I’m a bit embarrassed at how long it took me to make cauliflower pizza crust.
As a dietitian, I love trying out all the latest food trends, but this one just seemed too good to be true. Pizza dough without gluten? That’s just crazy.
Turns out, crazy works. It works so well that I could have easily devoured a whole pie by myself.
Now, let’s get one thing straight: a cauliflower crust is not traditional pizza crust. If you’re looking for a super crispy, thin option then this isn’t the recipe for you.
However, if you’re looking for a healthier spin that’s packed with flavor and nutrition, you’re in the right place.
While this tasty meal can be made healthier by using whole wheat dough, going light on the cheese, and filling it with veggies, it’s often still high in calories and carbs. Plus, let’s be real, who actually goes light on the cheese?
Cauliflower pizza, on the other hand, is lower in both carbs and calories, while also packing in the veggies.
It also happens to be 100% gluten free and paleo-friendly, making it ideal for any health-conscious dinner guests (just be sure to leave out the cheese if you’re making it paleo).
Now, one of my biggest concerns was that the crust would fall apart the minute you tried to pick it up, especially with more heavy-duty toppings like chicken.
However, I was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t have to use my fork once – while it’s not particularly crispy, it definitely holds up, providing the full dining experience that you’re after.
And the true test of good pizza? It tasted just as good cold from the fridge the next day.
But let’s get back to the cauliflower. Super low in calories, cauliflower still packs a serious nutrition punch.
One cup of raw cauliflower contains just 25 calories, yet is high in fiber, provides 77% of the RDI for vitamin C, and is a good source of vitamin K and folate. It also contains a handful of minerals needed for bone health, including calcium and phosphorus.
Another bonus of cauliflower is how versatile it is. Smothered in buffalo sauce and baked? Yes please! Sauteed in fried rice? I’ll take a plateful! Riced and stuffed into peppers? Don’t mind if I do.
Unlike broccoli or other cruciferous vegetables, cauliflower’s mild taste makes it the perfect culinary canvas.
Even if you have picky kids or cauliflower haters in the house, this recipe disguises the cauliflower so well that even they won’t be able to stop at just one slice.
Taste-wise, this recipe isn’t like any other one that I’ve had before. Pulsed with onion and garlic then mixed with an egg, it has this savoriness that is just begging to be topped with roasted vegetables, a drizzle of olive oil, or even barbecue or buffalo chicken.
Now, this recipe does make two crusts, so the hard part is going to be deciding on two topping combinations. Sure, you could just make two of the same kind, but where’s the fun in that?
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Gluten-Free Cauliflower Pizza Crust
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 2 whole pizza crusts (2 servings per pizza crust) 1x
Description
Put a healthy spin on pizza night with this gluten-free and paleo-friendly cauliflower pizza crust. Made with just a handful of ingredients and no rising time, the hardest part will be deciding on which combination of toppings to choose.
Ingredients
- 2 cups riced cauliflower
- 1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 cup almond meal
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Toppings of choice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and cover a pizza stone or small baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place riced cauliflower, onion, and garlic in a food processor. Pulse until crumbly, but not paste-like. Pour into a large mixing bowl.
- Add almond meal, eggs, salt, and pepper to cauliflower mixture and stir to combine. Mixture should be sticky, but hold together. If too dry, add water 1 teaspoon at a time. If too wet, add extra almond meal, 1 teaspoon at a time.
- Divide dough into two equal pieces. Place one on prepared baking sheet or pizza stone. Keep the second piece in the mixing bowl and store in the fridge while the first bakes.
- Gently spread pizza dough into a circle using a rubber spatula and your hands. It should be about 1 inch thick.
- Place dough in oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until starting to brown around the edges.
- While crust bakes, prepare toppings of choice.
- Remove crust from oven and top with desired toppings.
- Return to oven, and cook another 10 minutes, or until bottom of crust is brown and toppings are hot.
- Remove from oven and cut into four slices. Repeat with remaining cauliflower crust.
Notes
Note: nutritional info does not include toppings.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Pizza
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Gluten-Free
Keywords: pizza, pizza crust, baking, gluten-free, cauliflower, low-carb
Cooking By the Numbers…
Step 1 – Preheat Oven, Prepare Stone, and Measure Ingredients
Preheat oven to 350°F and cover a pizza stone or small baking sheet with parchment paper.
Note: After trying both the stone and baking sheet, I found the cauliflower crust baked on the stone cooked more evenly on the bottom and was slightly crispier. This was surprising as pizza stones are usually preheated before adding the crust, but that step isn’t necessary with this recipe.
Measure out ingredients.
Note: I used half of a large head of raw cauliflower and riced it in my food processor. Using a cheesecloth or paper towels, squeeze the riced cauliflower to remove any excess moisture. You could also use pre-riced cauliflower; however, if using frozen, be sure to thaw it and squeeze out the extra moisture prior to use.
Step 2 – Pulse Onions, Garlic, and Cauliflower
Place riced cauliflower, chopped onion, and garlic cloves in a food processor and pulse until crumbly, but not paste-like. Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl.
Step 3 – Combine Remaining Ingredients
Add beaten eggs, almond meal, salt, and pepper (freshly cracked is best!) to cauliflower mixture and stir well to combine.
Mixture should be sticky, but still be able to hold together. If the dough is too dry, add 1 teaspoon of water at a time; or, if the dough is too wet, add extra almond meal, about 1 teaspoon at a time.
Step 4 – Spread Dough and Bake
Divide dough into two equal pieces, keeping one in the mixing bowl and placing the other on your prepared baking sheet or pan. Cover and place the dough in the mixing bowl in the fridge while the first bakes. While you can bake both at the same time, for best results I recommend cooking them separately.
Using a rubber spatula and your hands, spread dough into a 1-inch-thick circle. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until slightly brown on the edges.
Step 5 – Prepare Toppings
While the crust bakes, prepare your toppings of choice. Since it will only cook for another 10 minutes, all meats and vegetables should be pre-cooked.
Step 6 – Add Toppings and Finish Cooking
Remove from the oven and add your toppings of choice.
Return it to the oven and bake a final 10 minutes, or until the bottom of the crust is browned and the toppings are nice and hot. If using cheese, it should be fully melted.
Step 7 – Cool and Slice
Remove pan from the oven and allow to cool slightly before cutting into 4 slices.
Step 8 – Repeat with Remaining Dough
Repeat steps 4-7 with the remaining dough.
Only want one cauliflower pizza? Still bake the second dough for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Place cooked crust on a small baking sheet in the freezer for 1 hour, or until completely frozen through. Tightly wrap crust in plastic wrap and store in freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, simply preheat oven to 350°F and top with desired toppings (no need to thaw crust). Bake for 15 minutes, or until heated through.
Getting Creative with Toppings
While you can go the classic marinara and mozzarella cheese route, I highly recommend getting a little more creative with your toppings – after all, this isn’t a traditional pizza.
My personal favorite combination is BBQ Chicken. Simply spread your favorite barbecue sauce over the crust, add diced grilled chicken that’s also been tossed in barbecue sauce, sliced onion, and shredded mozzarella cheese. Garnish with sliced green onions.
Besides the fact that barbecue sauce makes almost anything better, the balance between the savory cauliflower crust and the sweet barbecue sauce is addictingly good.
I also made a vegetarian Mediterranean-style pizza by drizzling olive oil and garlic over the crust and topping with sun-dried tomatoes, chopped artichoke hearts, feta cheese, and mozzarella.
As much as I loved all the cheese, it would have been even better with a drizzle of tzatziki sauce or even lemon juice for a little zing.
Stuck on how to top your homemade pizzas? Get inspiration from some of our favorite combinations on Foodal:
- Peach, Spinach, and Goat Cheese
- Caramelized Onion, Mushroom, and Pesto
- Strawberry and Leek
- Pesto with Goat Cheese, Kale, and Mushrooms
- Zucchini and Caramelized Onion
- Peach, Basil, and Ricotta
What are your favorite creative toppings? We’d love to hear about them in the comments below. And don’t forget to give this recipe a 5-star rating to show how much you loved it!
Photos by Kelli McGrane, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published by Shanna Mallon on April 26, 2012. Last updated: August 1, 2022 at 16:17 pm.
Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.
The written contents of this article have been reviewed and verified by a registered dietitian for informational purposes only. This article should not be construed as personalized or professional medical advice. Foodal and Ask the Experts, LLC assume no liability for the use or misuse of the material presented above. Always consult with a medical professional before changing your diet, or using supplements or manufactured or natural medications.
About Kelli McGrane, MS, RD
Kelli McGrane is a Denver-based registered dietitian with a lifelong love of food. She holds undergraduate and master’s degrees in nutrition science from Boston University. As a registered dietitian, she believes in the importance of food to nourish not only your body, but your soul as well. Nutrition is very personal, and you won’t find any food rules here, other than to simply enjoy what you eat.
This pizza crust looks wonderful I will have to make it!
Absolutely beautiful.
I really want to make this pizza for my sister (she’s a gluten-free girl).
Beautiful!
gorgeous blog and photos, just discovered it, my friend showed me the link and I’m glad she did(: i love the way you write, the photos, and that lean towards healthy food and cooking. will keep checking back for more
x
I bookmarked this recipe as soon as I saw it but still haven’t got around to making it. Your gorgeous pictures have made me determined to try it this weekend 🙂
My husband adores cauliflower, and although I’m not sure he’d expect it in a pizza crust, I’m going to surprise him one of these days. Wonderful!
This looks AMAZING! I Love making pizza crust with cauliflower and broccoli, too!
I loved this post. Thank you for sharing. And I love your blog and your cooking.
What lovely photos on here also! I love, love, love all these delicious foods. Come cook for me. 😉
A wonderfully delicious recipe!!! I made the pizza and it was easy and sooooo good!!! What an awesome alternative!!!! Thank you so much for sharing!
I’m a sucker for unusual recipes so I had to try this. Doing it I thought it couldn’t possibly work – another trip into unusual but a failure – then we tasted it – WONDERFUL! We ate half – then yesterday I warmed up the other half – thought it was even better!! I’m cutting down on breads (which I love being a long time home baker) so I’ll make this again and again – I actually like it better than pizza with the usual crust. A good recipe is a good recipe!
This recipe looks awesome! I just made almond meal and flax pizza crusts (going to write about it this week) and it was awesome. This recipe reminds me of it! Thanks for sharing.
i just tried a recipe like this last night and i like the sound of this one so much! going to try it one next:) thx a bazillion.
This is so yummy! I made it tonight and did one with tomatoes, green onions and green beans and another with regular onions and chorizo. (I don’t eat cheese.)
However, the bottom of the crust toasted a lot even on the non-stick pan that I sprayed. It completely stuck but I was able to spatula-off the middle layer to enjoy my pizzas. Any suggestions? Thanks!
So glad to hear that, Rachel! Could you try doing it on parchment next time? That should help. Enjoy!
I got your recipe and finally had a chance to try it last night. All of our guests loved it-even the ones who are skeptical of grain-free/dairy free eating were super impressed! Thanks for doing the footwork for this, it turned out really well. 😀
I made this tonight and the crust got super dark around the outside but barely stuck together in the middle. Any tips? (very tasty, will use this regularly if I can figure this crust issue out!)
Hi, Katie! You know, I’m honestly not sure about that. I know that ours did hold together in the middle…. off the top of our heads, we wonder if you could try building up the edges of the dough (like making the edges thicker with dough to accommodate for the quicker bake) and making the middle thinner. Good luck!
I’d also think that if you had a pizza stone, that would be huge. It gets preheated with the oven and makes for a crisper overall result with any pizza dough, so I imagine it would help this, too.
Do you consider almond meal to be the same product as almond flour? I have blanched almond flour here at home.
This crust and pizza looks good. Thanks for the recipe!
Almond meal means the almonds still had the skins on them; blanched almond flour, they didn’t. While I haven’t tried this recipe with flour, I bet it would work! Let me know how it goes!
Hello! Can corn meal sub in for almond meal?
Hi Nadejda, I’m honestly not sure, as I’ve only tried it with almond meal. If it’s an almond allergy that makes you want to switch, maybe try a different nut? If it’s a desire to stay from all nuts, it might be better to look for a different recipe. However, if you’re willing to risk it, try subbing the cornmeal and let me know how it goes! : )
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe! Worked great! My daughter and I loved it. 🙂
I’ve been following your page for a while but just stumbled on this post because I’m very interested in making a cauliflower crust. 🙂
Been thinking of making cauliflower pizza crust for a while now, and I’m wondering, apart from almond flour, what other types of flour can I use? I suppose normal all-purpose is fine?
You know, honestly, I haven’t it tried it with anything besides almond flour.
This looks very delicious! I will have to try it one day soon! Love pizza but not the carbs, so this is perfect!
I was looking for a cauliflower pizza crust and this recipe looks just right. Thank you for doing all the experimenting so I have an easier time.
This looks so good. Every time I eat pizza I get sick, due to the wheat. I really need to make this one.
I just wanted to make sure the cauliflower is raw when you rice it. I’ve seen other recipes that say you need to rice it, then cook it before making into a crust. This looks yummy.
Great question, Bonnie. Yes, raw cauliflower. We added a note on this in the Cooking By Numbers section for clarity. Thanks!