Ham and Cheese Calzone
These Ham and Cheese Calzones make the perfect meal prep lunch! Each cheesy calzone has just 3.5 net carbs.
One big obstacle when starting the keto lifestyle (or really any diet) is getting everyone in the family on board. It’s simple–If you have to cook a keto meal for yourself and a non-keto meal for everyone else, everything is just twice as difficult and time-consuming! Instead of falling into this trap, I’ve found that kid-friendly keto dinner options (like Keto Pizza Bagels or Keto Chicken Tenders) have made it easier to satisfy everyone without sacrificing the keto lifestyle.
Ingredients
As always, you will find the exact recipe and printable instructions at the bottom of this post, this is a quick overview of the ingredients you will need:
- Cream Cheese and Mozzarella Cheese – You want the full-fat block of cream cheese and the bagged, shredded mozzarella. Fresh mozzarella will not work as it has too much moisture.
- Almond Flour and Baking Powder – This gives the dough some structure and a little lift. I do not recommend any substitutions.
- Egg Whites – This helps stabilize the dough and keeps it all together. I have not tried any substitutes.
- Sliced Ham and Shredded Cheese – you can use ham slices, leftover “Sunday ham”, or any shredded cheese variety you prefer.
- Optional: For added flavor, you can use Everything but the Bagel seasoning or a simple sprinkling of sea salt or parsley.
How do you make Keto Calzones?
The low carb dough used for this Keto Calzone is an almond flour fat head dough, meaning it is made of melted mozzarella, cream cheese, egg white and almond flour. If you’ve never tried anything like this I know it sounds odd, but trust me, it is the perfect keto crust! I highly recommend trying it for Keto Pigs in a Blanket, Pizza Rolls, and more!
Make the crust
While the oven preheats, add your cream cheese and mozzarella to a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 30-second increments until cheese is completely melted, then stir to combine. In a second bowl, mix the almond flour and baking powder together. Pour this into your melted cheeses and stir.
Add your beaten egg white and stir well once the dry ingredients are nearly mixed in completely. Work the dough (I find using your hands is easier) to ensure no streaks of egg remaining. If the dough seems too wet, add 1 tablespoon of almond flour until it feels right.
Form the calzones
Lay the dough on a silicone baking sheet, then place another silicone baking sheet on top. Pressing your hands on top of the second sheet, spread the dough into a thin rectangle. If you don’t have silicone baking sheets, parchment paper should work in a pinch.
Cut the rectangle into four even sections. Lay 1/4th of the swiss cheese and ham onto half of each rectangle, then fold the other half of the rectangle over the fillings. Press the seams together to seal.
Bake
Line a baking pan with a silicone baking sheet and place each calzone on it, leaving an inch or so between each. Brush each calzone with the remaining egg white and sprinkle with seasoning. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until the crust has turned a golden brown.
Storage
Allow these perfect little hot pockets to cool completely. Wrap each calzone individually in plastic wrap and store in an air tight container. These calzones are good up to 5 days if stored properly.
If you would like to freeze these calzones for later cool completely, wrap them and store them in a freezer bag. To reheat, allow it to thaw overnight in the fridge or for a couple of hours at room temperature, then reheat in the air fryer or oven as directed below.
Reheating Tips
- Oven: If reheating a chilled, not frozen calzone simply preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and cook for about 10-15 minutes until warmed through. If reheating a frozen calzone cook at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes until warmed through.
- Air Fryer: preheat an air fryer to 375 degrees F for three minutes. Air fry the thawed calzone for 3-4 minutes (checking half way through). To cook a frozen calzone preheat an air fryer to 375 degrees F and cook for 10-15 minutes, checking halfway through.
- Microwave: this method is not recommended, it will result in a soggy crust.
Substitutions and Calzone Flavors
This is an excellent basic recipe that you can use to create the perfect calzone for your preferences! Here are a few suggestions for altering the recipe for different tastes:
- Use different meats — You could easily use any type of deli meat you have available! If you have leftover shredded chicken, ham, or turkey, those would also be excellent uses. Leftover taco meat? Make a taco calzone! Wishing for a traditional pizza-flavored calzone? Add pepperoni and a little spoonful of low-carb marinara sauce, and top with parmesan cheese and basil. Didn’t you finish your charcuterie board? Stuff these calzones with the remaining salami and other cured meats!
- Experiment with different cheeses — While the fathead dough cheeses (cream cheese and melted mozzarella) need to stay the save for the perfect crust, you could swap out the swiss cheese for your favorites! A sharp cheddar, mild colby jack, a smoked gouda, or a spicy pepper jack would be a great way to customize this for the groceries you already have and enjoy.
- Try different spices and seasonings — I love the everything bagel seasoning, but you could use Italian, a poultry blend, some garlic powder, a spicy pepper blend… Whatever you prefer!
More Ham and Cheese Recipes
Get the Recipe: Ham and Cheese Calzone
Ingredients
For the Keto Crust
- 1 egg white, beaten
- 1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
- 1 ounce cream cheese
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
For the Filling
- 10 ounces sliced ham, (about 2 cups)
- 1 cup shredded cheese, (your choice)
For the Topping
- 1 egg white beaten for egg wash to brush on top
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- For the Filling: Before you begin with the dough, add the chopped ham and shredded cheese for the filling and stir until well combined. Set it aside.
- For the Dough: Combine the mozzarella cheese and cream cheese in a large microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 30-second increments until the cheese is completely melted.
- Stir the cheese so they are combined.
- In a second smaller bowl combine the almond flour and baking powder. Mix the almond flour with the the melted cheeses.
- When the almond flour and cheese are nearly combined add in a beaten egg white and stir well.
- Using your hands, work the dough to make sure the egg white is completely worked into the dough (no streaks of egg whites visible) If the dough seems too wet just add 1 tablespoon of almond flour at a time until it feels right.
- Lay the dough on a silicone baking sheet and split it in half. Place a second silicone baking sheet on top and spread the dough into two thin circles.
- Place half of the filling on each circle and carefully fold the top over to create a calzone.
- Press down the edges with a fork to seal them. Brush each calzone with the remaining egg white and sprinkle with seasoning if desired.
- Bake the calzones 20-25 minutes until the crust has turned golden brown. Remember, your cooking time will vary depending on how thin you spread your dough.
I think this sounds good but I’m not on a keto diet so would it turn out right if I used all purpose flour instead of the almond flour?
Hi Cassie, possibly, but we have a wheat allergy so I don’t have any experience with all purpose flour.
These were excellent, thanks!