Cauliflower, the humble white vegetable, has finally seen its day in the sun. Cauliflower is the new star in the vegetable world. This versatile vegetable is getting attention in the culinary scene. It can be roasted, boiled, steamed, marinated, grilled, and mashed.
Table of Contents
It can replace potatoes and rice, and you can even make a pizza crust with it. Cauliflower pizza crust has joined the pizza community as a new way to enjoy an old classic. And making homemade cauliflower pizza crust is easy; let us show you how.
What is Cauliflower Crust Pizza?
Cauliflower pizza crust is exactly what it sounds like pizza crust made from cauliflower. You can buy pre-made cauliflower pizza crust or make your own. We have tried a few pre-made cauliflower pizza crusts with varying levels of satisfaction.
Some were a little too chewy, some were a little too bland, some had the texture of cardboard, and others were pretty decent, but we knew we could make it better.
We follow the motto that homemade is always better, so we decided to start making our own cauliflower pizza crust. We have found the perfect way to turn this bland white vegetable into a tasty pizza.
Why Make Homemade Cauliflower Pizza Crust?
Before we get to the recipe, you might be asking yourself, why make cauliflower pizza crust? And that is a great question. There are several reasons to make cauliflower pizza crust. For those that eat a low-carb diet like keto or Atkins, cauliflower pizza crust makes pizza possible.
And for folks that follow a gluten-free diet or have Celiac, the gluten in traditional pizza crust will make them sick, so this is a safe alternative. Another fun option for a different taste is a tater tot pizza crust.
Additionally, a big reason to eat cauliflower pizza crust is that cauliflower is rich in fiber with only 25 calories per cup; it’s a great vegetable to start using if you are watching your weight.
So whether you follow a specific diet, are trying to lose weight, or just like trying new things, cauliflower pizza crust is worth knowing how to make. And our homemade version is really good, try it, and you can thank us later. And after you’ve tried that, we highly recommend trying some more of our healthy low carb pizza snacks.
How to Make Homemade Cauliflower Crust Pizza
Making homemade cauliflower pizza crust is easier than you might think, but it does take some time. Having the right pizza accessories will make the process easier.
Things you will need:
- Food processor
- Steamer
- Cheesecloth or nut milk bag
- Parchment paper
- Baking sheet or pizza stone
- Pizza cutter
You can use fresh cauliflower or frozen or pre-riced cauliflower. If you choose to use fresh cauliflower, then you will need to give it a rough chop and pulse it in a food processor to get it riced. Then, steam it in either a steamer or microwave for a few minutes. And make sure you sharpen your pizza cutter to get through this thicker crust.
If you use frozen cauliflower chunks, then you need to defrost and then rice it.
If you use frozen pre-riced cauliflower, then just empty the bag into a colander and let it thaw.
We prefer to use frozen riced cauliflower because it saves time in an already lengthy process. Most major grocery stores, including Costco, now sell pre-riced frozen cauliflower, so it’s not difficult to find.
Once you have your cauliflower riced and ready, you will need to place it in a cheesecloth or nut milk bag and squeeze out all of the moisture. This takes a little time, and when you think you are done, squeeze again. This step is important because you want the mixture to have as little moisture as possible. So keep squeezing.
Once you have squeezed out as much moisture as possible, you are ready to add the other ingredients to make the cauliflower pizza dough.
Ingredients you will need:
- 1 head of fresh cauliflower or frozen cauliflower, or pre-riced cauliflower
- ½ Cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ Cup Parmesano Reggiano
- 2 eggs
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Mix all of the ingredients together with clean hands. It will be kind of a mushy mess, but that’s okay. Lay out a piece of parchment paper on either a baking sheet or a pizza stone and spread the mixture around.
You want to aim for the crust to be about ¼ of an inch thick. You can do a traditional round shape or a square. It doesn’t matter as long as the thickness is consistent.
If you like to meal prep, you can make several personal crusts and freeze them for later. Just make sure to cook the crusts and let them cool before placing them in the freezer.
Bake in a preheated oven at 400º F for fifteen minutes. Then take it out and flip it onto the baking sheet. You can discard the parchment paper and bake for another ten to fifteen minutes and remove it.
At this point, you can set it aside until you are ready to actually make pizza. If you are going to top it within a few hours, you can leave it out. But if you are ready to make your pizza, just add your favorite sauce and toppings, then bake again for 8 minutes.
Pro Tips
- Choose a low-moisture mozzarella and save the fresh mozzarella for topping.
- Always thoroughly cook proteins like chicken, fish, and beef before using them as toppings.
- For a crispier crust, add a pinch or two of rice flour or almond flour.
- Make sure to use parchment paper and not wax paper.
- Freeze baked crusts for convenience.
- Add red pepper flakes to give the crust a little kick.
- Trim the excess parchment paper before putting the crust in the oven.
- Use a pre-made crust in your pizza oven.
We made ours with pepperoni, but you could make it healthier by adding veggies.
Have you tried making homemade cauliflower pizza crust?
