Cauliflower Crust Supreme Pizza (Gluten Free, Vegan)
This customizable, comforting pizza is both gluten free and dairy free. The key ingredient is Trader Joe’s cauliflower crust — $4 and delicious! Let the record show I wholeheartedly support pineapple on pizza.
Who doesn’t love pizza delivery night? When making the transition to a vegan diet, you may discover, as I did, that some aspects of it are frustrating. It can be difficult to find vegan options at restaurants, and when they are offered, it can be challenging to identify them. Pizza night is a night I’ve always looked forward to, and the places I used to order from are not an option on this diet.
I am fortunate enough to live near a restaurant which delivers vegan pizza, but Fort Collins has one of the highest concentration of restaurants per capita of any city in the country, and demand for plant-based options is high here. You may not live near a similar restaurant, though you can rest assured you can still enjoy pizza by expending just a little bit more effort, and a lot less money, at home.
Cream cheese on pizza is something I had never heard of until I moved to Fort Collins. I was sold the instant I tried it at a local pizza joint, Krazy Karl’s. My favorite toppings combination became cream cheese, pineapple, and bacon. I also enjoyed the Chipotle-style pizza restaurant near me, Pizza Rev, where I could select from a display of toppings in front of me.
This pineapple shown in the image is crushed pineapple, but the recipe calls for sliced as that is the kind I used in the first two trials of this recipe. I find sliced pineapple to be more appealing that crushed, though my grocery store substituted my pineapple I used for the third trial. An addition to this pizza I am still experimenting with is Sweet Earth seitan bacon, and you could try adding a wide array of other toppings.
This recipe was my first encounter with cauliflower crust, and I was very pleased with both the flavor and texture. I continue to be impressed by the ways food can be manipulated to produce a desired result.
Please enjoy this easy and delicious pizza recipe — I would love to hear about your experience and/or modifications in the comments!
Gluten Free Cauliflower Crust Supreme Pizza
Equipment
- Large baking sheet
- Grater
- Small bowl
- Rubber spatula
- Pizza slicer
Ingredients
- ¼ cup sliced pineapple canned or fresh
- 5-6 oz Follow Your Heart mozzarella cheese shredded from block
- 2 tbsp red onion diced
- ½ small jalapeño pepper chopped
- 2 tbsp basil chopped
- 1 Trader Joe's cauliflower pizza crust
- ½ cup pizza sauce
- 7-8 ½" globs Kite Hill cream cheese
- Black pepper, italian seasoning, and/or red pepper flakes for seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil, and arrange the pineapple slices in a single layer on one side of the baking sheet.
- Use a cheese grater to shred the majority of a block of Follow Your Heart mozzarella. Once oven is preheated, bake pineapple for 8 to 10 minutes in order to dehydrate. Remove if it begins to brown.
- While pineapple is in the oven, dice or slice your desired amount of red onion, jalapeño, and basil.
- When pineapple is done, remove from oven and transfer to small bowl. Place the pizza crust onto the baking sheet as package instructs (face down). Bake for 10 mins. Remove from oven, carefully flip crust to other side, and bake for another 10 mins.
- Remove from oven and set oven to broil. Add the pizza sauce, spreading it evenly across the surface with a rubber spatula. Add the shredded cheese, again distributing evenly across the surface. Add the pineapple pieces evenly spaced apart, and the globs of cream cheese evenly spaced apart. Broil for 10 mins.*
- Once cheese is melted and crust is browning, remove from oven. Add red onion, jalapeño, basil, and desired amount of seasonings. Allow to sit for a couple of minutes, then slice and enjoy!