Cauliflower crust pizza
55 min · 36 g protein · 435 cals / serving
A thin, golden crust of riced cauliflower bound with egg and cheese, baked until firm enough to pick up a slice, then topped with pizza sauce, mozzarella, turkey pepperoni, mushrooms and peppers. The crust tastes savoury and toasty rather than of cauliflower, and the edges go properly crisp.
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 medium head cauliflower, florets only
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp liquid egg white, or 1 egg white
- 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/3 tsp salt
Toppings
- 1/3 cup pizza sauce
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 6 medium mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1/3 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- a few leaves fresh basil
Steps
- Heat the oven to 425°F with a pizza stone or an upturned baking sheet inside. Pulse the cauliflower in a food processor until it looks like rice. Microwave it in a covered bowl for 5 minutes, stir, and let it cool until you can handle it.
- Tip the cauliflower onto a clean kitchen towel, gather it up and squeeze hard over the sink until almost no more water comes out; you should be left with about a third of the volume. In a bowl, mix it with the egg, egg white, crust mozzarella, parmesan, oregano, garlic powder and salt into a sticky dough.
- Press the dough onto a sheet of parchment paper into a 12 inch round, about 1/4 inch thick, a little thicker at the edge. Slide it, on the paper, onto the hot stone or sheet and bake 15–18 minutes, until golden all over and dry to the touch.
- Spread the sauce over the crust, leaving the edge bare, then add the rest of the mozzarella, the pepperoni, mushrooms and peppers.
- Bake 8–10 minutes more, until the cheese is bubbling and browned in spots. Scatter over the basil, rest 5 minutes so the crust firms up, and cut into slices.
Good to know
Why is my crust soggy?
Almost always because the cauliflower held on to its water. Squeeze it until your hands hurt, and bake the crust until it is golden before the toppings go on. A preheated stone or sheet crisps the underside.
Can I use frozen riced cauliflower?
Yes. Use about 1 1/2 lb, thaw it in the microwave and squeeze it just as hard; frozen cauliflower holds even more water.
Make it ahead?
Bake the plain crusts, cool, and freeze them flat between parchment for up to a month. Top and bake from frozen, adding 3–4 minutes.
Alternatives
Per
- Calories
- 119
- Protein
- (34%)
- 10 g
- Fat
- (43%)
- 5 g
- Carbohydrates
- (23%)
- 8 g
- of which sugar
- 3 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 452 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 871 kcal goes into the pot and 1183 g of ingredients comes out as about 730 g of food: 119 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.