Cauliflower Pizza Crust - dairy free, egg free, nut free

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Cauliflower pizza crust, cauliflower gnocchi, cauliflower rice... these recipes are so prevalent on Instagram and it dawned on me that I don't have a recipe on Everyday Allergen-Free for a single one of them! But, ironically, I am a big cauliflower fan myself. Over the last few weeks I have been working on recipes for cauliflower pizza crust and cauliflower gnocchi. The gnocchi is taking a little longer, but I am very proud of how the pizza crust has shaped up. 

Many of the cauliflower pizza crust recipes I found online call for microwaving the florets, or other time consuming processes that I have not been interested in doing. The recipe I developed only requires a mixing bowl, a food processor, and a baking sheet. I made mine with a roasted cherry tomato sauce and shredded chicken, but you can top it with whatever you like! Dairy-free Daiya cheese, black olives, sliced mushrooms, prosciutto... there are so many dairy-free, allergen-free possibilities. 

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Ingredients for Cauliflower Pizza Crust

• 1 cup finely pulverized cauliflower florets

• 1/3 cup applesauce*

• 1/4 tsp salt + more for seasoning

• 1 cup organic all purpose flour or a GF flour blend + some for dusting

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 1 tbsp. olive oil

  *If you are not egg-free or vegan, and wish to use egg in this recipe, replace the applesauce with 1 large egg.

How to make Cauliflower Pizza Crust

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 400F.

2. Mix the cauliflower, applesauce, and salt until well combined. Add the flour or GF flour, and baking powder, and mix well. Use your hands to shape the dough into a ball, then dust some more flour/GF flour on the outside. 

3. Press the dough out on the parchment-lined baking sheet, into a 9 inch circle. It should be quite thin and it may start to stick, but that's fine. Drizzle olive oil all over it and season with salt. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes, until the edges are crispy and deep golden brown.

4. Remove the tray from the oven and top with your favorite tomato sauce and toppings. Return it to the hot oven for about 5 minutes.

5. Slice the pizza when cool enough to handle.