Kaboom. The Cauliflower Crust! This one has no almonds/nuts, uses pumpkin seeds and a thick chia gel to keep it together. With a few trials you will know what toppings and crust size work best for you. Make some!



I have another cauliflower crust on the blog. Cauliflower Potato crust pizza which is a de-constructed Gobi Paratha. I love that one more for obvious reasons. All the Indian spices 🙂 The potato also is a much better binder. I think potato just makes everything more delicious. But cauliflower is not far behind.



This crust is just cauliflower and some pepita, lightly roasted, then combined with chia seeds and herbs and topped with marinara, herbed white beans, onions, peppers and some daiya. Yes, I added those beans to test out the crust. They were heavy! And the marinara also adds more moisture to the crust. A thicker garlicky white sauce would work out much better. Add some celery seeds or ranch seasoning on top and beans tossed in buffalo sauce. yum. I cannot wait to make that version.



Make this gluten, grain, nut, soy, gum free crust. You can make this without oil too. And top it your favorite toppings. There is no salt in the crust. Sprinkle some on the pizza before serving.

Vegan gluten free Cauliflower Crust







More gluten-free and grain-free(or can be made grain-free) crusts from the blog.

Black eyed pea Crust with roasted cauliflower and blackberry tomato chutney

Cauliflower Potato crust topped with raita

Chickpea Quinoa chard crust

Mung Bean Sprouts and Spinach Crust

Millet chickpea Kale Crust topped with okra, olives, peppers



This cauliflower crust can also be converted to individual servings. Make smaller 4 inch crusts and top with favorite toppings or fresh greens and veggies and dressing of choice.



Steps:

Chia and flax gelling up while the cauliflower will get lightly roasted.







Bake the crust until not squishy in the center and firm. Then add the toppings.





I wanted to show how well it holds up with all those beans. I ate the tiny bite of the slice because it was ready to fall off 🙂 It is very loaded like a regular pizza. If the crust was packed well, baked well, the toppings not too wet, then the crust holds up well. If the middle part has moisture for any reason because of bake time or very moist toppings, then it might be fragile. It will however taste ah-mazing and you can serve it up with fork and knife.









Cauliflower Pepita Chia Crust topped with herbed Beans, peppers and onions

Allergen Information: Free of Dairy, egg, corn, soy, gluten, grain. Can be made yeast-free by omitting nutritional yeast. can be made oil-free.



Makes 1 9 inch crust

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp chia seeds

1 Tbsp flaxmeal

1/2 cup water

1/2 head of cauliflower (2.5 loaded cups of florets)

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (or use sunflower or hemp)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp rosemary

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Toppings:

Pizza sauce/thick marinara or thick white garlic sauce

red onion slices

roasted red peppers

daiya cheese shreds



White Bean Topping

1 15 oz can great northern beans or 1.5 cups cooked beans

2 tsp nutritional yeast

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp fresh thyme

1 tsp lemon juice

Method:

Mix the chia and flax into the water and let sit in the fridge for 30 minutes. Mix again after 15 minutes to redistribute.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Pulse the pumpkin seeds into coarse meal in the food processor, add cauliflower and pulse.

Remove from the processor and put the cauliflower pepita mix on a parchment lined sheet. Spread the grated cauliflower mixture and bake for 7 minutes.

Remove from the oven and transfer to a bowl. Cool slightly. Add the chia flax gel to the mix. Add garlic, thyme, rosemary, olive oil and mix well. It should become a soft textured dough.

Press the mix into a 1/4 inch thick crust (8-9 inches) inch crust on a parchment lined sheet. Pack it well.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the crust is golden and the center is not soft to touch. (bake time depends on the moisture content). Turn the sheet around after 20 minutes. Spray water on the edges so they don’t over brown.

Cool slightly. Add marinara or other vegan cheese sauce, onions, beans, peppers, cheese, or other toppings of choice. For the herbed beans, mix all the ingredients under white bean topping and add to the pizza.

Bake again for 10 -15 minutes. Sprinkle salt and pepper. Cool for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve immediately. do not store. 🙂

If the crust starts to brown too quickly, reduce the temperature to 375 and cook until done.