I realize I’m making a big claim here. This really is the most perfect cauliflower pizza I’ve ever tried. My family has endured a lot of experimenting and taste testing(sympathy appreciated). This has a texture remarkably similar to traditional pizza, and unlike a lot of cauliflower crust it’s totally pick-up-able(which is the technical term). Don’t get me wrong. It’s not the same. If you want pizza with a wheat crust go eat it. But when I eat wheat pizza with any regularity I wake up five years later fat, cranky and wondering what happened to my life. So if you want an alternative that fits your healthy eating regime and doesn’t leave you bloated, read on.
About the dairy- I know it doesn’t agree with some people. Many of my recipes are dairy free so if it really doesn’t work for you make some of those instead. I know you can find goat mozzarella if you look for it, in which case you can make this with only goat dairy and that seems to work better for many people who are sensitive. Personally I don’t seem to have an issue, so I love including a little cheese in my diet for a treat.
Secrets to Perfect Cauliflower Crust
I’ve noticed two things that make this crust turn out great. One is a combination of both goat cheese and mozzarella for the right texture and browning. The other is squeezing the living daylights out of the cauliflower. It’s really that simple! You want to remove as much moisture as possible. Twist the towel as hard as you can and do it in two batches if necessary.
My recipe calls for a head of cauliflower as big as your head, or two small ones. You can cut the recipe in half and make a smaller pizza if you want, but I don’t know why you would want to do that. Even with our little family of three the leftovers don’t last more than a day. Cold pizza without the guilt? Score.
Step By Step
First, process the cauliflower in two or three batches in your food processor. You want it to be very fine, think the texture of almond meal. Like this:
Then lay it on a kitchen towel and squeeze as much water as possible from it:
Next, transfer it to a bowl and add the eggs, cheeses and seasonings and mix well with your hands.
Then, line a sheet pan (actually a half sheet for you professional cooks out there, but to most of us it’s the “big” kind) with parchment, and use your hands to spread the crust out evenly. It will be between 1/4 and 1/3″ thick. Bake it at 425 for 12-15 minutes until lightly golden.
Add your favorite toppings. This time we went kind of nuts with pizza sauce, mozzarella, sausage, pepperoni, veggies and dollops of ricotta but you can do it however you want.
Then just bake it another 5-10 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and the toppings are hot! Sometimes I need to bake it longer if we took a long time to do other things and the crust had cooled off somewhat. Just keep an eye on it.
Let it cool about 10 minutes before slicing. Look at that, totally pick-up-able just as promised! Yum it’s soooooo good.
Perfect Cauliflower Pizza THM S
The best cauliflower pizza that holds its shape and makes pizza night a thing again on your healthy eating plan!
Ingredients
- 1 large head cauliflower or 2 small
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup goat cheese (chevre) you can use the garlic and herb kind if you want!
- 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1 tsp. dried oregano or italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- pizza sauce and toppings of choice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425.
Remove the tough stem from the cauliflower and cut it into florets. Process it in two batches in your food processor to a fine consistency, like almond meal. Transfer to a clean kitchen towel.
Squeeze as much moisture as possible from the cauliflower by twisting the towel. Transfer to a bowl.
Add the eggs, cheeses, and seasonings and mix well with your hands or a wooden spoon.
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Spread the "dough" evenly on the parchment with your hands, leaving only about 1" border around the edge on the pan. It should be between 1/4" and 1/3" thick.
Bake for 12-15 minutes or until lightly golden.
Top with your favorite sauce and toppings. Bake an additional 5-10 minutes to melt cheese and heat toppings. Enjoy!!
This went over well even though I have some picky eaters (and I personally don’t like goat cheese unless it’s the garlic and herb kind from Trader Joe’s). Baking time was too short even though I use an oven thermometer to make sure my oven is at the correct temperature, but my oven is temperamental 🙂 It’s definitely important to make sure the cheese is nice and golden — the first pizza wasn’t quite as pick-up-able as the first because I took it out at the end of the recommended time. Thank you for sharing!