Low calorie pizza base - top 5 healthy pizza dough recipes (2024)

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Why use healthy pizza doughs

There’s no doubt that pizza is a go-to comfort food. It’s easy to eat and can be made (or topped) with almost anything, which gives it the distinction of being one of the most flexible foods out there.

However, eating pizza is not without its drawbacks. Most commercial pizza places sacrifice nutrition for flavour, overloading their food with sodium, fat, and more calories. As a result, that weekly pizza night that you might be having isn’t doing wonders for your body.

According to a US study on kids who eat pizza regularly, high amounts of saturated fat had a noticeable effect on their bodies, making them more likely to be overweight. It’s not a stretch to imagine that the same effect is going on with the adults who eat pizza regularly.

Fortunately, there’s a growing movement online that replaces our favourite foods with healthier alternatives. These healthy options remove much of the ingredients that negatively impact our health – in pizza’s case, salt, carbohydrates, saturated fat, and more – and replaces them with fibre and other nutrients. The ingredients are readily available at your local Coles or Woolworths, and you can make them quickly!

5 Healthy pizza base recipes for your consideration

Quinoa Pizza Base

Why choose this base: Gluten-free and vegan, perfect for those with allergies

Considerations: different flavour profile than regular pizza dough

Best topped with: cheese and other vegetables, coconut oil or some sweet sauce to offset the flavour

This pizza crust is the perfect base if you’re craving for a vegetarian pizza. The nutty quinoa makes it perfect for ingredients like bell peppers and mushrooms for a tangy treat. It doesn’t just taste good, but it’s also very filling.

Sweet Potato Pizza Base

Why choose this base: easy to prepare and serve

Considerations: may not be vegan-friendly

Best topped with: ham, bacon, pineapple, and other savoury sauces

If you’re looking for the closest homemade dough you can use in place of regular whole wheat, you’ll love sweet potato. With a delectable flavour profile that goes well with regular pizza toppings, it’s a welcome alternative to the carb-loaded richness of white grain.

Zucchini Pizza Base

Why choose this base: one of the best low calorie pizza bases

Considerations: needs careful preparation and cooking

Best topped with: sweet pizza sauce, pepperoni, and assorted cheeses

Attention to the ladies who follow the Healthy Mummy program: your next favourite Friday night snack has arrived. A softer texture pizza with fewer carbs but all the flavour, this zucchini pizza dough is worth the time and effort you’ll spend in making it.

Eggplant Pizza Base

Why choose this base: easy to make and requires no baking at all

Considerations: very different texture from regular pizza

Best topped with: regular pizza toppings

These mini eggplant pizzas are best served as finger food during parties or an easy-to-prepare snack if ever the mood strikes you! With no flour required, this can easily become your go-to healthy snack if you’re resisting the urge to call your local pizza parlour.

Cauliflower Pizza Base

Why choose this base: versatile and can be mixed with different ingredients for richer flavouring

Considerations: may not be suitable for those with special dietary needs (like the lactose-intolerant)

Best topped with: most pizza toppings, assorted vegetables and fruits, sweet or savoury sauce

Cauliflower is one of the best veggie pizza doughs you can use, doing even better than kale in terms of nutrition. With a gentle, almost neutral flavour, cauliflower is a versatile vegetable that blends well with most pizza toppings. It’s also diet-friendly because of the low amounts of cholesterol!

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