Want a healthier pizza crust? Try this cauliflower pizza crust recipe and satisfy your pizza cravings without cheating on your healthy lifestyle. Plus tips for how to make the crust vegan, dairy-free, and without a food processor!
Pizza. It's glorious, isn't it?
I mean with all the savory goodness, bubbly cheese, and delicious, chewy and crispy crust?
I'm like a huge fan of pizza. Pizza and me are buds.
Or, at least...we used to be buds.
My new healthy lifestyle doesn't really allow for much pizza anymore, except on cheat days (which often involve pizza fo sho).
I had to take matters into my own hands. I needed a way to sneak pizza into my new healthy, clean lifestyle.
But, how?
Oh, I'll tell ya how: cauliflower.
Yup, cauliflower. I've said it before and I'll say it again: There's seriously nothing cauliflower can't do.
You can turn it into rice, cheese sauce, mashed potatoes, and...CAULIFLOWER PIZZA DOUGH.
It's cool, I'll wait for you to finish your happy dance. I'll dance with you.
Woot. Woot.
I've been wanting to learn how to make cauliflower pizza crust for like EVER. It always seemed super fussy so I kinda avoided it.
Finally, though, I tried it for myself and it was ... almost... glorious. The truth is, the first time I tried making it on my own, I made a couple rookie mistakes, being the cauliflower pizza dough newbie that I was.
Psh...newb.
Watch How To Make It
Is Cauliflower Pizza Crust Healthy?
Yes, cauliflower pizza crust is a healthy pizza crust option. The short answer to this question is – more veggies in your diet = a healthier diet.
Reasons Why Cauliflower Pizza Crust is Healthy:
- cauliflower pizza crust has fewer carbs than regular pizza crust (a regular pizza crust has approximately 38 g carbs versus just 10.9 g)
- cauliflower pizza crust is easily made into a gluten-free, which means people with gluten intolerance or Celiac disease can enjoy it, too
- can easily be adjusted to meet your dietary needs
- can be made dairy-free or vegan if you want (keep reading if you want to learn how)
- cauliflower is a an excellent source of minerals, vitamins, antioxidants,
- cauliflower is high in fiber, which reduces inflammation and keeps the digestive system healthy
- cauliflower pizza crust is a great low-carb alternative for grains, versatile, and easy to incorporate into your diet
See? Cauliflower really is the most versatile veggie in the world of veggies. It's full of fiber and other natural goodness. Plus: yum! For more reasons why, check out my post on all sorts of amazing cauliflower recipes!
How to Rice Cauliflower
You certainly don’t need a food processor to make cauliflower pizza crust but if you have one, your job will be easier and less messy.
To rice cauliflower with a food processor…
- cut the cauliflower into small florets;
- add the cauliflower florets to the food processor;
- pulse the cauliflower florets until small pieces are formed.
Do I Need a Food Processor for Cauliflower Pizza Crust?
You'll need to turn the cauliflower into cauliflower rice using either a food processor or a kitchen grater. See my article on how to make cauliflower rice if you need more help on this. Essentially, both a food processor and kitchen grater will turn your cauliflower into small, rice-sized pieces, but the method varies a little. With the food processor, it's quick and easy, but the clean-up takes a bit longer. With the kitchen grater, there's less to clean, but the method takes a little longer. It's really up to your preference and what you have in your kitchen.
How To Make Cauliflower Pizza Crust Without A Food Processor
If you don’t own a food processor, use a kitchen grater and it'll work just as well. Here’s what you have to do:
- cut cauliflower into larger florets;
- push the box grater across cauliflower florets until you make small pieces. Watch out for your knuckles!
Can I Use Store-Bought Cauliflower Rice?
Yes, totally - you can use store-bought cauliflower rice to make cauliflower pizza crust. I prefer to make my own cauliflower rice since it’s very easy to do it but you can use store-bought cauliflower rice if you prefer. If you use pre-riced cauliflower, there’s no need to cook the cauliflower, but you'll still need to use the cheesecloth method to squeeze excess water since there will be some and that's really the secret to crispy cauliflower pizza crust.
How To Cook Cauliflower Rice For Pizza Crust
Once you've riced your cauliflower, you'll need to cook it to soften it before turning it into cauliflower pizza crust. To do this, follow these simple steps:
- Lay out the "rice" evenly on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. TIP: Don't use aluminum foil because it will cause the cauliflower rice to stick and will be very difficult to remove.
- Roast for 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees, tossing every so often.
- Once the rice is tender and beginning to turn golden brown, remove the rice from the oven and transfer into a clean, thin dishtowel or cheesecloth and allow to cool.
The next step is to remove the excess moisture from the cauliflower before adding any additional ingredients.
How To Remove Excess Liquid From Cauliflower Rice
Believe it or not, this step makes a BIG difference in the final texture of your crust and is totally worth the small extra effort. You'll need to squeeze out the liquid from the cooked cauliflower before forming the crust. You absolutely don't wanna skip this step. You know me - I skip steps when they're unnecessary. BUT that's not the case here - with the cauliflower, you wanna make sure you remove as much liquid from the cooked cauliflower as possible so the resulting crust isn't soggy.
Trust me on this one.
I use cheesecloth for this step, but you can also use a clean kitchen towel or paper towels - though this cheesecloth, I've found, is the best suited and makes the least amount of mess. It's also okay to squeeze the cauliflower as hard as you can - you won't hurt it 🙂
How To Cook Cauliflower Pizza Crust
Once you have the cauliflower rice cooked and squeezed of as much excess liquid as possible, it's time to mix it with the remaining ingredients, and then form it into a crust shape. To do this, follow these easy steps:
- On a clean, new sheet of parchment paper, pour the rice mixture out and form into a small rectangle. IMPORTANT: Do not use aluminum foil for this step, as the crust will stick. Trust me on this one - foil is bad news.
- Keep the dough about ⅓ of an inch thick and try to mold it to be as even and as flat as possible. You can also form the edges to stand up to mimic a crust.
- Once the crust is fully formed, place back into the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the crust is firm and golden brown.
At this point, you can top with whatever normal pizza toppings you prefer. I've added one of my favorite ways to top cauliflower pizza crust, but any of your fave pizza toppings will be amazing!
How to Make Cauliflower Pizza Crust Crispier
Next, you want to make it crispier. While squeezing out as much liquid as possible will super help with this, there's another important step to do to make crispier cauliflower pizza crust: pre-bake it. Make sure to cook the crust in the oven BEFORE adding any toppings. This will help it get nice and crispy around the edges once it bakes again with all the toppings on it.
Now that you have what to do and what not to do, you should be good to nail this cauliflower pizza crust on your first try - it's totally possible and so worth it. In fact, this crust is just as good - if not even BETTER - than many flour-based crusts I've had in my day.
Cauliflower, where will you take me next?
How Many Carbs Are In Cauliflower Pizza Crust?
A regular pizza crust has approximately 38 grams of carbs. Cauliflower pizza crust, on the other hand, has only 10.9 grams. If you weren’t convinced up until this point, I’m pretty sure now you want to learn how to make pizza crust out of cauliflower!
What Ingredients You Need to Make Cauliflower Pizza?
This cauliflower pizza crust recipe requires the following simple ingredients:
- 1 large cauliflower head
- 1 egg
- dried oregano
- sea salt
- garlic powder
- parmesan
- goat cheese
Keep reading if you want to learn to make cauliflower pizza crust vegan. And, if you hate goat cheese, you can use any soft cheese you prefer to get the same creamy texture.
How To Make Cauliflower Pizza Crust Without Cheese (Vegan)
I use cheese and egg in this cauliflower pizza crust to add texture and help hold it together. However, you can easily replace both with just a few quick replacements.
- Instead of an egg, make a flax egg by combining 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed meal with 3 tablespoons of water. Just mix together, and then let sit for 5-10 minutes to thicken.
- To replace the cheese, you can use garbanzo bean flour.
- Instead of the parmesan and goat cheese, add ¼ cup chickpea flour to create the vegan cauliflower pizza dough. If you’d like to add a little “cheese” flavor, you can add in a tablespoon or two of nutritional yeast, too.
Did I miss an ingredient you'd like to replace? Let me know in the comments below!
How Long Can Cauliflower Pizza Last
You can make this easy cauliflower pizza crust ahead of time and store it in the fridge or freeze it. The cauliflower pizza crust will last for…
- up to a week in the fridge;
- up to 3 months in the freezer.
How To Freeze And Store Cauliflower Pizza Crust
Yep, you can make this easy cauliflower pizza crust ahead of time and freeze it. After cooking the pizza, allow it to cool, and then place into an airtight container or freezer safe ziplock bag. You can add the toppings on the cauliflower pizza crust and freeze them together or just store the crust.
When you crave pizza, all you have to do is remove your pizza crust from the freezer, add your favorite toppings (or not if you opted for freezing them together), and reheat it in the oven for 10 minutes at 425° F. Easy peasy.
Healthy Cauliflower Recipes
Since for me one cauliflower recipe is never enough, I gotta share more with you some more. All just as healthy as the cauliflower pizza crust. These cauliflower recipes are proof that cauliflower is so versatile and amazing.
- Low-Carb Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
- How To Make Cauliflower Pizza Crust + My Go-To Cauliflower Pizza Recipe
- Cauliflower Tortillas (Just 42 Calories!)
- Slow Cooker Chicken Cauliflower Curry
- Cauliflower Cheese Sauce
- Spicy Cauliflower Burgers With Sweet Potato Buns
How To Make Cauliflower Pizza Crust
*This post may contain affiliate links for products I use often and highly recommend.
Ingredients
For The Cauliflower Crust:
- 1 large head cauliflower (to make 3 cups cauliflower rice)
- 1 egg*
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoon parmesan, shredded*
- 3 oz goat cheese*
For The Pizza Toppings:
- 1 boneless skinless chicken breast
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- handful baby spinach
- 3-4 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Turn the cauliflower into rice using either a kitchen grater and grating the cauliflower just like you would cheese or using a food processor. (While the food processor makes quick work of the cauliflower and creates a more even size, the kitchen grater is much easier to clean and adds a little more texture. Either way will do so it’s up to your preference.)
- Grate enough of the cauliflower to produce 3 packed cups of cauliflower rice.
- Lay out the "rice" evenly on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. TIP: Using aluminum foil will cause the cauliflower rice to stick and will be very difficult to remove.
- We need to first roast the cauliflower to soften it before creating our crust so place this into the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes, tossing every so often.
- Once the rice is tender and beginning to turn golden brown, remove the rice from the oven and transfer into a clean, thin dishtowel or cheesecloth.
- Wrap up the rice and twist the towel to squeeze any excess moisture out. Be careful not to burn your hands. (Believe it or not, this step makes a big difference in the final texture of your crust and is totally worth the small extra effort.)
- Place the drained rice into a mixing bowl, along with the egg, dried oregano, ¼ tsp,. kosher salt, garlic powder, grated parmesan cheese, and crumbled goat cheese. Mix this together until fully combined.
- On a clean, new sheet of parchment paper, pour the rice mixture out and form into a small rectangle. Do not use aluminum foil for this step, as the crust will stick.
- Keep the dough about ⅓ of an inch thick and try to mold it to be as even and as flat as possible. You can also form the edges to stand up to mimic a crust.
- Once the crust is fully formed, place back into the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the crust is firm and golden brown.
- At this point, you can top with whatever normal pizza toppings you prefer.
- For the pizza pictured, I drizzled olive oil over the cooked crust, followed by diced chicken breast, followed by a handful of baby spinach and about 2-3 ounces of sliced mozzarella cheese.
- Once you have your toppings, place back into the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and the spinach is wilted, about 6-8 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes before slicing into quarters using a pizza cutter.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This post contains affiliate links for products and tools I use frequently and highly recommend.
The Chicken and Souvlaki Co
Thanks for sharing with us an informative info like HOW TO MAKE CAULIFLOWER PIZZA CRUST.
Paricia S.
Lovrd yoye eecipe! Will try. PS: I ❤ goat cheese.
Cheesey Bites - Nunawading
Thanks for giving us an informative information about hoe to make CAULIFLOWER PIZZA RECIPE. we will try to make it and represent to our customer to taste and reviewing and after that we add it in our delicious menu.
Indian Lounge
Thanks for sharing with us very crucial information about how to make CAULIFLOWER PIZZA CRUST. we will try at our home as well as our restaurant very soon and serve and guide to our effective customer about CAULIFLOWER PIZZA CRUST and after reviewing customer thought of CAULIFLOWER PIZZA CRUST, we will add it in our delicious menu. Thank you..
RedOne
Would this work with out the salt or would it be very bland?
Sergio
Thanks for sharing… Looks so yummy. Will have to try this for my family.
Nowhere Girl
Caulliflower rice?? Absolutely not available anywhere in Poland. For us the grater is the only option.
Not that I regret it much, it's really not a big problem. But I like experimenting with food colours and so I'd love to see yellow carrot and red or blue cornmeal available in Poland.
Mary
Just made this crust because I am wheat intolerant and, because I was just really curious how it would taste and whether or not I would like the texture. It really is great! Rich taste and firm texture. I am going to use it often. I used my Nutribullet to pulse small batches of the whole cauliflower at a time which made it super easy.
Lacey Baier
That's so great! I'm happy it turned out for you - having a non-wheat pizza option is a necessity! 🙂
Bruce Frick
I read your recipe and it sounds great. But, as a single senior I don't bake and don't have all the kitchen supplies. My question is, can you buy pre made frozen cauliflower sheets in any frozen food section. Pull it out of a box pre cook it and then add your toppings an oven bake it? If not, I wish someone would for us challenged men wishing too reduce our calories and love pizza!
Adriana
Look into sprouts they have frozen cauliflower crust and pizza with toppings
Lacey Baier
Great idea!!
Lacey Baier
That's a great way to save some time and effort - no need to worry about that step if you'd rather not!
Andrea Quintero
Tried it ..loved it..shared it! This is an awesome recipe. After making it once the second time was much much easier and faster. I used my own topping and substituted the goat cheese with queso fresco. Worked great! I will try the goat cheese, once i find it!
Lacey Baier
Oooooooh! LOVE that idea <3 So glad you enjoyed it!
Emily
This is so good! Definitely the best cauliflower crust I've ever made. I used frozen cauliflower rice and it came out perfect.
Lacey Baier
YAY! Thanks for letting me know!!!! xoxo
Cyndi Hernandez
I loved this pizza crust! It has been difficult to find tasty things to eat since I’ve been on a Candida diet, but this option to regular pizza may be something I will continue eating once my detox regimen is complete! I didn’t have goat cheese and can’t have Parmesan, so I substituted just mozzarella and it came out great! Thank you!
Lacey Baier
AWESOME - thanks for letting us know mozzarella is a good substitute!
Adele
Fantastic! I did not change the recipe at all, but I confess to changing the method a tad. I riced the raw cauliflower in the food processor, tossed it into a covered bowl and nuked it for 7 minutes with one stir in the middle. I then squeezed it dry and continued as written. I did not use the same toppings but used an assortment of Mediterranean veggies and spices. But the crust was perfect, and I can see it being used in a multitude of variations. Personally, I am not a big pizza fan anyway, but I use cauliflower in any way imaginable. I loved this more than any pizza I've ever had. Great job, and thank you.
Lacey Baier
That sounds fantastic! Yep - a microwave option is also a good option to cook the rice - thanks for sharing how it turned out!!
Carol
wow, i just made this. it was actually really good. i was kinda thinking it wouldn't be good. so so so labor intensive though. but the fact that it was so good probably means i will have to make it again. but if i make it again, i will definitely want to make a bunch of crusts at one time. how would i go about freezing them? form them uncooked and freeze them? form, bake, and then cool and freeze? have you tried freezing them before?
also, i liked the goat cheese crumbles in the crust (i used about 2 ounces, not 3 though), but i have people who wouldn't eat goat cheese. what other cheese would you recommend for putting in the dough?
thanks for the recipe!
Lacey Baier
I'm so glad you tried it out and wound up loving it! Yes, it is a little work intensive, but it's soooo worth it!
Katharine T Carroll
I'm really looking forward to trying this. Just curious...at steps 11-14...do you continue to bake crust on parchment paper?
Lacey Baier
Yep, I bake it on the paper at all times, but it's not vital if you'd prefer to use a pizza stone.
Noel
Your recipe is great but your light type is almost impossible to read
Lacey Baier
I'm so sorry - I haven't heard that before.
Tetovare Shala
Thank you , I just tried it and it’s sooooo yummyyyyy🤗🤗
Thanks to your advices it turned out great
Lacey Baier
Woooooot! So glad it turned out well for you 🙂
Pam
Lacey, i will try your recipe, it sounds good. i was wondering if frozen cauli mash can be used? it seems like from your notes, likely not due to the high water content.
Lacey Baier
You can try to use frozen cauliflower rice, but just make sure to remove as much liquid as possible. Mash will likely be the wrong texture, though.
Crystal Brillon
Thank you for this recipe, it's baking in the oven at the moment. I was wondering is it 155 calories per slice or for the whole pizza? =)
Lacey Baier
Yay, I hope you love it! The nutritional info is for one slice with all the toppings mentioned in the recipe 🙂 I've gone ahead and updated the recipe to make that clearer.
David
Recipe does not instruct to use cooking spray when using foil for crust. Mine failed for this reason.
Lacey Baier
Ugh I'm so sorry it failed. Parchment paper is a much better choice because it will stick to aluminum foil. I will make sure to add a note to the recipe for this.
Pat
This is definitely not for a family of 4. This is for a single serve pizza. After you squeeze all of the water out of the cooked cauliflower, there is hardly nothing left. May want to use 2 heads of cauliflower.
Lacey Baier
Good point - yes, it makes a smallish pizza 🙂
Jeanette Wright
Sorry is it raw or cooked chicken ?
Lacey Baier
No need to apologize! The chicken should be cooked before adding as a topping - it won't cook for long enough in the oven with the toppings to be cooked through so we cook it ahead of time.
Sarah
Hi Lacey, quick question before I rush out to try this very appealing recipe. When you roast the cauli, do you do it completely dry, as in no olive oil or anything? I don't know much at all about Clean Eating, I just like cauliflower. Many thanks, Sarah
Lacey Baier
Nope, no need to add any oil for roasting 🙂
Beth
I've made several soggy cauli crusts before even after wringing the heck out of the cauliflower, but never thought to bake it first! Looking forward to trying this very soon! Is the 155 calories per slice or per crust?
Thanks, Laci!
Ann
I'm so sad I spent two hours to make this and the one mistake I made was putting the final crust on tin foil instead of parchment paper. It absolutely stuck to foil, but I know parchment paper would have been more successful. I had to carefully scoop off the pizza into a pile, but it still tastes good.
Lacey Baier
Oh no, that's awful. I've updated the instructions to call out what aluminum foil will do so hopefully that doesn't happen to anyone again.
Teresa
Hi Lacy, can I prepare a day before the cauliflower mix and cook it the next day ??
Lacey Baier
Yes, you should be able to do this 🙂
Gail ALtmiller
Lisa, is it possible to make pie crust with cauliflower?
Lacey Baier
That's a great question. I've never tried. I would think the flavor would lend more towards a pot pie than a sweet pie, though.
Pili
I've been seeing cauliflower pizza crust all over the place but never dared to try. Reading your "not to do" doesn't seem too difficult. I have a question, though. Is it possible to steam the grated cauliflower instead of cooking it in the oven?
Thanks for sharing with us at Two Uses Tuesday!
Lacey Baier
YES - you can steam on the stove or in the microwave - all you need is to get it cooked through so you can squeeze as much liquid out as possible.
Mari Valentenyi
I would love to hear from a reviewer who has actually tried this recipe!
Teresa
Me, and is super delisius
Lacey Baier
Yay, so glad to hear it, Teresa! xoxo
kate paterson
Have you ever made the crust ahead of time and refrigerated it ? or is it best made immediately?
thanks
Lacey Baier
Hi Kate! I've never tried making it ahead of time, but my recommendation is to use it fresh.
tonygump
Just a suggestion, if you cut it corner to corner you will get more traditional style pizza slices.
Lacey Baier
Oh, interesting - thanks for letting me know!
Sarah M
Don't want you to think there are only goat cheese-haters out there! I made this tonight and it was good. You don't really taste the goat cheese (although I do like it). I have been wanting to try a cauliflower crust for a while, so thanks for the great recipe!
Lacey Baier
LOL thanks so much for representing, Sarah! I love goat cheese and was surprised to see how many people were hating on the goat cheese lol. I agree - you really don't taste it in the final crust, but that's easy to say coming from a goat cheese enthusiast lol! 😉
Catherine Cardamone
I really don't like goat cheese. Can you suggest a suitable alternative. Wow, there are tons of recipes with goat cheese nowadays. This recipe looks so good, I hope you can suggest something.
Lacey Baier
Hi Catherine! If it's just the flavor of goat cheese you don't like, you can use the same amount of cream cheese or mascarpone cheese -- both will give you a similar creamy texture without the tanginess of goat cheese. 🙂
Kate|Simply Savory by Kate
Hi Lacey! You make this look so easy - I've wanted to try this for a long time but it seems like a lot. I'm dairy free - can you suggested a good dairy free alternative to the goat cheese? Thanks!
Lacey Baier
Hi Kate!! 🙂 I was tentative to make it for soooo long as well, but it's actually pretty easy which is awesome! So for the goat cheese, I use it to bind everything and to make it smooth and creamy. You have a few options to do this - I did some research and you can actually make your own vegan goat cheese (like this one which uses macadamia and cashews: http://www.spabettie.com/2012/08/17/vegan-goat-cheese-recipe/) or you can purchase it from here: http://sanctuaryatsoledad.org/buy-cheeze?gclid=Cj0KEQiArJe1BRDe_uz1uu-QjvYBEiQACUj6ou5QRPmORKD3YmDp9UUnJ4km_WnRN8zwI3h5Yz_X02kaAmq38P8HAQ I've never tried either, but I would LOVE to know if you try it out. I think it's possible to remove the goat cheese completely and add more egg and cauliflower, but I just haven't tested it enough to know exact amounts. I wish I had a better answer for you...
lisamarie
what can you use on place of goat cheese?
Lacey Baier
Do you not like goat cheese or are you dairy free or vegan? Depending on your answer, I can help you find an alternative 🙂
lisamarie
I am not a big fan of goat cheese and don't want to buy it just for this recipe since I will not use it for anything else.
Lacey Baier
Hi there! I'm getting a lot of goat cheese haters! It's funny because I love goat cheese but hate blue cheese lol. If it’s just the flavor of goat cheese you don’t like, you can use the same amount of cream cheese or mascarpone cheese — both will give you a similar creamy texture without the tanginess of goat cheese. 🙂