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Change up the Friday night pizza routine with a keto calzone! This gluten free, low carb calzone is ready in just 30 minutes and it's so easy to whip up. We're talking a crispy almond flour pizza dough stuffed with all kinds of deliciousness that is simply... crazy good. Lots of flavour options in the post!
We all love a good pizza here in the Sugar Free Londoner household. This easy low carb pizza with fathead dough is a regular, and recently I created an almond flour pizza crust which is just ah-may-zing with just about any topping. Check it out - it is getting tons of 5 star reviews.
I'm so happy that I have now added another Italian favourite to my repertoire with this Keto Calzone. It's like a pizza sandwich or hot pocket, with all the gooey cheese on the inside!
You're going to love how versatile and easy to make this recipe is. Simply fill it with any filling you like, from veggie to meat. All it needs is 15 minutes prep!
Jump to:
- Is calzone keto friendly
- Ingredients
- Instructions
- Recipe tips
- Variations
- Filling ideas
- Prep and Storage
- More Italian recipes
- Recipe
Is calzone keto friendly
The traditional Italian calzone is not keto friendly at all. This is because of the pizza dough, which is made with wheat. I checked how many carbs are in a regular calzone: according to carb manager, it is 42g net carbs!
In my version, I have used a simple almond flour dough that's not only low in carbs but also gluten free. Plus, it comes together in minutes.
In terms of fillings, this low carb calzone has all the flavours of the authentic Italian version: it is stuffed with ham, ricotta and mozzarella.
I've also added my favourite homemade marinara sauce because in my book, pizza needs a tomato sauce. This is not strictly authentic, but highly recommended!
Ingredients
Many keto calzones are made with a fat head crust. This is a popular low carb dough that is made with shredded mozzarella, cream cheese, almond flour or coconut flour and egg.
Fat head dough is pretty ingenious, but I decided that there was already enough cheese in the recipe. Seriously, a fathead calzone would fill you up for days! I opted for an almond flour pastry instead.
Here are the ingredients needed:
- Almond flour - I used ground blanched almonds, which are equivalent to regular almond flour in the US. Super fine almond flour will also work well.
- Coconut flour
- Xanthan gum - absolutely essential! Without it, the dough might crack.
- Egg
- Olive oil - I like extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
I'm giving many ideas for calzone filling further down in the post. Here I used:
- Ricotta - this is an Italian soft cheese
- Shredded mozzarella
- Prosciutto slices
- Pizza sauce - marinara sauce is optional, but recommended.
Instructions
This section contains step-by-step instructions and photos that show how to make this recipe. See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities
Let's get started with the fun! First, preheat the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 1: Place the dry ingredients in a food processor and pulse to combine.
Step 2: Add 1 eggand olive oil and pulse until a sticky batter. Don’t over-mix.
Tip: You can also use a bowl and an electric mixer.
Step 3: Divide the dough into two and roll it out thinly between two sheets of parchment paper.
Step 4: Cut around a 19 centimeter saucepan lid. Then, use the ends to form the third circle.
Step 5: On one half of the dough, spread the ingredients starting with the pizza sauce, ham, ricotta and mozzarella cheese, leaving about ¾ inch from the edge.
Step 6: Fold over and crimp the edges.
Step 7: Brush with egg wash and optional seat salt flakes and dried oregano.
Step 8: Bake until golden brown. Serve with a generous drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle over freshthyme leaves, oregano or basil.
Recipe tips
This recipe is forgiving. There are just two things that are non-negotiable:
Use the xanthan gum
Almond flour is gluten-free. That's why it is important to add xanthan gum as a binder so the dough is easy to roll out and does not crack.
Don't over-fill
Make sure you do not over-stuff the calzones so they stay intact. Also, be sure to seal the edges of the dough well so nothing spills out during baking.
Variations
Super quick pizza sauce
To save time, make a speedy no cook tomato sauce with ⅓ cup (80ml) thick tomato passata, 1 teaspoon minced garlic or ½ teaspoon garlic powder and 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs.
Or simply use 1 tablespoon double concentrated tomato puree per calzone.
Nut free crust
For a nut free version of the dough, replace the almond flour with a mix of sesame seed flour and sunflower seed flour. I would also add 1 teaspoon of psyllium husk powder.
Dairy free calzone
For a dairy-free version, use dairy free cheeses.
Filling ideas
There are so many possibilities for fillings! You could make a vegetarian keto calzone using one of the vegetable options below.
Or swap out the ham for Italian sausage, pepperoni, chicken or even chorizo!
- courgettes / zucchini
- spinach
- red onions
- mushrooms
- peppers
- chorizo
- parma ham
- Italian sausage
- shredded chicken
- olives
- anchovies
- goats cheese
- pesto
Prep and Storage
Pre-cook vegetables: Important! If you're using vegetables in the filling, pre-cook them so they can release any liquid in advance. Simply pan-fry for a few minutes before adding them to the calzone.
Meal prep to save time: You can make the calzone dough ahead of time and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Storage: Low carb calzones can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat: Pre-heat the oven to 200C / 400F and bake for about 7 minutes or until the inside is hot and the dough has crisped up again. I prefer this method over reheating in the microwave.
Defrost frozen calzones before reheating.
More Italian recipes
If I had to choose one cuisine to eat for the rest of my life, it would probably be Italian. Here are a few more low carb recipes to try:
- Low Carb Keto Pizza Rolls
- Keto Italian Meatballs
- The Best Keto Ricotta Gnocchi
- Crispy Low Carb Keto Pizza Bites
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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Recipe
Best Ever Keto Calzone
Katrin Nürnberger
from Sugar Free Londoner
This keto calzone has all the flavours of the authentic version! It is filled with ham, ricotta and mozzarella and my favourite sugar free homemade pizza sauce.Serve with a crisp green salad for some proper homemade comfort food.
5 from 8 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Total Time 35 minutes mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 3
Calories 613 kcal
Note: The servings slider only changes the first amount in each line and not any subsequent amounts. Please make your own calculations where necessary.
Ingredients
PASTRY
- 1.5 cup almond flour 150g
- 2 tablespoon coconut flour 16g
- Good pinch of salt
- ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1 large egg + 1 for egg wash
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
FILLING
- ½ cup ricotta 115g
- ⅓ cup keto pizza sauce 80g ***see notes
- 6 - 8 slices thin ham 100g
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese shredded 60g
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F / 160C fan.
Place the dry ingredients in a food processor and pulse to combine.
Add 1 egg and olive oil and pulse until a sticky batter. Don’t over-mix.
Divide dough into two and roll out between two sheets of parchment paper. Cut around a 19 cm saucepan lid. Use ends to form the third circle.
On one half of the dough, spread the ingredients starting with 2 tablespoon pizza sauce, ham, ricotta and mozzarella, leaving about ¾ inch from the edge. Fold over and crimp the edges.
Brush with egg wash and top with optional dried oregano and sea salt flakes. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and fresh basil or thyme.
Video
Notes
Net carbs: 7.6g plus 0.9g (pizza sauce) = 8.5g per calzone. Makes 3 calzones.
*** If not using my pizza sauce, make a quick tomato sauce with ⅓ cup (80ml) thick tomato passata, 1 teaspoon minced garlic or ½ teaspoon garlic powder and 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs. Or simply use 1 tablespoon double concentrated tomato puree per calzone.
Nutrition
Calories: 613kcalTotal Carbohydrates: 14gProtein: 29gFat: 51.3gSaturated Fat: 14.5gFiber: 6.4gSugar: 3.2g
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