Cauliflower Pizza Crust Recipe | Gluten-Free

A pizza with a crust made from cauliflower topped with tomato sauce vegan cheese and roast butternut squash, plus fresh avocado and pea shoots.

What’s this? A recipe for cauliflower pizza crust? Well, a wise person once said – “If cauliflower can be pizza, you can be anything!” OK, you got us. We have no idea who said that, so we’re going to just attribute it to “the internet.” Anyhow, that brave soul was right. Cauliflower really can be pizza! We’re going to show you how to transform this veggie into a vegan, gluten-free pizza crust firm enough to hold in your hand!

Why Make Pizza Crust from Cauliflower?

Well, here are four great reasons! Cauliflower pizza crust is:

  • Low in fat and carbs
  • Gluten-free
  • Nutritious
  • And it tastes great!
Whole raw cauliflower

Is it a Healthy Option?

Our vegan version certainly is! When you make this at home, you control the ingredients. Therefore, you can avoid the flour, eggs, and oil that might be in a commercial product. Of course, a pizza is only as healthy as the toppings, so bear that in mind.

A 100 g serving of cauliflower also delivers a high dose of vitamin C (80% recommended daily intake, RDI) and moderate amounts of vitamin B-6 (10% RDI) and vitamin K (20% RDI).

How to Make a Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Three photos showing how to make cauliflower rice

To begin with, we’re going to make cauliflower “rice.” That’s simple – just use a cheese grater, or a food processor with a “grater” blade, to shred the cauliflower into tiny pieces. You’ll know when you’re done – it will look like a pile of rice! Quick note: you can use riced cauliflower to make many traditional rice dishes less starchy.

Next, we’re going to take our cauliflower rice and steam it. The benefit to steaming is that we cook the cauliflower without boiling away all the nutrients we mentioned above.

Avoid a Soggy Crust

The first trick for getting this vegan pizza crust to stick together is a big SQUEEZE! To do this, bundle up the cauliflower rice in a nut bag (or clean tea towel) and start pressing out the water. After you think you’ve squeezed it enough … don’t stop! Keep smooshing until that cauliflower is as dry as possible. No one wants a soggy pizza.

Steamed cauliflower rice

Use a Vegan Egg Alternative

The second trick to holding this vegan pizza together is the binder. There are other cauliflower pizza crust recipes out there, but many of them use eggs. However, we know that a good chia or flax “egg” is the perfect replacement. Both of these seeds form a handy gel when soaked in water, which is excellent for holding baked goods together. Flax and chia also bring a welcome dose of fiber, omega 3 fatty acids, and other nutrients.

How to Get a Firm and Crispy Pizza Crust

Bowl of cauliflower pizza dough

Now we’re in the final stages of the recipe – this cauliflower is nearly a gluten-free pizza! First, mix the cauliflower rice with the “eggs” and some seasoning (nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper). Then, push the mixture into a pizza pan. After that, bake it until it turns golden brown.

We really can’t stress this enough – pre-baking the crust is essential for making your cauliflower pizza slices firm!

Baked cauliflower crust

Topping it Off

Here it is – the moment you’ve been waiting for. No, not eating it. We mean the moment before that – topping it! This is where you slap down a delicious sauce and set your imagination free!

So what’s it going to be? Do you want a classic (vegan) cheese pizza with a dusting of herbs? On the other hand, maybe you feel like creating controversy and adding pineapple? Alternatively, the pizza we photographed is loaded with some of our favorite veggies (roasted pumpkin or butternut squash work great). The variations are endless!

A pizza with a crust made from cauliflower topped with tomato sauce vegan cheese and roast butternut squash, plus fresh avocado and pea shoots.

Can you Freeze the Crust?

To be honest, we never get to that point! We make just enough for a meal. However, the consensus among the other cauliflower cooks out there is – yes! Based on their advice, we recommend that you bake the crust first, put it in a sealed bag or container, and then freeze it. When you’re ready for pizza, let the crust thaw thoroughly. After that, you can add toppings and finish cooking it as described in the recipe.

So now, just get this vegan, gluten-free pizza goodness into the oven. You’ll be munching in no time! And when you’re done, please let us know what you think with a comment and rating! Every bit of feedback helps make the blog even better!

If you’re interested in trying gluten-free Pizza Dough instead, check out our super-simple recipe! Or for something a little different – how about our stunning Tomato and Green Onion Galette?

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A pizza with a crust made from cauliflower topped with tomato sauce vegan cheese and roast butternut squash, plus fresh avocado and pea shoots.

Cauliflower Pizza Crust Recipe | Gluten-Free


  • Author: Rachel Steenland
  • Total Time: 1 hour, 15minutes
  • Yield: 1 pizza crust / 8 slices 1x

Description

A delicious gluten-free cauliflower pizza crust so firm you can hold a slice in your hand! Add your favorite toppings and get the vegan pizza party started!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 chia/flax eggs (made using 2 tablespoons of ground chia or flax seeds)
  • 1 head cauliflower (5 cups), trimmed and cut into florets*
  • 1/2 cup gluten-free flour**
  • 1/4 cup vegan cheese, grated
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Instructions

  1. Prepare chia/flax egg by mixing together finely ground chia or flax seeds with four tablespoons of water. Allow to thicken for five minutes.
  2. Add cauliflower florets into food processor and pulse until the cauliflower has turned into pieces the size of rice. Skip this step if using store-bought cauliflower rice.
  3. Into a large pot fitted with a steamer insert, add 1 inch / 2.5cms water. Bring water to a boil and then add cauliflower rice, steam 5 minutes. Remove cauliflower from heat and set aside to cool.
  4. Preheat oven to 375F / 190C and line a 12 inches/3cms pizza tray with parchment paper.
  5. Scoop steamed cauliflower into nut bag (or cotton kitchen towel), then squeeze bag to remove excess water from the cauliflower. Tip cauliflower into a medium size bowl, along with prepared chia/flax eggs, gluten-free flour, vegan cheese, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper. Stir well to combine.
  6. Transfer cauliflower pizza dough to the parchment paper and using a spoon and your fingers, form a 1/4 inch / 0.6cms thick pizza crust. Bake for 40 minutes, flipping over half way through baking.
  7. Top pizza with sauce, vegan cheese and veggies of choice. Then return to the oven and bake for further 10 to 15 minutes until the vegan cheese is melted and the veggies are golden. Enjoy! ??

Notes

  • *To save time you can use cauliflower rice purchased from the grocery store.
  • **Alternatively you can make this cauliflower pizza crust using unbleached all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour.
  • Nutrition facts are to be used as a guide only and are calculated without pizza toppings.
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 55 minutes

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 100
  • Sugar: 1.3 g
  • Sodium: 229.2 mg
  • Fat: 4.7 g
  • Carbohydrates: 12.7 g
  • Fiber: 2.6 g
  • Protein: 2.8 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg

Keywords: cauliflower pizza crust recipe, vegan pizza recipe, gluten-free pizza recipe

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Rachel Steenland

Rachel Steenland

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