This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure and privacy policy.
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 recipe?
Try my Vegan Cauliflower Pizza Crust recipe, which is made without 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 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!
could u use any other cheese beside goat cheese
I used ricotta–yummy!
This recipe sounds amazing, can’t wait to try it. Thanks to everyone for all the wonderful tips!
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 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.
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 was the first cauliflower crust recipe I’ve ever tried and it was honestly fantastic. I really enjoyed it. Thanks so much!
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!
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.
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! 🙂