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Zucchini Pizza Crust

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Happy Wednesday! The summer is coming to a close, and soon leaves will fall, pumpkins will be carved, and jackets will be worn!

And now for a recipe that made its way through the completion process….

…zucchini pizza crust.

I tried cauliflower pizza a few weeks ago and really liked it, but I wished I could’ve gotten the crust a bit more crispy/chewy. I started thinking about the water content and how to remove it in order to accomplish this. I began entertaining other vegetables that you can ‘sweat’ with salt. Eggplant and zucchini. Eggplant intimidated me, so I went with zucchini. Grate, salt, sweat, ska-weeeeeeeze out the water (and there is a lot!). It worked perfectly.

Zucchini Pizza Crust
 
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Author:
Serves: 3
Ingredients
  • 2 c. zucchini, finely grated, lightly packed
  • ½-3/4 c. almond meal
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten, (vegans, use a chickpea egg: 4 T. chickpea flour + 4 T. water)
  • 1 T. avocado oil (or another high smoke point oil such as walnut or coconut)
  • ½ t. oregano
  • ¼ t. garlic powder
  • ⅛ t. salt (you don’t need much because the zucchini will retain some)
Instructions
  1. Place the grated zucchini in a strainer.
  2. Sprinkle the zucchini with some salt, toss it to disperse.
  3. Place the strainer over a large bowl, and let the zucchini drain for about 30 minutes.
  4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  5. Place the grated zucchini into a dry dish towel, and wring the towel over the sink until the water from the zucchini is squeezed out.
  6. Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl.
  7. Add almond meal as needed to make a dough (not too wet, not too dry).
  8. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, spread the zucchini mix out into an oval shape. I use a fork to do this, and I press it down to compact it as well.
  9. Place the pan on the bottom rack of the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
  10. Then place the pan on the top rack of the oven for about 8 minutes, until browned.
  11. Remove the pan and flip the crust.
  12. Bake for another 5 minutes.
  13. Remove the crust.
  14. Turn the oven up to 500 degrees.
  15. Top the pizza with sauce or pesto, cheese, vegetables....whatever floats your pizza boat!
  16. Place the pan back into the oven on the bottom rack and bake for 3-4 minutes. Again, place the pan on the top rack for about 2 minutes.
  17. Remove and let cool for 5-10 minutes to let everything set.
  18. Slice and enjoy!!
Notes
The nutrition facts is based on 1 cup of almond meal and 1 chicken egg. Weight Watchers points (new system): 6
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 3 Calories: 223 Fat: 17.8 g Saturated fat: 1.7 g Unsaturated fat: 16.1 g Trans fat: 0 g Carbohydrates: 10.4 g Sugar: 2.7 g Sodium: 223 mg Fiber: 5.2 g Protein: 9.7 g Cholesterol: 55 mg

 

I’ve done many trials of this over the last couple of weeks and believe that this combination is the winner….although others were still delicious and highly coveted by my roommates…

Hehe…

What is your favorite way to top a pizza?

I love artichokes, mushrooms, and olives on pizza if I’m using a marinara sauce, and goat cheese and caramelized onions if I’m using pesto. I can pretty much eat it any way you give it to me! 🙂

Shared with: Healthy Vegan Fridays, Gluten-Free Friday, Full Plate Thursday

 

 

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Comments

  2. We tried your zucchini crust today and it was amazing! It was similar to a bread consistency and tasty. My 5 year old son enjoyed it. Will continue to use this recipe. Thank you for sharing. :)
    Reply

  3. I've made yellow squash pizza crust so will definitely try your zucchini crust! How do you think this recipe would work with frozen grated zucchini? I suppose the dough itself would not freeze well?
    Reply

  5. Hi Lauren, Can't wait to try your zucchini pizza crust as I have more than a few in the fridge! Just wondering if almond meal can be replaced by cornmeal? My son is allergic to tree nuts and myself to all glutens. Thank you!
    Reply

    • Hi Jocelyne,I haven't tried that, so I can't say for sure...you might have better luck with something like oat flour (ground from GF oats). Hope that helps!
      Reply

  6. So interested in this recipe! Loving the idea of zucchini in the crust. Just one question about the nutritional info, i'm just a bit confused. Is it 223 kcal for the entire recipe?
    Reply

  7. I made this tonight and it hit the spot. It was really good! Next time i'll only use 1/2 cup almond meal instead of 3/4 cup.
    Reply

  8. Do you think coconut flour would work just as well as the almond meal? I have somewhat of an aversion to almonds.
    Reply

    • Hi Kimberly,Coconut flour is a bit more absorbent than almond, so you'd have to play with the amount a bit. You may only need as little as 2-4 tablespoons! You could also try an equal amount of ground oats, if you eat grains. :)
      Reply

  9. I am glad I stumbled across your blog and this entry! I happened to have some left over zucchini from making Kung Pau Chicken with Zucchini noodles the night before. I used the leftover zucchini for this recipe and it worked out wonderfully! I would suggest to constantly check on the crust within that 20 minute cooking period because mine ended up browning within that 20 minute time and I did not need to flip it or add more time because both sides browned nicely. Next time I will flatten my dough out more to get more surface space. Delicious, simple and nutritious. I cannot wait to try this again!
    Reply

  10. I made this tonight and it was super delicious! I topped with basil pesto, fresh mozzarella cheese and caramelized onions. I won't lie, I ate the whole thing myself!
    Reply

  11. HI Lauren, Thank you for getting back to me ...however, I can't have chickpea either and I'm not really a fan of cauliflower crusts. I'm so trying to figure out what to replace the "egg & Almond flour" with in the zucchini one to try, but oh well. I appreciate your help. :)
    Reply

  12. Hi Lauren, A couple of weeks ago I made this and I loved it! thank you! I LOVE zucchini and it was perfect.....HOWEVER, since then, I have been going to DRs and having tests done and found out I have food allergies to more things than I thought (been feeling really horrible)...sadly this includes tree nuts, coconut, eggs, wheat/gluten, among other things. I am stumbling with how to make this minus the egg and almond flour with a substution that will actually work and cooking times...I failed miserably last night using a flax egg and small amount of buckwheat flour. It didnt feel right, taste right or cook right. In tears I threw it away. Sooooo, any genius ideas!?!? Thank you for any guidance or ideas for those replacements/cooking so that I can once again enjoy this crust. -Heather
    Reply

    • Hi Heather,First off, that stinks about having so many allergies! I can definitely relate to the frustration you must be feeling. As far as the pizza goes, I'd recommend trying my Cauliflower Pizza found here: https://www.oatmealwithafork.com/2013/06/10/personal-pan-cauliflower-pizza-crust-dairy-free/, and for the egg, I'd try using 1/4 cup of chickpea flour mixed with 1/4 cup of water. I've been meaning to try it myself, but haven't yet, so if you try it let me know how it comes out! I hope it works *fingers crossed*!
      Reply

  13. I made your zucchini pizza crust tonight. I have tried several different types of gluten-free pizza crusts and yours is by far my favorite. I subbed an Italian herb blend for the oregano, but that is really the only ingredient change I made. I will definitely make this crust again. Thank you!
    Reply

  14. Hmmmm...I'm allergic to all nuts...wondering what I can use to sub the almond meal because I can't believe I can make a crust I can have!! Perhaps oatmeal? Ground roasted pumpkin seeds? Thank you!
    Reply

  15. Hello Lauren,This recipes rocks and this is from a chef!I have made it two times now and tonight for the third time as a triple batch.The only modification I made is to use all basil instead of oregano.It tastes great ans has a wonderful texture. The 1/2 cup of almond meal works every time.I am going to try it like a Sicilian crust and then use as a sandwich bread.Thank you for the recipe.
    Reply

  16. Just made this zucchini crust and it was fantastic! Used a silpat sheet to avoid the sticking problem which turned out just great. Pizza is one thing I've sorely missed since going grain-free, this is a great alternative. It even got a positive review from my fairly picky pizza-loving 5 year old son. I'm thinking I'll try the same recipe to make some zucchini "crackers". Thanks so much for posting this recipe!
    Reply

  17. Just a few questions for clarification....do you peel the zucchini first or leave the skin on? Also, should the zucchini look "riced" like your cauliflower crust recipe or just thin, stick like grates? Thanks so much for posting!! Can't wait to try this :)
    Reply

    • Hi Mary Anne, I don't peel the zucchini, and it should be finely grated (the small grating holes, not the large ones). I hope you enjoy it! It's one of my favorite recipes on the blog. :-D
      Reply

  19. The pizza crust recipe is absolutely delicious! This turned out to be one of the most flavorful pizzas I have ever had! Quick question: I used a flax egg and baked on a parchment paper; however, the crust stuck to the paper. Any suggestions?
    Reply

    • That's so cool Kris! For the parchment paper, it may be that the flax egg is making it a bit more soggy, so you could spread a little oil on top of the paper before transferring the 'dough' onto it. Thanks for the comment! :-D
      Reply

  21. This was better than any other crust I have made! Just found your website, too! My husband and I own a CrossFit gym. I plan on letting our athletes know about this website!
    Reply

  23. I made this tonight. It turned out perfect! So good, and really hard to screw up. My husband is a construction worker who eats junk food and pizza with the guys for lunch all week and doesn't like when I try to "healthily" things. He said to make it again! Thanks!
    Reply

    • Oh Emily, that's awesome! I always love hearing good things about this particular recipe, as it's one of my favorites on the blog. Thank you! :-)
      Reply

  24. Last week I had a bunch of zucchini and came across this recipe, so I made it. I have an autistic child that barely eats anything and will no longer eat pizza. I told him we could try this and see if we like it. Well, he tried it, ate it all and was asking for more! Unfortunately I didn't have any more zucchini! Thank you for this creation! I will definitely be making it again!
    Reply

    • Haha, I never did! I tend to get sidetracked with things, but now that you've reminded me, I'll try to get to it soon! :-)
      Reply

    • Coconut flour is much more absorbent than almond meal, so a 1 to 1 ratio wouldn't work here. You could try ground oats?
      Reply

  28. Does this recipe make enough for one single-serve pizza crust? I'm just curious because I'd like to make two, and I'm guessing I'll have to double the recipe?Thanks!
    Reply

    • I can eat about 3/4 of it, but I top it lightly (just sauce, cheese, and a few veggies). You'd probably want to double it if you're sharing it with a guy! :-)
      Reply

    • I only site avocado because it can be heated to a high temperature without degredation, but any oil would work if you're not worried about it! I just recently read on oils and smoke points, so I'm trying to adhere to the correct temperatures. Safflower is another high smoke point oil you could try. Again, this doesn't affect the taste at all.
      Reply

  33. I am eating the zucchini crust as I write this and it is delicious! The flavor of almond flour with the spices is wonderful, I will definitely make it again!
    Reply

  34. I am so making this. I don't eat grains and I could really go for some pizza. I've seen quite a few other grain-free dough options but they have too many ingredients. The simpler the better :-)
    Reply

    • I think so! I just stuck with the almond meal to keep it gluten and grain free. You could even throw some protein powder in, if you're into it!
      Reply

  36. Wow, that looks amazing. I love the idea of any wheat free pizza bases and this looks easy to do.Ha ha, in my house the chocolate wouldn't have just been nibbled it would have been eaten by me. I can't stop once I've got the taste of chocolate. So I just can't buy it!
    Reply

    • Thanks Katherine! I've recently visited your blog and have one of your 'thickies' written down to make. They all look so delicious!
      Reply

  37. I love the idea!! Zucchini crust! Not sure if I'll be a HUGE fan since I love the crusts for their doughy, chewy texture. I'm a crust nazi hehe. But def going to try! And I just made a casserole the other day that was very similar to yours! I'm working on the recipe as well since it was more like dump and bake kind of a day ;)
    Reply

  38. Would flax meal be a good substitute for almond meal? I have that on hand, I know almond meal can be a little pricey...
    Reply

  51. Oh wow I just love the idea of that pizza crust! I am totally trying that asap!I love how you have to mark your territory with chocolate- that is an issue in my house too. I do believe I'm going to take your tip and nibble all around the edges. If that doesn't work I don't know what will.Can't wait to see that quinoa casserole!Have a lovely Wednesday :)
    Reply

  52. Wow,that pizza sounds fabulous! My body doesn't like bread somehow and cauliflower gives me pain as well,which is why cauliflower crusts aren't an ption for me either... Zucchini,though,should be just fine. I need to try that very soon,thanks! :)
    Reply

  54. That zucchini crust looks awesome! I have seen some cauliflower/chicken ones out there as well but yours looks like it actually resembles a pizza! I must try this soon :)
    Reply

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