot for me just to build each recipe I cook on the computer to track! You are awesome 😎
It’s really OK, it was a perfectly polite interaction (you’d be surprised!)! But thank you Quetta 😉
Amen, Quetta!
Where is the yeast in this recipe?
I’ve tried everything I can think of to sub for the egg, but it always turns out bleh. I’m allergic to egg. Can you tell me what you would do to sub egg? Or is my keto dough boat sunk? =) Thank you.
-Leanne
Hi! This looks delicious! But I’m a little confused by the post. It talks about yeast and proofing the yeast. But the recipe does not include yeast. So is the yeast only used when making the naan? I apologize for my confusion!
for the Xanthum Gum…would it not be possible to sub Glucomannan? I use that alot as a thickener. It did not seem as slimy to me as Xanthum gum.
Okay so I have not made the pizza crust with the almond flour yet but I did make the pizza crust with cauliflower and it was fantastic. Thank you so much for all of your keto recipes I have lost so far 15 lbs in 5 weeks. My cholesterol has improved tremendously I’m not sure if this had anything to do with it changing to the keto diet but I love it. Please continue to share I would love to make cupcakes and other fun desserts. Thank you guys
I cannot wait to try this! Being diabetic and trying to low carb with an almond allergy pretty much makes it impossible to try any substitutions. This is the first recipe I’ve seen that offers one for almond flour! I am BEYOND excited! Thank you so much for thinking about us people with tree nut allergies!!
This dough looks awesome and easy. Silly question, where do I find the recipes to use it?
This old gal (67) is a little confused… The yeast mixture using inulin is not in the recipe I’m seeing on my computer??? What am I missing??? Thank You… P.S. I Love Love your recipes for this new eating journey I’m on!!!
I didnt see yeast in the ingredients or in the direstions
In the Crazy Keto dough the recipe calls for 24 grams of coconut flour. I don’t have a clue how much that is and don’t know know to convert it to cup measurement.
First, wanted to thank you again for all your amazing recipes! I have been baking gluten-free for over ten years, and just made the switch to keto, which is a whole new level.
I wanted to let you know that a possible sub for xanthan gum is guar gum. Our family could never do xanthan because of a soy allergy (and most U.S. xanthan is soy-based), but guar gum was always our soy-free alternative that worked beautifully for nearly all gluten-free recipes. Hope that helps some of your readers. 🙂
You mention all but the allergy or vegan to eggs…is there a substitute for eggs?
Hi – this looks great! I’m curious if it actually goes crispy? Thanks
This has been a go-to recipe for me for quite awhile now! I appreciate that it is in both of your cookbooks (which are excellent, btw!). I always have a bowl of this in my fridge.
This looks so good! Can’t wait to try this. Do you think this would work for empanadas? If so, how long would you cook?
So excited to try this for so many applications! Paola, I always read through your entire post and all comments before I make one of your recipes and I didn’t see this question addressed…can I use this dough to make hot pockets or some of the other things you list such as tortillas and make a bunch ahead to freeze? I have to be able to make big batches of things and freeze them to pull them out when my family is starving and I’m exhausted! I made some paleo pancakes (not from here) and doubled the recipe and froze them and they were horrible when reheated 😩 that was an expensive mistake! Sooooo, Thanks in advance!
Can’t wait to try this! How much is a serving?
Do you think this could go into a pasta maker machine? I got a Philips avance as a wedding present and have yet to find a recipe to use with it !
Did you ever try using your Pasta Machine? If so, how did it turn out?
Have you tried this with egg substitute? I have many people in my life that are gluten AND egg sensitive….any comments/suggestions are welcome! Thank you!!
Hi, i notice a question about yeast here but this recipe doesnt use any? I dont want to make it wrong as almond flour in my country is quite costly. Can someone help me verify? Thanks a lot 🙂
How big is a serving?
According to the nutritional info it’s for the entire recipe! 2 net carbs! Hoping it’s so!
I love your site and I especially love this dough!! It is so great for everything! I make pizza and pita and tortillas with it. I use it when I want some “bread” with a meal. It satisfies and is so versatile!!
Thank you so much Paola for ALL your wonderful amazing recipes! [I just had one of your brownies – so yummmmm]
If using oat fiber as a substitute flour – is the measured amount the same?
When it comes to proofing the yeast – I don’t have inulin so then would I use the same amount of honey as inulin? So for example in the naan recipe, it says one and a half teaspoons of inulin – would I use one and a half teaspoon of honey then or would I have to use less?
Also thank you for all these amazing recipes! I’ve tried a couple by now and they’ve all turned out great!
So awesome to hear Eva! Ans yup, same amounts with honey! Xo
How much egg whites could you substitute for the xanthum gum?
When it comes to proofing the yeast – I don’t have inulin so then would I use the same amount of honey as inulin? So for example in the naan recipe, it says one and a half teaspoons of inulin – would I use one and a half teaspoon of honey then or would I have to use less?
Also thank you for all these amazing recipes! I’ve tried a couple by now and they’ve all turned out great!
Hey there…I have one slight little question. Do you think this dough will work with the pop tarts also…or should I stick with the pie crust? TYIA!
Hi Line! Well, depending on the outcome your looking for. This dough would end up softer (think hot pockets?!). I use it sometimes for pb&j as flatbread 😉
Hi Paola
Thanks for all your fabulous recipes. Have used this for multiple things and it always turns out great! Can you explain how you use this as flatbread for PB&J? My niece (who has Down syndrome and so is prone to carry excess weight) is on a low carb diet and my sister is struggling to find good lunch options for her.
Thanks so much!
This came in the nick of time. I was looking up Keto Dough as in “make a batch of” and getting all these hits. Now I know why! 🙂
Lol! Yeah I thought it was time to make this one ‘official’! Hope you love Anya!! Xo
We use it to make bread sticks too! Best keto dough out there by a mile!!!!
Right Sophie?! Garlic bread twists are terrific with the dough (new post maybe!) xo!!
Can you share what you do to make breadsticks with it? New to Keto Dough so tips and tricks are very welcome. Plus, garlic breadsticks? Swoon! Thanks so much; the Keto community is so sharing & giving & amazing.
Once again, CREATIVE GENIUS, thank you so much!
Awww Pat you’re the sweetest! Big kiss!!