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–+ servings

Vegan Cauliflower Pizza Crust

A simple vegan cauliflower pizza crust requiring 9 basic ingredients and easy-to-follow methods. The end product is crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and perfect for replacing traditional pizza crust!
Author Minimalist Baker
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Cutting board with a pizza made using our Vegan Cauliflower Pizza Crust recipe
4.45 from 61 votes
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 4 (large slices)
Course Entrée
Cuisine Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Italian-Inspired, Vegan
Freezer Friendly 1 month
Does it keep? Best when fresh

Ingredients

PIZZA CRUST

  • 1 medium-large head cauliflower, "riced" (yielding 6 cups cauliflower rice*)
  • 1 ½ Tbsp flaxseed meal (to make flax eggs)
  • 4 Tbsp water (to make flax eggs)
  • 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

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C).
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • In a large mixing bowl, prepare the flax egg by mixing the flaxseed meal and water and let it rest 5 for minutes. Then add cauliflower rice, sea salt, vegan parmesan cheese, oregano, basil, garlic, and cornstarch.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Enjoy hot with any additional garnishes, such as fresh basil, red pepper flake, or vegan parmesan cheese.
  • 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.

Video

Notes

*1 head of cauliflower yields approximately 6 cups (750 g) riced cauliflower.
*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 (1 of 4 servings)

Serving: 1 Large Slices Calories: 113 Carbohydrates: 17.5 g Protein: 6.4 g Fat: 3.6 g Saturated Fat: 0.6 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.1 g Monounsaturated Fat: 1.4 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 294 mg Potassium: 703 mg Fiber: 5.8 g Sugar: 4.3 g Vitamin A: 9.84 IU Vitamin C: 102 mg Calcium: 65.11 mg Iron: 1.74 mg