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 Megan, we do eat cheese but we never buy goat cheese. What other cheese can I use instead of goat cheese, would feta or mozzarella work??Thanks
Mozzarella would probably work just fine!
Hey Liana!
I used cream cheese and it was still awesome! I always have that on hand for baking. 🙂
I used wet mozzarella and it was amazing. Thanks a lot for the recipe, we already made it twice and we loved it.
So, my husband actually liked this recipe, which he usually just bears with whatever I tend to make since I’m cooking more now and I’m gluten free. Like, he said it was good. Huge. Although it seemed like a little bit of a pain to put together, it really seems worth it. Will def consider making two at a time! Question: mine was a tad limp (like a moist bread would) but still held together. Would making it thicker help or was mine too thin/moist and that was abnormal. Either way, I’m a but geeked up to try this, and I think these would make great breadsticks. Taste nothing like cauliflower and I know hubbers was appreciative.
Thank you so much for sharing.. The Cauliflower pizza was amazing..:)
😉
Hi! This crust sounds amazing. Can’t wait to try it!
I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions for pizza toppings that don’t belong to the nightshade family? My husband can’t tolerate nightshades which include tomatoes and peppers. I might try a pesto sauce, but I’m nervous.
Thanks!
I have done much searching, and this recipe looks to be the most trusting. Making Cauliflower crust can be difficult (as I have read). I am confident to give this one a shot. Will let ya’ll know how it goes 🙂
Love this recipe! Thank you! This time I followed your advice and did the double batch and put one in the freezer. Also, I omitted the cheese this time, and it turned out wonderful! Since I am allergic to dairy, I used Daiya cheese last time, but I like it better when the cheese is just on top 🙂
Just made this absolutely amazing, couldn’t be more surprised. I genuinely adore pizza and this is so good!!! Thankyou,thankyou,thankyou
Incredible. I was so skeptical. My husband has been GF for a while and I have found some really good recipes for pizza crust, but nothing tops this.
Hi, I am looking forward to trying this, as I’ve done cauliflower crust pizza before with gooey middle results…here’s my question, I’m allergic of eggs, what should I use as a substitute??
Thanks,
You might want to try my Vegan Cauliflower Pizza Crust instead: https://detoxinista.com/2014/02/vegan-cauliflower-pizza-crust/
Idk if someone has said this, but if you don’t have a food processor, one could also just steam the cauliflower, mash it, then strain it. There are a few larger chunks, but it works really well! I made some following a different recipe a couple days ago, but found this one when I was looking to see if I could make extra and freeze it next time. Thanks for the info!
I took some liberties with the recipe, but it turned out great! Thanks for the inspiration! Third time I’ve made it now (in a week)! LOL Made a double batch tonight since I was making a mess anyway…
https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/t1.0-9/10336591_10204483577515166_253327644546377616_n.jpg
This was really good. I didn’t have parchment paper so I tried without. Make sure you use parchment because my crust stuck so badly. Other than my own fault my pizza was great.
This was awesome! My daughter is a pizza connoiseur and she was very impressed. Not sure what makes this recipe so much better than others but, it is. If anyone has ideas about an easier way to squeeze out the moisture other than a tea towel that would be great. It was hot! Love this!
Hey there, this is honestly the best pizza I’ve ever had! Thanks so much for the recipe. Once baked, before the fixings, do you think it could be frozen for later use? If not, how long do you think the baked crust will last?
Thanks.
Kate
I really love this recipe, but found a way to firmer crust. In addition to “squeezing the snot” out of the cauliflower, TURN the crust over after baking and before you put on the toppings. Works great!
OOPS….forgot…I also add about a tablespoon and a half of shredded blend of Parmesan, Romano and Asiago cheese…and leave out the oregano.
For those discussing how to get the cauliflower crust crispy, I have a couple of questions:
Has anyone tried baking this in a convection oven?
Has anyone tried baking this in a regular oven with the door blocked open slightly?
If excess moisture is the problem and you’ve removed as much moisture as possible with the towel-twisting method, would allowing more of the humidity to escape from the (regular) oven help with that?
If I understand the nature of convection ovens correctly, they have fans that cause foods to bake more evenly and more quickly…does anyone have any information on the venting system for convection ovens?
Just curious if anyone has any experience to share….
About how long does it take to prepare would you say?
Thx!
OMG!! I am eating this right now and it is absolutely amazing. I substituted shredd mozzarella instead of goat cheese, the texture is perfect and I feel like I am eating the a true crust. Excellent!
Mine turned out perfect on the first try! A little smaller than I thought it would be, but I know that for next time. I used 1 ounce of herb garlic goat cheese in the crust instead. I would never in a million years ever think that this crust was made from cauliflower!
Its time consuming and a big mess honestly, but I know I will be making this all the time now!
Hi Megan. I can’t wait to make this. I used mozzarella for my cauliflower crust grilled cheese, which was amazing. And that was my first time ever having cauliflower! I will definitely be using your recipe with goat cheese to make this pizza. I have one question. Can we use a pre-heated pizza stone for this? I saw it mentioned in a few comments here, but no mention (unless I missed it), of someone having tried it using a stone.
Hi Megan, Recipe sounds great. I grew up with goats and the milk and cheese always tasted goatee. I see your recommendation but can’t read the brand. Would like to try it if I can find it. Can you mention the brand? Thank you
Maybe don’t cook the cauliflour. I will try that tonight.
Tried it last night. Works beautifully. Made it in my Le Creuset pan, and put it on the stove top for 5 min before I transferred it to the oven.
I love this pizza but this is my second time making it and it is still sticking to the parchment paper. I don’t understand why… I used oil on the paper the second time too. 🙁 Any thoughts or advice?? Honest – I’m following the directions!
maybe try sprinkling almond or chickpea flour on top of the parchment paper, then adding the crust?
I love this pizza…My husband also enjoys your recipe…THANK YOU for sharing!!
I love this recipe! Thank you so much for sharing it with the world. I use the largest cauliflower I can find (instead of a small one) and keep the other ingredients in the same measurements. So good!
yes i am curious as to weather one can replace goats cheese for some other cheese that wont compromise the firmness of the crust, i wont make it until i know of a substitute ,and am waiting in anticipation of a reply thanks!
I used 1/3 cup parmesan reggiano and it turned out fantastic!
I used raw mild cheddar cheese.
Fantastic! Followed your instructions, and here I am, enjoying a 100 % handheld pizza ! Delicious.
So the crust was very tasty, but WAY smaller than expected or than what others seemed to have made. After squeezing out ALL the moisture, I was left with a very small amount of cauliflower. I could barely make one small thin pizza out of it (not sure where I went wrong w/ the recipe for this to happen) The only substitute I made was cream cheese instead of the goat (didn’t have any on hand or I would have, I LOVE goat cheese!). I think I am going to try doubling the amount of cauliflower next time, do you think this would work? Also, I did use wax paper (again only thing I had on hand) but next time I will for sure use parchment as suggested b/c it totally stuck to the wax paper!! Thanks for the recipe!
once the oven is hot and you have added your toppings put the pizza right on the rack of the oven, line your bottom of oven with tin foil for drippage reasons. but cooking on the rack itself will crisp up the middle bottom of crust. transfer to pizza cutting pan when done
Hi leah!
You cook the crust straight on the rack? how do you manage for the crust to not fall apart with no tray or parchment paper underneath? Thank you!
Thanks for this recipe, we just started eating a mostly Paleo diet due to my son’s allergies (and our health) and I know he misses pizza. I made this for the first time tonight, and although it is cooling right now and I haven’t tasted it yet, I think I know what I did wrong with the crust. I made it with EnerG which seems to have worked, but I think I made the crust way too thin. I can’t wait to try it again with more cauliflower and thicker crust. I am curious to see how the EnerG works since my son has an egg allergy and I’m not sure how he would take to the flax egg you suggested in the vegan recipe.
Dear Megan
I have not read all the hundreds of comments but:
Have you tried to use a Juicer to extract the water… and use the pulp… to do the crust..?
Have you had any tests?
Thanks
Id try it! do you cook the cauliflower first or put it raw in the juicer?
where do I buy goat mozzarella? Fred Meyers, Costco, etc… I have never seen it anywhere.
I buy mine at Whole Foods!
I just made your pizza and give it 5 stars. Over the top delicious! Thank you for the recipe! I have seen a cauliflower crust recipe many time and kind of turned my nose up at it thinking it would be horrible. My best friend made it last night and told me I had to try it. I did and boy was I shocked! SOOOOOOOO good. Turned out perfectly. This will definitely go into the dinner rotation.
Thank you so very much for this recipe!!! Came home to visit the parents and mom and I undertook this adventure. Mom was skeptical, but was excited to see if we could trick Dad. Which we totally did! So delicious! My mother told me that I had better thank you! 😉 The only thing we’d like to add is maybe an approximate measurement for how large a pizza this recipe makes. I hadn’t paid attention to this detail until we got to the end. Luckily, we had other stuff in the house, so we had a nice dinner together that included awesome pizza. Our pizza came out to be roughly 10″x7″ and I cut it into 8 delicious squares. Thank you thank you! Great photos too, by the way!
I made this tonight for dinner, I topped it with pizza sauce, roasted veggies (onions, red peppers,broccoli, mushrooms) and a 1/4 cup of Italian Blend shredded cheese. The only change I made was I used parmesan/reggiano instead of the goat cheese (because that’s what I had on hand) I am so happy to say that it turned out perfect!!! It was a lot smaller than I was expecting, but it was crisp, and we were able to pick it up and eat it. I was wondering if anyone has an easier way for squeezing out the water? I have arthritis and it was very difficult to squeeze so much. Would a dehydrater work?
Thank you so much for posting this and all the great tips. I plan on experimenting with different seasoning and toppings. I wonder if it would work as a crust for my taco pie. Will it stick to a glass pie pan?
Hi Cindy!
Someone said to use a tortilla press 🙂
Fabulous! A keeper!
Fooled my kids and friend..they thought it was normal pizza. 🙂 Held together great. Trick was to get ALLLL the moisture out.
TIME SAVING TIP: once cauliflower is in mesh strainer, run under cool water! Then you can squeeze it right away. Saves a lot of time.
Made this tonight and after ricing the cauliflower I squeezed it in a towel for a bit (but nothing dramatic) and put it into the microwave without water for about 6 minutes. It came out pretty dry and the crust held up. I’m not sure it there’s a reason to not skip the water, but it seemed less labor intensive and still very good.
I did the same, microwave for 5 min and there was not much water coming out. The pizza didn’t come out crunchy cos probably I didnt leave it long enough in the oven. im adding 1/4 almond meal nest time to see what happens 🙂
I tried this tonight with excellent results. Thanks for throwing it out there, it was delicious. In changing my diet, the things I have missed the most are not fried foods and sweets, but rather breads and baked goods, all of which I minimize. This was an excellent bread substitute. I’m going to stock up on cauliflower and try some variations of this concept to make cracker-substitutes. Surely it can be done!
Hi BC! Let me know if you come out with a cracker recipe! I haven’t found any crackers free of gluten and grains out there, I also think this could be a great option for crackers. Maybe Megan can help? 😉
Thank you!
Turned out way better than I ever could have dreamed! I don’t love the flavor of cauliflower, so I was a little wary, but it was delicious! Topped it with tomato sauce, mozz. cheese, organic Italian chicken sausages, and arugula. Nom nom! Thanks for posting!
I’ve been doing the cauliflower pizza crust for a couple of years now, and it’s great! A great substitute for tomato sauce is the already made Alfredo sauces because they are only like 3 net carbs for 1/4 a cup (which is all you need!), basil pesto, ricotta cheese, or just mix some tomato paste with water or pesto. Alfredo or ricotta go really with fresh basil and thin slices of Roma tomatoes. Those toppings tend to not weigh the pizza down. Also, if you find that the cauliflower dwindled down a little to much, try adding a 1/4 of almond flour and 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese. This really helps in a pinch! Very importantly, don’t forget to grease your pan!!!
My crust is in the oven this very moment! Can’t wait to see how it turns out. Do you think after squeezing the water out, it might help to spread the cauliflower in a thin layer on a baking pan and let it sit in a warm oven for a few minutes to further dry it out? I’m hoping I will be able to pick mine up, but I did read that many people eat it with a knife and fork. So, I’m thinking if mine turns out too moist, I might try drying it out in the oven. Would love to hear feedback on this idea!
OMG! This recipe is THE BOMB! I just finished baking it and it is delicious. This is my 1st attempt however I know what is for dinner again tomorrow! I really dried the cauliflower as much as possible after grating into rice but before mixing… followed the directions and whallaa! Now I am dancing and in love again Yum Yum.
I made this today for lunch. It is amazing how well the pizza crust held together. I made three personal size pizzas instead of one large. I really don’t like goat cheese so i substituted it for mozzarella. Everything else, I followed to the tee. I used a pizza pan with holes in it with parchment paper and it turned out crispy all around. My husband who was complaining about the smell of cauliflower throughout the whole process and how it was a weird using it as pizza crust was pleasantly surprised on how good it tastes. Love this recipe and will use it whenever I crave pizza.
Is it possible to shape the cauliflower ‘bread’ for other things? Say, if I wanted to make a loaf, or in a muffin/cupcake tin? I’d like making little cauliflower rolls/muffins – naturally they won’t rise so I know to fill the thing, but I want to know if it’ll keep its integrity.
Cauliflower berry-chevre muffins sound awesome, or maybe butter & honey on top and just cheese inside.
Little calzones would be fun too if I could fold it over, I’d love to have little pockets of things.
Also, if I were to use a tortilla press with the cauliflower in the cheese cloth to contain it, would the flattening be an issue? It’ll get the liquid completely out, that’s for sure.
I think is a great idea! i don’t use the microwave except for this recipe and didn’t have much water coming out of it. I put it in for 5 min.
This looks good…. 🙂 I actually have a cheese sticks recipe on my website that is high-protein and it is made of cauliflower as well. 🙂 It’s super yummy!! Here’s the link: http://prayworkeat.com/fooled-ya-cheese-sticks-s/
I don’t call this a treat. I call it breakfast, lunch and dinner. 🙂 It has become a weekly recipe. My kids know it is gluten free. They don’t know that it has cauliflower. Now, I’m against lying to my children, but for now, I don’t mind omitting this little fact. The only thing is that next time I prepare the cauliflower, I’m going to food process it in the garage and plug in the electric coil to cook it, because it stinks up the house. Once it’s in the oven with the sauce and toppings, it smells wonderful, though. I have made it with goat cheese, Daiya mozzarella and regular mozzarella. All three have turned out fine. I might pull it off the pizza tray next time and put the parchment paper right on the oven rack after it’s cooked enough to be taken off the tray. I think this might crisp it better. I could be wrong, though.