This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure and privacy policy.
I originally posted this recipe back in 2011, when I learned the secret to making a cauliflower pizza crust that isn’t soggy. (Hint: you need to squeeze out the moisture from the cooked cauliflower before making your crust!)
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 initial cooking process. Sometimes you can even find frozen riced cauliflower, which lets you skip using the food processor.
Be sure to read all the tips below if you’d like to make a frozen pizza crust for future use or need to make any substitutions.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Featured Review
“I have tried a few different cauliflower crust recipes and this is by far the best one! I have made it exactly as the recipe indicates many times and it always turns out perfect.” – TP
Cauliflower Pizza Crust Ingredients
- Fresh (or Frozen) Cauliflower. While you can certainly make this recipe with fresh cauliflower florets, it’s 100% easier to start with thawed frozen florets. (You can either let the bag thaw in the fridge overnight or warm it up to thaw it faster.) Your life will be even easier if you can find frozen, riced cauliflower at the store. I’ll walk you through all the variations I’ve tested below.
- Egg. This adds protein and holds the crust together. I don’t recommend using an egg substitute for this recipe, but I have tested a vegan Cauliflower pizza crust if you need an egg-free recipe.
- Cheese. Even if you’re not the biggest fan of goat cheese, soft goat cheese (also known as chevre) creates the best texture for cauliflower pizza crust. I highly recommend trying the recipe as written, but other varieties of cheese will work as well. Read the comments below for feedback on mozzarella or Parmesan.
- Spices. I think pizza crust tastes best with a little extra flavor. Adding oregano and salt boosts the overall flavor so you don’t feel like you’re eating a crust made mostly of cauliflower.
How to Make Cauliflower Pizza Crust
Step 1:
Preheat the oven to 400ºF and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. If you’re using fresh cauliflower, place one pound of 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.
Note: You can skip this step if you start with riced cauliflower from the store. If you end up using a little more or a little less cauliflower, that’s okay, too. This recipe is quite forgiving.
Step 2:
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.
Note: You can skip this step if you start with a 16-ounce bag of fully thawed frozen cauliflower. Previously frozen cauliflower has the same tender texture as if it were cooked! All you have to do is rice it in a food processor, then skip to the next step.
Time-Saving Tip
If you can find frozen riced cauliflower (like the Trader Joe’s variety below), you can skip the first two steps. Just let it thaw fully, then proceed to the next step, where you’ll squeeze out the excess moisture.
Step 3:
Transfer the riced cauliflower to the center of a clean dish towel or cheesecloth. Arrange the towel (filled with cauliflower rice) over a small bowl, then squeeze as much liquid as possible from 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.)
It’s okay if the cauliflower looks like a small ball of mush when you’re done.
Want to save this for later?
I'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Step 4:
Transfer the cauliflower rice that you just squeezed into a large bowl, then add in 1 large egg, 1/3 cup soft goat cheese (chevre), 1 teaspoon of dried oregano, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and a pinch of black pepper, if desired.
Use a spatula to stir well until the cauliflower mixture looks relatively uniform. It won’t feel like regular pizza dough, so don’t worry about that.
Step 5:
Arrange a fresh piece of parchment paper on the large baking sheet, if needed, then transfer the cauliflower mixture to the center of the pan.
Use your hands to gently press the cauliflower pizza dough into a round pizza crust, about 10 to 12 inches wide. Be patient, as it will feel weird and slightly sticky to work with!
Make the crust as thin and flat as possible without leaving any holes. The pan in my photos below is 16 inches by 14 inches for reference. So the crust can fill the pan quite a bit!
Note: Get your hands wet if the crust is sticking to your fingers; wet hands help prevent sticking!
Step 6:
Transfer the pan with the cauliflower crust to the oven and bake for 30 minutes at 400°F, or until golden brown. There’s no need to flip it. Once the top looks dry and golden, 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 it into slices. Because you took the time to remove excess moisture, the crust should be easy to pick up with your hands!
Storage + Reheating Tips
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.
You can reheat individual pizza slices in the air fryer at 350ºF for 3 minutes. Or, if you want to freeze a whole crust to cook later, check out the tips below.
Cauliflower Pizza Crust (With the Best Texture!)
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
More Low-Carb Recipes to Try
- Cauliflower Fried Rice
- Zucchini Lasagna
- Chicken Vegetable Soup
- Zucchini Hummus (no beans)
- Cottage Cheese Dip
- Mexican Chicken Soup
- Healthy Chicken Burgers
If you try this Cauliflower Pizza Crust recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below, letting me know how you like it.
Can I use a 10 oz bag of frozen riced cauliflower?
I’ve made this crust many times, and it’s perfect for my low-carb way of eating.
I buy the kind of riced cauliflower that comes in the microwavable bags. It comes out of the bag all steamy and ready to squeeze. Be relentless as you twist the towel to release the moisture. When it seems that there’s nothing left to squeeze, loosen up the cauliflower in the towel and squeeze again.
Lastly – the crust should truly appear to be almost burnt when you finish if you want crispy slices you can hold in your hand. It won’t taste burnt, but it will appear to be rather burnt – especially around the edges.
If you make this with riced cauliflower, do you need to put it in blender or food processor . In the pictures, the cauliflower you are pressing into the pizza crust looks like a paste vs. riced.
No, you don’t need to process it in a food processor if it’s already riced. However, you do need to squeeze it firmly in a towel to drain out the excess liquid —that will make it look more like the paste you see in my photos. Hope you enjoy it!
Incredible and not too difficult!
I also add whatever seasonings I like to it and it turns out good every time!
Going to try this reicpe tonight. Wondering if I can use my pizze oven – more importantly can I put it directly on the stone in the pizza oven?
The crust is very wet and mushy at first, so you wouldn’t be able to slide it into a pizza oven, I don’t think. (And I don’t think parchment paper can go into a pizza oven?) But let me know if you experiment with it!
Very easy recipe to follow ! Turned out great! was delicious! I think I may have found my fav keto pizza recipe!
First time trying Cauliflower pizza and it tastes amazing. I used parmesean cheese, frozen rice cauliflower and Italian seasoning because I didn’t have plain oregano. The texture was chewier than I’d prefer, but it could be due to me not straining enough water out of the cauliflower rice. Great recipe!
So easy and came out perfect the 1st try! Actually cut just like a regular pizza slice. Great recipe! Thank you.
Hi Megan,
I am about to venture into my first cauliflower crust with your recipe and I promise to leave a review once I’m done.
A few of questions; will cheese cloth work equally as well as a tea towel? In the longer narrative, you note the oven temperature as 350 degrees and in the shorter version you note 400 degrees. Would you clarify the oven temp for me please? You note 1 pound of florets and the picture shows 1 1/2 cauliflowers; in your experience, does 1 pound of florets typically equal 1.5 average sized cauliflowers? As you may know, it’s not always possible to weigh cauliflowers!
With thanks,
Diane
Hi Diane! I’d bake the crust at 400ºF. I usually aim for 1 pound of cauliflower, but if it ends up being 1.5 pounds that will work, too! A small or medium cauliflower head will work well for this. Or, use frozen cauliflower which is already weighed and cut for you! (This is my preference these days, since my kids keep me busy— but be sure to follow the tips in the post for using frozen cauliflower if you go that route.) I can’t wait to hear what you think!
I absolutely love this recipe. I make it alot. I have shared this recipe multiple times.