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!
The cauliflower pizza crust holds together really well and you can easily eat the pizza with your hands!
A healthy thin crust pizza crust!
I can’t wait to make more pizzas with cauliflower crusts!
BBQ Chicken Cauliflower Crust Pizza
Cauliflower makes a surprisingly good pizza crust and it goes really well with a BBQ chicken topping!
ingredients
- 1 cauliflower pizza crust (see below)
- 1 cup chicken, cooked and shredded
- 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
- 3/4 cup mozzarella, shredded
- 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, torn
directions
- 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.
Cauliflower Pizza Crust
Cauliflower makes a surprisingly good pizza crust that is much healthier!
ingredients
- 1 medium head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded
- 1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated
- 1 teaspoon oregano or italian seasoning blend
- salt and pepper to taste
directions
- Rice the cauliflower in a food processor, place it in a microwave safe dish and microwave for 8 minutes or until cooked.
- Place the cauliflower in a tea towel and squeeze as much moisture out as you can.
- Mix the cauliflower, egg, mozzarella, parmesan, oregano, salt and pepper, press the mixture onto a baking mat or parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake in a preheated 450F/230C oven until lightly golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.
Pepperoni Pizza Cauliflower Casserole
Zucchini Pizza Crust (with Chipotle BBQ Bacon and Grilled Corn Pizza)
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
BBQ Ham, Bacon and Pineapple Quesadillas (aka BBQ Hawaiian Pizza Quesadillas)
Eggplant Pizzas
Grilled Corn, Roasted Poblano and Bacon Zucchini Crust Pizza
No Crust Pepperoni Pizza
Loaded Baked Potato Broccoli Crust Pizza
Crispy Tortilla Skillet Pizza
Little Kitchie says
February 18, 2013 at 12:56 pmThe 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 says
February 18, 2013 at 1:08 pmVery original and surely extremely scrumptious!
Cheers,
Rosa
Angela LeMoine says
February 18, 2013 at 1:31 pmDefinitely going to try out this crust!!! love the idea! thanks for sharing!
Angela
http://lemoinefamilykitchen.blogspot.com
Anonymous says
February 18, 2013 at 1:34 pmI 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 says
February 18, 2013 at 1:37 pmI am so impressed that it holds together! I must try that.
Gill - That British Woman says
February 18, 2013 at 1:44 pmI 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 says
February 18, 2013 at 1:44 pmThat looks so yummy and healthy!
Rachael xx.
http://theteacozykitchen.blogspot.co.uk/
The Café Sucré Farine says
February 18, 2013 at 2:14 pmHow fun! I've never heard of anything like this! Looks delish!
Bev Weidner (Bev Cooks) says
February 18, 2013 at 2:22 pmSooooooo trying this!
Marian (Sweetopia) says
February 18, 2013 at 2:59 pmWelcome back, Kevin! So glad to see more of your *absolutely mouth-watering* posts!
marla says
February 18, 2013 at 3:01 pmLove cauliflower crusts & your pizza looks amazing Kevin 🙂
Maria says
February 18, 2013 at 3:10 pmLove the crust!
A SPICY PERSPECTIVE says
February 18, 2013 at 3:18 pmSay what?!? Cauliflower pizza crust? This is something I HAVE to try.
Megan Pence says
February 18, 2013 at 3:34 pmI have a fresh head of cauliflower in the fridge as I type and the perfect pizza fixins', too. Lovely Kevin!
Heather Christo says
February 18, 2013 at 3:39 pmI totally am obsessed with the cauliflower crust. MUST try this!!
Jenny says
February 18, 2013 at 4:03 pmI need this asap Kevin! Looks amazing!
Cole Riley Ian Wendy Thompson says
February 18, 2013 at 4:06 pmHi 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 says
February 18, 2013 at 4:08 pmLooks great!! Great excuse to buy another kitchen utensil, a silicon baking mat 🙂
Julie @ Table for Two says
February 18, 2013 at 4:12 pmi'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 says
February 18, 2013 at 4:28 pmCole Riley Ian Wendy Thompson: I was thinking that using roasted cauliflower would have a similar affect.
Loretta E. says
February 18, 2013 at 5:21 pmMy hubby was just asking me to make one of these. Thankfully I already have a Silpat. Thanks for the great recipe!
Anonymous says
February 18, 2013 at 5:51 pmMust 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 says
February 18, 2013 at 6:33 pmI have been wanting to try one too–this pizza looks great!
Anonymous says
February 18, 2013 at 7:16 pmBut 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!
Anonymous says
February 18, 2013 at 8:23 pmI 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 says
February 18, 2013 at 8:30 pmHi 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 says
February 18, 2013 at 10:36 pmKevin do you think that it would be possible to just use 2 egg whites instead of one whole egg?
gaby says
February 18, 2013 at 10:39 pmoh I absolutely love this idea!! totally trying it this week.
Jaime says
February 18, 2013 at 10:41 pmDo 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 says
February 18, 2013 at 11:03 pmDid 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 says
February 18, 2013 at 11:15 pmAnonymous: 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 says
February 18, 2013 at 11:51 pmI 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 says
February 19, 2013 at 12:02 amAlly Fry: I have not tried it but 2 egg whites should work.
Kevin says
February 19, 2013 at 12:06 amAnonymous: You will hardly notice the cauliflower flavour at all with all of the other ingredients.
Aimee @ Simple Bites says
February 19, 2013 at 1:09 amSuper cool! I haven't tried this yet, but judging from your photos, I can't make it soon enough.
Anonymous says
February 19, 2013 at 1:31 ami 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 says
February 19, 2013 at 2:39 amThis is perfect for a low carb diet!! What about steaming the cauliflower and then ricing?
Jenn@slim-shoppin says
February 19, 2013 at 4:22 amI'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 says
February 19, 2013 at 7:22 amPizza looks delicious and made my mouth watering. I am going try this recipe but with less cheese.
Kevin says
February 19, 2013 at 11:03 amDonna More: Yes you can steam then rice the cauliflower!
Joanne says
February 19, 2013 at 11:53 amI'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 says
February 19, 2013 at 4:02 pmThis sounds great and you made it look even better!
Kelly Senyei (Just a Taste) says
February 19, 2013 at 9:25 pmThis 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!
Anonymous says
February 20, 2013 at 11:42 amWhat a beautiful idea !
Monet says
February 20, 2013 at 10:18 pmHi 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 says
February 21, 2013 at 12:00 amI have been wanting to try this crust also, now I'm inspired!
Sarah says
February 21, 2013 at 5:24 amHi 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 says
February 21, 2013 at 5:33 pmThis looks absolutely divine !!
http://yummei.blogspot.co.uk
Pauline says
February 23, 2013 at 6:07 pmlooks absolutely scrumptious, can't wait to try it!
Ladybug says
February 24, 2013 at 3:21 amHi 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 says
February 25, 2013 at 4:25 pmHOLY MAMA!! This just moved to the top of my to do list! I am so making this!!!!!
Angela LeMoine says
February 25, 2013 at 7:32 pmAbsolutely 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 says
February 27, 2013 at 2:30 amDelicious! 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 says
February 27, 2013 at 2:29 pmHave you tried baking the crust on a pizza stone? Just wondering…
Kevin says
February 27, 2013 at 4:46 pmAnonymous: 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 says
February 27, 2013 at 4:48 pmrachel: Glad you and your family enjoyed it!
Kevin says
February 27, 2013 at 6:20 pmSarah: I will have to try the almond meal!
Anonymous says
March 6, 2013 at 5:47 pmI have been very suspicious of cauliflower crusts since I've seen them bouncing around on Pinterest (I've tried a few off-the-wall ideas from Pinterest with about a 92% fail rate). You have convinced me to give them a shot. 🙂
Anonymous says
March 9, 2013 at 10:43 pmI made this tonight and although I enjoyed it, I will not be making it again because it's too much work – at least the part where you process the cauliflower then have to squeeze water out of it.
Anonymous says
March 14, 2013 at 1:08 pmI made this yesterday and it was great. I followed the crust portion of the recipe but i flipped it for 5 minutes at the end. and of course made the toppings my own. I tried to make the prep as easy as possible. Preshredded cheese, ctumbled turkey burgers. It is labour intensive but I would totally make this on a Sunday prep day for s Tuesday night quick dinner.
Catherine Elizabeth says
March 18, 2013 at 8:58 pmHI,
I am worried about the crust being too soggy if I use fresh mozzarella, which is quite watery. What kind of mozzarella did you use?
Kevin says
March 19, 2013 at 1:24 pmCatherine Elizabeth: I used the mozzarella that comes in a brick which does have less water than fresh mozzarella. I would say that fresh mozzarella would be ok for the topping but another cheese would be better in the crust.
Anonymous says
March 20, 2013 at 3:01 ami have tried cauliflower crust twice now and I just cannot get it dry enough to call a "crust." I tried yours tonight, but sauteed the cauliflower rather than boil hoping it would be dry enough. I struggle with the squeezing of the water when it's boiling hot! How do you do it without 1) waiting a long time for it to cool, or 2) burning your hands! I cooked the crust for at least 30 minutes and it still required a fork and knife to eat it. It was very tasty though.
Kevin says
March 20, 2013 at 10:23 amAnonymous: This crust can be tricky! To squeeze the water out while it is hot, place the cauliflower in a towel and twist the top until it is tight and then use a bowl, pushing down on it to get the liquid out. Using the bowl will also give you more pressure and allow you to push more liquid out. Once you get more of the moisture out it should bake up nice and crisp and be easy to pick up with your hands. Another thing that I wanted to try was roasting the cauliflower to cook it as roasting it removes some of its moisture.
Dana Wounch says
March 23, 2013 at 10:29 pmTry a double broiler to steam the cauliflower. Line the steamer pot with paper towel. put the cauliflower on top of the paper towel and cook. Remove from the heat and remove the bottom pot with the hot water in it. Then press down with a tea towel to squeeze out the excess juice. This works great because the top part of a double broiler has holes! Fantastic recipe!
Anonymous says
April 3, 2013 at 9:19 pmI did this recipe but was a bit soft. I made it again. Squeezed out the water from the cooked cauliflower and the added about 1/4 cup flax seed meal. Made a Sicilian style pie and baked it for 20 minutes. Came out a bit crispier! using it for sandwiches and for crackers. Atkins rules!
Anonymous says
April 3, 2013 at 9:25 pmI did this recipe but was a bit soft. I made it again. Squeezed out the water from the cooked cauliflower and the added about 1/4 cup flax seed meal. Made a Sicilian style pie and baked it for 20 minutes. Came out a bit crispier! using it for sandwiches and for crackers. Atkins rules!
Anonymous says
April 4, 2013 at 11:56 pmThis is good with pineapple too!
Anonymous says
April 10, 2013 at 12:05 amOh my gosh, this was DELICIOUS! I made the crust exactly as instructed, but topped it with ricotta, feta, mozzarella and sauteed kale and garlic. This recipe is a keeper! Thanks! MD from Roswell, GA
Anonymous says
April 10, 2013 at 3:09 amJust used a blender and raw cauliflower – didn't need to squeeze any moisture out. I did put a little flower on my parchment paper as I was worried about it sticking.
Turned out great!
Anonymous says
April 16, 2013 at 3:46 pmI made this last night exactly as instructed and it was DELICIOUS! It didn't hold up as well as I'd hoped, and we wouldn't have been able to hold each piece without it falling apart. However, being gluten free/paleo, I don't mind eating "pizza" with a fork. It's an instant hit in our house. Thank you!
soul_power says
April 17, 2013 at 10:41 pmMaking this tonight! Subbing red onion for orange/red pepper so hopefully that's ok!
Millie says
April 18, 2013 at 10:08 pmThis pizza was delicious! I added a heaping Tablespoon of almond flour to the crust. It was a big hit in our house. Thanks, Kevin
Anonymous says
April 23, 2013 at 2:41 amI have made this crust SO many times! when I crave pizza, I just whip this up and I don't feel guilty about it!
Lauren says
April 29, 2013 at 2:45 amI haven't made this for pizza but I'm working on retooling it for crackers!! Still comes out a bit soft (next time i'm going for a much lower temperature— 350º, and for a longer time) but it's DELISH no matter how it's prepared!!
Esther says
April 30, 2013 at 6:53 amHow many calories would this bring?trying it tonight..can't wait.
Extraordinary Ordinary Life says
May 15, 2013 at 10:42 pmI made it today and we all liked it. It was a little tough to get off the pan but not bad.
Anonymous says
May 20, 2013 at 7:50 pmGrill the cauliflower instead of using a water method to cook it. There will not be any extra moisture for it to absorb.
Natree says
May 25, 2013 at 3:48 amJust made this…. wow! So delicious 🙂 I did however add bacon and basil as toppings. I even made my own BBQ sauce with this recipe (http://www.primallyinspired.com/the-best-homemade-healthy-bbq-sauce/). Definitely labor-heavy, but well worth all of the effort. Thanks for sharing your recipe, I enjoy all of them 🙂
~Natalie
Brian Hall says
May 28, 2013 at 6:37 amI made this just a little bit ago,and it wasn't half bad. I tried to get as much water out of the cauliflower as I could. Impressed!
God Bless! Georgiana says
June 2, 2013 at 10:09 pmHI, LOVE LOVE LOVE your site. I have a question…do you think there is any way to do this crust without egg? I have thought perhaps egg free mayo could hold it together? What are your thoughts…husband is highly allergic to egg but I so want to make this crust. !!!!
kevin says
June 3, 2013 at 1:20 pmGod Bless! Georgiana: I would say that using some extra cheese should help hold the crust together without the egg.
Anonymous says
June 10, 2013 at 2:09 amI am making cauliflower crust for the 3rd time tonight. I do add some ground almonds which add a nice crunchy texture. I agree that squeezing the riced cauliflower really helps reduce sticking. I've divided the "dough" into 6 patties to make mini-pizzas that I can take to work.
Thanks for sharing!
Brandy Holder says
August 6, 2013 at 12:21 pmHi, quick question. Instead of buying a head or two of cauliflower, I opted for a frozen bag of cauliflower (none of the heads looked good enough to buy). How should I tweak the recipe for the frozen bag of cauliflower? Should I microwave it as long as fresh cauliflower? Thanks!
kevin says
August 11, 2013 at 6:39 pmBrandy Holder: You want about 4 cups of the 'riced' cauliflower and I would thaw it and use it the same for the rest of the recipe.
Heather says
January 19, 2014 at 1:26 amHi Kevin, quick question. Do you bake the crust first and then bake it again once the toppings are on it? This looks great!
kevin says
January 19, 2014 at 7:02 amHeather: Yes, the crust is baked once by itself and then again with the toppings. Enjoy!
Sal11523 says
February 14, 2014 at 2:10 pmHi! Love all your recipes. I made the cauliflower crust for family who is doing low carb. I microwaved the cauliflower and then put it in iron skillet to get rid of moisture and to give it more flavor. It was a huge hit especially for the doubter in the group!! It is a lot of cheese if you don't stick with one or two pieces but a real treat!!
Thanks!
cindy Burgess says
March 22, 2014 at 1:04 amOh thank you so much – we loved this pizza. I recently found out I was allergic to all grain rice and corn. So this recipe really was spectacular as Pizza is my favorite = I used a pizza stone with no parchment and it turned out awesome. we used tomato paste with Italian seasoning for the paste, cut up ham, pinaeapple feta and additional cheese. Besides this is a great way to get the kids to eat cauliflower!
Rachel Fetters says
March 24, 2014 at 10:06 pmThe process of squeezing the water out, seemed a little labor intensive to me. So instead of using my food processer to rice the cauliflower, I used my juicer. I got 2 cups of cauliflower juice out of 1 head of cauliflower, and all the pulp was perfectly riced and ready for the microwave. 🙂
Anonymous says
May 16, 2014 at 3:51 pmDo you cook the crust first and then put the toppings on and cook it again?
Brooke
http://www.simplykategrace.etsy.com
Miranda Husek says
July 7, 2014 at 12:08 pmHi Kevin! I do not have a microwave, only a conventional oven & countertop convection. Can I cook the riced cauliflower in an oven? If so, how?
kevin says
July 20, 2014 at 8:51 pmBrooke: That is correct!
kevin says
July 20, 2014 at 8:53 pmMiranda Husek: You can cook it in a pan or steam it or boil it until just tender.
Anonymous says
July 22, 2014 at 1:25 amThis sounds like it would be great on the Atkins Diet.
Roski Noia says
October 6, 2014 at 8:56 amTengo una duda,que es:
No entiendo lo del arroz?Por que yo no tengo ese aparato y ni lo conozco.
Gracias,un bico
kevin says
October 6, 2014 at 9:24 amRoski Noia: The 'rice' is the cauliflower that has been grated so that it has a similar appearance to rice.
Sophia lily says
April 22, 2016 at 4:24 amYou could open up your own gluten free pizza franchise with that!
Priscila Beneducci says
September 4, 2016 at 4:27 pmdelicious! Follow your blog for years …. love ..