This Cauliflower Pizza Crust recipe is a healthy veggie-packed option that is naturally gluten-free and grain-free. It’s perfect for people who still want to eat their pizza, while following a low-carb or food combining diet.
How to Make Cauliflower Pizza
Making cauliflower pizza is straight-forward, but a little labor intensive. If you start with fresh cauliflower, you’ll need to steam it until tender. (You can skip this step by using frozen cauliflower– read further down in this post for more info.) Then, you’ll pulse it in a food processor until it’s rice-like in texture.
(You can save even more time by purchasing pre-riced cauliflower, either fresh or frozen.)
The Secret to a Non-Soggy Crust
Once your cauliflower is tender and “riced” you’ll need to squeeze out the moisture that cauliflower naturally contains. This is the secret to getting a dry crust that you can pick up with your hands. (I the same nut milk bag that I use to make almond milk to do this.)
Once the cauliflower “rice” is very dry, you mix it with an egg, soft goat cheese (which gives the crust a better texture than using shredded cheese), and some Italian seasonings.
If you don’t have goat cheese on hand, many readers have reported success in the comments below using other cheeses. You can try mozzarella, cheddar, or even cream cheese with similar results. The texture is the driest with the soft goat cheese, though.
The crust won’t be like anything else you’ve worked with before– you spread it with a spatula, and use your hands to press and shape the dough.
Bake until the crust is dry and golden, then flip it and bake longer until the other side isn’t soggy. I use the parchment paper to make the flipping process easier.
(You don’t need a second piece of parchment paper after you flip it– the baked crust won’t stick to the pan after it’s been flipped.)
Using Frozen Cauliflower for Pizza Crust
I’ve been making this cauliflower pizza crust for years, and there are a number of ways you can make it, but the easiest method is by starting with frozen cauliflower.
I buy 1-pound bags of frozen cauliflower, so that I don’t have to do any chopping, and then I thaw them in the fridge the night before I want to make my pizza.
Using frozen cauliflower allows you to skip the pre-cooking of the cauliflower, and ultimately saves you time, but I’ve also included directions for starting with fresh cauliflower in the recipe below if you’d prefer to do that.
You must thaw and squeeze out the liquid from the cauliflower to get a non-soggy crust.
Update: Many stores are also now carrying frozen pre-riced cauliflower, which will save you even more time, since you won’t have to break out the food processor, either. I’ve made this crust using two 12-ounce or two 16-ounce bags of frozen cauliflower, so know that this recipe is relatively flexible with the cauliflower amount.
Cauliflower Pizza Toppings
One last thing to keep in mind when making a cauliflower pizza crust is that you should try to keep the toppings minimal. Go light on the sauce, so that it doesn’t re-hydrate the crust and make it soggy, and the same goes for the cheese. (Remember, there’s already some cheese baked into the crust, too!)
How to Make It Without Cheese
If you don’t tolerate dairy well, I’ve made this crust by omitting the cheese and using an extra egg instead. The crust texture is a little “egg-ier” that way, but it still holds up.
I’ve also posted a Vegan Cauliflower Pizza Crust recipe, if you need an egg-free and dairy-free option.
How to Freeze Cauliflower Pizza Crust
Because making a cauliflower pizza crust can be a bit labor-intensive, I like to double the recipe and make two large crusts (or 4 smaller crusts for individual pizzas) and freeze the extras for an easy future meal.
I’ve found that this works best by baking the crusts, and then freezing them in an airtight container. That way, when you’re ready to make a pizza, you can simply place the frozen crust on a pizza sheet and bake it at 400ºF just until it’s heated through, about 10 minutes.
Then add your toppings and bake for 5-10 minutes more, until the cheese is bubbling.
The Secret To Perfect Cauliflower Pizza Crust
Ingredients
- 1 pound cauliflower florets (or thawed from frozen; see notes)
- 1 large egg , beaten
- 1/3 cup soft goat cheese (or grated Parmesan)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 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 the frozen & thawed caulifower, so it will save you time! Tip: You can use up to 1 1/2 pounds of cauliflower, if you want to use two 12-ounce bags. It still holds 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, and spices. 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"thick.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes at 400ºF, until dry and golden. Use the parchment paper to flip the crust over, and bake again until the other side is nice and dry, about 10 more minutes.
- 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
Nutrition information is for 1/4 of this recipe. This information is automatically calculated, and is just an estimate, not a guarantee.
If you try this Cauliflower Pizza recipe, please leave a comment below letting me know how you like it. And if you make any modifications, I’d love to hear about those, too. We can all learn from your experience!
More Cauliflower Recipes:
- Mashed Cauliflower “Potatoes” (or try my Slow Cooker version)
- Air Fryer Cauliflower
- Mouth-Watering Cauliflower Steaks
- Cauliflower Fried Rice
- Creamy Cauliflower Alfredo
- How to Make Cauliflower Rice
I can’t wait to hear what else you try!
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Reader Feedback: Have you tried a cauliflower pizza crust yet?
Hi there! Thanks very much for this recipe. I’m diabetic, so the lack of carbs is a definite plus! I subbed Parmesan cheese for the goat cheese and it was still tasty. I couldn’t even taste the cauliflower. I’ll definitely be sharing the recipe and making it again. Thanks so much!!
This is the best cauliflower pizza crust. All 4 of my relatively picky eaters loved it. I switched out goat cheese to 24 hour home made farmers cheese (DCCC) from the specific carbohydrate diet and it worked perfectly. This is now my go-to pizza crust. Today I made a quadruple batch so I would have a crust to freeze. Thanks so much.
I found frozen riced cauliflower at Costco and tried this. I had been wanting to try cauliflower pizza crust for awhile. The Costco riced cauliflower comes in individual 12 oz. bags inside a larger bag. What could be easier?
I liked it! I like thin crust anyway and not too much sauce- this came out crispy crust with a little roasted flavor to it. I didn’t have goat cheese so I did use grated mozzarella. I added garlic powder to the crust as well as the oregano.
Nothing really beats a good bread pizza crust, but I can have pizza more often now with this crust! And that’s a winner.
I have tried it with a mix of parmesan, motserella an once of cream cheese. Works very well. I am trying the feta today for the first time so I am hoping for good results.
Your recipe is similar to the one I “tweeked” from years of making a cauliflower crust. Sometimes I adda bit of almond flour. I do not pre-cook the raw cauliflower and I might try it. Getting the moisture out is critical. BUT what i will definitely do is flip the crust. I also have a oizza stone that has worked very well in the past and I now have a pizza pan with holes to re-heat the pizza and that works great.
Thank you for all your recipes and tips – all so great.
This turned out really good, I was very pleased and hubby liked it too! Just one question, when you say the crust is 74 Calories, do you mean the entire crust or just one piece? thanks!
If you make extra to freeze, do you bake them at all first or freeze before baking?
I bake it first, then freeze it!
I just made it, used half. I thought I wouldn’t get enough liquid out but it was perfect. Next time I’m going to use my juicer to remove the liquid. Was fairly easy to do, just a tad time consuming. 400 seemed a bit too hot for some spots as they were a bit thinner. So I ended up putting meat down then a thin layer of sauce brushed on top of the meat to keep the moisture down. After which I broiled to make the cheese bubbly. It was personal sized and I didn’t load toppings on, but it still held its shape after done and cut. I will try different methods to cook the final product next time to see if I can achieve a crisper crust. However aside from that crunch, I felt like I was cheating on my keto diet. This will be a staple for pizza that I miss from carbs! Thank you so much.
I use cheese cloth to squeeze out the water on the califlower. Also, a bit of coconut or almond flower helps dry it out as well. I’m still trying to crisp it up a bit more…..I’ll be trying a bit of corn starch on the next crust.
Where does the goat cheese fall into category wise? I thought dairy was an eliminated group? Since I can’t eat dairy, can it be eliminated all together?
Goat cheese is in the animal protein category for food combining, along with eggs and meat. You can try my vegan cauliflower pizza crust if you need a dairy-free version.
This recipe is FAB! I made two personal pizza’s from this, ate one, froze one crust. This is my goto for a pizza from now on. I was mostly trying it out for gluten-free purposes as every GF crust I have tried is awful, but not this! Picture of the 2nd frozen crust before it went into the oven with Mediterranean toppings. Also cooked 2nd pizza with one of those fancy pizza crispers with holes in it, worked great!
Made an excellent crust! Picky BF was happy!
I have tried this and my crust was pretty soggy. If I use frozen riced cauliflower, do I still have to squeeze the water out?
Thanks for the great recipe! I made one and it turned out fabulous! I used Greek yogurt cream cheese, b/c that’s what I had on hand.
Delicious pizza loved the crust
I’ve been looking all over the web for Keto recipes for the last several months. The first couple I tried were soggy messes. They tasted ok, but man they were WET! I gave up on it for about 6 months, I was so frustrated. It seemed like SO much work to rice, cook, drain, strain the cauliflower and it would have been worth it if it was fantastic. So, lately I’ve been doing the Keto diet, and thought I’d give the old pizza crust a try again. I went out and bought cheesecloth this time. I followed your recipe, but didn’t have goat’s cheese here, so used Farmer’s marble. I used a hand shredder for the cheese and used the smallest size. I haven’t even eaten it yet, but I am SO IMPRESSED!!! and thrilled! I can’t wait to try it! I have family visiting so I HAVE to go out, but I just know it’s going to taste great. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I will write another comment when I get a chance and add a pic. (I’m so PROUD of my crust!) <3
So so good! I used cream cheese instead! Loved it! My toppings were pepperoni, onions, bacon, Italian sausage, Monterey Jack cheese and Mozz cheese! The pizza base was half marinara and half bbq!
Wonderful recipe! I did use lite cream cheese both times I have made this and it worked great!
Favorite cauliflower recipe I have tried – and I made many…
Made this for lunch today and it was awesome. I used one package of frozen cauliflower rice, thawed. Since the instructions called for 2 packages and I only had one, I added half a beaten egg and two tablespoons of herbed goat cheese. I used a pizza stone with parchment for the initial bake and then flipped it on the stone for the secondary back. Topped “crust” with small amount of sauce, mozzarella, thin sliced fresh tomato, thin sliced onion and basil. Baked again until toppings were heated. I will be doing this again!
Thanks for sharing the recipe! It seems to be so yummy! I have a question what can I use to replace eggs and goat cheese?
Try my vegan cauliflower pizza crust here: https://detoxinista.com/vegan-cauliflower-pizza-crust/
Omg! This was delicious. We did not miss flour at all. I did a truffle pizza using goat cheese with truffle in crust. Then topped with truffle oil,arugula sauteed mushrooms and red onion,rosemary and burrata cheese. Sprinkled fresh basil when it came out of oven. Are making this again this weekend for friends!
Hi. Try white beans instead. Gorgeous. Soak overnight and cook with garlic, rosemary no salt until seasoning time. After cooking then bake dry and proceed as above with egg and goatcheese, seasonings. Top with baked portobello , little cheese and tomatsauce+ rocket after serving..
Or go potato, sage and grilled zuchinis. Happy tomorrows
Is there another cheese that would work besides goat cheese? I can’t handle the taste of that.
I think I’ve read comments about almost every cheese working in this recipe, so feel free to use whatever you prefer. The goat cheese gives it an amazing texture and I don’t think the flavor is noticeable once you add the sauce and toppings, but almost any cheese can work as a binder.
Looks amazing! I can’t wait to try. Question..if i buy the frozen riced cauliflower, should i cook it first as directed on the bag?
If you have time to thaw it overnight, you can skip the cooking process. But if you want to make it right away with frozen cauliflower, I would heat it up so you can easily squeeze out the water that is naturally found in cauliflower. It will make your pizza crust soggy otherwise.
This crust is really nice. Turned out amazing. The goat is definitely better to use rather than other recipes which have mozzarella cheese. The goat cheese makes the crust perfect and not dry.
Love this recipe!!!
Thanks for letting me know! I’m glad you enjoyed the pizza crust. 🙂
I’m definitely going to try this! Just wondering though, has anyone used low fat cream cheese instead of goat cheese?
This was my first ever attempt at a cauliflower crust. It was amazing! I didn’t miss the bread at all! I used goat cheese that already had Italian herbs in it so I didn’t add any oregano. My toppings were sliced Roma tomatoes and marinated natural mozzarella. I used the oil from the mozzarella insead of a tomato sauce. My husband and I both loved it. I’m going to definitely bookmark this page because I’ll be using it again.
Thanks for letting me know! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
AMAZING!
Follow the instructions, and you won’t be disappointed…
I used cream chese..added a sprinkle of coconut flour to absorb any liquid then put it in hot cast iron pan to brown the bottom ! (After baking it that is)then through in oven to melt toppings together!
I’m wondering what the difference in taste and texture would be if you used cream cheese vs goat cheese? I’ve simplified it further, two bags of cauliflower rice, 3 oz. goat cheese and one egg. I don’t always have goat cheese but often wondered if I’d get the same results with cream cheese?
Good instructions, dish towel trick useful. I used 50% shredded pecorino Romano w goat cheese. Great taste, so tender it did break alittle. I will add abit more pecorino to make crust stronger. Thx
Fantastic ideas I’ll certainly be following your recipe,
Is the goat cheese overpowering? Is there a soft cheese substitute?
I don’t notice the flavor in this crust (especially when you add the toppings) but it makes for a really nice texture– less greasy and eggy than other cauliflower pizza recipes. I’m not sure another cheese would be exactly the same, but there are lots of comments in this post reporting success with other options.
My husband and I made this together, and we each topped our half of the pizza with our favorite toppings, and we both loved it! Very satisfying and healthy! We will be making this again!
I’m glad you both enjoyed it!
Made it! Love it! Attempted a “thin crust” version… It, being slightly moist & chewy, does not lend itself well to being a crispy thin crust. So instead, I will content myself with a half-inch+ thick bed for divine pizza yumminess! Many thanks for this recipe! (No, the “!s” were not overused in this comment…all are warranted & well-deserved!) lol
Thank you so much for this! I’ve made cauliflower crust pizza many times in the past and it always came out SUPER soggy. Couldn’t believe how well this worked! Thanks so much for the tips 🙂
well done. simple. very few ingredients. baked perfectly, although I did bake longer than recommended. I was able to hold it with the toppings!
once again.
well done!
It taste very good. But I can’t get the parchment to release the crust. It tears it apart. Any suggestions.
I’ve been making this recipe for a while as written and I love it. Tonight I tried it using my stick blender to mix everything. It was great and made the dough a mashed cauliflower consistency. Spreading the dough was so much easier with a spatula this way. Thanks for the great recipe!
I just made this. I used 2 10 oz bags of frozen riced cauliflower cause that’s what I had. I let it bake for a few extra minutes, topped with feta, spinach Kalākaua olives, red onion and mushroom. It came out INCREDIBLE. Thank you for the recipe! It’s definitely a game changer in my house!!! Now we can have our pizza and eat it too!
Love, love, love this recipe. My husband and I are gluten free and we have been missing pizza but not anymore. The secret to this recipe is to squeezed out all the excess liquid from the cauliflower. When you think you’ve accomplished this, squeeze and squeeze some more. I topped our pizza with homemade pesto, Mazzorella cheese and feta cheese, and freshly sliced tomatoes. It was a big hit and very filling.
Delicious!!! The crust had a wonderful toasted flavor. Pleasantly surprised that the cauliflower and chèvre were so mild. Used a bit of tomato paste with olive oil, black olives, and mozzarella for toppings.
Great recipe. I added garlic powder, more goat chz, pepper and chili flakes.
Thanks!
We made this this afternoon and it turned out quite well. We did substitute the goat cheese for cream cheese, but the texture was still very good and the crust held together well when picked up. The crispy edges were the tastiest part! Will definitely be making this again.
Thank you soo much for this! Used Cream cheese for the crust and the dough cam out soooo good. Keep up the great work.
Bob makes a pretty good egg substitute for baking. Bonds well. We use a lot of Bob’s products to avoid gluten and egg whites.
So delicious! This has transformed my opinion on cauliflower pizza. I used feta in place of chevre and added almond flour because my dough seemed too wet (didn’t measure anything). Threw in some hemp seeds as well. Super successful! Thanks
THIS REALLY WORKS! I didn’t add the goat cheese as that is not a cheese I normally have and wanted to save the exactly $$. Used mozzarella instead and added a lot more spices to the crush for flavor – thyme, onion powder, garlic and oregano. Love the crust very light and didn’t have that heavy feeling after eating.
Thank you so much for such specified recipe! I value your knowledge on the subject and even more the fact you share your thoughts and experiments. Priceless 🙂
This is probably one of my favorite recipes EVER. My husband and I were on the keto diet last year and I found this crust. We were blown away! We aren’t even on keto anymore but I still make this pizza crust a few times a month at least. We make it into a margherita pizza and top with light sauce, fresh mozzarella, basil, and tomatoes!