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Genius Grain Free Pretzels (Fathead dough)

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Soft and simply irresistible: these Keto pretzels take snacking to the next level. They are made with the famous Fathead dough – their secret ingredient is mozzarella!

a silver tray with keto pretzels and a bowl with sea salt

I am German, and therefore hardwired to like pretzels. Everybody knows that in Bavaria babies are basically born with a pretzel in their hand. But even up north, where I come from, they are one of the highlights in any bakery. You can always find them on the top of the counter, dangling seductively on their little wooden stand, just out of reach for little hands.

Pretzel benefits: They are easy to hold. The perfect mixture of chewy and crunchy. Kind of fun because of their shape and just a great snack.

But. Not low carb, friends!

unbaked fathead keto pretzels on a baking tray

My low carb grain free pretzel mission started about a year ago when I attempted to make a low carb version with almond and coconut flour. The result looked quite cute and tasted nice and crumbly, but…well, it was just not the soft, chewy taste experience I was after. It was simply a cookie in pretzel form.

Now, it’s time to throw pizza crust into the mix. The pizza problem – how to replace the doughy, crunchy wheat crust with something low carb – has been solved successfully with fat head pizza. I have traced the recipe as far back as I could. The first mention I found is here on cookyscreations, in June 2012.

The idea was then re-named and made famous by the guys from the Fat Head Movie – see here. Fat head pizza dough tastes deliciously doughy and is a more than decent alternative to pizza. The only drawback is perhaps that it is incredibly filling. It is therefore almost impossible to eat a whole pizza.

Fathead dough makes the most delicious Keto pretzels!

 

closeup of a keto pretzel sprinkled with sea salt

This post is a revamp of an older recipe – I decided to improve on the recipe and take new pictures at the same time.

In my original version I used only very little almond flour and also added flaxseed (I had a serious flaxseed phase then and felt the need to add it to almost anything).

This time I decided to go back to the roots. Since my first round of grain free pretzels I have made the most delicious keto cinnamon rolls using the original Fat Head dough. They are the BOMB – chewy, tasty and just the right side of sweet, topped with a cream cheese frosting. Inspired by them, I knew I had to go back and tinker with this pretzel recipe.

baked fathead kto pretzels on a baking tray sprinkled with sea salt

This time I used ground almonds (this is what we call coarser almond flour or almond meal in the UK) instead of super-fine almond flour. It works just as well – just add 2 extra tbsp to make sure your Keto pretzels don’t flatten out in the oven.

I really hope you try these low carb pretzels with my adapted Fat Head dough! The dough is just as tasty and fluffy as the one I made for my cinnamon rolls.

hand holding a bitten keto pretzel with the inside of the pretzel showing

Just check out the picture above. Doesn’t it look so good you want to take another bite?

Let me tell you. We did. Until they were all gone 🙂

Note to self: Make a double portion next time.

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Soft and simply irresistible: low carb, grain free pretzels take snacking to the next level.
5 from 12 votes
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Genius Grain Free Pretzels

Chewy, soft Keto pretzels that taste just as good as the real thing - only without the carb load! These pretzels are made with mozzarella dough, which is an absolute game-changer in low carb baking. 

Course Snack
Cuisine British
Keyword healthy pretzels, keto pretzels, low carb pretzels
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 10
Calories 113 kcal
Author Katrin

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups pre-shredded mozzarella
  • 2 tbsp full fat cream cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 3/4 cup / 80g almond flour add 2 extra 2tbsp if using ground almonds/almond meal
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • pinch of coarse sea salt

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius / 356 Fahrenheit.
  2. Melt the mozzarella and the cream cheese. I did this in a pan on a very low heat, stirring constantly once the melting process starts. If you have a microwave, 1 minute should do the trick.
  3. If you do this on the stove, turn off the heat once the cheese is fully melted. Add the egg to the warm dough and stir until combined. If your egg is straight from the fridge, you might have to heat the mixture gently.

  4. Add the ground almonds/almond flour and baking powder and stir until combined. You should end up with a big mozzarella ball that looks just like dough.

  5. Pinch off a piece of dough (ca 30g) and stretch/roll it in your hands until it is about 20 cm long. If the dough is too sticky, you can try oiling your hands.
  6. Form it into a pretzel shape and place on a baking sheet. My dough made 10 pretzels.
  7. Sprinkle with sea salt and bake for circa 17 minutes or until nicely browned. You might want to rotate the baking sheet half way through.

Recipe Notes

This recipe works with almond flour just as well as with ground almonds. The choice is yours!

The dough needs to be warm when you handle it. The mozzarella should not be bubbling - you need to be able to touch it with your hands without burning yourself.

When it's too cold to work with, just heat it gently.

The pretzels taste best straight out of the oven. If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container.

Nutrition Facts
Genius Grain Free Pretzels
Amount Per Serving
Calories 113 Calories from Fat 76
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8.4g 13%
Cholesterol 28mg 9%
Sodium 119mg 5%
Potassium 10mg 0%
Total Carbohydrates 2.4g 1%
Dietary Fiber 0.8g 3%
Sugars 0.4g
Protein 8.5g 17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Comments

  4. Jurg says

    February 23, 2018 at 2:17 am


    Thanks for sharing. My first attempt was a bit too wet, so I decided to make small flatbreads. Amazing, cut them open put in some Philadelphia and a slice of salami… very delicious.

    Reply

  6. Toni says

    December 12, 2017 at 6:33 pm


    These are truly GENIUS! I got 9 and they kept the shape and are just delicious 🙂 I did have to oil my hands just a tiny bit with avocado oil but other than that – easy peasy! Thanks for the recipe!!!

    Reply

    • Katrin says

      December 9, 2017 at 3:56 pm

      Oh Rob. I actually don’t have it any more! I used 1 tbsp of flaxseed and less of the almond flour, it might have been half the amount, actually. This new recipe helps the pretzels hold their shape better.

      Reply

  9. Domi says

    November 28, 2017 at 10:52 am

    Your blog is so nice. I’m on keto diet for a month and can’t find many blogs in the UK that would support my “journey”. Your receipes look lovely and they don’t repeat with other blogs at all.
    I’m glad I found this blog and there is someone so close in London who does low carb as I do 🙂
    Thank youuu and can;t wait to try the pretzels :DDD

    Reply

  10. Grace says

    November 24, 2017 at 7:38 am

    Wow these look brilliant! Can’t wait to try! Has anyone been successful with an egg replacer? I was going to try one flax egg (one tbsp flax meal and 3 tbsp water) in place of the egg. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply

    • Katrin says

      November 24, 2017 at 10:58 am

      Hi Grace I haven’t tried that but you should just give it a go – I think it could work. My old recipe version had flax in it, which worked well. And the mozzarella will also help to keep the dough together – no need to worry that it might get too crumbly there.

      Reply

  14. Berit says

    November 23, 2017 at 8:47 am


    I have made your old recipe and really liked it. Now trying this version – they just wen in the oven and I have to say, they look sooooo good!!!

    Reply

  18. Stacey says

    July 26, 2017 at 4:44 pm

    I made these several months ago after seeing the recipe on Pinterest, and absolutely loved them! I’m not sure why I waited this long to make it again, actually!
    I don’t know what the difference is this time, but no matter how much oil I put on my hands, I can’t roll it even into a ball, let alone a rope! I live in humid eastern PA, but today is a beautiful, cooler day, so I don’t know if humidity is making the difference? I added an extra Tbsp of almond flour, but still no luck. I currently have the dough in the fridge to see if that will help. Any suggestions?

    Reply

    • Katrin says

      July 26, 2017 at 5:04 pm

      Hi Stacey, how annoying! I really wish I could help. The dough is not the easiest to handle, though it is best if it is warm (the dough, not the weather :)). Hopefully it is willing to be formed into pretzels once you get back to it. After all, it worked out for you before!

      Reply

  20. TAMMY RENWICK says

    April 4, 2017 at 3:52 pm

    Those look great. I wonder what I could use as Egg substitute. My son gluten intollerant also has egg allergy…

    Reply

    • Katrin says

      April 4, 2017 at 9:02 pm

      Maybe you could try using a bit more flaxseed instead of the egg? Flaxseed is often used as a binder in vegan recipes. Google “flax egg” and see what you think

      Reply

    • Katrin says

      March 27, 2017 at 10:13 am

      It’s balsamic vinegar that has been simmered down until it thickens and has a fuller flavour. You can add a few drops of stevia glycerite to sweeten

      Reply

  22. arlene says

    March 19, 2017 at 10:21 pm

    I made these. They didn’t keep their pretzel shape but they were delicious! I reheated them the next day with goat cheese and then did a balsamic reduction drizzle. What perfect “pub” food! Thanks so much for the recipe.

    Reply

    • Katrin says

      March 20, 2017 at 9:29 am

      Arlene! That’s so good to hear. It’s all about the taste, I wouldn’t worry about the shape too much 🙂 The combo of goat cheese and balsamic reduction sounds so yummy. What a great idea!

      Reply

  23. Katharina says

    December 2, 2016 at 9:55 am

    Nice taste but has nothing at all to do with the taste of pretzels. (I’m German, too.) It tastes like a nice soft burger bun… 😉

    Reply

    • Katrin says

      December 6, 2016 at 2:03 pm

      Hi Katharina, they have the most crunch when they are straight out of the oven. It’ll always be a low carb grain free crunch though, not a full-on wheat crunch 🙂 Glad you did like their taste! 🙂

      Reply

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