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Personal Pan Cauliflower Pizza Crust (Dairy-Free)

By 122 Comments

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Yes, I’m jumping on this bandwagon…weeeee!

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Cauliflower pizza crust has been around since 2009 when Your Lighter Side posted the original version. I had a hard time finding a recipe for it that…

  1. Didn’t have added cheese
  2. Held together well enough to be picked up
  3. Has exact measurements
  4. Has nutritional information

….so I created my Zucchini Pizza Crust.

While I’m extremely happy with that recipe, I’ve always wanted to do my own version of the cauliflower crust that…

  1. Didn’t have added cheese
  2. Held together well enough to be picked up
  3. Has exact measurements
  4. Has nutritional information
  5. ….serves just one!

….hehe.

After many trials, fails, and stinky dish towels, I’ve finally perfected my own pie that….

  1. Doesn’t have added cheese
  2. Holds together well enough to be picked up
  3. Has exact measurements
  4. Has nutritional information
  5. ….serves just one
  6. Is freakin’ delicious!

Ok, I’m done. 😀

Print Recipe
4.58 from 7 votes

Personal Pan Cauliflower Pizza Crust (Dairy-Free)

Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time47 mins
Total Time1 hr 7 mins
Servings: 1 pizza
Calories: 200kcal
Author: Lauren Goslin

Ingredients

  • 8 oz chopped cauliflower florets about 1 tightly packed cup of 'riced' cauliflower
  • 1/2 c. water
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/2 t. extra virgin olive oil or use grapeseed or avocado oil if concerned about smoke points
  • 1 1/2 t. nutritional yeast, almond meal, ground oats, or grated parmesan (if you're unconcerned about dairy)
  • 1/8 t. sea salt
  • 1/4 t. dried oregano
  • 1/4 t. dried basil
  • pinch garlic powder

Instructions

  • Make your cauliflower rice by either grating the pieces using a cheese grater or pulsing the florets in a food processor until finely chopped.
  • In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil.
  • Once boiling, add the cauliflower rice to the pan.
  • Turn the heat off (leave the pan on the burner), and cover the pan.
  • Let the pan sit covered for 10 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  • Remove the lid from the 'rice', and dump the contents into a fine-mesh sieve to drain a bit.
  • Transfer the cooked cauliflower from the sieve to a clean dish towel.
  • Wrap the cauliflower in the towel, and squeeze out the excess water (there will be quite a bit!).
  • In a bowl, mix the egg, oil, and remaining ingredients.
  • Add in the squeezed cauliflower.
  • Mix everything until well combined.
  • Pour the contents of the bowl onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.
  • Using a spoon, spread the mixture out into the shape of a small, round pizza (it should be about 1/3 of an inch thick). You can also use your spoon to create a little crust, if you like.
  • Place the pan into the oven, and bake the pizza for 40 minutes.
  • Remove the pizza, and increase your oven temperature to 450 degrees.
  • Top the pizza as you desire.
  • Once the oven has heated up, replace the pizza, and bake for 6-7 more minutes until toppings have cooked through.
  • Remove the pizza, cool, and enjoy!

Notes

Nutritional information is based on using extra virgin olive oil and nutritional yeast. Weight Watchers points (new system): 5

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 200kcal | Carbohydrates: 15.1g | Protein: 12.4g | Fat: 11.9g | Saturated Fat: 2.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9.5g | Cholesterol: 164mg | Sodium: 368mg | Fiber: 7.1g | Sugar: 5.9g

Adapted from the original recipe

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A few more notes:

  • I found that one cup of chopped cauliflower is equal to about 3.6 ounces.
  • I used this food scale (which I love) for my measurements. If you’re an avid cook/baker, this comes in very handy.
  • When spreading the mixture onto the parchment paper, don’t be alarmed if it appears too wet.
  • Also, when spreading the mixture onto the parchment paper, be sure to cover any holes and that you don’t see the paper showing through.
  • If you double the recipe, double all of the ingredients EXCEPT only add in an additional egg white instead of another whole egg.

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This is just perfect for one hungry, pizza-loving girl person.

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Vegans, I tried really hard to make this without the egg, but could not do it….

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I imagine you’d need starches and/or gums, which my tummy cannot handle. 🙁 If I have any luck in the future, I will post it!

I hope you give this a try! My Homemade Pizza Sauce compliments the crust perfectly, and it holds up very well to toppings…

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What’s the best pizza crust you’ve ever tried?

Shared with: Make Your Own Monday, Natural Living Monday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Allergy-Free Wednesday, Gluten-Free Wednesday , Whole Foods Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, Healthy 2day, Unprocessed Fridays

Comments

  1. Valerie says

    I am sooo happy I found and tried this recipe!! God Bless you for coming up with it! I went dairy-free and grain-free due to Hashimoto’s health issue and thought I would never be able to enjoy pizza without all that gooey cheese and tasty crust but I found that I don’t even miss the cheese with your recipe! Topped it with extra tomatoes, mushrooms and onions and it was delish. Next time I think I’ll add some pesto. I used the nutritional yeast instead of the other options and frozen riced cauliflower for convenience. Pretty healthy recipe and you don’t even think that you’re eating cauliflower, the crust is that good!! Definite keeper 🙂

    Reply

  2. Diana L says

    Just made this! Used gluten free oats. THE BEST! So satisfying. I’m not eating dairy so I topped it with marinara sauce and black olives. I want to make this everyday. So happy I found this recipe. THANK YOU

    Reply

    • Susan M Zalkind says

      Could someone tell me whether the small “t” represents “teaspoon” or “Tablespoon”? Even though a small “t” is the usual symbol for a “teaspoon”, it’s hard to believe that it represents a small “t” rather than “Tablespoon”! A teaspoon is such a tiny amount.

      Reply

  4. Kat says

    So amazing! I topped it with Feta, Spianch, Chickpeas, Red Onion, and Tomatoes with Spicy Hummus as the base. It did not crumple and tasted great! I added a pinch of Italian seasoning and sprinkled red wine vinegar on top of the toppings. Even my dad and Mom who frown upon “healthy food” loved it!

    Reply

  6. Alecia M. says

    What diameter should the crust be? Would it work putting it in a 9″cake pan like your quinoa crust recipe?

    Reply

    • Lauren says

      Hi Alecia,

      I’d say this one is about 6-7 inches? You could put it in a pan, but this crust is one that you have to manually shape. It doesn’t ‘pour’ like the quinoa crust, if that makes sense. 🙂

      Reply

      • Alecia M. says

        Thank-you for your response 🙂 The pan I used was a 9 inch pie pan, which turned out to be too big and the crust was really thin. It shrunk while baking and I had to take it out after 30 minutes because it was getting very brown. Still tasted fairly good, though! How did you get yours in such a perfectly round shape with the lip like that? It looks fantastic!

        Reply

  9. Barry says

    So far I’ve only made cauliflower crusts with cheese b/c I thought it was needed texture & flavor. I’m trying this recipe tonight. I really need a great no-cheese recipe for a friend who can’t have cheese (or gluten!). I have almond flour so I’ll use that. Having the nutritional info is also a GREAT help…so thanks for that too!

    Now I’m imagining a bacon-weave layer underneath for support (for those who aren’t vegan/vegetarian).
    I’m not. I just love all vegetables AND saving carbs wherever I can.

    .

    Reply

  10. Kellie says

    Yum! I made this tonight and was a little nervous, but it was delicious! I don’t think I added enough cauliflower or maybe not enough nutritional yeast as it was a little eggy tasting. I’ll adjust this next time. The recipe was easy and made a great tasting pizza!

    Reply

  12. Abby says

    Hello! I tried this, however mine got stuck to the parchment paper and wouldn’t come off 🙁 Any ideas what I did wrong?

    Abby

    Reply

    • Lauren says

      Hi Abby,

      The first two things that come to mind are 1) are you sure you used parchment and not wax paper?, and 2) did you leave the oil out?

      I’ve not had that trouble, so I can’t say for certain. You can always oil the parchment a bit to prevent sticking if you try again!

      Reply

      • Abby says

        Wow I’m embarrassed… I used wax paper not parchment paper! I will try again with parchment paper!

        Thank you!
        Abby

        Reply

  16. Kim says

    Hi! I made this recipe for dinner today! I was pleasantly surprised, I have not made any cauliflower crusts before, for the same reasons as you, this was perfect! I could pick it up and tasted great. Thank you! I don’t think I’ll ever use another recipe.

    Reply

  17. Ann Smith says

    Hello : )

    I made the cauliflower pizza crust this afternoon. I doubled the batch and in doing so, added an extra egg. It wasn’t until the crust was in the oven that I scrolled down to read about not adding an extra whole egg. However, my lack of direction-reading turned into a happy accident. The crust has an egg taste which makes it a perfect frittata – just add some pureed beans and garlic and viola! Once I covered the crust with sauce and toppings, the egg flavor was completely forgotten, so I got TWO meals from one recipe. Success! Thanks so much for posting these wonderful recipes. I can’t wait to try to the twice baked faux-tatoes : )
    xoxoxo,
    Ann

    Reply

  18. Carys says

    Hi! This looks amazing, I can’t wait to try it! I was wondering if the 200 calories were for the whole pizza or just one slice?

    Reply

  19. anna says

    Do you mean you need to use ALL of these for the recipe? or just pick one
    1½ t. nutritional yeast, almond meal, ground oats

    Reply

  21. Marlene says

    Your ingredients list 1/2 cup of water but the step-by-step only asks for 3 tbsp of water to be boiled. Does the remaining water go in with the “remaining ingredients” in Step 10?? This seems too watery.

    Thanks!!

    Reply

    • Lauren says

      Sorry for the confusion Marlene, the correct amount of water is 1/2 cup and you just squeeze out the excess, as the remaining instructions state. The recipe has been updated!

      Reply

  23. Samantha says

    Hey Lauren!

    I just made this recipe for my mother and for dinner. Turned out amazing! I am so happy I found a healthy and tasty alternative to regular pizza.

    Thanks so much,
    Samantha

    Reply

    • Lauren says

      That’s awesome Samantha, I’ve been making this recipe quite a bit lately myself! I’m happy your mom enjoyed it too! 🙂

      Reply

  27. Taralynn says

    Hey, you had mentioned your stomach doen’t do well with the gums, have you ever tried using psyllium husk? i love it, i bake with it alll the time….

    Reply

    • Lauren says

      Hi Taralynn,

      Thanks for the suggestion, but psyllium husk seems to bother my digestion. 🙁 I appreciate you mentioning it though! 🙂

      Reply

  28. Stacye says

    If I doubled the recipe accordingly do you think the cauliflower crust could be frozen and used another time? If so do you suggest baking it first then freezing, or freezing it after shaping the crust?

    Reply

    • Lauren says

      Hi Stacye,

      I believe that could work. I would shape and bake it up until the point before you top it, then when you want to eat it, just top it and bake it until your toppings are bubbly. 🙂

      Reply

    • Lauren says

      Hi Ali,

      Unfortunately, I’m highly allergic to flax meal, so I can’t tell you for sure, but I would wager that it would! 🙂

      Reply

  34. Erica says

    Looks delicious! What purpose does the 1.5 t of almond meal/yeast/oats/or cheese serve? Trying to figure if I can leave it out or a reasonable substitute. My littlest is on the AI protocol and just recently introduced eggs back in and would love pizza, but can’t have any of the above ingredients. Thanks in advance!

    Reply

    • Lauren says

      Hi Erica,

      The bit of dry ingredient soaks up some of the moisture from the egg and the cauliflower. Is there anything you can substitute? Rice flour maybe? I haven’t tried it with anything other than the mentioned, but it may be worth a shot, as it is such a small amount.

      Reply

  35. Carrie Quinlan says

    Hi Lauren –

    Just wanted to let you know that the pizza was a HUGE success with my students! I ended up making the cauliflower “rice” the night before and having all my students help prep the rest of the crust in class. Everyone licked their plate clean 🙂

    Reply

  36. Carrie says

    I teach a cooking class for 3-5 year olds and am thinking of making this for class this week. Question, can the cauliflower rice sit in the fridge overnight and do you think it’s possible to bake the crust the night before? Trying to figure out logistics for the 1.5hr class.

    Thanks!!!
    Carrie

    Reply

  38. Christine says

    Pizza looks delicious. Great step by step pictures for draining the cauliflower and then shaping into that perfect pizza shape! If anyone else came here for a vegan cauliflower crust, this pizza crust looks pretty amazing but I’m going to try this recipe with a flax-seed egg replacer (1 tbsp flax to 3 tbsp water) or chia seed gel (water mixed with a few tbsp of chia seeds). Hopefully that should hold the crust together somewhat…If that doesn’t work I’ll probably add in some chickpea flour or cornmeal so the flax has something to bind to. Can’t wait to make this pizza crust this weekend!

    Reply

  39. Devin Taylor says

    Just tried this….. Holy hell it was good!!! GOD BLESS YOU! For coming up with this recipe!!! I cannot wait to make it for my hubby and friends!

    Reply

    • Lauren says

      I’m not sure, as I’ve never tried it that way, but the amount is so minute that it might! You may want to try applesauce or water in place of it though. I was very technical with this recipe, in that I measured everything multiple times to get it the right consistency, so beware of it NOT working.

      Reply

  41. Esther says

    What a great recipe! The crust was perfect! I made small “pizza rounds” cooked them and froze them for later. Thanks for the great recipe!

    Reply

  44. donna thompson says

    my son is gluteen free he cant eat no hot spices food or no apples and potato and the thing he likes eat cant eat that pizza the cheese isnt good for him, he been in the emercy room a lot then he does check back with his doc and the doc dont no wants going on im getting of the doc i wish they would look for want wrong with him

    Reply

  45. Donna says

    PERFECT!….Question…what kind of cheese/herb concoction did you top this personal pizza with…and in what quantities?…I want to absolutely replicate this recipe…as the ratio of crust to topping is just what I look for!

    New follower and so very impressed by your attention to concise directions, exquisite photography and creative culinary wizardry…impressed!

    Reply

  46. David says

    Made it vegan using Ener-g egg replacer and it worked out fine. Slightly crumbly but more or less held together. Most importantly it tasted great! Thanks.

    Reply

  48. Laura @ Gluten Free Pantry says

    I’m still behind the times…I keep buying cauliflower and roasting it with yummy spices. Your pizza looks amazing Lauren! Looks like the real deal and no guilt to be had. I can’t wait to make this pizza crust finally. Thanks for the fabulous pictures too that make me want to dive in and eat about 10 slices right about now 🙂

    Reply

  50. Starlene @ GAPS Diet Journey says

    Oh, okay. It is cheese on top of the pizza. Looks yummy. About a year ago I also experimented with the cauliflower pizza crust – like you I’d seen it but always with cheese in the crust. Detoxinista had a version on her site that only called for a tiny amount of goat’s cheese, such a small amount that I had to try it without and was so happy it turned out to be so delicious. My son is so happy that we can have pizza again. 🙂 I love that you have formulated a personal pan version!

    Reply

  52. Tina says

    This look fantastic! Thanks so much for sharing! I’m curious what you put on top of your pizza in these pictures. It looks suspiciously like cheese but after all that effort to make a cheese-free crust, I’m guessing it’s not.

    Reply

    • Lauren says

      Actually, it is! I honestly have never liked the idea of putting cheese in the crust though, and I knew that the vegans of the world couldn’t eat it either. I also wanted an option for just making a sauce and veggie pizza, if the mood ever strikes me. 🙂

      Reply

  54. Stephanie says

    This looks great! I haven’t done a cauliflower crust yet (seems like it was bound to be soggy looking at many recipes) but this may be a winner…

    Reply

  57. Corrina says

    Try Chia Seeds with the flax. Let the mixture sit for a bit before forming so the chia seeds can “gel.” That might help with the binding!

    Reply

  59. Nicole says

    That looks divine nice work! I wonder if a flax or chia egg would work I thinking it would! One egg equals 1 tablespoon ground flax or chia with 3 tablespoons water. If I give it a try I will let you know!

    <3
    Nicole

    Reply

    • Lauren says

      Thanks Nicole! I actually tried that, and it didn’t work. 🙁 If you have success with it, let me know!

      Reply

    • Lauren says

      I tried just an egg white, but I really believe it needs the extra moisture to hold together. At first, I tried making it a consistency similar to actual dough, but I think that may be a fallacy. I hope you try it Michelle! 🙂

      Reply

  63. Hannah@Mindrunningwild says

    THIS!!! I was going to ask about the egg because my IgG profile said I’m allergic and my naturopath has me off them at least until July 🙁 I’m really holding out for not having to avoid them because I want to make this!!!!

    Reply

  64. Deanna says

    Hey I love that you did this. I’ve not liked any cauli crust I’ve tried, because they’ve all fallen apart. Can I offer one suggestion? Instead of saying 8 ounces in the ingredient list (meaning volume) and then saying 3.6 ounces in the pics (meaning weight) you might want to say 1 cup (3.6 ounces) in the ingredient list. I totally thought you meant 8 ounces by weight until I saw the photos.

    Reply

    • Lauren says

      It actually is 8 ounces of cauliflower that you need. I was just showing what one cup looks like and equals. It is a bit confusing though, so I’ll have to change it a bit. 🙂

      Reply

      • Deanna says

        Okay, so it’s 8 ounces (by weight) of cauliflower? So, you’d need slightly more than 2 cups, yes? Just want to make sure I’m understanding. (Sometimes I can be dense.) 🙂

        Reply

        • Lauren says

          Exactly! I just wanted to depict what a cup looked like and how much it weighs. I don’t mind your questions at all! Hopefully, it will help anyone else who is confused too. 🙂

          Reply

  66. Anna @ Your Healthy Place says

    Mmm cauliflower pizza crust rocks! I’ve heard of some people having spectacularly bad experiences with some recipes but the one I used (I can’t remember which blog I got it from) turned out really well and yours looks phenomenal too! Seeing as I’ve now forgotten which blog I got that one from, this will have to be my new go-to…!

    Reply

  67. Heather says

    This is so unique, must give it a try even if just to satisfy my curiousity. Thanks for all the wonderful recipes that you have been posting.

    Reply

  68. Rena says

    I love this!! I must try it. We only have frozen cauliflower where I live. Will this recipe work with that? I look forward to reading all your posts. Such great ideas and recipes! Please check out my new blog and spread the word!

    Reply

    • Lauren says

      I think it will…I would just defrost it, pulse it in your food processor (I don’t think it will grate well…), and proceed with the remaining directions. Congrats on starting your own blog! It’s a lot of fun. 🙂

      Reply

      • Rena says

        Ok i just got around to making this. I used frozen cauliflower, defrosted etc. It worked out really well. I topped it with homemade pesto, veggies and a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese.
        When i first took a bite I wasnt so impressed, it didnt taste like the regular wheat crust i’m used it. Which makes total sense by the way…lol But the edges were really crispy and before i knew it I ate half of the pie! I needed to stop myself since I want my husb to try some when he gets home 🙂 This is soo good. It doesnt taste like a normal crust but for some reason it just works, so well!! I plan to blog about this sometime in the future and definitely send everyone your way. Love your blog! Do you think i can make a bunch of pies and freeze them? Its a bit of a pain to make just one serving at a time. And as a busy mom I would love to eat this more often, but don’t have all that time i wish i had to be in the kitchen. Thanks again! Rena

        Reply

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