Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Are you sitting down? I’m about to blow your mind.

Cauliflower Pizza Crust.

Yes, cauliflower. You aren’t seeing things. I’m not trying to play a trick on you. Cauliflower.

And the best part? IT WAS DELICIOUS!!!!!

As many of you know, since October I’ve been experimenting with eating Gluten Free. I feel better, my stomach feels much better, and people around me are generally happier when I’m not a miserable wreck. However, no gluten pretty much takes pizza out of the picture and I find that unacceptable.

I’ve tried some gluten free pizza crust recipes and they were okay. I wasn’t blown away. I haven’t made any of them twice. Then my friend Greg asked if I’d ever had cauliflower pizza crust. I’ve seen recipes for it all over the internet and on Pinterest since cauliflower is apparently the new “it” vegetable.

The verdict? AWESOME! Even for gluten eaters, this is so good. Jim gave a very hearty 2 thumbs up. And if I hadn’t had to use the word cauliflower so many times in this post already, I challenge that you would never ever have suspected that a vegetable was involved in this crust recipe.

Trust me.

Here’s what you need:

Cauliflower, Parmesan Cheese, Mozzarella Cheese, Egg, Dried Oregano, Dried Basil, Garlic Powder, Red Pepper Flakes, and Salt. You also absolutely need parchment paper and non-stick cooking spray.

Click here for a Cauliflower Pizza Crust Shopping List

If you have a pizza stone, now is the time to use it. If you don’t have a pizza stone, you will need a large, non-rimmed baking sheet like a cookie sheet. Place the stone or baking sheet in the oven and preheat both to 450 degrees.

For this recipe, to make 1 medium sized crust (about 12 inches) you need 1 medium sized head of cauliflower, about 2 pounds. (I weighed mine at the store just to be sure.)

Trim away the green leaves from the bottom and cut away most of the really hard parts of the stem. Cut the flowers off the head of cauliflower and chop them into big chunks.

Place the cauliflower into a food processor and pulse for about 30 seconds until you get very small bits.

This should be about the texture of wet sand. You will have about 3 cups of the finely processed cauliflower.

Place it in a bowl, cover with a plate or plastic wrap, and microwave for 4 minutes.

Dump the cooked cauliflower out onto a clean kitchen towel (or piece of cheesecloth) and let it cool so you don’t burn your fingers off.

Once the cauliflower is cool enough to handle, gather it up in the towel and vigorously wring as much moisture as possible out of the cauliflower.

Really be aggressive with this step. Ring, squeeze, ring, squeeze, ring again. Get as much of the liquid out as you can. This is the KEY STEP to this recipe and ensures a good crispy crust rather than a soggy disaster.

When your cauliflower is nice and dry, place it in a bowl and add ¼ cup parmesan cheese and ¼ cup mozzarella cheese.

Season the mixture with ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, ½ teaspoon dried basil, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, and a pinch of red pepper flakes.

Stir to combine all of the ingredients.

In a small bowl, lightly beat 1 egg with a fork to break up the yolk.

Add the egg to the cauliflower mixture and use your hands to thoroughly combine all of the ingredients

Parchment paper and non-stick cooking spray (I have the olive oil kind for extra flavor) are you friends here. Do not attempt to make this crust without them.

Lightly spray a square of parchment paper with the non-stick spray.

Dump the seasoned cauliflower mixture out onto the parchment and shape it into a flat circle.

This “dough” is really quite easy to work with so getting a nice round crust is not a problem.

If you have a wooden pizza peel, slide it under the parchment and transfer your crust to the preheated stone or pan in the hot oven.

If you don’t have a pizza peel, you can slide another rimless baking sheet or thin cutting board under the parchment and use it as a tray to transfer the crust. You could also probably pick up the crust very carefully if that is your only option. Just be sure it doesn’t crack or break.

Bake the crust at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes until it starts to get golden brown.

LOOK!!!!!!

Remove the crust from the oven and dress it up in your favorite sauce and pizza toppings.

I used Newman’s Own Sockerooni Sauce for the pizza sauce and then added Canadian bacon, sliced mushrooms, and black olives. I think this would make an excellent Pizza Margherita with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and fresh basil. I’m also itching to try roasted veggies and goat cheese. And you know me, Italian sausage is going to make an appearance sooner rather than later.

Get your pizza all dolled up with a nice layer of mozzarella cheese and a sprinkling of parmesan on top.

Return the pizza to the oven and bake another 10-12 minutes until bubbly and golden brown.

Let the pizza cool (still on the parchment paper) for a few minutes for the crust to firm up, then cut it into wedges and DIG IN!

Trust me when I tell you that there was much rejoicing in the household when this not only came out of the oven beautifully but tasted SO GOOD!

Honestly, this is not just a recipe for the gluten free. Jim commented that like the little eggplant pizzas you can feel good about eating this pizza and not all weighed down by a bunch of dough and carbs. Guilt free pizza that also tastes fabulous.

Cauliflower Pizza Crust. Who knew you would be so good? This one’s a keeper!

Here’s the recipe – Adapted from The Lucky Penny

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

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