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!
–
Reader Feedback: Have you tried a cauliflower pizza crust yet?
I’m so excited… I just made this and nailed it!!! Woo hoo!
Thanks for all the delish recipes!
I realized I never commented on this! Your recipe was perfection. I had tried another cauli crust and it crumbled into a billion pieces when I lifted a slice off the baking sheet. Here’s a blog post I did, complete with pictures! http://smallssays.blogspot.com/2013/04/this-pizza-is-un-beet-able.html
My cauliflower-averse son and hubs both enjoyed your pizza! Thank you! I doubled the recipe, so each of my men ate almost a whole head of cauliflower! Yay!
This sounds great. Can anyone give the nutritional info for the recipe given? I’m interested in fat/carb/protein ratio.
Thanks so much!
Suz
I am really looking forward to trying this! Do you have any recipes or recommendations for a good sauce?
Looks amazing! Where did you find the Goat Mozz. Cheese?!
I found it at my local Whole Foods!
Ill give this ago tonight (maybe) – photos look great & delicious.
Hi! This was sooo good!! I will definitely do this again.
Just finished eating this pizza. Was my first attempt at making this type of pizza. I have 15 browser windows open with different cauliflower pizza recipes and chose this one because it was the only one that mentioned the step of wringing it out after straining. Apparently I could of done that more then I did. The crust was great, edges were nice and crispy and great flavor. My wife hated the store bough gultin free pizza crust mix, but loved this one. The center was still little mushy, but now that we know we will be making this again I will just have to wring it out little more next time.
Now I have 14 browser windows to close and this one to bookmark and print out. Thank you
A lot of work for 1 pizza, so definitely take Megan’s suggestion and make 2! Very delicious, guests were impressed by how tasty it was. Go Megan!
i’m brand new to cooking, so here goes: can I coat the inside of my skillet with coconut oil instead of using the baking sheet with parchment paper?
Just made this – it is AWESOME! It was really good. I think next time we’re going to put more seasoning in it for a garlic taste. Thank you for posting this.
Awesome, awesome, awesome!!!
Made this for my wife and kids tonight. My wife told me it is her new favorite dish. I followed the recipe almost exactly but made one change when cooking the cauliflower rice. I steamed the cauliflower rice in a fine mesh strainer over a pot of boiling water. Keeping it out of the water makes the cauliflower dryer. Less squeezing needed afterwards.
Thanks for sharing this recipe.
This looks great, has anyone tried it without the chèvre tho? I have a dairy allergy, unfortunately.. maybe a second egg in place of the chèvre? What do you think?
I can’t do dairy either, I did this recipe with the steamer trick, didn’t squeeze out extra liquid, but I did leave it in the pot on the stove after steaming just shut off and didn’t get back to it for like an hour say. Then I took the cauliflower rice, 2 whole eggs and salt, spices rand through the Cuisinart processor, poured into a parchment lined and olive oil sprayed pan, baked it 4o mins. Later put on the tomato sauce, veggies and Vegan Gourmet( from Wegman’s) brand cheese substitute. It was great!!!. Daiya melts better but I am trying to avoid yeast so I bought this one.
Made this on foil and it stuck. Is there a way to strain the “rice” without burning myself? rinse it under cold water?
Is there a regular cheese I can use instead of goat cheese like feta or parmesan?
Goat cheese is still “regular cheese”. But you can even use a part skim mozzarella in the mix. I used that for my cauliflower crust grilled cheese sandwiches, and it was perfect.
This is the first time I have ever had cauliflower in my lifetime. I just don’t like the look of it I guess. It was hard for me to believe that a crust made from cauliflower could be good. However, I must say this pizza is amazing. My guess is that I Could use this same recipe and add a few more eggs(I prefer egg whites)and spread it thinner to make a tortilla or wrap?
Does using goat cheese instead of another kind of cheese improve the results? I have never had a goat cheese before!
I’m with you Amy. I had never had cauliflower. I’ve used it in dishes for guests or family many times, but had never eaten it myself. I LOVE goat cheese… something I also hadn’t had until a few years ago. It’s great on crackers, or in a salad or those little toast appetizers. I was hesitant taking that first bite of my cauliflower crust grilled cheese sandwich just yesterday. But after that first bite, I don’t think I even took a breath until I finished it. I liked it better than grilled cheese on bread! I used grated mozzarella in that recipe. I would try the goat cheese first. But you can also use the mozzarella or probably any other cheese that’s going to melt well.
I’m not clear on when to add toppings. Do you bake the crust first then add toppings and bake again or do you add toppings directly to unbaked crust? I am excited to try this. Our church is fasting and we are not eating meat, sugar, and bread so this will be perfect!
You bake the crust before you put your toppings on – then, take it out of the oven and put your toppings on – then, put it back in your 400 degree oven for 5-10 mins until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Enjoy!
OMG, just OMG. When you’re on a restricted diet, things like this bring such joy back to your life! A little goat cheese here and there never hurt anyone, right?! My hubs and I made this 2 days ago (soooo flipping yummy!!!), and we’re already planning a pizza crust making day so that we can have these in the freezer all ready to go when we want a quick dinner! Thanks so much! 🙂
Can you refrigerate the dough before you bake it? Thanks so much for this recipe!
Sure, I don’t see why not! It might just increase the baking time a bit.
We had a few difficulties making this. The wax paper smoked really badly and my husband thought it smelled like plastic! Then, once it was baked, it was still pretty difficult to remove. All that said, this was truly so delicious! Definitely fooled my mouth but later my body was craving carbs! lol… I’ve only been off sugar and refined starches etc for about five days though. Very excited to have found this recipe and this site! About to make your chocolate chip cookies. Excited about that!
Next time, make sure you use parchment paper– it’s very different from wax paper, and won’t smoke or stick! Glad you enjoyed the taste!
Can’t wait to try this! My husband was recently put on a VERY LOW CARB diet and I have figured out that cauliflower is the miracle vegetable! I made waffles this morning using “riced” cauliflower and they were SO delicious with an egg. Thank you for this recipe. Going to try it really soon.
what brand is the goat cheese and where can I purchase it?
I’m a regular reader of your site and finally tried this crust recipe last night! It was fantastic and not as difficult to prepare as I originally thought. Another gem, Megan, Way to go!!
Pizza crust was fantastic!!! Topped with a can of diced tomatoes (strained), pizza cheese, and olives. So good!!
Megan,
You are my new HERO!!! I have been craving pizza all week and I was getting soooo depressed! i found this recipe and let me tell you girlfriend this was freaking tasty, I took pics and posted my pizza on FB. Please keep the recipes coming! I have been Gluten free about 6 months or so, but then I decided to get really crazy and go dairy free, semi vegetarian… I haven’t felt this good, energy wise, in years!
For those dairy free, I substituted Daiya Mozzarella cheese (Dairy Free). I used in the crust, as well as, the toppings, yummy!!!
Any who, I have a wicked sweet tooth and thanks to you, I am no longer cheating, I able to have my chocolate treats! BTW-I making this pizza for my boyfriends 15 year old daughter and seeing if she knows the difference, shhhhhh!! LOL
I just made this for myself and my husband and we both were pleasantly surprised at how well it turned out. I did add 2 eggs since I had a little over 4cups of cauliflower. I added basil and garlic to one, Tomatoes and garlic to the second with lots of mozzarella and parmesan. Highly recommended to anyone trying to cut out bread and other processed foods. YUMMY thanks for sharing !!
p.s. Squeezing all the water out is definitely key !
Like many others, I chose your recipe from the multitude found online. My crust is still in the oven, but so far so good. I will use my nutmilk sack next time to strain the cauliflower rice. I added some chia seeds to the beaten egg before mixing for added nutrition and crunch. Thanks for easy-to-follow directions and a great recipe.
Why use goat cheese? Allergy to dairy? If so would the allergy still be triggered by the goat cheese??
This was absolutely an amazing “taste treat” sensation! The 1st time prep seem to take an awful lot of time. Upon repeat this can be a “snap”!
Amazing crust. I used Havarti cheese, only 8oz. (Aldi Store) on both for crust& topping. Used cheap Walmart pizza sauce with a bit of salt, pepper & additional oregano added. Green diced pepper, diced onion & sliced fresh mushroom topped with remaining cheese..OMG, even the leftovers…
“Rocked”.
Guilt Free delicious! Thank You!
I would love to try this, but do not eat cheese. Can you recommend a substitute? Another egg or…
This looks amazing. I’m vegan, and was wondering if you have any substitution suggestions to make this recipe vegan friendly. Often times vegan recipes will call for flax as an egg replacement or daiya as a cheese replacement. I would truly appreciate your input if you have any. Thanks!
This was awesome on my first attempt. Next time I think I would put the cook cauliflower a cup at a time in a bowl then squeeze out the water with another bowl. It was hard to wring out in a towel because the califlower was hot to work with having been just boiled. I would also add some italian spices to it, though it was great made according to the recipe.
O M G this is amazing! THANK YOU FOR THIS RECIPE. I HAVE MADE IT SEVERAL TIMES NOW, ALWAYS TASTY. MY QUESTION: WOULD YOU LET THE COOKED CAULIFLOWER COOL, ALOT, SO IT WOULD BE LESS PAINFUL TO SQUEEZE OUT THE MOISTURE??
MY NEXT PROJECT IS TO MAKE SOME FOR THE FREEZER! THEN WHEN THE MOOD HITS…VOILA ALL SET TO GO.
AGAIN. MANY THANKS FOR THIS RECIPE.
Since cauliflower is kind of like broccoli, I wonder if you could use broccoli instead? It would be a green pizza crust!
Hi there. I really hate to say this, but this recipe was a disaster. We followed everything step by step and ended up with a mess that stuck to the parchment paper and a waste of a perfectly good cauliflower. I think we’ll stick with our coconut flour pizza dough recipe.
Have made this twice now and. It makes about 1/2 of the amount you show…what am I doing wring? 4 cups of cauliflower rice boils down to a very small amount…would be great to see a video.
Any suggestions how to fix this?
So happy my coworker told me about your webiste. You ROCK!!! I am in love with this recipe. I made this for Superbowl Sunday and it was a hit!! Instead of a whole egg I used egg white liquid and no goat cheese worked like a charm. I added a bed of baby spinach over the cauliflower crust once it was baked topped with marinara, mozzarella, green, red and yellow peppers and vidalia onions. It was amazing!! I definately will make this again and again.
My neighbor just sent me this; says it’s awesome. Am wondering if I can put all ingredients for crust into food processor to incorporate?
What do you recommend for the sauce?
This looks amazing- trying it over the weekend with some eggplant and char-grilled capsicums as topping!
This recipe sounds fantastic! Several of my friends have raved about cauliflower pizza crust, but I have never tried it.
I’m allergic to dairy, as well as wheat. So I’m glad to see so many suggestions for substitutions for the cheese–an extra egg, cashew butter, vegan cheese, etc.
I’m definitely looking forward to trying this recipe =)
This is a fantastic recipe! Never dreamed it would be this good. I am super happy I can still have pizza on a no-wheat lifestyle. Thanks to you for sharing!! I have shared this with several friends and they love it too!!
I made this last night after resisting for a long time (it looked so labor intensive). I’m grain free for my sensitive tummy, but dairy is a-ok, so I was psyched to see a recipe that’s grain free, but dairy full. I didn’t have chevre, so I added a tablespoon of coconut flour and a clove of garlic and some Italian seasoning for flavor. It was so easy. It baked up beautifully, and, while there wasn’t much taste, the texture was great. A huge improvement on pretty much every GF pizza I’ve ever had with their gummy crusts, and gross flavors.
Yay for cauliflower pizza!
Hello! I was wondering where in the world do you find goat mozzarella?! I live outside of Austin, tx and have never seen it at any stores! Thanks 🙂 I try to limit my cow dairy!
I found mine at Whole Foods.
Oh my goodness!! You are a God-send Megan!! I was so excited to stumble upon your website today during our East Coast Snow-mageddon 🙂 I’ve been detoxing and pretty much off carbs and other things for the last 3 weeks and have been DYING for some pizza. I fooled my entire family this past Thanksgiving with Mashed Cauliflower so I knew I had to make this. It was incredibly delicious and not as hard to make as i thought it would be. I was a little shocked though that this LARGE crust only fed me 😛 I thought i would get more “slices” from one batch. I will be sure to triple the recipe next time and make personal sized pizzas!!
As a woman, athlete and trainer, Thank you so much for creating this resource to make healthy living easier to achieve!!
Thank you!!!
Hello Megan! Thank you for being so generous with your knowledge of such great food. I have made so many of your recipes with phenomenal success:)I did happen to have an issue with this crust going soggy after baking it with the toppings on:( Do you have any advice or know why this might have happened? The crust was firm and golden (cooked for 50 minutes at 400)then I topped it with some marinara, true mozzarella and basil. The mozzarella did let out a lot of moisture. Maybe this contributed? I did wring out the cauliflower rice in a towel, twice as it really had a lot of moisture to begin with. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you and keep up the good work, I love your site!
This recipe is fantastic! Just wanted to let you know that I did not have fresh cauliflower available so I used two 1 lb bags of frozen and it still worked fine. I microwaved the two bags of florets till hot and then dumped them into the processor. Processed them till the cauliflower looked like rice and then just squeezed it out really well and followed the rest of the recipe.
Hi Megan,
I was so excited to try this last night and thought I did everything right….however the final product was really mushy. I thought I squeezed all the water out (two dishtowels worth) but maybe not? Any tips would be wonderful, thank you!
Hi, Just found out my teen son has a severe wheat allergy (also needs to not avoid sugar, rye, barley & peanuts). We have an organic milk cow & I make Fromage Blanc w/ her milk, do you think I could use this in the crust instead of goat cheese?