Cauliflower Pizza Crust recipe comes out crispy, you can hold the slice and use fresh cauliflower or frozen cauliflower, or cauliflower rice to make it. Tasty, low carb and the best recipe on the web with foolproof step by step video. Just read reviews for yourself!
For more lighter fair, make sure to check out almond flour pizza crust.
Table of contents
You are looking at the best cauliflower pizza crust on the web! It is crispy, cheesy and you can really hold the slice. Nobody likes a soggy crust!
I will not lie, this low carb crust doesn’t taste like traditional pizza crust and has cauliflower flavor. Or that the cauliflower crust recipe is not time consuming and not labor intensive.
But the crust is super tasty and will satisfy your pizza cravings. I also highly recommend to make 2 crusts!
Ingredients for Cauliflower Crust
You will need just 7 simple ingredients, including salt and pepper.
- Fresh cauliflower: You will need a large head of cauliflower, 6″ – 7″ in diameter, about 2.5 – 3 lbs.
- Egg: Egg is part of “the glue” that holds cauliflower pizza dough together.
- Parmesan cheese: As cheese melts during baking, it helps to bind small pieces of cauliflower into a crust. Cheese is crucial! So is the egg. Sorry, cannot be vegan.
- Spices: Simple dried herbs like oregano, basil or Italian mix plus salt and pepper add flavor to the crust. Cauliflower itself is pretty bland. Also you can add garlic powder.
How to Make Cauliflower Pizza Crust
Here is detailed step-by-step process how to make cauliflower pizza crust. There is also a full recipe card and video below.
1. Separate Cauliflower Head into Florets
- Using cauliflower rice: Skip this step.
- Preheat oven: It is a good time to preheat oven to 375 degrees F. We first cook rice in it and after bake the crust, so it makes sense to keep the oven on.
- Separate cauliflower: Using a paring knife and placing cauliflower on a cutting board, remove the outer leaves. Then rinse it and separate florets one by one. Here is easy tutorial how to cut cauliflower.
Tip: Core is used too – do not discard.
2. Rice the Cauliflower
- Food processor: Place cauliflower florets in a food processor and process until “rice” texture. Some coarse chunks are fine. You will be baking and then squeezing the cauliflower, so chunks do not matter. Here is detailed tutorial how to make cauliflower rice.
- Using pre-riced cauliflower: Skip this step.
3. Cook “the Rice”
- Dish: I spread rice on same baking sheet I will be using for baking or use pie plate for microwave.
- Oven: Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
- Or Microwave: In a microwave-safe bowl for 8 minutes.
4. Let Cool a Bit
- Line large bowl with cheesecloth: You can also use linen tea towel. We will be folding and squeezing “rice” in this material.
- Transfer and cool: Then transfer cauliflower to prepped bowl and let cool down until safe to the touch. We will touching the ball with hands to squeeze.
5. Squeeze All Water Out
- Fold, hold and squeeze: Holding by the four corners of a cheesecloth with one hand, squeeze out as much liquid and moisture as you can with another hand.
- How much to squeeze? Squeeze as much moisture as possible. Quite a few times. Count it as an arm workout for the day. I squeezed and then moved the cauliflower around a bit, and squeezed second time. If your arm is sore for a bit after, you did it well.
- Final product: You should be left with a cauliflower mash that is very-very dry.
6. Form the Crust
- Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees F: If you cooked “rice” in the oven, it is a good idea to keep it on. And now is a good time to crank up the temperature for baking the crust.
- Make the dough: Transfer squeezed cauliflower to a mixing bowl. Add egg, oregano or basil, cheese, salt and pepper, and mix well.
- Prep baking tray: Line rectangle or round sheet pan with parchment paper or silicone baking mat and spray with cooking spray well. Can also use pizza stone but line and spray!
- Flatten the crust: Transfer cauliflower mixture onto prepared baking sheet and using your hands, flatten the dough. Make it smaller than in the video. I made it a bit too thin and edges burnt a bit, which is not the end of the world though.
7. Bake the Crust
- How long to bake? Bake at 450 degrees F for 20 minutes or until golden brown and crispy edges.
- Make crispy crust: Flip and bake for a few more minutes until crispy.
- Ready! Your healthy pizza crust is ready for your favorite toppings.
8. Add Toppings and Bake
- Load it up in this order: Add pizza sauce, toppings of choice, cheese and bake again until cheese is melted.
- Not too much: Do not overload the baked crust with heavy toppings as you won’t be able to hold the slice then.
How to Make Cauliflower Pizza Crust Crispy?
First step is to make sure you squeeze as much water as possible from your cooked cauliflower before shaping the crust.
However, after you baked the crust for initial 20 minutes and if you would like it to become even more crispy, carefully flip it with spatula and bake for a few more minutes.
Toppings Ideas for Cauliflower Pizza Crust
- Mediterranean: Tomato sauce, bell pepper, tomato, olives, red onion, feta cheese and fresh parsley or fresh basil.
- Chicken and pepper: Tomato sauce, sliced grilled chicken breast or baked chicken breast or Instant Pot chicken breast, olives, red onion and cheese.
- Cheese: My favourite!
- Asian: Shredded honey garlic chicken breast , finely chopped broccoli, thinly sliced white onion, sriracha and mozzarella cheese.
- Shrimp: Cook shrimp and make sauce as per my shrimp taco recipe, and use fresh mozzarella or provolone cheese. So good!
Question for You
What are your favorite pizza toppings that you tried with this cauliflower crust pizza? I would love to hear your ideas in the comments below!
Tips for Best Results
- You will use oven 3 times: To cook “rice, to bake crust and then to bake pizza with toppings. It’s easier to keep oven running.
- Double the recipe: Make 2 cauliflower crust pizzas at a time if you want to feed more than two. Means two large heads of cauliflower. It’s best to buy 2, you can always make roasted cauliflower with one if you change your mind later.
- Squeeze more than you think you can! The best advice I can give you for foolproof cauliflower crust is to squeeze cooled cauliflower very well. You really do need to squeeze out more water than you think you’ll ever be able to. Squeeze and then pass it to a husband/wife, if necessary. Cauliflower should be pretty dry. I squeezed and then moved the cauliflower around a bit, and squeezed again. If your arm is sore for a bit after, you did it well.
- If you don’t have a food processor, do this: Grate cauliflower on a cheese grater.
How to Freeze Cauliflower Pizza Crust
- Bake, cool and wrap in plastic wrap. Or place in a resealable extra large Ziploc bag.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thaw completely before baking with toppings. Or place frozen crust on a pizza sheet and bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes.
If you have been waiting to jump on the cauliflower pizza crust bandwagon, here is your chance. I think I took all the guessing out for you. Make it and let me know how your cauliflower pizza recipe turns out.
FAQs
Yes, you can use store bought fresh or previously frozen riced cauliflower instead of making your own. About two 12-16 oz packages.
Yes. No need to thaw, just cook from frozen. Same idea with cauliflower fried rice. It is best not to thaw it to avoid mushy dish.
Unfortunately not. Eggs and cheese act as a “glue” and hold tiny pieces of cauliflower together.
You can find cheesecloth in most well-stocked supermarkets, dollar store or on Amazon for a very reasonable price. Kitchen towel or nut milk bag works great too. You can throw both in the washer after.
More likely your crust will not cover as much of a pan as shown in the picture above. It depends on the size of your round pizza pan. And if you are using rectangular baking sheet, size will vary. Any sheet with parchment paper works. You can use pizza stone as well.
In the past few years, cauliflower pizza has gained huge popularity as a low carb gluten free alternative to regular pizza crust. Along the trends of chia pudding and almond flour banana bread. People are looking to eat healthier!
Nowadays, you can indulge in “pizza”, America’s favourite comfort food, and not overeat or feel bloated.
Cauliflower quick facts:
1. Vitamins: High in vitamins K and C, which keep your bones healthy.
2. Detox: Cruciferous vegetable like cauliflower help detox your liver. My grandma’s borscht recipe and lemon water recipe are super popular for this reason.
3. Heart and immunity: It helps to reduce high blood pressure and strengthens your immune system.
4. Also high in fiber and antioxidants: Never a bad thing, just like vegetable soup. So much goodness!
5. Calories: Healthy pizza crust has 56 calories, 4 grams of carbs and 4 grams of protein.
But of course there is an egg and cheese too. A nice balance.
More Cauliflower Recipes
Also check out recipe collections of healthy zucchini recipes and healthy salad recipes. So easy and good for you!
Foolproof Cauliflower Pizza Crust Recipe
Ingredients
- 2.5 lbs medium-large (6" – 7" wide) head of cauliflower 2 lbs of store bought cauliflower rice
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning or dried oregano/basil
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup Parmesan or Mozzarella cheese grated/shredded
- Cooking spray I use Misto
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper or silicone mat.
- Make "rice": Rinse cauliflower, remove the outer leaves, separate into florets and chop into smaller pieces. Process in a food processor in 2 batches, until "rice" texture forms (skip if using store-bought "rice").
- Cook "rice": Transfer riced cauliflower on a prepared sheet pan and bake for 15 mins. Remove cooked cauliflower from the oven, transfer to a large bowl lined with a double/triple layered cheesecloth or linen towel, and let cool for 10-15 minutes or until safe to touch.
- Squeeze: Then squeeze the liquid out of the ball (cauliflower inside the cheesecloth) as hard as you can. Be patient and do this a few times until barely any liquid comes out.
- Make dough: Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees F. In a medium mixing bowl whisk the egg with dried herbs, salt and pepper for 10 seconds. Add cheese and squeezed cauliflower; mix very well with spatula until combined.
- Form crust: Line same baking pan with new parchment paper or silicone mat (just make sure to scrape off any bits of cauliflower) and spray with cooking spray. Transfer cauliflower pizza dough in the middle and flatten with your hands until thin pizza crust forms. Make it thicker than in my video, I made it a bit too thin.
- Bake it first: Bake for 20 minutes, carefully flip with spatula and bake for a few more minutes.
- Bake pizza with toppings: Top cauliflower pizza base with your favourite toppings and bake again until cheese on top turns golden brown. Cut into 8 slices with a pizza cutter and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate leftovers covered for up to 2 days.
- Freeze: Bake, cool and wrap in plastic wrap. Or place in a resealable extra large Ziploc bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw completely before baking with toppings.
- You will use oven 3 times: To cook “rice”, to bake crust and then to bake pizza with toppings. It’s easier to keep oven running.
- Microwave: You can also cook “rice” in microwave for about 8 minutes instead of baking in the oven.
- Frozen cauliflower rice: No need to thaw, just cook from frozen.
- How to make crust even more crispy? Bake for 20 minutes, carefully flip with spatula and bake for a few more minutes.
- Squeeze more than you think you can! The best advice I can give – squeeze cooled cauliflower very well. You really do need to squeeze out more water than you think you’ll ever be able to. Cauliflower should be pretty dry. I squeezed and then moved the cauliflower around a bit, and squeezed again. If your arm is sore for a bit after, you did it well.
- Can I skip eggs and cheese and make it vegan? Unfortunately not. Eggs and cheese act as a “glue” and hold tiny pieces of cauliflower together.
- Double the recipe: Make 2 pizza crusts at a time if you want to feed more than two. Means two large heads of cauliflower.
- Where can I find cheesecloth? You can find cheesecloth in most well-stocked supermarkets, dollar store or on Amazon for a very reasonable price. Linen towel works great too. You can throw both in the washer after.
- What baking sheet can I use? More likely your crust will not cover as much of a pan as shown in the picture above. It depends on the size of your round pizza pan. And if you are using rectangular sheet pan, size will vary. Any sheet or pizza stone works.
- If you don’t have a food processor, do this: Grate cauliflower on a box grater or buy cauliflower rice.
Sadly mine was a disaster. I spent over 20 min squeezing and squeezing the liquid out but after the pizza had been in the oven for 20min it all fell apart like biscuits when I went to turn it over. Super disappointed as wasting time and ingredients as had to give it to the chickens
Can this recipe be frozen?
Yes
Olena, another winner. This crust was fabulous…not limp at all. I even put a lot of toppings since I made a Mediterranean-style pizza. Delicious! Yes, it was a workout, but one I am willing to do.
So happy to hear, my friend!
Followed the directions and it turned out perfect! I grow cauliflower in my garden so loved using it for this delicious pizza crust!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the wonderful review!
Is this gluten free?
Yes.
It can in fact be made vegan 🙂 I swapped the egg for a flax egg, and used vegan cheese. I always add a few minutes of baking time for flax eggs. Great recipe, thank you!
My pleasure! Yes, I agree, I have tested it to be vegan last month and will post that recipe soon as well.
I followed your detailed instructions ‘exactly’ and this came out perfectly and it was super delicious! I used rice cauliflower and the package I used only yielded 3/4 cup (after all the liquid squeezed out) which didn’t seem like enough so I used 2 pkgs and doubled the recipe ingredients. It was perfect for the pizza pan. Also flipped it onto another parchment lined & sprayed pan as another reviewed mentioned. Awesome! Thank you for a great recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the wonderful review!
Hi! Have you ever made these into mini personal pizza crusts? If so what are the baking times? Thank you for this great recipe!
I haven’t made them but I would bake half the time. Just keep an eye on them until they are crispy on edges and not burning.
I have really wanted to try making a cauliflower crust but loathe the idea of multiple sessions of wringing out extra moisture from the riced cauliflower. For what it’s worth, I am sharing my experience of making this recipe minus the cauliflower wringing process. Instead, I followed all recipe instructions, but added a few tablespoons of coconut and soy flour (both of which I had on hand). When the resulting dough seemed a bit too dry, I added a scant tablespoon of mayonnaise as opposed to another whole egg. This worked out beautifully. I suspect this could work even better with a few tablespoons of some starchy powder, like arrowroot or tapioca, if personal diet allowed.
Thanks so much for posting the recipe 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoy this recipe so much!