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This Cauliflower Pizza Crust recipe is a delicious way to enjoy your next pizza night! It’s naturally gluten-free and grain-free, plus you’ll get extra veggies in each bite.
I originally posted this recipe back in 2011, when I learned the secret to making a cauliflower pizza crust that isn’t soggy. (You need to squeeze out the moisture from the cooked cauliflower before making your crust mixture!)
Now that we’ve been making this pizza crust for over a decade, I’ve learned some time-saving tricks, like using frozen cauliflower to skip the cooking process. Sometimes you can even find frozen riced cauliflower, which will let you skip using the food processor, too.
Be sure to read all the tips below if you’d like to make a frozen pizza crust that you can use in the future, or if you need to make any substitutions.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Fresh or frozen cauliflower is the base of this recipe, without using any extra flour for filler. As a result, this recipe is low-carb and keto-friendly.
The egg and cheese act as a binder and hold the crust together. Soft goat cheese (chevre) gives the crust an amazing, non-greasy texture and you can’t taste it at all. However, you can also use grated Parmesan cheese or your favorite shredded cheese to create a crust that will hold together.
Adding oregano helps add an Italian flavor you’ll love, and you can also add a pinch of garlic powder if you’d like.
Need an egg-free recipe?
Try my Vegan Cauliflower Pizza Crust recipe, which is made without eggs or cheese.
How to Make Cauliflower Pizza Crust
Preheat the oven to 400ºF and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. If you’re using fresh cauliflower, place the cauliflower florets in a food processor fitted with an S-blade. (Mine is a 12-cup size.)
Briefly pulse the florets until they have a rice-like texture.
Transfer the cauliflower rice to the prepared baking sheet and spread it out into an even layer. Place it in the oven to soften and cook for 15 minutes.
Alternatively, you can place the cauliflower in a covered microwave-safe bowl and cook for 4 to 5 minutes on high to steam it. Or, you can cook it in a large skillet with a 1/4 cup of water for 8 to 10 minutes, until it has softened and the water has evaporated.
Once the cauliflower has cooked, let it cool for 10 minutes, or until you can safely handle it without burning yourself.
Time-Saving Tip
If you buy frozen cauliflower florets, you can simply let them thaw overnight in the fridge before making this crust. They will have a tender texture so you can skip the cooking step altogether! Simply pulse them in a food processor and then wring out the moisture as directed.
Transfer the riced cauliflower to the center of a clean dish towel. Arrange the towel filled with cauliflower over a small bowl, then squeeze as much liquid as you can out of the cooked cauliflower.
It might not feel like there’s excess moisture at first, but you may be surprised by how much liquid is released! (There should be at least 3 to 4 tablespoons of liquid in the bowl.)
Place the cauliflower rice that you just squeezed into a large bowl, then add in the egg, cheese, oregano, salt, and a pinch of black pepper, if desired.
Use a spatula to stir well, until the cauliflower mixture looks relatively uniform.
Arrange a fresh piece of parchment paper, if needed, on the large baking sheet, then place the cauliflower mixture in the center of the pan.
Use your hands to gently press the cauliflower pizza dough into the shape of a round pizza crust, about 10 to 12 inches wide. It will be thin, but there shouldn’t be any holes in the crust.
Tip
Get your hands wet if you find that the crust is sticking to your fingers; wet hands help prevent sticking!
Place the cauliflower crust in the oven to bake at 350ºF for 30 minutes, or until the crust looks golden. Then it’s ready for toppings!
Add a thin layer of pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, and any toppings you love, like pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, fresh basil, or olives.
Return the pizza to the oven to bake until the cheese has melted, about 10 more minutes.
You can turn on the broiler and watch closely if you want the cheese to turn golden even faster.
Let the pizza cool for 5 minutes, then cut into slices. Because you took the time to remove excess moisture, the crust should be easy to pick up with your hands!
Leftover pizza slices can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Or you can freeze them for up to 3 months.
Looking for more low-carb dinner ideas? Try Cauliflower Fried Rice, Zucchini Lasagna, or Chicken Vegetable Soup for more options.
Ingredients
- 1 pound cauliflower florets (or thawed from frozen; see notes)
- 1 large egg , beaten
- ⅓ cup soft goat cheese (or grated Parmesan)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. If the cauliflower isn't already riced, add the cauliflower florets into a food processor and pulse briefly, until it has a rice-like texture. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, then spread the cauliflower rice out in a single layer. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender.
- If you're using frozen cauliflower, be sure that it is completely thawed, and process it into a rice-like texture using a food processor. (Alternatively, you can start with frozen cauliflower rice that has been thawed, to skip the food processor step.) There is no need to cook thawed frozen cauliflower so it will save you time! Tip: You can use up to 1 ½ pounds of cauliflower if you want to use two 12-ounce bags. This crust will still hold together well!
- Once the riced cauliflower has been cooked (or thawed), transfer it to a clean, thin dishtowel. Wrap up the steamed rice in the dishtowel, twist it up, then SQUEEZE all the excess moisture out! (Be careful if your cauliflower is still hot; let it cool before handling.) A lot of extra liquid will be released, which will help you avoid a soggy pizza crust.
- In a large bowl, mix up the squeezed-out rice, egg, cheese, oregano, and salt. It won't be like any pizza dough you've ever worked with, but don't worry, it will work!
- Press the dough out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (It's important that it's lined with parchment paper, not wax paper, or it will stick.) Keep the dough about 1/4-inch thick. Wet your hands to prevent sticking, if needed.
- Bake for 30 minutes at 400ºF or until the top looks dry and golden.
- Add your favorite pizza toppings to the crust, such as sauce and cheese, then return the pizza to the 400ºF oven. Bake an additional 5-10 minutes, just until the cheese is hot and bubbly. Slice and serve warm.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
If you try this Cauliflower Pizza Crust recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like it.
I used exact ingredients + 1 egg, different process, was fantastic!
I microwaved 1 lb of florets until tender, cooled and drained them. Riced in a food processor. Scooped into cheesecloth in 3 batches, squeezing with twisting, then put the lump (still in cheesecloth) into another cloth and pressed down, turned over, pressed down again. Result: dry, crumbly riced cauliflower.
I added 2 eggs instead of 1 to make it bind much better plus more protein! Rather than hands, since this isn’t flour dough where you need to stretch it, I used the back of a large spoon to smooth it into a circle 1/4″ thick on parchment paper. Then I ran the spoon around the edges, pushing them up slightly above the flat part. Then on the inside of the rim, I made an indentation all around so it looks like crust ready for sauce and toppings. I would send in a video on this technique if I knew a way, but this turned out quite nicely, with no messy hands needing extra water.
This was so good! Key to success is really Squ out as much water as possible. Thanks for that! So delicious! I have this once a week.
I wanted to make pizza for an in-law who adores pizza but can’t eat wheat. As a one-armed chef myself, I can’t wring out wet cauliflower in a towel as per this recipe, so my first attempted work-around was to put the cooked riced cauliflower (one whole head fresh) in my food dehydrator. MISTAKE. It came out like hard brownish crumbly dirt, and I was just ready to throw it out, but then had the idea to put it through my food processor and turn it into cauliflower flour. Brilliant! So I I bought more cauli (24 oz. frozen riced this time), cooked it in the microwave and then let it gently steam for awhile in a low oven. Then I mixed it with the “flour” from mistake #1 and mixed with 2 eggs, 1/3 C goat cheese, 1/3 C Parm, 2 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp garlic powder and a Tbsp EVOO for good measure. Perfect. This made four 6-inch diameter personal- size pizza crusts. They smell and taste delicious. Lesson: don’t let mistakes defeat you!
I noticed that there are two different temperatures to cook the crust. In your pre recipe notes you say cook for 30 minutes at 350 but in the actual recipes it says 400. Which is it?
It was our first time to eat and bake cauliflower pizza. It was delicious!! Will be a staple from now on. I used parm cheese because I had it but will try goat cheese next time. Thank you for the recipe!!!
I want to use the cauliflower curst as a cracker for salads by slicing. How can I keep these crackers crunchy overnite?
Become soggy if placed in plastic container. Any help?
Great recipe! My only mistake was pulling it out of the oven after about 23 min…..I thought it was golden enough but next time I will leave it in for the full 30 to make sure it gets crispy. I’ll be trying this again next week! A winner!
Made EXACTLY as recipe states. This was phenomenal! The last recipe for the crust I tried left a lot to be desired. This has an excellent smell, taste, and mouth-feel. The texture is perfect! Thank you so much for your hard work perfecting it.
Absolutely phenomenal recipe! I used the Parmesan cheese version and it exceeded my expectations. Once you make this, you’ll never look for another cauliflower pizza crust recipe again.