Don’t just make a pizza at home–make a vegan cauliflower pizza crust recipe that will make everyone at your table tell you how awesome you are.
Here’s proof that the vegan diet is awesome: A regular pizza loaded with meat and cheese? Totally bad for you. No way around it. But a vegan pizza made with veggies and more veggies? Healthy! Yep, you can have your pizza and eat it all up, without the guilt. And if you want to make it even healthier, give it the ultimate vegan makeover: a vegan cauliflower pizza crust recipe. You’re welcome.
Cauliflower is quite the veggie darling du jour: it’s loaded with healthy plant fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Plus, it’s super versatile and much healthier than a regular flour pizza crust. So whether you’re looking to cut the carbs or just mix things up on the menu, this vegan cauliflower pizza crust recipe is just the thing!
Vegan Cauliflower Pizza Crust Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 medium-sized cauliflower
- 2 tablespoons ground chia or flax seeds soaked in ¼ cup warm water for ten minutes
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- optional: 1/2 teaspoon Italian herbs such as oregano or basil, vegan shredded cheese
Cooking Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Chop and then lightly steam the cauliflower in a basket steamer until tender, or add about ½ an inch worth of water to a saucepan and add the cauliflower.
- Once the cauliflower is soft, remove and place in a clean dishtowel or cheesecloth (or nut milk bag if you have), and squeeze out the excess liquid from the cauliflower. Be careful as the cauliflower will still be hot. Use oven mitts if needed.
- The squeezing should render the cauliflower into a pulpy mash. If there are still chunks, squish again in the towel or cloth and note that if the cauliflower is not soft enough, you may need to steam a few minutes longer.
- Place the cauliflower into a large bowl and add in the remaining ingredients and mix until well combined.
- Spread the “dough” onto a prepared pizza stone or line a baking sheet with parchment paper and shape your dough there. You can make the dough thick or thin, make several small pizza crusts or one large one, depending on your preference.
- Place the crust(s) into the oven and let bake for about 20 minutes. The crust should appear brown or golden in color. You can also carefully flip the crust over midway through to make sure both sides get cooked through.
- Once the crust has baked to your liking, leave the oven on and remove the crust. Now it’s time to top your pizza!
- It would be a shame to top a vegan crust with anything that’s not vegan, but there are no rules here, so top your pizza to your liking—try a red sauce or even a pesto—add fresh veggies, maybe some soy or wheat sausage and vegan cheese shreds if you like.
- Pop your finished pizza back into the oven for another 10-15 minutes, making sure the crust doesn’t burn.
- Remove from the oven and let cool several minutes before serving.
- Enjoy!
Cauliflower pizza crust image via Shutterstock