Easy Way to Dry Cauliflorwe for Pizza

Finally, here's a cauliflower pizza crust that has everything you're looking for in a healthy, gluten-free pizza crust — tasty, crisp, and light.

It holds quite well in your hands at room temperature, and it makes excellent cold leftovers (if you manage not to gobble everything).

Do it in 7 steps and garnish it as you wish. You can eat it every day without feeling guilty!

Bird's eye view of pizza cut in four slices and spread apart — Vegan cauliflower pizza

The Best Substitute for Traditional Pizza Crust

When I spotted cauliflower-based dough recipes on the web, I was afraid I wouldn't succeed in making it. What if I fail completely? I read discouraging comments from people who complained that their attempts were soggy.

So, being a finished perfectionist and the queen of the shortest path, I wanted a surefire recipe.

I ended up finding a recipe from Detoxinista that looked promising.

And I wasn't disappointed! It was perfect.

The crust doesn't fall apart. It's moist, and you don't even notice the taste of cauliflower.

Be careful, though. It holds well, yes, but it remains quite fragile, like most cauliflower-based crusts. It has floppy edges and is flexible, but it's certainly not soggy.

I've changed a few things, like seasoning the dough, but other than that, it tastes similar to wheat flour pizza crust. This pizza smells great ?. And I was full after a single slice. I think two slices would have been the maximum because each serving is quite rich in protein.

Well, don't expect to eat a junk food-style pizza, okay?

But if you want to eat pizza, at least you can feel like that's what you're doing. The result is stunning!

What's in a Cauliflower Pizza Crust?

Here's what you need to make the cauliflower pizza crust.

The three main ingredients

Flaxseed - to hold the dough, I stirred freshly ground seeds and water together and let the mixture rest until a white-style egg gelatinous substance formed. It's called a flaxseed egg.

Cauliflower - choose a fresh medium cauliflower. That's how you'll make your dough.

Natural almonds - to grind. Commercial almond flour will do the trick too.

Seasonings

Garlic powder - it's hard for me to cook without garlic. Garlic powder has a more concentrated flavor than fresh garlic. But fresh crushed garlic works here too.

Onion powder - I can't do without it, either. I use it everywhere to give flavor. In powder, it's the same principle: the flavor is more concentrated.

Dried parsley - it adds a small dose of iron.

Salt - I always use sea salt.

Toppings

Marinara sauce - I've prepared mine, but any sauce works.

Sliced garlic - more garlic!

Fresh oregano - it's an excellent choice to recall the Italian style.

Macadamia nut ricotta - a ricotta style vegan cheese. I've prepared mine, but if you find something similar and already made, don't mind using it to save time.

Arugula - to add color to the red surface.

How Do You Make Cauliflower Pizza Crust from Scratch?

The recipe begins with cauliflower florets, which are transformed into a rice texture in the food processor. Then, this cauliflower rice is lightly boiled, drained, and pressed dry. This creates the basis of the "paste."

Apparently, it doesn't really matter the order in which you reduce the florets and cook the cauliflower rice.

Afterward, herbs and spices are added with almond flour and a flax "egg". And finally, the dough is then shaped into a ball, patted and spread in a crust, then baked.

Collage of 3 photos: from left to right - cauliflower-based pizza dough with a ball of cauliflower rice on top; cauliflower dough in a bowl; cauliflower rice on top; cauliflower dough shaped into a ball — Making cauliflower rice by squeezing the water out

Collage with 2 photos. Left: bird's eye vire of 2 small coffee plates with seasonings and next to a marinara sauce in a small Mason jar; right: Fully garnished Vegan Cauliflower Crust Pizza with Marinara Sauce — Cauliflower pizza crust dough

Obtain cauliflower rice by reducing cauliflower florets in the food processor.
Place the lightly boiled cauliflower rice in a cheesecloth or nut milk bag.
Squeeze dry.
Add the flour to the almonds and an "egg" of flax and season the dough.
Shape the dough into a ball.

Side by side photo of the marinara sauce in a pot and the garnished pizza — Homemade marinara sauce

Spread out the dough.
Garnish the cauliflower dough and bake.

My Best Tips

To make this pizza crust a success, I spread the dough with a slanted spatula on a pizza pan lined with parchment paper. I kept the edges a little thicker than the center. This allows the middle of the dough to cook faster.

The key to getting a dry vegan cauliflower pizza crust that you can hold with your hands is to drain the moisture first as much as possible.

Use another piece of parchment paper to help you turn the cauliflower pizza crust.

Other Ways to Make a Cauliflower Pizza Crust

The dough: If you have nut allergies, you can try ground sunflower or pumpkin seeds. Maybe even hemp protein powder would work. Also, I've seen some recipes that use other binders like cornstarch or potato starch instead of arrow-root.

What to Put on Cauliflower-Based Crust Pizza?

Sauce: I used a marinara sauce that I made from scratch, but you can use any one bought in the grocery store.

Cheese: Make your own mock cheese with almonds, cashews, or macadamia nuts as a base.

Topping: I topped my pizza with pizza-inspired ingredients that my boyfriend always orders from a restaurant we love in Mile End. Pizzeria No. 900. It contains arugula, garlic, oregano, tomatoes, and capers. There's also Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, and some type of cold meat.

I didn't add the last three. I replaced Parmesan with a macadamia nut ricotta, and next time I'll try to make some type of breadcrumbs to add more crunch and color contrast of green vegetables. Play with the toppings. I don't need to tell you that you can add onions, red peppers, olives... whatever.

Is Cauliflower Pizza Crust healthy?

For people who are following low grain diets or animal-free foods, this crust is an excellent option.

As it's composed mainly of cauliflower, it's low in calories.

What's more, cauliflower is one of the anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory foods. This crust also contains flaxseeds, which are ideal for reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and improving your cholesterol levels.

Another thing, flaxseeds increase your protein intake.

Finally, these two ingredients are full of fiber, which is low in carbohydrates!

Prompt answers to your other questions

Does cauliflower crust pizza contain flour? It doesn't contain white flour, no. But instead almond flour. Almond flour is produced from ground almonds.

Is cauliflower crust pizza gluten-free? Because almond flour is used, it's indeed gluten-free.

Does cauliflower crust pizza have carbs? Like all foods, it obviously contains carbohydrates. That said, the pizza dough is made from cauliflower, which is very low in carbohydrates. A cup of cooked cauliflower contains only 2.2 g of carbohydrates.

Is cauliflower crust pizza better for your health? If I have to compare cauliflower pizza to the usual pizza crust, I'd say it's better for you if you have intolerances to gluten and animal byproducts, such as dairy products (including cheese) and eggs. And if you want to lose weight, cauliflower pizza crust is much lower in calories.

Can you freeze a cauliflower pizza crust? Simply spread the pizza dough on a pizza pan and cover it with saran wrap before putting it in the freezer.

Prepare this cauliflower crust pizza now!

It's rare to find a healthy pizza with non-binding ingredients, but no more now!

Now you can have a grain-free, egg-free, dairy-free pizza crust at your fingertips. Now you can indulge in a pizza that's really, really, really good for you. Now you can bite into something that will make you say: Mamamia!

So run to your kitchen and get cooking!

Bon appétit!

Vegan Pizza with Easy Cauliflower Crust

Slightly adapted from Detoxinista.

Pizza cut in four slices and spread apart — Vegan Cauliflower Pizza with marinara sauce, capers, arugula, and macadamia ricotta cheese

Vegan Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Crispy, light, and healthy, you'll be able to indulge in this grain-free cauliflower pizza crust without feeling guilty at all! Temps de préparation

Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 1 hr

Total Time 1 hr 30 mins

Course: Main

Cuisine: American, Canadian

Keyword: cauliflower, flax seeds

Servings: 1 pizza

Calories: 550 kcal

Cauliflower-based crust

▢ 3 tablespoons flax seeds ground or flax meal (Note)
▢ 6 tablespoons water
▢ 1 lb cauliflower florets fresh or frozen (about 4 cups) 454 g
▢ ½ cup almonds ground
▢ ½ teaspoon garlic powder
▢ ½ teaspoon onion powder
▢ ½ teaspoon dried parsley
▢ ½ teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 400 ºF and cover a pizza plate with parchment paper. You can also cut parchment paper to match the shape of the perforated pan.
In a medium bowl, add ground flaxseed and water and let stand until mixture thickens.
Place the cauliflower florets in the large bowl of the food processor with an "S" blade and operate until reduced to a rice texture. Pour the cauliflower "rice" into a large saucepan, add enough water to cover, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and cook for 5 minutes. Drain the liquid, transfer the cooked cauliflower rice to a bowl, and leave to cool in the freezer for 10 minutes.
Remove the chilled cauliflower rice from the freezer, transfer it to a bag of nut milk, gauze or the center of a thin dish towel, and squeeze the rice with your hands, removing all the excess moisture from the cauliflower.
Place the drained cauliflower in a large bowl, then add the flax mixture, ground almonds, garlic, onion powder, and dried parsley.
Stir well to mix well, then squeeze the mixture into the baking sheet covered with parchment. Shape the crust into the desired size with a slanted spatula or your hands, keeping the crust about ¼-inch (8 mm) thick. For best results, press firmly on the crust, ensuring that there are no "thin spots," still remembering to make the center slightly thinner than the sides.
Place the crust in the oven. Bake for about 30-40 minutes until the top is lightly browned and dry to the touch.
To flip the whole pizza crust, preferably use an extra piece of parchment paper on top, then flip it into the baking sheet without the parchment paper to cook for an additional 15 minutes or until it is dry.
Add your favorite pizza toppings and return briefly to the oven to let it heat up about 5-10 minutes extra.

To save time, you can put almond flour already prepared.
To spread the pizza crust, I like to use a slanted spatula. If you don't have this utensil, use a rubber spatula.
Don't forget to keep edges a little thicker than the middle. This allows the center of the dough to cook faster.
Make sure you drain the moisture first as much as possible.
Use parchment paper on top of the crust to help you turn it more easily.

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Source: https://bitingintolife.net/easy-vegan-cauliflower-pizza-crust/