Cauliflower Pizza Crust Recipe

Low carb, low calorie and gluten free cauliflower crust pizza that can take on any of your favourite toppings. Foolproof & delicious low carb meal recipe.

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Cauliflower crust pizza has gained a huge popularity in the past few years among low carb dieters and mainly fitness enthusiasts. Because you are indulging with pizza, America’s favourite comfort food, and not wrecking your nutrition numbers. I held off making cauliflower pizza because I simply was confused by various cooking methods and knew it would take me some time to come up with a foolproof recipe. And I was right, it took me 3 pizzas and 2 days (on and off) and here we are.

This cauliflower crust pizza is foolproof. It’s not mushy and you can really hold it by a slice. And it is delicious! I won’t lie, the crust doesn’t taste like dough crust (duh!) but is super tasty plus the toppings on top => to die for.

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Because I made all these pizza at various times, you will see different pans and crusts. The Mediterranean one was delicious but mushy. Not anymore though since I perfected the dreaded cauliflower crust. I have to give credit to Closet Cooking and Recipe Girl for guiding me in the right direction.

So, let’s make our low carb cauliflower pizza, shall we?!

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Firs, you need one large head of cauliflower, 7″ – 8″ in diameter. Cauliflower naturally contains a lot of water and after you remove the outer leaves and separate into florets, you are not left with much. Rinse it under cold water and do not dry. I would also recommend making 2 pizza crusts at a time since cauliflower cooks down a lot and doesn’t make a huge pizza. Unless you are cooking only for yourself.

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Place cauliflower florets in a food processor and process until “rice” texture. Some coarse chunks are fine. You will be baking and then squeezing the cauliflower, so really chunks do not matter.

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I avoid cooking in the microwave for health reasons. Instead I roasted cauliflower in the oven for 15 minutes. You could also microwave it for 8 minutes. Then transfer cooked cauliflower to a bowl lined with cheesecloth. You can also use a linen tea towel like this one. I used it to make the Cauliflower Breadsticks and it worked!

You can find cheesecloth in most well-stocked supermarkets or on Amazon for very reasonable price. Just ask the clerk at the store. Cut the desired size piece each time and it will last you a while. Probably around 10 pizza crusts.

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Holding by the four corners of cheesecloth with one hand, squeeze out the liquid as much as you can with other hand. Squeeze really well, quite a few times. Count it as an arm workout for the day. The cauliflower should be pretty dry. I squeezed and then moved the cauliflower around a bit, and squeezed again.

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You should be left with a cauliflower mash. Transfer it to a bowl with remaining ingredients and mix.

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Using your hands, flatten the cauliflower mixture on a lined with parchment paper pizza baking pan. Note, more likely your crust will not cover as much of a pan as shown in the picture below. Firstly, it depends on your pizza pan size and secondly I took this photo while still experimenting. This is raw cauliflower mash which is larger in volume than cooked cauliflower, and is’s a big NO in a cauliflower crust making. So, don’t worry if your pizza looks smaller in diameter.

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Then bake for 15 – 20 mins and your low carb pizza crust is ready.

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Now the fun part begins – toppings. I made 3 kinds: Mediterranean, Chicken & Pepper and Cheese.

This is the Mediterranean pizza: tomato sauce, bell pepper, tomato, olives, red onion, feta cheese and parsley. side-mediterranean-pizza-cauliflower-pizza-crust-recipe

And this is Chicken & Pepper pizza: tomato sauce, sliced grilled chicken breast, olives, red onion and cheese.

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Honestly, my favourite was cheese pizza. I was quite surprised with myself but I loved the combination of cauliflower + cheese. Probably because I’m a huge fan of Roasted Garlic & Parmesan Cauliflower.

So, if you have been waiting to jump on the cauliflower crust pizza bandwagon, here is your chance. I think I took out all the guessing for you. Make it and let me know how your cauliflower pizza turns out. Also what pizza toppings have you used?! I would love to hear your ideas!

Cauliflower Pizza Crust Recipe

Cauliflower Pizza Crust Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 head cauliflower 7 – 8″ wide
  • 1 egg, large
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan or Mozzarella cheese, grated/shredded & not packed
  • 1 tsp Italian (or rosemary, basil, parsley) herb seasoning
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions

    1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line round pizza baking sheet with parchment paper.
    2. Rinse cauliflower, remove the outer leaves and separate into florets with a paring knife. Place cauliflower florets in a food processor and process until “rice” texture. Some coarse chunks are fine.

    1. Place on a prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 mins.

    1. Remove cooked cauliflower from the oven and transfer to a bowl lined with a double/triple layered cheesecloth.

    1. Then squeeze the liquid out of the ball, cauliflower inside the cheesecloth, as hard as you can. Be patient and do this a few times until barely any liquid comes out. Muscle work.:)

    1. Increase oven T to 450 degrees F. Transfer cauliflower to a mixing bowl along with egg, cheese, herb seasoning, salt, black pepper and mix to combine. Transfer cauliflower mixture onto the same baking sheet you used to roast the florets (I used the same parchment paper but you can swap it for a new one if it gets too soggy), and flatten with your hands until thin pizza crust forms.
    2. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes and remove from the oven.

    1. Top with your favourite toppings and bake again until cheese on top turns golden brown. Slice and enjoy.
Storage Instructions: Refrigerate covered for up to 2 days. You can also freeze the crust tightly wrapped in plastic, for 1 month.
Nutritional Info (crust only, no toppings)

Servings Per Recipe: 8

Amount Per Serving = 1 slice:
Calories: 63.7
Total Fat: 2.7 g
Cholesterol: 28.2 mg
Sodium: 191.6 mg
Total Carbs: 5.7 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.6 g
Protein: 5.5 g
WW Points+: 2

Before you go. Because this pizza recipe is so popular, I figured out you like quick and healthy dinners.

Recipe by ifoodreal.com

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