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This 3-Ingredient Cottage Cheese Pizza Crust takes less than 10 minutes to prepare and includes a whopping 58 grams of protein (including toppings). The perfect macro-friendly pizza for whenever the craving strikes!
Recently, I went on a frozen pizza bender where I found myself craving the convenience and crunchiness of store-bought pizza.
Of course, I had to have an internal deep talk, wherein I reminded myself what I do for a living and that I could easily develop a quick protein-packed pizza recipe to check all my boxes.
So I set out to do so, and of course, I looked no further than cottage cheese, because it is the world’s current favorite protein source.
All we need is three basic ingredients to make cottage cheese pizza crust: cottage cheese, flour (I use gluten-free all-purpose flour), and eggs. Whip these up in a mixing bowl, spread it on a baking sheet, and you’re looking at the world’s quickest homemade pizza.
There’s no waiting for the dough to rise and no second guessing the formula.
The texture of this easy pizza crust recipe is fairly remarkable given the fact that it takes 5 minutes to prepare and is loaded with protein! The edges become nice and crispy, and the rest of the crust is soft. The crust itself also has a bit of a cheesy flavor to it due to the abundance of cottage cheese.
For me, the ease of preparation, protein content, and texture well exceeds my expectations when it comes to a healthier alternative to classic pizza.
The simple ingredients can be found at any grocery store for an on-demand pie.
Ingredients for Cottage Cheese Pizza Crust:
Cottage Cheese: Classic pizza crust uses water, which gets swapped for high protein cottage cheese. I use 4% milkfat cottage cheese instead of low-fat cottage cheese for some added richness.
Eggs: A couple of eggs are paramount in gluing everything together without the need for extra flour.
Flour: A small amount of flour generates a crisp around the edges and ensures a stable platform is built for the toppings. I use gluten-free all-purpose flour, but you can also use all-purpose flour or self-rising flour.
Pizza Toppings:
Tomato Sauce: Classic pizza sauce is a simple tomato base. I buy pasta sauce in a jar for my sauce needs, and I typically go with tomato basil sauce because I love the flavor fresh basil brings.
Mozzarella Cheese: Traditional pizza is made with gooey melty mozzarella cheese, which is typically what I stick with too.
Pepperoni: I’m obsessed with a classic pepperoni pizza, so I snagged some uncured pepperoni from the store to keep on hand for pizza night.
Ways to Customize:
- Mix up the Sauce: Use pesto sauce or a white sauce instead of tomato sauce.
- Get Fancy with the Cheese: Add in some parmesan cheese, and/or use gruyere or gouda cheese if you prefer something else over mozzarella.
- Other Toppings: Go wild with your favorite pizza toppings! I often add rotisserie chicken, pine nuts, artichoke hearts, prosciutto, sun-dried tomatoes, and a drizzle of pesto on top. Red onions, black olives, bell peppers, sausage, Canadian bacon, and pineapple are also great options.
- Flavor the Crust: Add 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, onion powder and Italian seasoning (each) to boost the flavor of the crust.
How to Make Cottage Cheese Pizza Crust:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix the cottage cheese and eggs together in a large mixing bowl until they are well combined.
- Add in the flour and salt.
- Mix well until everything is combined. This mixture will be wet, thick and sticky, unlike regular pizza dough.
- Pour the cottage cheese pie crust mixture onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and use a rubber spatula to spread it evenly into a circle or rectangle shape. Avoid spreading the mixture too thin.
- Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 27-30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Remove the crust from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Spread your desired amount of sauce over the pre-baked crust, then sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and add any of your favorite toppings (I go with pepperoni). Bake pizza for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the cheese and pepperoni reach your desired level of golden brown goodness (I go with 8-10 minutes).
Remove the pizza from the oven and slide it onto a cutting board. You can do this by pulling on the parchment paper and sliding the pizza from the baking sheet to the cutting board, or you can use a large spatula to get underneath the pizza for transportation.
Cut the pizza into slices using a pizza cutter or a sharp knife.
Serve and enjoy!
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat leftovers in the air fryer or oven so that the crust crisps back up around the edges.
Frequently Asked Questions
The edges of the pizza crust become crispy, and everything else is fairly soft. Due to the moisture content of the crust, it won’t become crispy like a regular pizza crust.
The pizza crust alone without toppings is 410 calories, 32 grams of protein, and 35 grams of carbs in the whole thing.
I use about ¾ cup of grated mozzarella cheese and 8 slices of pepperoni. So the toppings in addition to the pizza crust comes out to be 777 calories, and 58 grams of protein.
This protein count far surpasses what I typically expect to get in a meal, which is a major assist on the days I’m struggling to get all of my protein.
Cottage cheese is low calorie, lower carbohydrate, low-fat, and high in protein, which makes it an incredible addition to pizza crust for those who are cognizant of their macros.
If you or someone you know is a gym junkie or simply prioritizes high protein meals, this pizza crust is the ultimate way to get your pizza fix with fewer calories and carbs.
The next time you’re craving pizza, whip up this ultra simple high protein option! Sometimes you need to power through a whole pizza without shame or judgement, and this is the perfect recipe for that.
The crispy edges will have you swooning and your blood sugar will thank you for the lower carb option.
If you enjoy cottage cheese recipes like this one, also try some of my other reader favorites.
More Cottage Cheese Recipes:
- Cottage Cheese Breakfast Casserole
- Peanut Butter Cottage Cheese Cookies
- Cottage Cheese Pancakes
- 2-Ingredient Cottage Cheese Bagels
- Cottage Cheese Muffins
High protein pizza on repeat!
Cottage Cheese Pizza Crust Recipe
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup cottage cheese
- 2 large eggs
- 5 Tbsp gluten-free all-purpose flour , or self-rising flour, packed and leveled
- ¼ tsp sea salt
Pizza Toppings
- ⅓ to ½ cup pizza sauce, depending on how much you like
- 2/3 cup grated mozzarella cheese
- 9 slices pepperoni
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix the cottage cheese and eggs together in a large mixing bowl until they are well combined. Add in the flour and salt and mix well until everything is combined. This mixture will be wet, thick and sticky, unlike regular pizza dough.
- Pour the cottage cheese pie crust mixture onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and use a rubber spatula to spread it evenly into a circle or rectangle shape. Avoid spreading the mixture too thin.
- Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 27-30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
- Remove the crust from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Spread your desired amount of sauce over the pre-baked crust, then sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and add any of your favorite toppings (I go with pepperoni).
- Bake pizza for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the cheese and pepperoni reach your desired level of golden brown goodness (I go with 8-10 minutes).
- Remove the pizza from the oven and slide it onto a cutting board. You can do this by pulling on the parchment paper and sliding the pizza from the baking sheet to the cutting board, or you can use a large spatula to get underneath the pizza for transportation.
- Cut the pizza into slices using a pizza cutter or a sharp knife. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Calories – 410
- Fat – 15g
- Carbohydrates – 36g
- Protein – 32g
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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