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?
Since you were so kind, Meagan, to address my queries about steaming the cauliflower, I thought I would comment on the questions asked by some of the posters about now using cheese and using alternates to parchment paper…
My 5 year old son and I made this, and we did not add cheese, and we did cook in a silicone pan. My son said it was soooooooooooo delicious. It was indeed dry and firm and tasty. So all systems go!!!
sorry for the typing error…meant to say
…questions asked by some of the posters about NOT using cheese
Thank you, Sue! Good to know that it works well without the cheese, too!
I’ll have to try using my Silpat again next time!
Just made my 1st pizza with the recipe!! Loved that it’s crisp enough to pick up!! I missed the comment about measuring the cauliflower after steaming and draining it, so my pizza was a lot smaller than yours, but still yummy!!! Thanks!
OH. MY. GOD. MEGAN!!!! It works! It works! We made this last night and it held together AND was crispy!!! I made mine a tad thicker than my daughter made hers, but each had wonderful qualities that we will be sure to repeat again 😉 Thank you for sharing this with me; you’ve brought pizza back into my “bariatric” life! Note to self: Find the box containing the food processor in the garage; ricing two heads of cauliflower by hand costs too much in knuckle-flesh…;-) Have a great day!
I’ve made this, but with raw “riced” cauliflower and part skim shredded mozzarella as the base and it was really good! My only issue was it sticking to the pan, but (duh) parchment paper solves that issue.
On my next one, I think I’ll give your recipe a try, as I’m a huge fan of goat cheese…so creamy and tangy, YUM. Would make a great Margherita pizza! Thanks 🙂
Rachel, did you find that using raw “riced” cauliflower worked just as well as using steamed riced cauliflower? I would like to omit unnecessary steps. I considered steaming & then using my Vitamix…or using my Vitamix & then steaming…BUT would much rather use raw riced cauliflower.
After reading this recipe (which I plan to try), I happened to be making cauliflower mashed potatoes, so I wrung out my cauliflower for that, too. It made a huge difference- much more like mashed potatoes!
Good to know! I’ll have to try that next time I make some mashed cauliflower, too. 😉
Good idea, my mashed cauliflower is always runny
I am on a low-carb diet, not a detox, so I generally do not keep goat cheese around. I mostly have mozzarella, cheddar, and italian cheeses like parm and asiago. Would any of these work instead of goat cheese? Or is there any other cheese at all that would be a good sub? Thanks for the amazing work you do! 🙂
Yes, any of those cheeses should work instead of the goat cheese! Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
This pizza crust was AWESOME! All day I was thinking about making my pizza-but figured I would Google the crust recipe and the one I was using did not come up at all. YOURS did. I went out and bought all of the ingredients, rep pepper, onion and some fresh baby Bellas. OMG-it was the absolute best. I am making it for company this weekend. Thank you SO much for sharing this recipe. Being 100% Italian, pizza MUST be a staple in my diet. Now, it can be-Healthy!
Oh! I’ve made cauliflower pizzas twice now and although they were both delicious, I didn’t think about baking the crust before the toppings… Can’t wait to try it out! My very Italian boyfriend actually loves these, so needless to say anybody slightly hesitant should go for it!
I’m off to the store…how many heads of cauliflower do I need to buy???
I used one large head of cauliflower to create one large crust, or two personal-sized crusts.
PS– could you email it to me haha…I will get that ot my phone! I can’t find your twitter account
Hello , does the cauliflower have to be raw and fresh to turn it into “rice” or does it turn into rice even if you use frozen cauliflower?
Thanks bunches, Grace
I bet frozen would work, too! I’d pulse it in the food processor while it’s still frozen, then allow to thaw and squeeze out all the extra liquid. (I bet you wouldn’t even have to steam it, as thawed cauliflower would already be tender.)
Let us know how it works for you!
Thank You, and I definetly will…another thing, would the recipe still work if a used a cheese substitute, like vegetarian cheese to hold it together? I know one of the previous commenters used yogurt., but I just want to be sure so I dont mess up. 🙂 Thanks Bunches!
I’ve never tried the vegetarian cheese substitutes, but I’ve heard that some of them melt just like cheese– so that should work! Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
hi, I’ve been looking at making this recipe, but I’m highly lactose intolerant. What would you suggest as a substitution for the chevre in the crust? Also, I was planning on using “follow your heart” cheese, but if you have a suggestion there, I’d love it as well.
I think any cheese-substitute that melts would work. Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
i meant what would you use instead of the chevre?
Yes, that’s what I was referring to. A cheese-substitute that melts would replace the chevre and act as a binder in the crust.
I made this tonight and it was amaaaaazing! Thank you so much for posting the recipe! Instead of using goat cheese, I used mozzarella. I don’t think I’ve ever had goat cheese and was just curious if you recommend goat cheese over “regular” (cow) cheese (and if so, why). I’m fascinated by this blog! I’ve never really heard of food combining. I’m intrigued!
So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
You can read more about why I prefer goat’s dairy here: https://detoxinista.com/about/frequently-asked-questions/
Thank you for a great recipe. I have made this a few times and have come up with a slight variation that is a huge hit in our home. I posted the recipe and shared the linky love. I hope that you’ll check it out: Cauliflower Crust Pizza on Cook Lisa Cook.
Hi from Ireland. Delicious recipe for pizza crust and indeed many others too on your website. Thanks so much for taking the time to share! M
can i replace the egg with a flax egg and mozzerella cheese instead?
I haven’t tried the flax egg yet, but it’s definitely worth a shot! The mozzarella cheese should work fine, too.
Let us know if you have any success! 🙂
Hey! this recipe looks awesome! i was just wondering, could you use broccoli to do that too?
Yes, I’ve made it with broccoli, and it’s delicious!
Great recipe! Made this yesterday and had some leftover cauliflower so I made another one but this time I didn’t cook the cauliflower. I figured it would cook in the oven. It came out great and saved me some time.
Wow, that is a time saver! Thanks for letting us know! 🙂
Any ideas what I can use for a binder other than egg? (I can’t have egg, soy, gluten) I have used flax “eggs” for an egg replacer but don’t know if it will be a good enough “glue” to hold the cauliflower together.
I’m not sure if the flax eggs will work, either. In other recipes, I’ve had success adding some extra flax to the mix (in addition to the flax eggs), but I haven’t tried that with this particular recipe. Other than that, I can only tell you what won’t work! (I tried using agar-agar once… and it was a mess.)
Let me know if you have any luck! 🙂
OK. I am excited to try this recipe. I cannot have eggs so used flax “eggs” instead. Also I read somewhere about microwaving the riced cauliflower. I simply put the riced cauliflower into a covered microwave-safe glass dish (adding NO water). It came out great, nice and dry. No need to squeeze out water! I haven’t eaten the crust yet but it cooked up great and looks wonderful.
Hi there!
Question: I’ve used a recipe for cauliflower mash where instead of boiling the cauliflower in water you microwave it to take the water out of it. Do you think this might work to help expel water from the cauli-rice needed for your pizza crust?
I ask because squeezing the water out of the cauli-rice when I made your recipe was messy and actually pretty strenuous. And, it required me to let the cuali-rice sit a long time to cool (otherwise even wrapped in a towel it was too hot to handle).
Thanks for any insight you might have!
Hi Kate! I don’t own a microwave, so I can’t test this theory… but please let me know if you have any success!
I’ve had another reader let me know that she made this crust without even cooking the cauliflower rice beforehand, so perhaps that might be an option, too? (I haven’t tried it myself yet, but I plan to!) One thing I’ve tried, that does involved a little pre-planning, is making the cauliflower rice ahead of time, then freezing it while it’s still raw. When you thaw the rice, the liquid is easily released with squeezing, and you can use it immediately for the crust without cooking it, or burning your hands! (The freezing process provides a cooked texture after thawing.)
Hope that helps!
This was the first cauliflower crust recipe I’ve ever tried and it was honestly fantastic. I really enjoyed it. Thanks so much!
Would parsnips instead of cauliflower work? I’m intolerant to cauliflower and looking for alternatives. I did make this crust with cauliflower before and it was perfect consistency, only it doesn’t get along with my body even after all that baking.
Thanks Megan!
Hmmm… I bet they would! It would probably effect the flavor, but if you like the taste of parsnips, then I say go for it!
And please let us know if you have any success! 🙂
This recipe is amazing! I love it…my husband loves it! I’ve tried other recipes and had decided I would not try again. So happy I found yours. Thanks Megan for a great recipe! Love the photos too.
Oh. My. Goodness. Made this last night for friends and they were incredibly impressed (as was I). I haven’t eaten pizza for years and boy did I miss it! My only complaint was that I doubled the recipe with the intention of freezing one of the pizza’s as suggested but my company and I gobbled up both! I also attempted to load a little too many veggie toppings which made the pieces a little soggy so next time I’ll go easy on the toppings and pair the pizza with a big raw salad instead. I used daiya cheese instead of chevre and it turned out beautifully…. crispy, delicious and very bread-like.
I was wondering if I might be able to make actual “bread” slices by shaping the dough into bread slice shapes and making it a little thicker so I might use it to make sandwiches… have you tried this?
My only advice to those who haven’t tried this amazing recipe yet is to make sure you plan ahead! I had to wait forever for my cauliflower rice to cool down before I could squeeze out the moisture so we ended up eating pretty late but next time I’ll just make it ahead of time. Definitely try this recipe, I’m pretty sure my life will never be the same!
This recipe sounds amazing, can’t wait to try it. Thanks to everyone for all the wonderful tips!
could u use any other cheese beside goat cheese
I used ricotta–yummy!
I just tried this, and it was absolutely delicious! Can’t wait to make it again. I’m not a big fan of goat cheese, though, so I made it with Hirtenkäse (kind of a feta cheese, but made from cow’s milk). Thank you so much for this recipe, i love it!
Sounds amazing! Quick question, is there a way to make this recipe without eggs?
I haven’t had any luck finding an egg-substitute for this particular recipe yet. I’m sure a solution is out there, though, so let me know if you have any success!
How many servings does this make?
This recipe made one large pizza, which I split with my husband as our main course for dinner. If you’re serving something extra on the side, you may be able to stretch it a little further!
Hi Megan, Love your blog! I plan on making your pizza this weekend. Quick question. Do you recommend a clean pizza sauce or have a recipe you could share? Seems like the store bought versions are loaded with sugar.
I’ve been meaning to make my own marinara sauce, but haven’t gotten around to it yet! In the meantime, I love Whole Food’s 365 Organic Pasta Sauce (it has no added sugar or oil) and Paesana’s Marinara Sauce. Both are very clean and delicious!
Hi Megan,
Just wondering if after the ricing, cooking, draining, and squeezing is done can the rice be frozen? And if so how long do you think it would last in the freezer? Thanks, will be trying this tomorrow.
Hi Sue! If you’re planning on freezing the rice, you can actually freeze it without cooking– when it thaws, it will have a tender texture of “cooked” rice. Strain the thawed rice, like you would the cooked rice, and follow the recipe from there!
Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
Here’s my experience with it, if anyone’s interested: http://dontforgetrecipes.blogspot.com/2012/09/cauliflower-crust-pizza.html
Ok I was very skeptical of this recipe. It was just one of those recipes that was so strange I had to try it. It was really good. I din’t tell my husband or son what they were eating or of course they wouldn’t try it. They liked it too. I have been trying to cut way back on my carbs and clean up my diet. Of course a pizza doesn’t fit in with this. This was yummy and I will make it again and again. Also I have several friends with Celiac and will use this often as a crust for appetizers.
Wow I just made this yesterday and I’m impressed! What an amazing alternative, I used goats fetta cheese as thats what i had in the fridge and turned out yummo! Looking forward to trying some other recipes. Loving the idea of freezing the rice & thawing it without having to boil it up, takes one extra step out of the process! Love it 🙂
Made it tonight and it was quick and wonderful. What is the purpose of cooking the cauliflower?
Cooking the cauliflower allows you to squeeze out the extra moisture contained in the raw rice. If you make the crust without cooking and straining the rice first, the resulting crust will be soggy.
This was delicious! I had a huge cauliflower and after cooking and squeezing I only had 2.5 cups of cauliflower… I used cooked brown rice to make up the difference. I topped it with mozzarella, asiago an Swiss cheeses, some roasted tomatoes and oregano. I am STUNNED at how good this was, and really filling. Fabulous recipe. Thank you, thank you!
First, I can’t believe I actually made this, but it was so different that I had to. Plus the pics baby-stepped me through it. It was soooo good! I was so skeptical that I made a back up dinner for our family; but we all wished I had made two or three more of these pizzas!! I literally laughed out loud when my 9-year-old said it was the best pizza he ever had… I thought he was pulling my leg. Then I tasted, and wow! You are sooo my food-hero! We follow a low-gluten, high-greens diet, and this one is awesome!! Easy to make, this will be a staple in our home!!
I forgot to mention, I did not have goat cheese for the crust, so I used greek yogurt with a tablespoon of GF flour instead. Worked great!
What is GF flour?????
Gluten free?
Yep!
This was absolutely delicious, thank you! Instead of the red sauce and mozzarella cheese I added a little fresh ricotta, roasted diced butternut squash and some chopped kale with a little olive oil. Loved it!
This recipe was created by : http://yourlighterside.com/recipe-the-original-cauliflower-pizza-dough-2/
Jamie also makes Cauli-“Tator” Tots and Cauli “bread”sticks
Yay for Jamie! She actually commented earlier on this post and shared her site with me. I’m excited to try some more cauliflower recipes!
Amazing recipe! My 6 year old scarfed it down and never questioned what he was eating like he usually does. Thank you for this great site. You made me realize good food doesn’t need grains or sugar to still taste good.
Hi there,
Just making sure that you measure the cauliflower AFTER you squeeze it dry?
Thank you for the recipe!
Molly
Hi Molly! I just realized that the way I wrote the ingredients is confusing– the 4 cups is before cooking, and it reduces to about half that size after cooking and squeezing. Hope you enjoy it!
Love this idea – I’ve never heard of it, but glad to find your website! I’ll be trying it this week. Usually I just do eggplant rounds for pizza, but not really the same.
Hi. What an amazing recipe! Also, it’s so cheap to pick up a cauliflower, rather than fairly expensive almond flour, etc.
I was wondering if anyone has tried this base simply as an alternative for bread? I think it’s going to become a staple in my diet if it tastes as good as it looks.
Thanks!
Amazing!! I just finished taste testing and it was so yummy. I’ve seen other cauliflower recipes before, and they look so greasy or flat, making me skeptical. This one was not at all. It was dry enough to pick up. Out of the gate, I tried adding some of my favorite dried herbs (oregano, sage, and garlic) I think I could have eaten the crust all by itself as mock crackers at a party. Thanks for sharing!
I’m so disappointed (and frustrated)… this did not turn out! I didn’t have ‘parchment’ paper, but I had brown paper (which I buttered generously).
Everything was going ok until the baking was finished… it looked lovely and golden brown and smelled so good but it would not release from the paper. So we had to eat the topping on the scraped-off crust (or rather, put the crumbs on top of the toppings).
Now, I have to say that it still tasted wonderful, but it was not the result I was expecting. Also have to mention that dad loved it better than anything else ‘Italian’!
I’m going to give this recipe a go again but I think I will try making it into a ‘pie’, and bake the crust in a glass pie plate (buttered and possibly even cacao powder dusted) and then put the remaining on top of the toppings (for a 2 crust pie)… do you think this will work???
Also must give you kudos for the explanation on how to ‘rice’ cauliflower.. I never understood the directions on other websites before but yours were so simple it just clicked! I will be making Stuffed Peppers one of these days and will be using that ‘rice’.
I also tried your almond butter instructions, but after 20 minutes I finally had to add a little coconut oil to the processor for it to cream – then I just had to try the fudge… Ah, visions of Almond Butter Fudge dance through my head!
Anyway, so sorry if I sound negative.. everything about the pizza was GREAT! except the baking. I have limited resources so did the best I could.
Thanks in advance for any tips you can provide
Imalee
Sorry to hear your crust stuck! I’ve found that parchment paper is key for preventing that– even my Silpat doesn’t work as well, and it usually prevents sticking with everything else I bake. The resulting crust is also soggier when you use anything else, which I think makes the sticking even more of a problem! So, I hope you have the opportunity to try it with some parchment paper next time.
And I have no idea if that pie crust will work out, but please let me know if you try it! That would be AMAZING if it worked well!
Thanks Megan for the reply, and I will definitely post the results of my experiment.