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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 crust?
Try my Vegan Cauliflower Pizza Crust recipe, which is made with no 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’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.
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!
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!
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! 🙂
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’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.
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!
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!
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!
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!!!