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Recipes

Cauliflower Pizza

Cauliflower Crust Pizza
Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Everybody makes the resolution to lose weight at the beginning of the year—so much so that it’s trite. But with the prevalence of Bad Food in our grocery stores and supermarkets today, it becomes increasingly harder to not only keep your resolution, but to continue it even after you’ve lost the weight. A great way to stay on the path to your fitness goal is to alter your diet in a healthy and non-dramatic way. But healthy weight loss is kind of slow… and so, I go the crazy-pants route by cutting carbohydrates out of my diet completely. (Disclaimer: This is NOT healthy and NOT maintainable! I will explain further below.)

My girlfriend’s bachelorette party is in Las Vegas, and one of the events on the itinerary is a Beach Club—if you’re not familiar with the idea, it’s a day club that is poolside and outdoors, with cabana service replacing bottle service along the sides. Basically, everyone is in their skivvies and there is no place to hide from judging eyes. I realized that this was going to be a part of the trip about a month before the trip… and that’s why I took such drastic measures and cut carbs out.

Flipped the slice so the crust is visible--looks great!
Flipped the slice so the crust is visible–looks great!

With all of that said, I decided to try my hand at cauliflower pizza because it was, in my mind, a great way to have Bad Food (pepperoni pizza) without sacrificing my diet. And yes, technically there are no starchy, carbohydrate components. But what it doesn’t have in carbs it makes up for in fat: cheese, cheese, and more cheese. This cauliflower pizza crust recipe is delicious, but I just wanted to debunk the idea that it is healthy because it doesn’t have bread in it. This is not the case. However, if you are looking for a way to have pizza that is gluten-free… this is the recipe for you.

Look at that nice crispy crust!
Look at that nice crispy crust!

The key to making the crust cohesive and not crumbly is the amount of water you wring out of the ground cauliflower before shaping the crust. You cannot do this half-heartedly—I don’t know how else to emphasize this point, other than to say that your hard work will look more like cheesy cauliflower mash than crust. I spent over 5-7 minutes just wringing the water out of the cauliflower as hard as I could, and I ended up with a perfect crust that held together—even when I picked it up by the edges.

This recipe is for the crust only and not for the toppings, as I am assuming you have an idea of what you would prefer on your own pizza. For reference, I have used tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and thinly-sliced pepperoni… simple, but delicious!

Great, now I'm hungry for cauliflower pizza again...
Great, now I’m hungry for cauliflower pizza again…

Recipe adapted from The Lucky Penny Blog.

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79 Comments

  1. Eve says:

    Made this the other day but of course didn’t wring out the water enough so it was just cauliflower mash with assorted vegetables on top. =P Next time I will take your advice and spend the extra 5-7 minutes to squeeze out the water. Thank you for the recipe and tip!

  2. Love it! Thanks for recipe 🙂

  3. I made this and suggest that you heavily grease the parchment paper before you put the cauliflower on it. I only lightly greased it and it stuck like crazy. Tasted great but was a mess!

  4. Yummy says:

    It would be amazing if you would take the time to calculate the nutritional information

    1. admin says:

      My goodness, I wish I had the technology to do so! I’ll see what I can do based on the ingredients I’ve put into the crust, though. Thanks for the suggestion!

    2. LaDeeDah says:

      While I agree that it would be handy if she had calculated the nutritional info (if you have access to the interwebs, you have access to the technology), I’ve found it’s always best to do it yourself. Different brands of cheese and varying egg size will change the info per person making the dish.

    3. Kathryn says:

      Based on the info above I calculated some nutritional info
      Serves 2
      Total fat: 8.8g
      Saturated fat: 4.4g
      Polyunsaturated fat: 0.4g
      Monounsaturated fat: 1.8g
      Trans: 0g
      Cholesterol: 110.3mg
      Sodium: 628.8mg
      Potassium: 945.4mg
      Total carbs: 16.5g
      Dietary Fiber: 6.4g
      Sugars: 5.9g
      Protein: 15.8g
      And total calories 191 if you share the pizza so just double up if you plan on eating it all by yourself.
      This excludes any toppings.

      1. Karin says:

        Can you please tell me how you are calculating the carbs?

  5. This looks amazing!! I saw it today on Buzzfeed and cannot wait to make it – i’m also excited about exploring the rest of your blog! Love the pics 🙂

    1. admin says:

      Thank you so much! It is definitely a cheese-tastic & tasty concoction. 🙂 I hope you find more recipes to your liking, and thanks for visiting!

  6. Sherry says:

    I’ll try this using a ricer, it always works for cauliflower mash!

    1. admin says:

      That’s a great idea! Thanks for the suggestion–I may try doing the same! 🙂

  7. Shirley Yeo says:

    Made it tonight. TIP: I cooked the cauliflower “snow” on a cookie sheet to dry out some of the liquid rather than spending 10 minutes ringing it out per the recipe.
    Worked great! Only thing was after I had cooked the crust and put the toppings on, the crust became soft and not firm and crispy. I added 1/2 cup cheddar cheese instead of Monz and my 1/2 t of spices were generous – the crust tastes great just on it’s own! 🙂

  8. Myriam says:

    Wow. This looks awesome. But I don’t have a microwave. Do you have any suggestions for using an oven or stove?
    Thanks!

    1. admin says:

      Hi Myriam! If you don’t have a microwave, you can use a parchment-lined or aluminum foil-lined sheet and bake the grated cauliflower in the oven at 170ºF; keep the door open so the cauliflower doesn’t cook, it just dehydrates. Times are variable depending on the oven, humidity of your location and water content of the cauliflower, so I would stick around and check on it every 10-20 minutes. When it feels lightly damp to the touch, you’re ready to incorporate it into the rest of the recipe. Good luck!

  9. I do not use a microwave, can I steam the cauliflower first then put in the food processor and then squeeze out the water? Thank you!!! Looking forward to trying this!!!

    1. admin says:

      Hi Lynn! Steaming it first works just as well! The microwave is a shortcut for those of us with less patience 😉 I hope you enjoy the recipe as much as I do!

  10. Sorry, I should have read the comments above. I read your suggestion regarding using the oven. THANK YOU!!!!

  11. Just tried it. It was delicious! My husband and I loved it and so did my picky 4 year old! What a surprise! It turned out just perfect!
    Thank you for sharing the recipe!

    1. Thank you for giving it a shot, Ana, I’m glad it turned out so well for you and your family! 🙂

  12. You have to cook the crust in both sides for it to be firm and not be mushy. Cook it for about 6 minutes on both sides. Use a plate or foil to flip it. I’ve cooked it both ways and the crust will not work if you don’t do this.

    1. Thanks for the feedback Kim! I found that the crust worked okay without flipping it, but this is a great tip for people that are looking to troubleshoot a mushy crust. Thanks again for your input!

  13. Hello Kim,

    I will make this tonight and would love to know if you ever tried to put a thin layer of tomato sauce on the crust before or after the cheese went on. (real pizza style!)

    I will cook the crust well done so it doesn’t get too soggy.

  14. sorry,

    I meant Kris!

    1. No harm done Joe! 🙂 I usually put the tomato sauce on the crust after the initial baking of the crust before the cheese, treating it like traditional bread crust. I hope that clears things up!

  15. Randy Brooks says:

    Here is my rough estimate of the nutrition of each half of this meal for two, not including the pepperoni shown, 182 calories each, 10 grams of fat, saturated fat 7/8 grams, polyunsaturated fat 5 grams, monounsaturated fat 3 grams, cholesterol 127 mg, potassium, 476 mg, carbohydrates 10 grams, fiber, 4.5 grams, sugars 4.5 grams, protein 16. If you go with the pepperoni you’ll add a ton of bad stuff, so go veggies like tomatoes, green peppers, mushrooms, which are nearly inert for dietary penalties.

    1. admin says:

      Thanks for the nutritional information, Randy!

  16. […] other pizza crust I tried was cauliflower. Because I love cauliflower. It’s pretty versatile. You can make it like rice. You can mash it. […]

  17. My family and I are doing a low carb diet, and saw your recipe and decided to try it. It was a complete success! If you are not a fan of Cauliflower do not be discouraged by the fact that the crust is made out of it because you can’t even taste it.

  18. Jennifer Ratkovich says:

    If you use a juicer for the cauliflower you’re left with pulp that you don’t have to dry or squeeze moisture out of!

    1. Jennifer says:

      This is a genius idea! Was waffling on trying this recipe due to watery cauliflower concoctions past, but now I will try it!

  19. I’m in the process of making this and have a few questions.

    1. I ringed the water out for about 5 minutes. After adding all the ingredients (including the egg) it’s moist again. Is that ok?

    2. My husband doesn’t get home from work for another couple hrs. Will this keep if I put it in the fridge before cooking it? Or would you suggest baking it the first time then when he gets home adding the toppings?

    Thanks,

    Kelly

    1. Hi Kelly,

      Sorry that I just noticed this!

      1. It’s okay if it’s still moist! It needs to be moist enough to hold together its shape. I’m sure that if you wrung the water out for 5 minutes that you’ve wrung out enough liquid. 🙂

      2. It will hold in the fridge before baking, just don’t cover it or it will condensate in its container.

      My apologies if this is much too late of a response–I hope your crust turned out well!

  20. […] Cauliflower Pizza by Umami Holiday […]

  21. […] Again with this food post, my spouse, Andrea, has done most of the research and work involved in adapting this recipe and also took most of the pictures. So, thanks for that. We got the original idea from this website. […]

  22. I tried this and loved it!!! Thanks so much for sharing this awesome recipe!!!

    1. admin says:

      Elle,

      I’m so glad this worked out for you! You’re so welcome 🙂

      Kris

  23. Great recipe it seemed a little watery at first so I added a tablespoon of almond flour . Came out just right !
    Thanks so much !

    1. admin says:

      Dona, thanks for the hint! I’ll probably try that next time–wringing the cauliflower of water gets tiring after a while 😉

  24. Nancy Childress says:

    I love this recipe! I have made it several times now and I haven’t found one person who hasn’t loved it (including cauliflower haters!) Tip for getting all the moisture out: use a high temp glove! 🙂 I can squeeze and twist the towel as hard as I can without getting burned. My slices hold up and taste amazballs!

    1. admin says:

      Thanks for the pro tip, Nancy!

  25. […] Cauliflower Pizza […]

  26. Lindsay says:

    Has anyone cooked the crust, then cooled it and kept it in the freezer, and then popped it in the oven another night for a quick dinner? Looking for a short cut after a 12 hour day. 🙂

  27. Lisa Salinas says:

    Actually if you grate half a cup of cauliflower and add 2 cups of mozzarella and 2 eggs mix it all together and press it onto a pizza pan you don’t have to wring out the cauliflower at all and you don’t need parchment paper. Crust still comes out like crust and tastes great!

    1. admin says:

      Thanks for the tip, Lisa! I’ll have to try this soon–sounds like a LOT less hassle 🙂

    2. Lindsay McConnell says:

      Lisa, did you cook the cauliflower, or just grate it raw and mix it all together to bake? Thanks!

  28. Whit says:

    I accidentally missed the step to cook the crust before garnishing. Does this mean my pizza is ruined? Oops. I’ll let you know if it works.

  29. priscilla burleson says:

    Just an FYI….. anyone else have the experience of HORRIBLE smelling towels after wringing the cauliflower out. I have mine on the second wash cycle, this time washing in HOT and using bleach. Be aware ……

  30. Wendy hageman says:

    Hi. I have made mashed cauliflower before, instead of fresh cauliflower I done frozen, would frozen work just as well?

    1. OMG someone who has similar thg:uhtsoD you made my day man. bf3 is what ive been pointing at for a long time but yes 343 did a great job with the balance and sure makes it more halo than anything.

  31. tina says:

    Works well with broccoli also. Thank you.

  32. […] used this recipe from Umami Holiday. Basically, if you’ve got cauliflower, cheese, and an egg, you’ve […]

  33. […] the mix, plus your favourite toppings, you can’t really tell that it’s a cauliflower crust. Here is the recipe on how to make it. What it lacks in carbs, it makes up for with the amount of cheese […]

  34. […] the mix, plus your favourite toppings, you can’t really tell that it’s a cauliflower crust. Here is the recipe on how to make it. What it lacks in carbs, it makes up for with the amount of cheese […]

  35. Terri says:

    I dry stir fried the cauliflower to cook it. This evaporated a lot of moisture and then I didn’t have to wring it out. Came out pretty good. Bottom of the leftovers were pretty moist, do I’ve put on a cooling rack and popped back into the oven on a low heat to evaporate more moisture. My 11 year old (very fussy) gave it a big tick of approval, as did hubby who waited until everyone else gave a positive verdict before trying it himself.

  36. […] Because you know what else is in that crust? CHEESE. Recipe here. […]

  37. It is healthy! Cheese is a healthy source of fat. And it’s not that bad for calories. You just have to make sure you’re not eating of your TDEE when trying to achieve weight loss. I personally count calories AND carbs since eating a lot of fat is the only way that I can sustain going low in calories. Eating low fat also has shown a lot of other health benefits for myself, but I’ll let you do your own research on the subject. Great ressources are : LeanSecrets and HealthfulPursuit Good luck to you all ♥

  38. […] Because you know what else is in that crust? CHEESE. Recipe here. […]

  39. Lindsay says:

    I followed a previous comment and removed moisture in the over as opposed to squeezing it out. This recipe turned out amazing!

  40. […] Because you know what else is in that crust? CHEESE. Recipe here. […]

  41. I’ve made a few different cauliflower pizza recipes but the main key is to just use a juicer! Put it throught he juicer and it will do the work for you. Dump the water, use the pulp. Wha la!

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