When cauliflower pizza crust first started making its way around the internet, I quickly dismissed the idea because clearly it was crazy. Besides the fact that a bland colorless vegetable is no substitution for soft, chewy, carb heaven, I don’t even really like cauliflower (except roasted. In our garlic oil. Then can eat 947 pounds of it at a time), so why would I ever disgrace the name of pizza with it?
But then a saw a couple of my blogger friends comment that it was a hit in their homes and I became intrigued. Still, I made it just for myself, because there was obviously no way anyone in my family was actually going to eat this. But guess what? They did. My kids each ate an entire pepperoni cauliflower pizza.
Now obviously this isn’t going to taste like bread. Obviously. But if you’re really trying to eat lighter, or you can’t have wheat and carbs for whatever reason, this is a pretty awesome little trick to have up your sleeve. It’s definitely a different texture and flavor than actual crust so set your expectations accordingly and you might be pleasantly surprised.
So you start with some pulverized cauliflower. This is the same process as when you’re making cauliflower rice. My food processor bit the dust, so I’ve just been using a standard cheese grater and it works great. A high-powered blender like Blendtec or Vitamix works as well.
You’ll cook it in the microwave until it’s soft, and then press out the liquid. It’s important that you really get out as much liquid as you possibly can so I put it in a fine mesh strainer and press the heck out of it with a spatula and then smash it with a few layers of paper towels as well. I’ve noticed that sometimes I expel a huge amount of liquid, and sometimes hardly any at all, but give it a good press regardless.
To that, we’ll add an egg, some cheese, and seasonings. Now there are lots of recipes floating around the internet for this and they’re all basically the same, but the quantity of ingredients really vary. The first recipe I tried called for over a cup of cheese, which in my opinion didn’t make this any less caloric than normal pizza crust! It also made it taste like a souffle, which was weird. I played around with the ratios until I got something I liked that cooked well, and used enough cheese for flavor and texture, without going overboard. When I kept recipe hunting, I found my ratios were almost identical to this recipe, so I tried her seasoning mix and it was great. She has a few more steps (and optional ingredients) if you want to check out her post.
Once you have your mixture, you’ll press it into a flat pizza shape. I’m making 2 small pizzas here.
Then you’ll bake them in the oven until it’s really golden brown.
After that, you can top it any way you like. My kiddos ate this turkey pepperoni and cheese pizza with no questions asked. They knew it was obviously different, but they still ate the whole thing without complaint so I consider that a win!
For my own pizza, I love the classic combo of sliced roma tomatoes, mozzarella, and fresh basil.
The secret that really makes it taste amazing is a little drizzle of our Dipping Oil right over the top!
This sort of recipe is one of those ones that is in my opinion, all about the toppings. If you taste the crust by itself, it’s okay, but what makes it taste great is adding on delicious toppings, and then it becomes a really low-cal carrier for all of that deliciousness. So I do recommend using pizza sauce and flavorful toppings!
Cauliflower Pizza Crust
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups grated or ground cauliflower use a food processor or cheese grater
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
- kosher salt
- 1 egg slightly beaten
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425.
- Place cauliflower in a heat-safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap with a few holes to vent. Microwave for 4 minutes, remove plastic, and stir to cool it off a little. Place cauliflower in a fine mesh strainer and use a rubber spatula to press cauliflower against strainer, pushing out any liquid. Use several paper towels and press down to absorb more liquid. You could also ring it out in a clean, dry tea towel.
- Place cauliflower in a bowl and fluff with a fork. Add basil, oregano, garlic, Parmesan, and mozzarella. Mix well and taste. Add salt to taste (I find depending on the saltiness of my Parmesan, I need a few pinches of salt). Add egg and stir to blend completely.
- Press mixture out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper that's been sprayed with non-stick spray (I've found parchment produces better results that a silicone baking sheet). Press out to about 1/4 inch or slightly thicker. Keep mixture tight together and in an even layer. You can bake one large pizza or multiple smaller ones.
- Place pan in oven and bake until golden brown. My pizzas tend to vary in time so sight is the best indicator. Generally 15-20 minutes is a good time frame, and it should be starting to brown on top. Remove from oven, top with desired toppings, and return to oven to melt cheese, etc. Let rest for a couple of minutes and then slice and serve.
Have any of you tried cauliflower pizza crust? Any tips or tricks you’ve discovered?
Questions & Reviews
I truly appreciate the creativity and health-conscious approach behind this cauliflower pizza crust recipe from Our Best Bites. It’s a delightful alternative to traditional pizza dough, allowing me to indulge guilt-free while still enjoying the delicious flavors of pizza!
Getting ready to try this. My sister and I made it quite some years ago and if I recall after we riced the cauliflower we lightly pan fried it to get it dry. It worked for us and I’m not sure if I still have the original pin but going to give it a try again today. Thanks!!!
Delish! I’ve made it twice.
I never used to like cauliflower in dishes but this particular recipe made by my mom amazed me to know that it’s actually made from cauliflower! Loved it to the core. Is it necessary to add the egg as an ingredient?
I’m a little late to the party, I know, but this was delicious! Though I made regular pizza for my picky kid first and had a slice, so my first bite was “ugh, cauliflower.” It’s even good reheated.
My sieve is too weaksauce to wring out much water, so I used a paper towel, which worked okay, but I destroyed that towel and had a little more liquid left. Haha.
I’ve just squeezed the water out of my cauliflower and I was amazed at how much came out! I must have been squeezing a bit too hard as my drying cloth burst!! Can’t wait to see what it tastes like ?
I made this and the taste is wonderful, I used cherry tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and pepperoni for the topping. I could cut it into a regular slice and pick it up. But getting the water out was a upper arm workout (didn’t have a strainer fine enough to us) so I had to use the ring it out through a towel – many towels. Would be worth it again from time to time.
I just made this tonight and it was AWESOME!! My son who is the pickiest eater ever even loved it! The flavor of the curst is amazing! The spice mixture is perfect. I will definitely be making this again! But, I was wondering if you can make the curst ahead of time and then just add the toppings and heat it up when your ready to eat? If so, this would be a great idea for a busy weeknight meal.
I’ve never actually done it that way- you’d have to try it out and let us know!
I was super skeptical about a cauliflower crust for a pizza, but wanted to try it and see… I LOVE it!! You can’t even tell it is cauliflower! Going to be making this many more times.
Your recipe sounds delicious, I will try, I was reading thru comments, one person asked could you replace cheese because of allergies…Nutritional yeast is used in alot of vegan recipes…Do you think nutritional yeast would work, taste like cheese, looks like parmesan cheese…it can be sprinkled on potatoes, cauliflower to get the cheese taste….
You’ll just have to try it- I have no idea!
I made this for supper last night and it worked perfectly. Could I dry out the cauliflower in a Walmart dehydrator. Just like how I would dry banana chips.
Mine always sticks to the parchment; how do I prevent this?
Spray your parchment with non-stick spray!
Use a SilPat, or silicone baking mat!
Excellent..loved it