What do cauliflower and pizza have in common? Apparently, a lot.
All the cool kids are making cauliflower pizza crust and I want to be in the club, too. Plus, for those experimenting with lower grain diets, this is a great option! Shall we?
This recipe requires 9 basic ingredients to make. It’s also entirely gluten-, grain-, and oil-free, and it’s vegan!
It starts with cauliflower rice, which is lightly boiled, strained, and squeezed dry. This creates our “dough” base!
Next come herbs and spices, vegan parmesan cheese for flavor, and a flax egg for binding. The dough is then patted into a crust and baked.
While that’s happening, prepare any sauces or toppings of your choice. I went for puréed tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, and onions, as well as a little vegan ricotta cheese!
I hope you all LOVE this crust! It’s:
Savory
Cheesy
Crispy on the edges
Tender in the center
Healthy
Customizable
& Super tasty!
This would make the perfect gluten- and grain-free crust for pizza night. For toppings, I’d recommend checking out my Butternut Squash Veggie Pizza, Favorite Vegan Pizza, and Mini Portobello Pizzas for inspiration!
As for sides, this would pair well with my Garlicky Kale Salad with Crispy Chickpeas, Pesto Sun-Dried Tomato & Vegan Ricotta Salad, Pea Pesto Pasta Salad, or Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Arancini! Also be sure to check out other staples like my Easy Vegan Pesto and 1-Pot Marinara Sauce.
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram! Cheers, friends!
Ingredients
PIZZA CRUST
- 1 medium-large head cauliflower, “riced” (yielding 6 cups cauliflower rice*)
- 1 1/2 DIY flax eggs (1 1/2 Tbsp (10 g) flaxseed meal + 4 Tbsp (60 ml) water // as recipe is written*)
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 3 Tbsp Vegan Parmesan Cheese (or nutritional yeast if avoiding nuts)
- 1 tsp dried oregano (or use fresh*)
- 1 tsp dried basil (or use fresh*)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced // or sub garlic powder*)
- 1 heaping Tbsp cornstarch (or arrowroot starch // helps bind)
- 1 Tbsp cornmeal (or gluten-free flour // to discourage the dough from sticking to the parchment)
TOPPINGS optional
- Puréed tomatoes or Easy Marinara (or store bought pizza sauce)
- Vegan Pesto
- Sautéed or fresh vegetables (e.g. bell pepper, onion, mushroom)
- Fresh basil
- Red pepper flake
- Vegan parmesan cheese
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C).
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Use a box grater or the grating blade (not “S” blade) on a food processor to make the cauliflower rice (follow link above for photo tutorial). Set aside.
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Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Then add riced cauliflower. Cook for 5 minutes to soften. Then drain in a fine mesh strainer (make sure it’s fine or the cauliflower will seep through the holes). Let cool 5 minutes.
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While this is happening, this is a good time to prepare pizza sauce or sauté any sturdier vegetables (such as onion and bell pepper) you intend to use as toppings. Otherwise, they require too much time in the oven to brown once the crust is baked. Set aside.
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Transfer cauliflower rice to a clean dish towel and ring out as much of the excess liquid as possible. This is a very important step, so be sure to ring it out until no more water will come out. Set aside.
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In a large mixing bowl, prepare the flax egg and let rest 5 minutes. Then add cauliflower rice, sea salt, vegan parmesan cheese, oregano, basil, garlic, and cornstarch.
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Stir with a mixing spoon or your hands to thoroughly combine. A loose “dough” should form. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast for cheesy flavor, salt for saltiness, or herbs/garlic for more intense flavor.
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Line a baking sheet or pizza stone/pan with parchment paper. Sprinkle with a little cornmeal or gluten-free flour to help prevent the pizza from sticking when slicing.
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Then use your hands to carefully spread the dough into a circle or square (depending on shape of pan // see photo) and keep the crust slightly less than a 1/2-inch thick with a slightly thicker outer perimeter.
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Bake crust for 45 minutes. Then remove from oven and carefully flip the crust. Do so by first loosening the crust from the bottom layer of parchment with a spatula and then laying another sheet of parchment paper on top of the crust. Then grab both sheets of parchment and gently flip. Arrange the crust back on the baking pan.
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Return to the oven and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes more or until the edges appear golden brown and the center feels mostly firm to the touch.
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Remove from oven and top with desired toppings (cooked or fresh). I recommend going light on the sauce as it can make the crust soggy if too much is applied. Bake for another 10 or so minutes or until toppings are tender. Watch the edges of the crust, which can get brown before the toppings.
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Enjoy hot with any additional garnishes, such as fresh basil, red pepper flake, or vegan parmesan cheese.
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Best when fresh. This pizza is best eaten with a fork – I find that it doesn’t quite support itself when eaten with hands. Note: You could bake your crust ahead of time and then freeze for later use if desired.
Notes
*1 head of cauliflower yields approximately 6 cups (750 g) riced cauliflower.
* 1 1/2 flax eggs is equivalent to 1 1/2 Tbsp (10 g) flaxseed + 4 Tbsp (60 ml) water.
*1 tsp dried herbs (oregano, basil) is equivalent to approximately 1 1/2 tsp fresh herbs.
* 3 cloves (9 g) garlic is equivalent to approximately 1 tsp garlic powder.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate for 1/4 of the pizza crust without toppings.
*Recipe adapted from my pal McKel at Nutrition Stripped!
Nutrition Per Serving (1 of 4 Large Slices)
- Calories: 113
- Fat: 3.6g
- Saturated fat: 0.6g
- Polyunsaturated fat: 1.1g
- Monounsaturated fat: 1.4g
- Sodium: 294mg
- Potassium: 703mg
- Carbohydrates: 17.5g
- Fiber: 5.8g
- Sugar: 4.3g
- Protein: 6.4g
- Vitamin C: 170%
- Calcium: 7%
- Iron: 10%
