This Cottage Cheese Pizza Crust is quick, easy, and made with just 5 ingredients. It has a soft, slightly chewy texture that provides the perfect protein-rich base for all your favorite pizza toppings.
Switch up pizza night with this cottage cheese pizza crust! It’s soft, slightly chewy, and has a subtle tang that sets it apart from traditional homemade pizza dough. The cottage cheese and egg create a protein-rich base, while flour and baking powder give it structure and lift. Once baked, the crust develops a golden edge with a tender bite that holds toppings well without being too dense.
Just like in my family-approved cottage cheese pancakes, I found that adding cottage cheese to pizza crust is an easy way to make homemade pizza higher in protein and more filling, without sacrificing all the things we love about pizza. It’s not exactly the same, of course, but it’s close enough that I didn’t hear any complaints from the teen boys. Plus, it’s low carb! I’ll consider that a major win.
Why This Cottage Cheese Pizza Crust Is So Good
- Easy to make. This cottage cheese pizza crust is made with just 5 ingredients, plus any desired toppings. It takes just a few minutes to prepare and knead before it’s ready to pop in the oven.
- Perfect texture. Some higher protein pizza crust options are very dense and tough. While I won’t claim that this one has the exact same texture as the crust from your favorite Italian restaurant, I can say that it’s pretty great. It uses a small amount of flour, so there’s some actual structure, and baking powder lets it rise in the oven, so it still has the soft, slightly chewy texture a good pizza crust should have.
- Light flavor. The flavor of this crust doesn’t scream “cottage cheese!”, which is great for those picky eaters, but it does have a subtle tangy undertone to it. Which, truthfully, I think makes the pizza taste even better!
Key Ingredients
Here’s an overview of the handful of ingredients needed to make this crust. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card at the end of the post for the exact measurements.
- Cottage cheese – I used full-fat cottage cheese. 2% or other low-fat options would likely work as well.
- Egg – Helps bind all of the ingredients together to give the crust shape.
- Sea salt – A bit of salt is essential for flavor. I prefer sea salt.
- Baking powder – Helps the crust rise in the oven.
- All-purpose flour – This recipe should also work with a 1:1 gluten free flour and other types of flour, though I haven’t tested it.
- Olive oil – Helps the crust turn a beautiful golden color.
- Toppings – I kept things simple with pizza sauce, oregano, fresh basil, and mozzarella. Feel free to add pepperoni, veggies, etc.
How To Make Cottage Cheese Pizza Crust
This homemade crust is super easy to make. With no time required for the dough to rise, dinner can be on the table in under an hour. The printable instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 425F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and brush with olive oil.
- Blend. Add the cottage cheese, egg, sea salt, and baking powder to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
- Add the flour. Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Add a cup of flour. Mix until a dough forms, then knead until smooth and no longer sticky. Add the remaining flour only if needed.
- Shape. Spread the dough in a circle on a prepared baking sheet. Brush with olive oil.
- Bake. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden.
- Add the toppings. Add the pizza toppings. Reduce the heat to 375F. Bake for an additional 8-10 minutes, until the cheese is evenly melted.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
Here are a few things to keep in mind when making this cottage cheese pizza crust recipe for the first time.
- Blend the cottage cheese. Blending the cottage cheese helps create a smooth dough and a more consistency, less chewy texture. I add the egg and seasonings in this step for ease.
- Use only as much flour as needed. Only add the extra ¼ cup of flour if the dough is still sticky and not coming together properly. Too much flour will create a dense, thick crust.
- Add some seasonings. Feel free to add some Italian seasoning or similar directly into the dough for added flavor.
- Bake before topping. The crust needs to bake before adding any toppings. Otherwise, it won’t rise and will be doughy and undercooked under the toppings.
- Add more toppings. Feel free to customize this cottage cheese pizza crust with any of your favorite pizza toppings. Just be careful not to go overboard and load it up too much, especially with sauce, which can make the crust soggy.
Proper Storage
Because this dough contains cottage cheese, it’s best enjoyed fresh. As it cools or is refrigerated, the crust tends to become chewy, since the flour absorbs excess moisture and the pizza loses its crispiness.
If you do have leftovers, keep them covered in the fridge for a day or so. Reheat them in the oven to crisp the crust back up.
Cottage Cheese Pizza Crust
Ingredients
- 1 cup full-fat cottage cheese
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 to 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
Pizza toppings
- ½ cup pizza sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- a handful fresh basil
- ½ -¾ cup mozzarella cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper and brush it with olive oil. Set aside.
- Blend the cottage cheese, egg, sea salt, and baking powder until smooth.
- Transfer the cottage cheese mixture to a large bowl and add 1 cup of all-purpose flour. Mix until a dough forms, then knead for a couple of minutes until smooth and non-sticky. Add the remaining ¼ cup of flour only if needed — adding too much flour will result in a dense, thick crust.
- Spread the dough into a large circle on the prepared sheet pan to your preferred thickness. Brush the top with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil.
- Bake the crust for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the oven, add your toppings, then reduce the heat to 375°F and bake for another 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cheese is evenly melted.
Last Step:
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