This paleo cauliflower pizza crust is gluten-free as well as dairy-free. It can also be vegan if you substitute the egg for a flax egg. This is a flavorful healthy alternative for those who are looking for a pizza while also trying to avoid gluten or dairy.
Cauliflower Benefits
Cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable, belonging to the same family as broccoli, kale, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts. It can typically be found with a creamy white color, but there are other varieties that include orange, purple, and green. You can enjoy it raw, steamed, puréed, mashed, grated, or roasted
The cauliflower is high in vitamin C, low in carbs, and has a milder taste than broccoli. The mild taste makes it easy to use cauliflower as a substitute for many recipes (mashed potatoes, rice, pizza crust) while also being a low-carb alternative. One cup has about 75% of your daily recommended intake for vitamin C, 20% of your vitamin K, 14% of your folate, and 10% of your vitamin b6.
Paleo Cauliflower Pizza Recipe
Pizza is one of those meals where afterward I have a heavy feeling in my stomach. And not a feeling of fullness and satisfaction, but one of uneasiness with dense dough and too much cheese. I’ve recently learned that I can still enjoy having pizza without that heavy feeling. This paleo cauliflower pizza is made without gluten or dairy and uses healthy vegetables and herbs. Now having pizza doesn’t mean I have to compromise my health, and it still tastes good!
Paleo Cauliflower Pizza Ingredients
- 1 large head cauliflower
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/3 cup cashews
- 1 tsp dried oregano (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
- 1 tsp dried basil (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup tapioca flour (helps bind and prevents sticking)
Optional Toppings
- Marinara or pesto for topping
- Sautéed or fresh vegetables (e.g. bell pepper, onion, mushroom, tomato)
Paleo Cauliflower Pizza Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Chop cauliflower, add to a pot of water and boil for 20 minutes. The size of the cauliflower pieces doesn’t matter at this point since we will blend them later.
- While cauliflower is boiling, this is a good time to prepare your pizza sauce or any toppings you want. I used this Cilantro Pesto. You can also sauté any vegetables that you would like. I used tomatoes, bell peppers, mushrooms, and red onions.
- Let the cauliflower cool a bit. Add cauliflower to a food processor and blend.
- Transfer cooled cauliflower to a cheesecloth and squeeze as much liquid out as possible. Please don’t try to do this while it’s still hot.
- In a food processor, combine sea salt, pepper, onion powder, cashews, oregano, basil, and 2 tablespoons of the tapioca flour and blend.
- In a large bowl, add egg, cauliflower, and blended ingredients. Mix together.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Sprinkle some of the remaining tapioca flour down to prevent the pizza from sticking.
- Add a little tapioca flour to your hands and spread out the dough into a circle or square. Try to make the dough under 1/2 an inch thick. Sprinkling tapioca flour on top of the dough if it starts to stick to your hands when spreading (if you need a little more, that’s OK!)
- Bake for 30 minutes using a convection oven, or 45 minutes using a regular oven. Or until edges start to turn golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and add any toppings you would like. Bake for an additional 10 minutes and enjoy!
I’d love to hear if you try this paleo cauliflower pizza recipe! Comment below, and happy eating! 🙂
