Closet Cooking Logo

Cauliflower Pizza Crust (with BBQ Chicken Pizza)

Cauliflower Pizza Crust (BBQ Chicken Pizza)

I have been wanting to try making a pizza with a cauliflower crust ever since I came across the idea on Recipe Girl; I mean what's not to like about a cauliflower crust for a pizza? I actually got a chance to try a cauliflower crust a couple of months ago but I ran into a problem, the crust stuck so badly to the parchment paper that I could't get it off. What bits that I could get off tasted great though so I was determined to get it right! After hours of going through comments on various cauliflower pizza crust recipes the secret seems to be that you need to squeeze out as much of the liquid as possible from the cooked cauliflower before baking it. As sometimes happens this project fell through the cracks and I forgot about it until the holidays when I picked up a silicon baking mat and it practically had the cauliflower crusts name written on it. I tried the recipe again, this time squeezing out the excess liquid and using the silicon baking mat, and the crust came out beautifully and just as tasty as expected! This crust is seriously good! I could easily eat the crust all by itself as a snack or maybe with a dipping sauce not to mention all of the tasty pizza topping options!

Cauliflower Pizza Crust (BBQ Chicken Pizza)
The cauliflower pizza crust holds together really well and you can easily eat the pizza with your hands!

Cauliflower Pizza Crust (BBQ Chicken Pizza)
A healthy thin crust pizza crust!

Cauliflower Pizza Crust (BBQ Chicken Pizza)
I can't wait to make more pizzas with cauliflower crusts!

Cauliflower Pizza Crust (BBQ Chicken Pizza)

Cauliflower Pizza Crust (BBQ Chicken Pizza)

Cauliflower makes a surprisingly good pizza crust and it goes really well with a BBQ chicken topping!


Servings: makes 1 large pizza

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

Printable Recipe
Ingredients
  • 1 medium head cauliflower, cut into florets
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded
  • 1 teaspoon oregano or Italian seasoning blend
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup chicken, cooked and shredded
  • 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
  • 3/4 cup mozzarella, shredded
  • red onion to taste, thinly sliced
  • fresh cilantro to taste
Directions
  1. Rice the cauliflower in a food processor, place it in a microwave safe dish and microwave for 8 minutes or until cooked.
  2. Place the cauliflower in a tea towel and sqeeze as much moisture out as you can.
  3. Mix the cauliflower, egg, mozzarella, oregano, salt and pepper, press the mixture onto a baking mat or parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake in a preheated 450F oven until lightly golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.
  4. Mix the chicken and barbecue sauce, top the pizza with the chicken, mozzarella and red onion and bake until the cheese is bubbling, about 10-15 minutes.

Similar Recipes:
Thin Crust Pizza Dough
Balsamic Strawberry and Chicken Pizza with Sweet Onions and Smoked Bacon
Thai Chicken Pizza with Sweet Chili Sauce
Pizza Quesadillas (aka Pizzadillas)
Pepperoni Pizza Casserole

57 comments:

Little Kitchie said...

The same thing happened to me when I tried to make cauliflower crust, so thanks so much for sharing your tips! This looks and sounds INCREDIBLE. BBQ chicken pizza is a favorite, and with this healthy twist, it's a must-make. Pinning to try!

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Very original and surely extremely scrumptious!

Cheers,

Rosa

Angela LeMoine said...

Definitely going to try out this crust!!! love the idea! thanks for sharing!
Angela
http://lemoinefamilykitchen.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

I have gone gluten free and the one major thing I missed was my pizza ! I had heard that this pizza crust was really good and now your pictures have convinced me...I have to make this ! Thanks Kev ...looks sooooo good !

Cheryle

Foodycat said...

I am so impressed that it holds together! I must try that.

Gill - That British Woman said...

I have never ever heard of this. I actually bought two cauliflowers this week as they were on sale for $1.50 each at No Frills. A Ham and Cheese topping would also be yummy.....

Gill

Rachael xx said...

That looks so yummy and healthy!

Rachael xx.

http://theteacozykitchen.blogspot.co.uk/

The Café Sucré Farine said...

How fun! I've never heard of anything like this! Looks delish!

Bev Weidner (Bev Cooks) said...

Sooooooo trying this!

Marian (Sweetopia) said...

Welcome back, Kevin! So glad to see more of your *absolutely mouth-watering* posts!

marla said...

Love cauliflower crusts & your pizza looks amazing Kevin :)

Maria said...

Love the crust!

A SPICY PERSPECTIVE said...

Say what?!? Cauliflower pizza crust? This is something I HAVE to try.

Megan Pence said...

I have a fresh head of cauliflower in the fridge as I type and the perfect pizza fixins', too. Lovely Kevin!

Heather Christo said...

I totally am obsessed with the cauliflower crust. MUST try this!!

Jenny said...

I need this asap Kevin! Looks amazing!

Cole Riley Ian Wendy Thompson said...

Hi Kevin, Love your website and this looks like an amazing pizza. I made a veggie pizza just the other day with the cauliflower crust from eatingbirdfood.com. She eliminated the need for squeezing out the liquid by sauteing the cauliflower! It turned out amazing!

Stephanie said...

Looks great!! Great excuse to buy another kitchen utensil, a silicon baking mat :)

Julie @ Table for Two said...

i've made an almost identical version of this pizza and i can attest that the cauliflower crust is AMAZING!! i love me some bbq chicken pizza :)

Kevin said...

Cole Riley Ian Wendy Thompson: I was thinking that using roasted cauliflower would have a similar affect.

Loretta E. said...

My hubby was just asking me to make one of these. Thankfully I already have a Silpat. Thanks for the great recipe!

Anonymous said...

Must give this a go. Thanks for the tip about the silicon mat! Having gone grain-free last June, I am always on the lookout for healthy ways of making various things I used to use wheat for.

SkinnyMommy said...

I have been wanting to try one too--this pizza looks great!

Anonymous said...

But does it taste like cauliflower? I hate cauliflower, but I love pizza. Just found out I'm allergic to dairy and trying to go without pizza right now is killing me!

dakotaessence said...

I use a potato ricer to squeeze the moisture from the cauliflower when I'm making crusts or faux-tatoes (which I love much more than insulin raising mashed potatoes)! A tip: I did learn not to get the cauli too dry using this method or my recipe needs extra liquid. And, no, the cauli doesn't squeeze through the ricer's holes. ;)

Jillian

John Gregg said...

Hi Kevin,
What a great recipe!!! I'm diabetic & cauliflower has almost no effect on my blood sugar.I love pizza & now pizza will be more healthy for me!!Cauliflower makes a great substitute for mashed potatoes,sauteed they make great hash browns too. You have great site & news letter.You have a lot of talent keep up the great work !!!

Ally Fry said...

Kevin do you think that it would be possible to just use 2 egg whites instead of one whole egg?

gaby said...

oh I absolutely love this idea!! totally trying it this week.

Jaime said...

Do you by chance have the calories, fat, carbs, fiber, and protein for this recipe. It seems really doable for being on weight watchers, but I need the above. Can you help?

Anonymous said...

Did you eat the entire pizza?bc I could never imagine this being a pizza that fills you up....
(came across it in the Paleo scene).
Or did you eat something else along with it?

Kevin said...

Anonymous: I split it into 3 and had a salad along with it. I was hoping to get 4 servings from it but you are right, the cauliflower crust is not as filling as a regular dough crust.

Sarah said...

I had an idea for editing the recipe, so it is lower in fat and higher in protein. Sub the mozzerella for TVP (textured vegetable protein) and see if that along with the egg with bind the cauliflower for the crust. This might make it stretch further with being more filling too!

:)

Sarah

Kevin said...

Ally Fry: I have not tried it but 2 egg whites should work.

Kevin said...

Anonymous: You will hardly notice the cauliflower flavour at all with all of the other ingredients.

Aimee @ Simple Bites said...

Super cool! I haven't tried this yet, but judging from your photos, I can't make it soon enough.

Anonymous said...

i hope this works w/o cheese or egg. will try to think of something to hold it together....but I like the concept!!!

Donna More said...

This is perfect for a low carb diet!! What about steaming the cauliflower and then ricing?

Jenn@slim-shoppin said...

I'm going to try your version Kevin - I've tried it several times to not so great results.

thanks for your tip about squeezing out the water!

cdm coordinator said...

Pizza looks delicious and made my mouth watering. I am going try this recipe but with less cheese.

Kevin said...

Donna More: Yes you can steam then rice the cauliflower!

Joanne said...

I've heard so much about this crust but still have yet to try it! You make it sound super enticing.

Abbe@This is How I Cook said...

This sounds great and you made it look even better!

Kelly Senyei (Just a Taste) said...

This looks incredible, Kevin! I've always wondered if the cauliflower crust could support a heavier topping like chicken, and now I'm inspired to try this barbecue version. Yum!

The Sketched Chef said...

What a beautiful idea !

Monet said...

Hi Kevin! Wow, this looks great. I've heard of this before, but I've yet to try it. Your pictures make me want to make a batch tonight! Thank you for sharing another dose of inspiration. I hope you are having a great week and are staying warm.

Rocky Mountain Woman said...

I have been wanting to try this crust also, now I'm inspired!

Sarah said...

Hi Kevin!
I always love your recipes. I have made this pizza several times & I too have issues with it sticking, it's maddening! I've found you can get away with the parchment paper as long as its good quality paper (I was formerly confused & thought wax paper was the same thing), you must give it a good spray of olive oil too, this combo seems to do the trick.

Also my BFF just tried making it without cheese & added a little almond meal, she said its even better then the cheese version, I'm trying that next!

Amy Lau said...

This looks absolutely divine !!

http://yummei.blogspot.co.uk

Pauline said...

looks absolutely scrumptious, can't wait to try it!

Ladybug said...

Hi Kevin! I had the same problems you mentioned when I last tried cauliflower crust. It tasted good but stuck like crazy. Unlike you, I gave up and now my staple low carb crust is cheese based (http://www.anykitchenwilldo.com/white-pizza-on-a-wheatless-crust/). Works great every time, and also works as 'breadsticks'. You give me hope, and maybe I will try your cauli recipe.

naomi said...

HOLY MAMA!! This just moved to the top of my to do list! I am so making this!!!!!

Angela LeMoine said...

Absolutely love following along! Wanted to let you know I've nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award on my Blog, LeMoine Family Kitchen. Will be posting it tomorrow, please visit and say hi.
Angela
http://lemoinefamilykitchen.blogspot.com

rachel said...

Delicious! Made it tonight and it was awesome. Even my partner (who HATES cauliflower) and my 8 year old daughter both loved it!

Yay... made it into the rotation! :)

Anonymous said...

Have you tried baking the crust on a pizza stone? Just wondering...

Kevin said...

Anonymous: I have not as I do not have a pizza stone but I worry that it might stick to it like it does to a pan.

Kevin said...

rachel: Glad you and your family enjoyed it!

Kevin said...

Sarah: I will have to try the almond meal!

Post a Comment