Papa John’s Crustless Pizza Bowls: Great for Keto or a Pizza Abomination?
Papa John’s is the latest restaurant to roll out a new product that promises to be keto-friendly for their loyal customers. Starting on August 22, everyone will be able to enjoy their new Papa Bowls – a crustless pizza served fresh in a takeout container.
The internet has been going crazy over this new menu offering, so we have to ask the question: are these bowls great for keto or are they simply a pizza abomination?
Let’s dive into all of the reasons why you may want to sample these keto-friendly Papa John’s crustless pizza bowls next time you feel like dining out.
What Exactly Are Papa Bowls?
Does your mouth water when you think of a slice of pizza, dripping with grease? For many people on the keto diet, giving up this American staple is a challenge. It’s ever-present at parties and it’s the easiest way to get your kids to clean their plates. The Papa Bowl could satisfy those cravings by eliminating the carb count of the pizza crust.
A Papa Bowl is a takeout container served with all of your favorite parts of pizza: the veggies, the meats, the tantalizing cheese, and even the signature sauces. The only thing missing is the carbs.
Papa John’s crustless pizza bowls come in three flavors to satisfy all sorts of cravings. The Italian Meats Trio is packed full of pepperoni, sausage, and meatballs with an assortment of veggies and cheeses. The Chicken Alfredo is heavy on the alfredo and garlic parmesan with chicken, spinach, tomatoes, onions, and mushrooms alongside a blend of cheeses.
Last but not least, vegetarians will adore the Garden Veggie crustless pizza bowl with its spinach, mushrooms, onions, green peppers, tomatoes, and more all layered with signature pizza sauce, garlic parmesan, and melted cheese.
Don’t see your favorite toppings included in one of their signature Papa Bowls? They will also be offering a create-your-own option so that you can get all of your favorite toppings, sauces, and cheese blends in a crustless pizza bowl.
Papa John’s Crustless Pizza Bowls: Good for Keto?
Many keto enthusiasts may shy away from the Papa Bowl because they know how many net carbs are in tomato sauce, alfredo, and even vegetable toppings. The good news is that you may be pleasantly surprised at just how keto-friendly the new menu offering is, even if you do indulge in their delicious sauces.
According to Papa John’s nutrition facts, the sauces used in the Papa Bowls are relatively low in net carbs (1g net carbs for the tomato sauce and 0g net carbs for the alfredo). Of course, these numbers are for a single slice of pizza and haven’t yet been updated to include the Papa Bowls.
That means that most of your net carbs will come from whatever vegetable toppings you want to include in a create-your-own bowl or if you can afford the carb count for one of the specialty bowls.
However, you might want to think twice if you are counting calories in addition to your net carbs. The Italian Meats Trio Papa Bowl comes in at 880 calories. The Chicken Alfredo (570 calories) and the Garden Veggie (380 calories) are much more reasonable though.
For those who are still worried about how Papa John’s crustless pizza bowls could affect their ketosis, there are a few things you can do. First, you could split the meal into two servings (especially for the high-calorie Italian Meats Trio). If you doubt the transparency of the carb count on their sauces, and many people do, you could always request a Papa Bowl with no sauce.
Given that most of the workers who are assembling these Papa Bowls may not have a keto diet in mind, you never know just how much sauce they might ladle into your bowl. Too much sauce, when combined with the carbs from veggies, could be enough to kick you right out of ketosis.
The Final Verdict on Papa John’s Crustless Pizza Bowls
There are plenty of ways you can get your fast-food fix and still remain happily in ketosis. The new Papa Bowls could present a fun new option that gives you the best of pizza without the crust that would put you over your daily carb count. While the macros aren’t yet available on these bowls, they hold a lot of promise for those who want the flavor of a classic slice of pizza to satisfy those cravings.
Will you try one of these new Papa Bowls when they debut this week?
These bowls are decadent! They arrive piping hot and are delicious. That said, the two times I tried them, they kicked me out of ketosis for a week. Worth it? Maybe. Not so terrible on maintenence but I would avoid on weight loss stage. Also spiked my blood sugar. I would like to see info on their website when available, regarding nutrition for all bowl options.
I had one of these last night, the Chicken Alfredo option just as it comes (no modifications). It was obvious that very little sauce is even used. I didn’t eat the onion or tomato in it. The amount of food in the bowl is very small. The bowl looks big online, but they put only a thin layer of food in it. I would say the carb count is very low considering this.
I’m worried about any added sugar in the sauce. Had my first bowl yesterday… too good to be true.
All three are wonderful! This was a brilliant idea! Please keep it permanently! Once people try these they are hooked! I can only have half at each meal they fill you up! Excellent and DELICIOUS
I’m going to give it a try
I try to stay keto, and ⅓ of a bowl fills me up. My toppings are pepperoni, mushrooms, olives, green peppers, cheese and bacon. Seems keto to me. When I want to treat myself it’s my go-to.
Hi I had the Italian bowl.
It was pretty good and satisfied my pizza craving without the crust to keep me in ketosis