Remember back when we made spaghetti squash pizza together? That was surprisingly delicious! Ever since then I’ve been wanting to try out other unique crusts options whenever I come across them. I read about making a pizza crust from cauliflower.
So, I decided to give that a try. This past year cauliflower has really grown on me. I used to never give it a second thought (white, bland, boring—no thanks). But then I tried a few dishes made with cauliflower that were pretty good. I think the key is to go heavy on other flavors, as cauliflower is a somewhat plain vegetable.
Related: Deep Dish Pizza Recipe
This recipe has quite a bit of garlic, a little spice from red pepper, and plenty of cheese and (fake) pepperonis. I prefer to leave the tomato sauce off when baking but have it available for dipping.
Why? This keeps the crust from absorbing too much moisture and becoming soggy. You can make it however you like, but I’m happy to share what worked best for me.
Plus if you’ve never tried fake pepperonis before, you totally should. They’re awesome!
Cauliflower Pizza Crust, makes one large crust.
Adapted from Cauliflower Crust by RecipeGirl
1 head of cauliflower (any color, but isn’t this green pretty?!)
1 egg
4-5 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used a mix of mozzarella, provolone, Romano, and Asiago)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
First, cut up the cauliflower florets. Blanch in boiling, salted water for 3-4 minutes. Pulse in a food processor with the garlic cloves until a coarse meal forms. You won’t want to blend it so long it becomes a paste.
Spread the cauliflower meal out onto a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Place paper towels over the top, and press to remove as much moisture as you can.
In a bowl combine the cauliflower with the egg, cheeses, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine. Place the mixture on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Gently press into your desired shape, as thin as you can get it without leaving holes in the crust. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper over the top. Bake at 450°F for 15-20 minutes, until the edges begin to brown.
Once the crust is baked, add your toppings. Bake for an additional 5-8 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly. I like to add fresh basil just after baking.
Although this crust isn’t going to “trick” anyone, it’s absolutely delicious and an easy way to add more veggies into a favorite meal. Enjoy! xo. Emma
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Ingredients
- 1 head of cauliflower (any color, but isn’t this green pretty?!)
- 1 egg
- 4-5 cloves of garlic
- ½ cup shredded cheese (I used a mix of mozzarella, provolone, Romano, and Asiago)
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- First, cut up the cauliflower florets. Blanch in boiling, salted water for 3-4 minutes. Pulse in a food processor with the garlic cloves until a coarse meal forms. You won’t want to blend it so long it becomes a paste.
- Spread the cauliflower meal out onto a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Place paper towels over the top, and press to remove as much moisture as you can.
- In a bowl combine the cauliflower with the egg, cheeses, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine. Place the mixture on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Gently press into your desired shape, as thin as you can get it without leaving holes in the crust. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper over the top. Bake at 450°F for 15-20 minutes, until the edges begin to brown.
- Once the crust is baked, add your toppings. Bake for an additional 5-8 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly. I like to add fresh basil just after baking.
C
Shut the front door! Pizza crust made out of cauliflower?! This is going to be a great way to sneak extra veggies into mealtimes. Like you, I’m on the less is more side of the tomato sauce. But I will dip the heck out of my crusts in some ranch.
Tabby
– www.glitterinthequarter.com
I’m trying to follow you instructions on transferring photo to wood. The paper always buckles/warps/curls when I put the Elmer’s glue on… No matter how thin I try. What am I missing?
We just made it and it was amazing! I have celiac- so pizza isn’t the same anymore- but this was a fantastic alternative! The recipe was perfect. Thank you!!
Xo,
Bryn
Definitely going to give this a go!!
Just wanted to say be careful serving this up to any vegetarian friends – all parmesan is made with rennet from calves stomachs, so isn’t vegetarian. You can buy vegetarian hard cheese as a substitute and some of the grated hard cheeses you can buy in the supermarket are vegetarian friendly too, but never parmesan.
My boyfriend is a total fan of ordering in pizzas on sunday nights…while that’s not the most healthiest, I was most concerned about the spending. I not only love making my own food from scratch but also saving a few bucks while doing so. So at the beginning of this year I was super happy when he announced he wanted to stop ordering in all together – the reak reason? He wanted to loose some pounds 😉 That’s exactly 5 month, 13 kg (I guess 26 pounds)and approximately 8 Sunday cauliflower pizza crust pizzas ago. Pretty cool right? 😉
It looks so good. I really need to test this way of making pizzas !
Yum. Trying this TONIGHT.
Emma Louise Layla x
This looks sooooo amazing! I can’t believe how simple and healthy this is!
I’ve made the “crust” before but never with topping (crust alone is meh). Such a great idea! Love your blog 🙂
Looks super yummy. But cauliflower…. Yikes!
__
The curated aggregation of the best luxury designer fashion on sale on www.thebrokecurator.com
I’ve made cauliflower pizza crust countless times now and have finally perfected it, so I just wanted to let you know the secret. After blending the cauliflower in the food processor, put the mixture on a towel and squeeze out all of the liquids. The detoxinista explains it better – http://detoxinista.com/2012/01/the-secret-to-perfect-cauliflower-pizza-crust/ . Hope this helps!
I love your method of “drying out” the crust before baking it, and leaving the sauce on the side for dipping. A soggy crust has been my problem the last 2 times I’ve tried to make this. I’m definitely going to give this recipe a try next! : )
I have yet to make this pizza crust work. It usually comes out soggy. I can’t wait to give it yet another try. Hopefully your recipe will make the difference.
I LOOOOVEEEE Cauliflower and I lOOOOOOVEEE pizza. This is perfect!
want to try this immediately — wow looks easy enough too.
Valentina
http://valentinaduracinsky.blogspot.com/
I roast my cauliflower in coconut oil rather then boil it and the taste you get is amazing!!!! Highly recommend that!!!! We do cauliflower crust because we’ve been gluten free for 14 years and you learn delicious tricks over the years that make something even better!!!
This looks so delicious and such a healthy alternative! i must try it!
I know what’s for dinner tonight!!! Perfect for those of us gluten intolerant!!
Oh my goodness! I’ve really been into baking cauliflower myself- after I found out I could make it yummy! Brussel sprouts, kale and cauliflower are my new favs to bake!
Thanks for sharing the tip about leaving the sauce out, I love crispness 🙂 Gonna try this this weekend