Vegan Cauliflower Pizza with Basil Pesto

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This easy Vegan Cauliflower Pizza with a delicious low-carb cauliflower crust is the perfect healthy alternative to a traditional pizza! Now you can indulge whenever you like.

Cauliflower is definitely “in” right now. It’s an incredibly versatile ingredient that can replace so many high carb foods, so it’s easy to see why! From rice to oatmeal to a thickener in soup, it’s seriously amazing what this little veggie can do.

And vegan cauliflower pizza may just be my favorite use for cauliflower yet!

This pizza recipe is healthy, easy to make, and even more importantly, it tastes AMAZING! The dough bakes up into a delicious, crunchy crust that’s perfect for adding all of your favorite toppings. Now, you can satisfy your pizza craving without the guilt!

How to make a vegan cauliflower pizza

It only takes a few simple steps to make delicious cauliflower pizza crust. You’ll cook the cauliflower rice, combine the dough ingredients, shape into a crust, and bake. Once the crust is almost done, add the toppings and place back in the oven to finish!

Here are the detailed step-by-step instructions:

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 375 F (190°C).

Step 2: To make cauliflower rice from scratch, cut a large head of cauliflower into smaller florets. Grate these florets using a box grater with medium-sized holes or use a grater attachment on your food processor. Alternatively, you can buy pre-riced cauliflower.

Step 3: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the riced cauliflower. Mix and cook for 5 minutes until the rice is soft.

Step 4: Drain the cauliflower rice with a fine mesh strainer or a kitchen towel. Once most of the water has drained, set the rice aside to cool for 5 minutes.

Step 5: While the cauliflower rice is cooling, mix the flaxseed meal and water and form it into a ball. Set aside.

Step 6: Wrap the cooled cauliflower rice in the dish towel and ring out as much water as you can. You want to remove as much moisture as possible.

Step 7: Add the cauliflower rice, prepared flaxseed ball, almond flour, oregano, onion powder, sea salt, and chopped basil leaves to a large mixing bowl.

Step 8: Use your hands to combine the ingredients thoroughly.

Step 9: Spread the dough on a baking sheet dusted with gluten-free flour and shape into a circle. It should be roughly 1/2 inch (1.5 cm) thick with slightly thicker edges.

Step 10: Bake the crust for 30 minutes, then remove from the oven.

Step 11: Add a thin layer of tomato sauce and your chosen toppings. Bake for another 10-15 minutes until the edges are golden brown and the base is cooked through.

Step 12: While the pizza is in the oven, add all of the ingredients for the basil pesto into a food processor and process until they come together. If it isn’t mixing smoothly, add some water.

Step 13: Remove the pizza from the oven, spread some of the freshly prepared basil pesto onto the pizza, and serve hot.

That’s it! This cauliflower pizza tastes just as good (maybe even better) than anything you can order, and it’s MUCH healthier!

Why is cauliflower pizza crust healthier? 

In general, veggies simply have a better nutritional profile than processed grain, which is what “normal” pizza dough is made off.

But that’s not the whole story.

This recipe is low-carb (12 grams per serving with 5.5 grams of fiber), gluten-free, and grain-free. Because we don’t use cheese in the crust, it’s also dairy-free and vegan.

All of this makes it the perfect healthy choice for people with many types of food allergies or intolerances. And if you add healthy toppings like fresh veggies or mushrooms, this pizza becomes a true powerhouse of healthy and delicious nutrition!

Tip: If you really don’t like cauliflower, you can always try a low-carb fathead crust instead. It’s a crust based on cheese so it’s very low-carb but high in fat.

How to make the basil pesto

If you’ve never made a pesto of any kind before, don’t stress! Pesto is super simple to prepare and can be used in so many ways.

To make the basil pesto, simply put all the ingredients into a food processor and process until the desired consistency.

Seriously, that’s all you have to do! Your basil pesto is ready to be enjoyed.

You can also adjust the pesto to fit your tastes very easily. To make the basil pesto oil free, substitute the olive oil with vegetable broth. I like to add a bit of water to the pesto as well to make it spread over the pizza easily. 

If you don’t have pine nuts in your pantry and you need a good substitute, you can use walnuts instead. They have a similar taste to the pine nuts and will still give the pesto a rich and creamy taste. 

You can use leftover pesto in many creative ways! It works perfectly as a pasta sauce, as a dressing on salads, in a wrap, or as a tasty garnish for roasted vegetables.

Tips for making a perfect cauliflower crust

This recipe is pretty simple, but I do have a few tips to make sure your vegan cauliflower pizza base comes out perfectly.

The biggest tip is to remove as much moisture from the ingredients as possible. This allows the cauliflower crust to crisp up beautifully!

To keep the moisture low, make sure you wring as much water out the cooked cauliflower rice as you can. Next, after the crust has baked, use a thin layer of tomato sauce so it won’t seep into the crust too much. Finally, try sautéing your toppings before putting them on the pizza to help the vegetables release excess moisture and keep the base crunchy. 

You can also change the taste of the crust pretty dramatically by adding herbs or spices. Cauliflower absorbs strong flavors like chili or garlic very well! So feel free to have some fun with it.

Storage

Want to know one of the best parts about this cauliflower crust recipe?

It can be made in advance and stored… meaning you can have ready-to-go pizza whenever you want!

After the first 30-minute bake, allow the crust to completely cool. Then, simply store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer. When you’re in the mood for pizza, just add your favorite toppings and toss it in the oven for 10-15 minutes.

I highly recommend keeping a crust (or two) in your freezer. You never know when the pizza craving will strike, but when you have quick, healthy, and delicious options on hand, you can easily indulge your craving without any guilt.

If you have any leftover pizza with the toppings, you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Keep in mind that the toppings may seep into the crust and make it a bit soggy, but it will still taste delicious! 

Other healthy cauliflower recipes to try

I love finding new, delicious ways to use cauliflower. It’s such an amazing ingredient! Here are a few more cauliflower recipes that I highly recommend:

• Roasted Cauliflower Mash
• Chicken Cauliflower Casserole
• Low-Carb Buffalo Cauliflower Wings

You can also check out my roundup of my favorite low-carb cauliflower recipes for even more inspiration!