Cauliflower Pizza Crust
A healthy low carb pizza crust made with riced cauliflower and baked until golden brown! We love this pizza crust topped with sauce and cheese, but load it up any way you'd like it.
Servings: 8 slices
Calories: 76kcal
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
*Do not skip steaming and squeezing the excess moisture out of the cauliflower rice, or your crust will be watery and not firm enough to hold the slices with your hand.
Use frozen cauliflower rice: Save time by buying frozen cauliflower rice to use in this recipe. You will still need 8 cups, which is 2 of the pouches of in the packages from Costco. Add the frozen cauliflower rice to a steamer or to a bowl and put in the microwave, an cook it just like you would fresh cauliflower. I have tested this and it works great!
To freeze a crust: 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.
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.
Nutrition
Calories: 76kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 249mg | Potassium: 230mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 90IU | Vitamin C: 34.7mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 0.8mg