There’s no more reliable–if not better–option than pizza when making dinner with the kids; the same, though, can’t always be said about dough recipes for doing so–or even pre-made dough, for that matter. Lots of pizza dough for kids (or adults) recipes online can be complicated or time-consuming, to say nothing of the taste and texture not landing right with your child; lots of store-bought products are either too doughy or too brittle, failing to hit that platonic ideal of toddler pizza crust: somehow both just firm and just soft at the same time.
Here’s a homemade pizza dough for kids that’s as easy and reliable as it is delicious; it’s also packed with nutrition, thanks to the use of cottage cheese. There are, to be sure, a lot of cottage cheese pizza crust recipes out there, but nearly all other recipes are either of the “Keto” kind (ie, little to no flour) or so heavy on the cottage cheese–often at 1:1 ratio with flour–that the resulting dough is too wet and difficult for a small child to participate in its making. This one is different: the smaller proportion of cottage cheese used here makes it much easier–and neater–to work with, with a substantially smaller amount of sodium in the crust. It’s good–and good for you.
And great to make with your toddler. Get them involved in making the dough; have them lead the way when rolling it out. Top the pizza together, as you see fit. Make it great; make it a thing. This is your family pizza recipe.
Check out our other great pizza recipes!
The Best and Easiest Homemade Pizza Dough For Kids
Description
A high protein crust that's easy for both you and your child to make and bake? This pizza dough for kids could be your family's favorite way to do pizza night.
Ingredients
Instructions
Prep
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Blend the cottage cheese with a hand mixer or in a blender until it reaches a yogurt-level smoothness.
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In a large bowl, add the flour, baking powder, and garlic powder; sift to integrate. Add cottage cheese and olive oil to the bowl; with your hands or a spoon, stir or smash the ingredients together until they combine and a dough forms. (See Note below if you’re struggling . Roll dough into a ball.
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Optional (but helpful): place the dough ball in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.
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Preheat oven to 450. Line a pizza pan or baking sheet with parchment paper
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Press, Punch, squeeze (ie, “knead”) the dough ball until soft and pliable; place on top of parchment in your pan and flatten with your palm. With a pastry roller, roll dough out into as thin and large a circle as you can. (It will puff up while cooking, not to worry.)
Cook
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Cook the crust for 8 minutes on the top rack of your oven. Remove crust from parchment and pan and place on a cooling rack or flat surface; allow a few minutes for crust to cool before adding toppings.
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To finish the pizza: top with sauce, cheese, toppings, et al. and returning to the oven, placing it directly on the middle rack; cook until cheese is fully melted and toppings look sufficiently roasted (but not burnt). (Pro tip: to make it more pizzeria-like, switch to your oven’s ‘Broil’ mode once cheese has fully melted and move pizza to the top rack of your oven. Cook until the cheese has a bit of browning on top and toppings show a bit of crispness, roughly 45-60 seconds.)
Adapt
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Got yogurt but no cottage cheese? Check out our yogurt pizza crust and unique toppings.
Nutrition Facts
Servings 4
Serving Size 2 slices (with cheese and sauce)
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 250kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 12g19%
- Potassium 100mg3%
- Total Carbohydrate 25g9%
- Dietary Fiber 1g4%
- Protein 10g20%
- Calcium 123 mg
- Iron 1 mg
- Magnesium 17 mg
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note
*If your dough is crumbly and won't combine, add a splash or two of olive oil to the flour and mix; if the dough is too wet and sticky, add a tablespoon of flour at a time while packing the dough until it firms up.
