This Cauliflower Pizza Crust is a delicious and nutritious gluten free alternative for when you’re craving pizza night! It bakes up firm and crisp on the bottom, so you can handhold this low carb crust! Top your cauliflower pizza with veggies, pepperoni, herbs, or anything that makes it the perfect pizza for you.
If you LOVE cauliflower, check out this Mexican Cauliflower Rice and these tasty Cauliflower Fritters.
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An AMAZING Low Carb Pizza Crust Recipe
What is life without pizza? Not a life I am interested in living!
Pizza is one of those universal things. Who can resist a saucy slice with melty mozzarella? This cauliflower pizza crust is a great gluten free, grain free and low carb option that you can load up with any of your favorite toppings.
We adore pizza, so we get creative and make bases out of healthier ingredients, like this Sweet Potato Pizza Crust and this yeasted Paleo Pizza Crust.
For this cauliflower pizza crust, you’ll need:
- 1 large cauliflower (8 cups riced cauliflower). You can also use frozen cauliflower rice (2 of the frozen pouches from Costco work here!)
- Almond Flour (This helps bind the crust. Because it’s used, you can omit the parmesan cheese if you need a dairy free cauliflower pizza crust).
- Eggs
- Parmesan Cheese
- Italian Seasoning (You can also use dried oregano, basil, and garlic powder).
- Salt
Is Cauliflower Pizza Crust Healthy?
Cauliflower pizza crust is gluten free, low carb, and grain free. It’s a healthier option than a standard wheat based pizza crust.
Besides being low in carbs, cauliflower is also much higher in fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K and potassium.
Eggs, almond flour, and parmesan cheese are all high protein ingredients, and give this low carb pizza crust a good dose of healthy fats as well. Because this pizza crust is low in carbs, high in fat and has moderate protein, it’s the perfect option for the keto diet.
What are the Cauliflower Crust Calories?
A regular pizza crust made from wheat flour will have 100-200 calories per slices. One slice of the cauliflower pizza crust has 70 calories.
This is a big calorie savings, especially if you’d like to have several slices!
What’s the Difference Between Frozen Cauliflower Pizza Crust and Homemade Cauliflower Pizza Crust?
The convenience of frozen cauliflower pizza crust is appealing, but not the healthiest choice. You can buy frozen cauliflower pizza crusts at Trader Joes or Costco, and many health food stores as well.
Store bought versions use a very processed form of cauliflower, and then add starch to hold the crust together. They are not keto friendly or low carb.
This homemade cauliflower pizza crust recipe uses almond flour and freshly riced and steamed cauliflower, meaning it retains more nutrients and also is lower in carbs and starch.
How to Make a Cauliflower Pizza Crust
Step 1: Rice the Cauliflower
- Chop the cauliflower into chunks, and then put the florets into a food processor. Pulse the processor until the cauliflower is broken down into rice-sized pieces.
- Be careful not to over process the cauliflower into too small of pieces. Similarly, too large of pieces won’t stick together well in the cauliflower pizza crust.
Step 2: Cook the cauliflower
- Place the cauliflower rice in a microwave safe bowl and microwave it for 4-5 minutes
- OR – put it in a steamer and steam it over medium high heat for 15 minutes on the stovetop.
Once the cauliflower is steamed, cool it for at least 15 minutes. Then, place the cooked cauliflower rice into a bowl that is lined with a thin towel or piece of cheese cloth. Twist the towel over the cauliflower, and squeeze the excess liquid out of the cauliflower. *Out of this amount of cauliflower, you should expect to get nearly a cup of water.
Step 3: Add the cauliflower and the rest of the crust ingredients into a mixing bowl.
Step 4: Stir until the eggs fully coat the cauliflower mixture.
Step 5: Form your pizza crust on your chosen pan.
- Deep Dish Pizza: Add a generous amount of avocado oil to a 10 inch cast iron pan. Heat the cast iron pan over medium high heat, and wait until the skillet is hot. Pour the cauliflower “dough” into the pan, and use the bottom of a metal measuring cup to press the dough into the pan, allowing the edges of the crust to come up the sides to form a rim.
- Regular Crust: Line a pizza pan or baking sheet with parchment paper. Dump the cauliflower dough onto the baking tray, and then use your hands to press the dough into a pizza shape, leaving a rim around the outside to form the crust of the pizza. Using a preheated pizza stone makes the bottom of the crust even more crisp!
Step 6: Bake the pizza crust at 425º F for 30 minutes. Allow the crust to start to brown and then continue cooking for a few more minutes. Don’t worry about over-cooking this crust. It will get sturdier and more crunchy on the bottom the longer it bakes.
*See notes in the recipe card for more specific instructions on baking the deep dish cauliflower pizza in a cast iron pan.
Step 7: Top the pizzas as desired, starting with sauce, cheese.
Step 8: Leave these as cheese pizzas, or go ahead and add veggies and meat. Do not overload these delicate pizza crusts or they will not hold together as well.
Return the pizza to the oven long enough for the cheese to melt and start to brown and bubble, about 10-14 minutes.
Serve the pizza hot!
To Freeze a Cauliflower Crust or Reheat Leftovers:
To freeze: Follow the directions through pre baking the crust, but do not top the crust with any sauce or toppings. Wrap the pizza up tightly in plastic wrap or if it’s small enough, in a gallon sized zip lock bag. Freeze the crust for up to 3 months. To use the crust, allow it to thaw, and then bake it for 5 minutes before topping it and returning it to the oven to melt the cheese.
Reheat Leftovers: Cauliflower pizza is actually delicious cold, but it’s more like a casserole than pizza when cold.
To reheat it and enjoy it like it’s fresh again, preheat the oven to 450º, and return the pizza to the oven for about 10 minutes to remelt the cheese and crisp up the bottom of the crust again.
Does Cauliflower Pizza Crust Taste Good?
I might prefer cauliflower pizza to a regular pie! The crust bakes up firm, but is light, and doesn’t leave you with a food coma like a slice deep dish pie normally would.
It does not taste exactly like a regular wheat-based pizza crust. There is a time and a place for both options.
Tips for Baking this Pizza Deep Dish Style
There are a few steps to follow to make this crust.
- Prepare the cauliflower “dough,” and press it into a hot cast iron pan (using a measuring cup) to form a deep dish crust shape.
- Continue cooking the crust on the stovetop for about 7-10 minutes, until you see the edges of the crust browning.
- Slide the cast iron skillet and crust into the oven to bake for 25 more minutes. This leaves a mostly-cooked crust that is a little crunchy and brown on the bottom and around the edges (the long baking time removes excess moisture!).
- Top the pizza any way you’d like — sauce, cheese, veggies, or even pepperoni and salami. Make it your own!
- Slide the pizza back into the oven for 10-14 minutes, depending on how many toppings you added. A cheese pizza will bake in 10, one loaded with veggies will take about 14.
Love cauliflower? Try these recipes!
- Roasted Cauliflower Soup
- Cauliflower Fritters
- Whole30 Mexican Cauliflower Rice
- Keto Broccoli and Ham Casserole
Other Gluten Free Pizza Crust Recipes
- Sweet Potato Pizza Crusts, by Sunkissed Kitchen
- Paleo Pizza Crust, by Sunkissed Kitchen
- Grilled Quinoa Pizza Zucchini Boats, by Sunkissed Kitchen
- Zucchini Pizza Crust, by Sunkissed Kitchen
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Cauliflower Pizza Crust
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower medium, riced (about 8 cups riced cauliflower)
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup almond flour
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- olive oil for skillet (use generously)
Topping Suggestions
- pizza sauce or pesto
- mozzarella cheese
- veggies peppers, olives, onions or mushrooms
- pineapple just do it!
- pepperoni, sausage or salami
Instructions
- Rice cauliflower by taking florets, and adding them to a food processor bowl. I do this in batches, so my food processor isn’t overfilled. Process until the cauliflower is broken into rice-grain sized pieces.
- Add riced cauliflower (about 8 cups) to a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for about 5 minutes, until the cauliflower is hot all the way through.
- Allow to cool, and then pour the cauliflower into a large, clean dish towel. Pull the edges of the towel together, and squeeze the cauliflower to drain out excess liquid. Twist the towel and squeeze until you’ve removed about 1 cup of liquid or more.
- Add the cauliflower to a dry bowl, and then add the eggs, almond flour, cheese, salt and Italian seasoning. Mix well to combine into a dough.
- Preheat the oven to 425º F.
Cast Iron Deep Dish Pizza Method
- Put a 9 or 10-inch cast iron skillet on the stove, and heat over medium-high heat. Generously coat with avocado oil.
- Pour the cauliflower into the pan, and use a metal flat-bottomed measuring cup to press into the pan, forming a high, thick crust around the edges of the pan.
- Allow the crust to begin cooking on the stove top for about 8 minutes. While the crust is browning, I use a silicone spatula to gently separate the edge of the crust from the sides of the pan, so the crust stands about 1/2 inch inside the pan on it’s own. This will help is come out of the pan in neater slices after it’s baked.
- Add the cast iron skillet to the oven, and continue to bake the crust for 20-25 minutes, until the crust has browned and firmed. If you like your crusts to have a crunch to them, allow the crust to brown a few extra minutes.
- Remove the crust from the oven (but leave the oven on!), and top your pizza. Add sauce, cheese, and any toppings you desire.
- Return the skillet to the oven and bake for an additional 10-14 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Cut into slices, and gently loosen the slices from the edge and bottom of the pan. The first slice is a bit tricky to remove, but the others come out pretty cleanly.
Standard Pizza Crust (not in cast iron)
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Dump out the cauliflower "dough" onto the parchment, and use your hands to press the dough into a pizza shape, about 10 inches in diameter. I like to press the edges into a rim to create a thicker crust around the outside of the pizza.
- Bake the pizza crust for 30 minutes. This may sound like a lot of time, but it helps remove excess moisture in the cauliflower and helps the crust get firm and a bit crisp on the bottom.
- Top the crust with sauce, cheese, and desired toppings, being sure not to add too many toppings that will overload this delicate crust.
- Return the pizza to the oven for an additional 10-14 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling. See notes below about reheating leftover pizza.
Video
Notes
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Tips for Baking this Pizza Deep Dish Style
There are a few steps to follow to make this crust.
- Prepare the cauliflower “dough,” and press it into a hot cast iron pan (using a measuring cup) to form a deep dish crust shape.
- Continue cooking the crust on the stovetop for about 7-10 minutes, until you see the edges of the crust browning.
- Slide the cast iron skillet and crust into the oven to bake for 25 more minutes. This leaves a mostly-cooked crust that is a little crunchy and brown on the bottom and around the edges (the long baking time removes excess moisture!).
- Top the pizza any way you’d like — sauce, cheese, veggies, or even pepperoni and salami. Make it your own!
- Slide the pizza back into the oven for 10-14 minutes, depending on how many toppings you added. A cheese pizza will bake in 10, one loaded with veggies will take about 14.
What a delicious way to have a low carb pizza.
I’m not interested in life without pizza either!! This looks so delicious and from just looking at the photos I would never have guessed the crust was cauliflower!! It looks incredible, I need to try it ASAP!
I’d love to hear if you do! I adore this crust <3
I have always wanted to make this low carb cauliflower pizza crust! Now I think I have the perfect recipe!
It’s so good! And easier than you’d think 🙂
I love the idea of this skillet cauliflower pizza crust! I’m a big pizza fan but find traditional crusts difficult to digest! Can’t wait to try this!
what a neat way to use cauliflower. i’ve never had a cauliflower crust before but would love to try it 🙂
This is a must try, I love cauliflower. Glad to see you using the cast iron skillet, that my favorite way to make pizza crust.
I have to try this crust! Great way to sneak in veggies for the kids and cut carbs 🙂
Oh wow, how good does this look!! I love the modern twist on deep dish pizza. Recently I was on a plane and had a piece of pepperoni deep dish pizza but it wasn’t half as good looking as this is!! Can’t wait to try it. Cheers
Such a great low carb option when the pizza cravings hit.
This cauliflower pizza crust looks and sounds absolutely amazing! I need to try it really soon!
I think you’d love it!
This crust is amazing. I’m pretty sure I like it better than an actual crust. Crispy, but light. Thanks for this healthy alternative!
Made this for dinner tonite. My kitchen was a MESS, it took forever microwaving the cauliflower to get it cooked and to squeeze out water –and then only 1/2 cup. When I tried to press it into the cast iron pan, it stuck to everything I used to press with. I used so much olive oil to get it spread out that there must be a million calories in it. Then the crust started to burn while I had it on the stove top, so I transferred it immediately into the oven and cooked for 20 minutes. It looked like it was burning but turned out tasty. Glad dinner wasn’t ruined as I feared, but it took me an hour to clean the kitchen in addition to an hour or more making dough & toppings; and the ingredients were expensive ($10 for small bag of almond flour). I put caramelized onions, sauteed red and green peppers, mushrooms, cheese and sauce on top of the crust. Sorry to leave this review but it is honest — and I was disappointed.
Hi Cheryl! Thanks for your honesty, and I am sorry you had this experience! We have made this crust many times and it always turns out great. I understand what you mean about cooking and draining the cauliflower. I had a similar experience the first time I did it — maybe I can add more helpful notes into the recipe for how to do it with less mess. I am a pro now because we make it all the time and I don’t feel like it’s such a big deal anymore 🙂 Also — you can buy a huge bag of almond flour at Costco for the same price as those little bags in a regular store. I won’t buy those tiny bags for $10 either 🙂 If you’d like to use up that almond flour in a delicious way — I have a chocolate cupcake recipe that uses almond flour and has almost a brownie texture. So good! https://sunkissedkitchen.com/gluten-free-chocolate-cupcakes/#wprm-recipe-container-8252
I have never posted comments on recipes before, or will again, but MY GOODNESS. This is actually completely as satisfying, while slightly different, in taste, texture, thickness, crunch and hold as pizza. And way more filling, which is something ive heard about before in healthy swaps but never experienced. Thank you for making life that much easier!
Wow, this might be my favorite comment ever! Thank you so much for letting me know you enjoyed this pizza. We’ve been making it over and over again this summer! <3 If you'd like to try another really great alternative crust -- this is my most popular -- https://sunkissedkitchen.com/sweet-potato-pizza-crust-recipe/
Thank you!
Hi, we have an almond allergy in the house – what type of gluten free flour would you suggest? Thank you.
Oh bummer! That can be difficult — nut free and gluten free. I haven’t tried this recipe with any other flours, but I have made this recipe before and it doesn’t call for any flour at all — so I would try that! https://ifoodreal.com/cauliflower-pizza-crust/
So delicious! I thawed frozen cauliflower, threw it in the Cuisinart mini -prep plus, did not place in the microwave, and followed directions as written. Topped with homemade sauce, cheese and cooked spinach. Amazing pizza! Will definitely make again. Thank you.
Yay, I am so glad you loved it Patti! We do too and have been making it often this summer.
Made this for the first time tonight and it was absolutely delicious! Make sure to add enough italian seasoning and salt to your “dough”. Will definitely be making this again
Thank you Inga! It’s such a fun recipe.
I made this crust last night and YUM! It was the best!!! Thank you for sharing!!!
We are having this for the second night in a row!! Made bbq chicken, delicious! The cast iron pan makes a hige difference. I am Celiac so I am always trying new recipes and my hubby said this was his favorite gluten free crust yet! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Oh, I am so happy to hear that, Chanel! I adore this crust, and yes, the cast iron pan helps to really give the crust a little texture on the bottom. Now I really need to make this again soon! If you haven’t tried it yet, I also have a sweet potato pizza crust that’s incredible, and if you’re in the mood for something that tastes like the real deal, my paleo pizza crust uses potatoes and almond flour and is incredible. https://sunkissedkitchen.com/sweet-potato-pizza-crust-recipe/. and https://sunkissedkitchen.com/paleo-pizza-crust/
This was a great recipe. We really enjoyed the flavor and texture. Would recommend.
Notes:
– We bought **two** heads of cauliflower to be on the safe side and ended up using all of it to get 8 cups.
– Added extra Italian seasoning and onion powder to the recipe which made the crust super flavorful.
Yes, if you’re buying smaller heads of cauliflower you will need two! Love your seasoning additions — need to make this again soon!
Great recipe!
I believe there’s a mistake in the riced cauliflower amount listed as 8 cups instead of 4 cups = 8 servings.. One head of cauliflower will give you 4 cups at best.
Thank you!
You must be buying small heads of cauliflower 🙂 I do use 8 cups.
Hi wonderful recipe looking to make this weekend coming up. Just wondering what can I use instead of a food processor? Unfortunately I don’t own one. Thank you very much
You can buy cauliflower rice frozen! The recipe card has instructions on how to use it rather than making your own! Enjoy.
Excellent recipe! Better than all others we’ve tried. Glad we found it.
Great recipe! We love making bbq chicken pizza using this crust!
So glad to hear this! I just made this over the weekend — love it every time!