If you love Mexican food then you will love Fat Head keto nachos. Made with a few simple ingredients and there are so many ways you can serve them.
I will show you exactly how to make your own homemade keto tortilla chips AND the best keto meat sauce too.
Top it all off with melted cheese, guacamole, and sour cream. Are you drooling yet?
If you have been missing nachos because you want to avoid the high carbs, corn, and unhealthy oils that are in regular nachos, then these will be an absolute treat for you.
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What is Fat Head dough?
Fat Head dough (also known as mozzarella dough) is a simple keto dough made with 4 ingredients and can be used in a variety of sweet and savoury recipes.
It is low in carbs and naturally gluten-free and can be made with almond flour or coconut flour.
If you have never made mozzarella dough before, you may want to see the supreme guide to making fat head dough even without a microwave. PLUS 16 keto recipes to use it.
Full credit goes to Tom Naughton (comedian and former health writer), and his Fat Head movie. Tom is the original creator of the infamous Fat Head pizza.
Ingredients
All the ingredients, quantities, and full instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Shredded mozzarella – low moisture
- Cream cheese – full fat
- Low-carb flour – almond flour or coconut flour
- Egg – this can be omitted if you have an egg allergy and want to make an egg-free pizza crust recipe.
How to make keto tortillas
To make the Fat Head tortillas, you simply make the Fat Head dough, but instead of adding herbs such as rosemary or other pizza flavours, I added 1 teaspoon of dried coriander/cilantro, 1 teaspoon of cumin powder, and a good pinch of chili to the Fat Head pastry mix.
Roll out mozzarella dough between two sheets of baking parchment/paper as thin as you can. Bake it until one side is golden, then flip it over and bake the other side until golden.
Remove from the oven and with kitchen scissors or a sharp knife, cut the Fat Head pastry into triangle tortilla shapes, then pop them back on the baking tray one last time to really crisp up.
TOP TIP – keep a watchful eye on the tortilla chips as they cook. It will only take a minute or two before they are ready. Make sure they don’t burn. It is better to eat a slightly soft tortilla chip than a burnt one.
What’s the difference between nachos and tortillas?
Tortillas are chips and a popular snack by themselves. When they are covered with a meat sauce, sour cream, guacamole, and cheese, they are known as nachos.
The best keto nacho toppings
This really is when you can go crazy and add as many variations to the nacho toppings that will fit within your daily carb limit.
The most popular nacho toppings are meat sauce, avocado, salsa, sour cream, and melted cheese. The toppings are really what brings Fat Head nachos to life and adds so much color, texture, and flavor.
Recipe FAQ
If you want your meat sauce or your tortilla chips to be mild, just add less chili than suggested in the recipe.
You can add more chili powder, sliced jalapenos, red hot chili sauce (with no added sugars), and even some chipotle Tobasco too.
If you have accidentally added too much chili, serve your meal with extra sour cream, extra cheese, and extra mild guacamole. This will help to dilute the spiciness of your meal.
They need to be cooked on both sides. Make sure they are spaced out evenly on your baking tray or cookie sheet when baking so they all cook to become crispy and golden brown.
I split my avocados down the belly, not down the center. The avocado stone will pop straight out and scooping out the avocado flesh is really easy. I have an avocado tree in my backyard and harvest at least 50 avocados each year, so I know this technique is the best (and easiest).
You can add dried cumin, dried coriander, and chili powder, or you can make your own homemade low-carb taco seasoning spice mix.
More low-carb Mexican recipes
Fat Head Nachos Recipe (Keto Nacho Chips)
Equipment
- Baking sheets – non stick
- Silicone baking sheets
- Pizza Cutter
Ingredients
Fat Head Tortilla Chips
- 170 g pre-shredded/grated mozzarella
- 85 g almond meal/flour
- 2 tbsp cream cheese
- 1 eggs – medium
- salt to taste
- 1 tsp ground cumin powder
- 1 tsp ground coriander/cilantro powder
- pinch chilli powder powder
Nacho Meat Sauce
- 1 red onion finely diced
- 500 g ground/minced beef
- 400 g tinned/canned chopped tomatoes diced
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder powder, or to taste
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
Topping Options
- guacamole
- salsa
- shredded/grated cheese
- sour cream
- jalapeños
Instructions
Nacho Meat Sauce
- Gently fry the diced onion in oil until clear then add the meat, breaking it up into tiny pieces as it cooks and browns. This should take up to 5 minutes.
- Add the spices and tinned/canned tomato and tomato paste. Stir then simmer on a low heat for 15 minutes (uncovered to thicken the meat sauce) whilst you make the Fat Head tortilla chips and toppings.
Fat Head Tortilla Chips
- Mix the shredded/grated cheese and almond flour/meal in a microwaveable bowl. Add the cream cheese. Microwave on HIGH for 1 minute.
- Stir then microwave on HIGH for another 30 seconds. Remove and stir again. Add the egg, salt, and spices. Mix.
- Place the Fat Head pastry between 2 pieces of baking parchment/paper and roll into a thin, rectangle (see photos here). Remove the top baking paper/parchment.
- Slide the baking paper/parchment with the Fat Head pastry, on a baking tray (cookie tray) or pizza stone, and bake at 220C/425F for 12-15 minutes, or until browned on the top. Flip the FatHead pastry over (onto baking paper/parchment) and brown the other side.
- Once cooked, remove from the oven and cut into tortilla chip triangle shapes. Bake again at 220C/425F for 3 – 5 minutes.
Putting It All Together
- Place a handful of Fat Head tortilla chips on a plate or serving dish.
- Spoon the hot meat sauce over the tortilla chips.
- Add the grated/shredded cheese which will melt on the hot meat sauce all by itself, then top with everything you love. Serve with a big side salad and plenty of olive oil (optional).
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Wow, I received this recipe in my inbox this morning. I can not wait to try it. I look forward to your next holiday if this is the type of recipe we can expect. 🙂
Ha ha, you should see my drafts folder – eek.
Which is best for this recipe, “grated” cheese or “shredded” cheese? Thank you for your time.
Even though they are technically different grades of cheese, they are used interchangeably and won’t make a difference.
Do you think these would travel well? The chips I mean. We often struggle with temptation at Mexican restaurants when they bring out the chips, salsa, and queso dip. A baggie of these might be a good solution.
Yes, I have made the fathead crackers before and kept them in the fridge, then brought them to room temperature (to stop any condensation) then popped them in an airtight box to take out with me. Works brilliantly.
I have a nut allergy. What can be substituted for the almond flour and how much would be required.
I ran out of almond meal one night and managed to whizz some sunflower seeds up in the coffee grinder and it worked a treat.
Hi,
I looked and couldn’t find this info (hopefully not right in front of me lol). What makes a serving – is the nutritional information for the entire recipe of chips and meat sauce?
Yes, it is the nachos and meat and sauce for the entire recipe divided by 6 (serves 6). I haven’t included cheese or additional optional toppings as everyone is different and how much we add would be different. Great question, never be afraid to ask.
Is the nutritional info for one serving and how much is one serving? ty.
The recipe states it serves 6.
can fathead dough be made with ground flax or chia instead if we don’t have almond on hand?
I haven’t made it with flax or chia, but there are some variations left in the comments of Fat Head pizza by readers who have tried. I have made it with ground sunflower seeds, and it turned out nice.
About how many chips total will this make? Or how many chips per serving?
I’m afraid I didn’t count the chips when I made them and they will always be different sizes and quantities each time I make them. The recipe stated it serves 6 so just make the tortilla chips and make 6 equal portions.
Are these crunchy (like tortilla chips, hard and crispy?). All the low carb/keto crackers and chips I have tried turn out on the softer side. I’m really looking for something with that same texture.
They will never be as hard and crunchy as a fried tortilla, but that are definitely crispy. Especially if you roll the Fat Head pastry out thin enough. Mine were snapping as I cut them, so that’s an indication of how crisp they go. You’ll love them.
Cas, this recipe isn’t bad for a cruncy tortilla chip…https://thethingswellmake.com/recipe/flaxseed-paleo-tortilla-chips-and-taco-shells/#_a5y_p=6118025. I’m looking forward to trying this fat head tortilla recipe for a softer tortilla 🙂
Could I bake these a little while longer after I’ve added the toppings or would they burn? I like my cheese nice and melted and the veggies warm.
Sure, that would be great. My kids are always in a rush to eat these so there is never a chance to delay dinner 😉
I made the tortilla chips tonight, but instead of rolling them out, I divided the ‘dough’ into equal portions and pressed them out using a tortilla press. It worked perfectly! I pressed the ‘dough’ between a folded piece of parchment then carefully peeled the tortilla and placed it onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. I adjusted the cook time due to the smaller portions. They only needed 7-8 minutes.
Great idea! I’m going to try this!
Would corn Starch make a good substitution for the Almond flour?
No, sorry. Corn starch is incredibly high in starch (hence the name). In fact it is 90% net carbohydrates 9% fibre. Also corn starch has completely different properties to almond flour/meal. This is a good guide on low-carb flours if you are new here. It really helps explain them all.
When I took them out of oven to flip over they stuck to the parchment paper? What have I done wrong?
Was it non-stick parchment/baking paper?
If you left overs, what is best way to store? I used baggies on different recipes and had them go soggie. Thank you
I would keep any leftover nachos in an airtight container in the fridge. I would also line the container and wrap over the nachos, with baking parchment to ensure they don’t go soggy. You can always heat them up in the oven and that would crisp them up again.
These look awesome. I’m going on a weekend trip this week, and I want to make nachos. These would be perfect to use, so I’m just wondering how long would these last in the fridge? I plan on making them today or tomorrow, and then won’t be using them till Saturday
I would keep them in the fridge for about 4 days, but you could freeze them so they would last longer. Once defrosted, keep in an airtight container somewhere cool, cheese doesn’t like to sit around anywhere warm.
Hi Libby,
I have just discovered your site and I am very excited to start trying some of your recipes. My 7yo daughter is a T1 diabetic and I am always looking for new low carb recipes to try that she will actually like (a real challenge).
There are plenty of great looking recipes for me to trial here – I am bound to hit some home runs!
One question re: the nachos pastry, we don’t have/use a microwave. What would you suggest as an alternative to the two 30 sec blasts on High when preparing the pastry?
Thanks,
Nick – Australia
Hi Nick and your amazing 7yr old. Are you a member of TypeOneGrit? I always point T1 in their direction, they are the most phenomenal bunch of supportive parents discussing all things T1. Back to the Fat Head. Yes it is easy to make without a microwave. Simply melt the cheeses together on the stove top very gently. Remove from the heat and add the flours then the eggs (so they don’t cook) and flavourings or seasonings. You will love it. Have you seen my Fat Head sausage rolls too? Great for school lunch boxes. 🙂
I’m on week one of my low/no carb diet and already dying for chips and queso.
What kind of torturous diet says eat all the sausage queso you want but hey, no chips!
This recipe is gonna help…I hope.
I’m gonna try the cheese thing too, but that seems like it would be a greasy mess!
Back in the day when I was low-carbing, I used bell peppers for “chips”. As I like bell peppers, it was a win for me.
I am allergic to milk. Do you have any advice on substitutions for the cheese and cream cheese? Thanks!
Sorry not for this recipe. It is based too heavily on dairy to make substitutions.
I have used plant based non dairy cream cheese and non-dairy mozz cheese works great
I imported this recipe into my fitness pal and there seems to be a discrepancy in the nutrition facts. According to my fitness pal there is 17g carbs and 6 fiber so that would equal 11g carbs per serving not 8.1…thought this recipe was too good to be true =(
Nutrition panels are a guide only and are so dependant on which brands you use. I also have stopped using My Fitness Pal because it is so inaccurate (too many “user added” entries). I use cronometer.com which is the most accurate tool out there. Well done for checking with the brands you used, they vary so widely huh?
OK I am so psyched to have found this recipe. I have been doing low carb on and off my whole life and the main reason i always cave or give up is because i miss pizza, crackers, quiches/tarts and bread! This is amazing and I’m so going to experiment with different recipes with this – thanks for sharing..i’m INSPIRED! 🙂 Kristen Hess/The Artful Gourmet
I get the flavor may be slightly different, but have you ever tried using a mexican cheese blend rather than the mozzarella in the base? I would think the flavor would be more in line for the tortilla but wasn’t sure if the texture would still work. (and I made the Fathead pizza last night- was so many levels of amazing!!)
I have never seen a Mexican cheese blend here. Sorry, I can’t advise as it may behave differently from mozzarella. Anyone here tried this idea?
I have Mexocsn blend cheese in my fridge. I am going to try that today! I’ll post how it worked.
how did it work?How do I measure the cheese/almnd flour in cups? thank you
Every recipe on my website has some large red buttons below the ingredients list. You can swap between metric and cups. You can also dial up different serving sizes too above the recipe.
Just tried this recipe and it was spot on. I made the chips and it was the first time using a fat head recipe. I happened to have some ranch powder too so sprinkled it on. Haven’t tried it with the whole cheese and meat etc yet. His highness and I thought we would like to dip them in salsa and queso instead – but they are very nice. Thanks for posting.
Hey — has anybody tried to use the FatHead dough mix as the base for a lowcarb pita or naan substitute?
Yeah makes a good naan – just add a fair old whack of garlic powder in there and maybe some basil. If you add a pinch of baking powder you can get it to stay really thick (and gets a bit more fluffy then if you dont)
How would you prepare this if you do not have a microwave?
Just heat gently on the stove top in a saucepan.
I just made these tonight for the first time. I don’t own a microwave. I put the first 3 ingredients in a glass pie dish at 350 for 5 minutes. Stirring frequently till soft throughout and cheese around edges just started to melt. Followed their instructions for the rest. Turned out great!
So I’ve been reading through all of your fathead posts and I’m trying the pizza tonight! If it really is as good as everyone is saying… you should branch into desserts.: fathead cinnamon crisps, fathead dessert pizza (think cinnamon flavor!), fathead cobbler with the crust used as a crunchy cinnamony crumble over the top. Now I’m drooling!
Can you tell I really like cinnamon?
I cannot wait to publish all the recipes currently sitting in my drafts folder. 🙂 Stay tuned.
Just tried the chips and they are tasty! How do you store the chips if you do not use them all in one sitting (without toppings). Can they sit in a tuber wear counter or should they be refrigerated ?
Thank you!
I store them in an airtight container. In the summer I keep that in the fridge, when it’s cooler, I keep in in the pantry and eat within 3 days.
Hi is 85 g almond meal/flour —> 1/4 Cup of Coconut flour?
Is that right? Can we have the coconut flour measurements in gram too please.
1/4up coconut flour = approx 25g
I’m making this for dinner this weekend. Looks fantastic!!!
My foodie hubby didn’t even wait for the fathead chips to cool! He smelled them, popped up from his seat and started eating them right from the pan saying, “I can eat a ton of these!” I didn’t even bother to top them =) We didn’t have cumin/coriander handy so we swapped out 1 tsp of taco seasoning. 4 picky kids went after them like a hungry swarm of vultures right after they said they were too full to finish lunch. #WINNING! – I got 2 total lol. Next time I’ll made a quadruple batch…
Diane, this is the best recipe review ever! I can just envisage a swarm of hungry vultures descending on their meal knocking you out on their way through!
Made these and loved them. For the first time I wasn’t sure exactly how thick to make them so did them from thicker to super thin. thinner is definitely better otherwise they do not crisp up. Has been added into the regular dinner rotation.
I made these to goo with my taco salad on Saturday. These are brilliant! Without spices,they are perfect with hummus. Thank you so much. You and Kindra get me through each day of LC. ?
You are a GENIUS, Libby! Dear Husband wanted nachos tonight; I knew there had to be a low-carb way. Sure enough, you came to the rescue with Fathead Nacho Chips.
Ahhh, always happy to help a low-carb cooking emergency 😉
For a crispier chip – pop them in the air fryer for about 4 minutes instead of the final bake step. I thought nachos and pizza were a thing of the past, but not anymore! Even the carb eating people in the house thought they were amazing.
LOVE this tip!
How do you measure a serving size of the nacho chips? How many servings does this recipe make? Maybe I missed that part somewhere in the recipe.
Would you know the nutrition information for just the batch of chips?
The Fat Head chips are made using this recipe for the fat Head pizza base. The pizza base nutrition is for 1 slice, makes 6 slices.
Can I replace nutritional yeast for the Mozzarella cheese? If so, how much nutritional yeast?
Probably not, the cheese is used for a binder.
Tried these for a second time as my first ones burnt and tasted awful. This time I was very successful! I omitted the cream cheese and instead used about 2 cups of asiago. I’ve been reading the less moist your cheese the easier it is to cook to a hard texture. Needless to say they came out amazing!
You’re a godsend. I used coconut flour and added a little bit of ghee to the mix, because last time I made fathead dough it came out a little dry. It was hard to roll the dough very thin like you did, so mine are kind of like hybrid pita/tortilla chips, which is fine by me! Thank you so much for having this site with great recipes!
It says 8.1 grams – carbs – for how many nachos? Thanks…
The whole recipe is 48 carbs… 30 net carbs…. at 6 servings… or 5 carbs per serving..you have to figure out how many servings you are eating..
These were amazing!!! Thank you so much! Although, I did follow you on the chips and we made our own taco meat, but we had CHIPS again! I’ll definitely be making more of these.
These look amazing!! We have a tree nut allergy, is there a substitute for Almond meal or flour? We also have reactions to coconut flour. It makes Keto baking hard!
I read on one of the recipes that some said you could substitute garbanzo bean flour. I on’t know, but it might be worth reading up on this substitute.
If you’re on a keto diet, the garbanzo flour will be too high in carbs. Try using Coconut flour if you can’t consume almond flour.
Coconut is also a tree nut
I’ve not tried it but I found you can use sesame flour as a replacement.
This looks great1 How long to the chips last?
In my house? Only 1 meal – no seriously, they would last up to 3 days stored in the fridge in an airtight container.
Nah turns out to be like bread and not chisps…
I’m wondering if I needed to poke holes in the dough, because it rose like a balloon. I found it was very easy to put together. Mine was a little dry, would you suggest more cream cheese?
Yes, you can go over the surface of the dough with a fork and make little holes to prevent this from happening. Alternatively, as you see it rise I flip it over to crisp it up on both sides, that generally flattens the dough out.
If it’s dry it’s overcooked.
This did not work well for me! The chip batter stuck to the parchment paper and I had to throw it out because the paper would not peel off! I’ll try them again using a well oiled cookie sheet and take my chances! What a HUGE disappointment!
Did you make sure that it was parchment paper, not wax paper? It is a common mistake that would explain why you couldn’t take it off of the paper.
I used the silicon mat on the cookie sheet with parchmenton that then flipped and had no problem
Mine stuck too – the recipe seems a bit off … I added more mozzarella cheese and almond flour and it worked much better!
I haven’t tried to make the tortilla with the fat head dough but when I do I am going to add a small amount of sweet corn food flavoring to give it a more “corn tortilla” flavor. Thanks
Worked perfectly for me! Thanks for the amazing recipe.
Fat Head dough sounds great. How do you make the dough if you do not have a microwave? Thanks!
You can make it using a double boiler method.
Can you use this recipe to make lasagna? I have a recipe I currently use with store bought almond flour tortillas, but they still have more carbs than I prefer.
I was thinking not baking until in dish.
The minced beef/ground beef is a Mexican flavoured dish. I would use the beef mixture in my spaghetti bolognese recipe and instead of lasagne sheets or tortilla wraps, then yes, the Fat Head pastry would be amazing!
I would do the meat sauce but use pancakes a pasta sheets or roll and stuff them with meat sauce, cover with cheese sauce and top with cheese and bake in the oven till golden brown
Been using Costco pre shred cheese blend and fat bread comes out perfect every time, even pizza, cinnamon breads,
I am dairy free, can I substitute something for the cream cheese?
The entire nacho pastry recipe contains dairy so this one isn’t for you. Why not try making the nacho meat sauce and serving in lettuce cups? My kids love it like this.
Hi, i’m going to be giving this a go tonight, but was wondering if there is a version I can make without cheese? I know, cheese is pretty integral and holds the base together, but my daughter hates cheese – in any form! I’m trying to sneak less carbs into the families meals without them noticing / complaining (too much) 😉 Thanks, Jo 🙂
Sorry, no. The recipe is pretty much cheese 🙁 You can reduce the carbs in your meals by reducing the high carb side dishes, that’s how we started out years ago. Maybe try to cut back or stop items such as bread, rice, pasta and begin to introduce lower-carb alternatives. You can see all the family-friendly low-carb recipes here. Many are cheese-free – yay!
Tried this with my family and it was delicious. Easy to make and want time consuming. Thanks for the recipe.
Can I store the FH Tortilla Chips, or can I store the pre cooked dough. I make the full recipe but give my husband real Corn Chips so they last me a while.(he won’t eat these) Thanks.
It is advisable to only store the cooked fat head nacho chips. I store them in an airtight container or a ziplock bag. However, my kids tend to eat them all in one sitting so I often make a double batch and keep the leftovers for their packed school lunch this way. You can’t store the uncooked dough because the recipe calls to add a raw egg to warmed cheese. The warmed raw egg needs cooking immediately.
Thank you Libby, I love all your your delicious and easy Mexican recipes. My family likes to make them each week for Friday “fake-out”!
hi
Was wondering if anyone has ever tried to FRY these chips in oil to make them more crispy? Did it work?
Thanks
If you fry them the cheese will melt. By cooking them in the oven they slowly bake then become crispy.
I want to try this but is the recipe for a one person serving? I make my own meat sauce but am looking for low carb chips. So i would like to know if i make a batch of these chips if its a one serving dish. Thank you
The recipe is for 6 servings, the nutrition is per single serving. You can adjust how many servings you would like to make by using the 1x, 2x, and 3x, buttons.