Can you believe these grain-free, dairy-free AIP-friendly & Paleo Stromboli actually have the taste & feel of a gooey, cheesy pizza pocket? The filling possibilities are endless but I really love the simplicity of prosciutto & rosemary.
When I first made this recipe over 3 years ago, I had no idea it was going to be such an iconic AIP recipe in our community! That’s just how much we all love pizza. I specifically remember when I first had the idea to combine sweet potato and tapioca starch, wrap it up with some prosciutto, and pop it in the oven. I don’t know what the heck I was thinking, but somehow it worked. Like magic. It turned into a cheesy, crusty, savory pizza pocket. I was ELATED and literally jumped up and down! It had already been 3 years since I had anything close to pizza except a couple forays with some crappy gluten-free pizza.
I recently re-vamped this Stromboli recipe into an AIP Italian Calzone! Even more delicious because it includes sausage and olives so salty, salty, salty yes yes yes. Either recipe you choose, fill it with whatever you’d like, get the crust good and crispy, and serve it plain or with some homemade nightshade-free marinara sauce, or pesto, or tapenade for dipping!
Don’t be discouraged by this unique Paleo Stromboli recipe! It really comes together quickly and easily. You’ll definitely get the hang of it after your first time making it. My best tip is to make it thinner than you think you need to… that way you’re guaranteed the crispiest, gooiest outcome!
What you need for this gluten-free, dairy-free stromboli:
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White sweet potatoes: starchy and neutral in flavor, cooked and cooled mashed white sweet potato makes up the bulk of this healthy dairy-free take on pizza flavor. I like using the Japanese, Jersey or Hannah variety sweet potatoes because they’re starchy but don’t have too sweet of a taste.
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Arrowroot or tapioca starch: combined with the moisture from the sweet potato, this grain-free starch magically turns into a cheesy texture without any nutritional yeast or dairy!
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Prosciutto: this thinly sliced, savory addition adds the Italian flavor to this recipe. Don’t leave it out!
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Fresh rosemary: I can’t think of a better-suited herb when you want mega flavor with few ingredients. You can also add fresh basil, thyme and oregano, but don’t leave out the rosemary!
How to make AIP & Paleo Stromboli
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Mash your cooked and cooled white sweet potato until no lumps remain.
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Combine mashed sweet potato with sea salt. Mix in arrowroot or tapioca starch slowly until a thickened ball of dough forms.
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Transfer your dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet and roll out the dough into a rectangle 1/4-inch thick.
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Sprinkle rosemary on the dough and lay the prosciutto slices on top.
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Roll the dough into a log shape, brush with fat and bake for 30 minutes until lightly golden brown.
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Broil until the top is crispy.
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Slice and serve with marinara or dipping sauce.
Substitutions:
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You can use regular sweet potatoes, if you cannot source white sweet potatoes. The orange color and sweeter taste will change the end result, but many of my readers have done this.
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I have not tried this recipe with any other starches. I don’t recommend substitution the arrowroot or tapioca for cassava, but if you have tried this, please let us know how it went in the comments.
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If you’d like to add cheese, I would sprinkle grated cheese on top of the prosciutto before rolling up the stromboli.
AIP Stromboli
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 1 to 2 1x
Description
Scale
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked, cooled and mashed Japanese yam
- 1/2 cup tapioca starch or arrowroot starch
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 4 to 6 slices prosciutto
- 1 tablespoon duck fat, bacon fat or lard, divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, combine mashed sweet potato (ensure no lumps) with sea salt in a bowl.
- Mix in ¼ cup of the tapioca or arrowroot starch at a time. The mixture should form a thickened ball of dough.
- Transfer dough onto the baking sheet. Use your hands to roll out dough into a rectangle about ¼ inch thick. You can use parchment paper to assist you with this.
- Sprinkle rosemary evenly on the top surface of the dough. Layer prosciutto slices on top of dough.
- Roll the dough into a log shape, starting with one of the short sides and using the parchment paper to assist you.
- Brush dough with ½ tablespoon duck fat. Bake for about 30 minute until lightly golden brown. Brush with remaining 1/2 tablespoon fat.
- Turn oven broiler on high. Place baking sheet 6 inches away from the broiler. Broil stromboli for 2-3 minutes until medium golden brown. Watch carefully so you don’t burn the top! Let cool for a few minutes. Slice in half and serve immediately.
Notes
Best results will be achieved when using Japanese yam which is a purple skinned, white fleshed starchy sweet potato. You may try using Hannah variety white sweet potato which are slightly less starchy. Some people have used orange sweet potatoes but I don’t recommend them because they are sweet in flavor and not as starchy.
If you like this Stromboli, you’ll also love my AIP Italian Calzone stuffed with sausage, spinach and olives!
68 Responses
I love this. So yummy. I have played with the mix in and added basil to it and it tastes like pizza. I have added eggs back so I also did an egg/mushroom/onion/bacon/spinach one and it was great! You can also freeze them and reheat and they taste fine.
I haven’t frozen any myself, but I know of others who have and say they defrost and re-heat nicely! That combination sounds delicious!
I’m wondering if you could put zucchini cheese inside with the meat? Has anyone tried that?
I haven’t seen anyone try it but it could work. It may melt and seep out of the dough though… I would start with a small amount. Let us know how it goes, please!
I cheated and tried putting some grated dairy cheese inside. It turned out that the stromboli itself is so cheesy gooey inside that the dairy cheese didn’t really make any difference. If anything, it was too gooey. The original recipe is great on its own. Maybe melt the zucchini cheese on the top when it’s on the plate, although I don’t think you’ll need it!!
I have put all types of non-dairy cheeses in the stromboli and it is an excellent addition. Just do not overfill.
Wow! Those look so good! What are Japanese sweet potatoes?
They are white-fleshed sweet potatoes that are less sweet than orange sweet potatoes and starchier than them so they hold up really well for baked recipes!
We have white sweet potatoes that are locally grown here in Oklahoma. Do you think they are the same thing? They are the only ones I can find and only one store carries them.
They should work as long as they aren’t super sweet & still pretty starchy!
I’ve made this several times now and it’s so delicious! Crispy, gooey, and savory! I’ve been using arrowroot for several AIP recipes and find that it makes me gain weight and gassy. Is anyone finding this to be the case? Is it not completely AIP compliant?
Arrowroot is high in starch so for some people a higher carb diet can caused weight gain. I limit Paleo flours in my diet, but I like to provide recipes like these for special occasions. Enjoying them once a month or so should have little impact on your weight – I probably wouldn’t make it every week if you tend to gain weight from starch!
You might want to get checked for SIBO, if you are gassy and bloated after eating this. Tapioca, arrowroot, and sweet potatoes are off limits on Dr. Siebecker’s SIBO-Specific diet plan because of the starch (which the critters love). I’m doing a combination of AIP and SS – it’s pretty limited, for sure.
Maryanne N, I looked up SIBO. I swear there was a picture of me next to the description! Thank you so much.
Decided to try the Stramboli recipe from your cook book tonight. It looked delicious and I enjoyed it but it was kind of gelatinous perhaps I didn’t make the dough thin enough before wrapping it up or …?
(I used white sweet potatoes.)
If the outside wasn’t crispy, then it needs to be broiled longer. I do suggest making it thinner so you get a better crispy to gooey ratio! It takes some practice and if this was your first time making it, next time you’ll be a pro. It is gooey in this middle from the tapioca so it could be perceived as gelatinous, but most people on AIP find it helps with their cheese/pizza cravings for that reason.
I have just made this in our pizza oven ! Absolutely sensational!! Even great the next day reheated! Kids also devoured them
Oh it sounds delish in the pizza oven!!
This sounds like a yummy treat. Thanks for sharing
How many carbs? ty
Can u use olive oil instead of duck fat?
Yes but it will taste a bit different – use bacon fat instead if you can!
Can you use coconut flour instead of tapioca or arrowroot? Just what I happen to have on hand 🙂
No you cannot – it would be dry and not “cheesy”
This is so good. My husband loved it. However, mine wasn’t as pretty as yours. Any tips? Mine stuck to the parchment paper.
Hmm! Parchment paper is the least stickiest thing, so I’m not sure why! Maybe your dough was too wet? How did you cook the sweet potato? Also, you can flip it and broil it on each side at the end to crisp it up!
This is amazing! My husband and I are addicted. I was also really craving garlic cheese bread so I tried leaving the rosemary and prosciutto out, adding garlic and leaving it flat… it was also delicious!
Girl, you‘re a genius! Tried those for the first time today with what I had on hand (canned tuna, uncured bacon, mushrooms, italian herbs & garlic), using orange sweet potatoes as I‘ve never seen the Japanese version here in Germany and they turned out really great and super tasty. One of my favourite AIP recipes ever <3
That’s so good to know they turned out well with orange! This was one of those happy accident recipes years ago when I first started AIP & was craving pizza like crazy!
I don’t do well with Arrowroot or Tapioca starch. Are there any good substitutes for these? Thank you!
They are pretty necessary to get the gooey but crusty texture! I haven’t tried this recipe with any other flours – can you do cassava?
What can I use in place of prosciutto, don’t care for it.
Really any protein you have on hand and would eat on pizza – ham, pepperoni, sausage.
Can these be frozen and then reheated?
Yes but not microwaved – re broiled in oven for crispiness.
I tried this with baked (not boiled) Japanese yams. They were drier and I was able to control the moisture content. I used the amount of tapioca recommended and then added just enough water (very little) to make it mixable and rollable. It was a little harder to spin in the food processor, but overall, very easy and manageable.
I roasted the Japanese yams and I used tapioca flour. I will definitely roll the dough thinner next time. The flavors are great just as the recipe says but my dough was too thick and gelatinous on the inside. Lesson learned! Next time I may try the arrowroot flour instead just to compare.
Thank you so much for this recipe! My wife and I have made this a number of times this year and each time I think it turned out better and better. First few times we made it with the purple yam (The one with purple flesh) and it’s delicious. A bit more soft than the Japanese white sweets and a bit more prone to cracking so it needed a bit more arrowroot.
I also like sautéed onions to put inside, but’s it’s a couple extra steps so I don’t always do it.
I want to try making these this week. Is it better to bake or boil the yams? Thanks!
bake or steam is best!
Has anyone tried this as a pizza base? Wondering if it would hold up if I cooked it first and then adding some toppings. It’s seriously good as is… just looking to experiment
I’ve seen others do so – likely need to bake it longer (or just keep checking on it until it’s firm enough to hold up!)
I’ve made this recipe many times and it is wonderful. It is an easy replacement for a sandwich. I’ve used different meats as well as a combination of meat and tapioca cheese or zucchini cheese. I make these for my daughter who is on the AIP diet and she loves them. When I’ve peeled too many Japanese sweet potatoes, I’ve actually used the leftovers to make some extra “rolls”. Highly recommend this recipe.
What are the instructions for baking or steaming the yams? I’ve never cooked them before. Thanks in advance!
I microwave for a dry cook method – introducing water into the potato through steaming could alter the recipe!
I found korean sweet potatoes. They too have a purple skin and white flesh. Will this work?
Yes will be slightly sweeter and maybe a floral taste – there’s many varieties!
In the recipe steps you mentioned 1/4 cup of flour but in the ingredients list 1/2. Which one is the correct?
I always put some cheese in these Strombolis. I’ve used zucchini cheese and tapioca cheese, but lately my daughter can tolerate Violife Smoked provolone cheese, so I have been using that. (Much easier than making cheese!) Just don’t put tooo much in or it will seep out the sides. I also switched and used AIP compliant sausage just for a different flavor. I think these are delicious.
Sounds delicious! I have an AIP Calzone recipe that uses sausage, and I think I like it even more than these too 🙂
What ingredient makes this cheesy?
The starch combined with the sweet potato creates a thick gooey texture and the savory meat and rosemary adds that pizza flavor 🙂
I tried these but found them a bit sweet for my taste. I wonder if we could substitute the Japanese sweet potato with yucca.
Just wanted to say that I *love* this recipe! And really appreciate how easy it is to make too! I’ve made with all different fillings. I double the recipe and take leftovers for lunch the next day or two. They warm up really nicely! Thank you. Alaena!
This is so delicious! I have made it several times, it’s cheesy & tasty. I’m going to try making focaccia, pizza dough & garlic bread with this recipe!
I have been loving this stromboli recipe for two years. One of my favorite AIP recipes. And because I currently don’t tolerate cassava flour, I have been wondering if I could use this dough for other things. So I experimented today with making little sausage tarts. First I made my favorite AIP sausage and par-baked the little sausage balls. Then I made the Stromboli dough and added a little Italian seasoning. I put a 1 TBSP ball of dough in each mini muffin cup and shaped each tart. I put the par-baked sausage balls in each tart and cooked for about 25 minutes. They are delicious!
Absolutely amazing! My daughter loved having this for lunch! I used 1 large sweet potato, mixed with arrowroot and tapioca starch, fresh thyme.
For the stuffing, I used fried mushrooms, smoked salmon, and a tiny amount of goats cheese (grated).
Cooked for slightly longer – more like 45mins-1hr.
That filling sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing with us!
I just made this recipe and I NEVER leave comments after trying a recipe but this one is so good I had to come back and follow up. These turned out sooo good, and are so easy to make. I was skeptical because I usually don’t have great luck with baked goods but they really are very simple. I have to make a few tweaks on my next batch because I live at high altitude and should have increased my oven temperature a bit, but other than that they are perfect and really hit the spot. One thing to note for people who are doing strict AIP is that a lot of deli meats have dairy derivatives in them for curing, so make sure to read the labels and look for things like
whey or whey protein, casein, Rennet recaldent, lactose/lactate/lactulose and other.
Applegate organics is a good brand to look for to avoid dairy in deli meats and I believe boars head may have some meats that are dairy free as well.
Hi Britta – thank you so much for that feedback and helping others find dairy-free deli meats for this recipe. That’s an excellent point about the cultures in cured meats. Applegate has a great organic selection 🙂
This is an absolutely incredible recipe. Made it for lunch and am just blown away by how good it is.
★★★★★
I have made this recipe a few times and haven’t had trouble with it other than the parchment paper, so I am glad you developed and posted it! I am going to experiment more with what I put inside of it. A cautionary tale: parchment paper under the broiler can result in fiery confetti that also ends up on the food! I had soot on my nose 😀 There might need to be a different step so parchment paper doesn’t go under the broiler.
soooo delish! did dried basil because that’s what I had and used butter as my fat with a lil garlic for flavor. really delicious.
★★★★★
I am allergic to sulfites so can’t use tapioca starch. I substituted white rice flour as I’m not strict AIP. It worked perfectly. My husband and kids love it. I spend 1 day a week making 10-12 and freeze them uncooked. Pop them in a 400 degree oven for 20 min and delish! Thanks so much!