Cheesy Cauliflower Pizza Crust (2024)

This is the best cauliflower pizza crust recipe for the times when you’re craving something cheesy, but want to get in a little extra veggies and keep it low carb.

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It might seem intimidating the first time you make it, but I promise, you can do this! And you’ll be happy you did because this crust is cheesy, full of veggies, loaded with flavor, AND it WON’T FALL APART on you. You can easily grab a slice and enjoy a bite without giving it a second thought.

These days it’s easy to find premade cauliflower crusts at the grocery store, but I’m here to tell you, making them yourself is super easy, way cheaper, and they freeze beautifully. You can use fresh cauliflower or frozen for this recipe, so it’s super versatile!

So skip the trip to the grocery store and make your own veggie packed cauliflower crust at home!

Ingredients

• A medium to large sized head of cauliflower or about 2lbs of frozen cauliflower florets: The volume of the cauliflower will reduce significantly during the preliminary cooking and draining process, so always choose the larger head of cauliflower at the store if you have the option.
• Large eggs– the eggs are the “glue” that binds this cauliflower crust together.
• Shredded Mozzarella Cheese: The cheese will flavor the crust, help keep it all together, and it will add some really nice browning and light crispness.
• Grated parmesan cheese– You want finely grated parmesan cheese, preferably the cheap stuff from the container with the green lid. This will add salt and flavor, and because the cheese is so dry, it will help absorb excess moisture during the cooking process. You can always substitute almond flour if you find this shakey cheese offensive.
• Granulated garlic powder, dried oregano, and dried basil– for seasoning and flavor. You can definitely swap the dried herbs for your favorite Italian seasoning if you wish.
• Pinch of Kosher salt and pepper– this will finish seasoning the crust. Use a light hand when adding the salt. There is a lot of cheese in the crust already and you’ll most likely be adding more cheese to the top, so you don’t want to add too much extra sodium.
• Your favorite pizza toppings- The sky is the limit on the toppings! Pepperoni and mozzarella are always a favorite. This crust can handle a thin layer of tomato sauce too, or an herby pesto. Or do a medley of fresh broccoli, peppers, and olives for a delicious veggie cauliflower pizza.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425° and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. DO NOT USE WAX PAPER OR FOIL. The crust will stick like crazy to the foil and the wax paper will burn and stink up the house.

If you’ve had problems with food items sticking to your parchment paper in the past, give the parchment a light spray with some cooking spray or brush lightly with olive oil.

Prep the cauliflower: Chop the head of cauliflower into small florets and pulse in a food processor until very finely minced–like snow and almost pastelike. This is a must for properly binding the crust.

If you’re using pre-riced cauliflower, give it a spin in the food processor to chop it as fine as possible.

Microwave the processed cauliflower in a microwave-safe bowl for 5 minutes. This will tenderize the vegetable and loosen up all the water inside of it. Let the now cooked cauliflower sit until cool enough to handle.

Place the cooled cauliflower in a kitchen towel and squeeze as much water out of it as possible.You should be squeezing about 1/2 cup-1 cup of water out and your hands will get tired.

Once the cauliflower stops releasing a steady stream of water, the cauliflower will look dry and will have reduced to about 1/2-1/3 of its original size.

Place the ball of squeezed cauliflower in a medium-sized to large bowl. Add the shredded and grated cheeses, eggs, and spices. Mix until thoroughly combined, and a “dough” forms.

Pour the cauliflower mixture onto the parchment paper-lined sheet pan.

Pat the crust into a circle (or oval) to about a 1/4 inch thick leaving a rim about 1/2 inch thick around the edge.

Bake 15-20 minutes until the crust is lightly browned.

Remove the crust from the oven (don’t turn it off) and top with your favorite pizza sauce and toppings. Bake the pizza for another 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted and browned.

Allow the pizza to cool for about 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Make Ahead Instructions

This crust can be made 2 days ahead (before toppings) and kept in the fridge until ready to use. This crust can also be frozen for longer storage and for a healthy meal prep idea. So the next time you have a pizza craving, you’ve got a pre-made crust at the ready!

Prepping The Crust In Advance

Prepare the crust and bake it for the first 15-20 minutes that the recipe calls for. Allow the crust to cool completely, do not add any toppings at this time. Cover the crust and pop it in the fridge for up to 2 days. When you’re ready for pizza, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, pop your prebaked cauliflower crust on the baking sheet, and top it with desired toppings. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 425° until the cheese is golden and bubbly.

Freezing the Crust

If you want to make a cauliflower crust to freeze and use later (think the Caulipower pizza crust or the ones from Trader Joe’s), then prepare the cauliflower crust “dough” as the recipe states and bake it for the first 15-20 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.

Let the crust cool completely on the sheet pan and then transfer your crust to the freezer so that it can freeze solid. You can either leave it right on the baking sheet with the parchment paper (if you have the freezer space) or transfer it to a smaller plate to freeze solid. This will make wrapping the crust tightly in a plastic wrap way easier.

Store the crust in the freezer for up to a month, and try not to stack heavy items on top of it during storage.

When you’re ready to bake, remove your crust from the freezer, unwrap it, and set it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Do not thaw.

Top the frozen crust with sauce, cheese, and your favorite toppings and bake at 425° for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and delicious.

Storage and Reheating

How to Store Leftover Cauliflower Pizza

Any leftover pizza should be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated. The leftovers will keep well for up to 3 days.

Reheating Instructions

Leftovers can be reheated in a variety of ways.

To reheat in the microwave, add your desired number of slices to a microwave safe plate and microwave until heated through, about 30-60 seconds.

Cauliflower pizza can be easily reheated in the air fryer (my favorite). Set the temp to 400° and air fry for about 2-3 minutes until heated and sizzling.

Lastly, the toaster oven or conventional oven can be used if you don’t have the above appliances. Set the oven (either one) to 425° and bake for 5 minutes for the toaster oven or 10-15 for the conventional oven.

Tips for Success

1. Get the water out! Make sure to squeeze, squeeze, squeeze as much water out of that cauliflower as you can. The drier the better, that way your crust won’t get soggy and fall apart.
2. Use the parmesan cheese in the shakey can. Yup the one with the green lid. This is not the place for fancy cheese. Save the good stuff for a pizza topping. The canned stuff has drying agents that really help with the elimination of excess moisture in the crust.
3. Make an edge. When forming the crust, make the outer edge a little thicker–mimicking a traditional pizza crust. This helps to keep the toppings contained and from spilling over the edge.
4. Use parchment paper. After getting all the water out, make sure you line your sheet pan with parchment paper. If you’re worried about sticking, spritz the paper with cooking spray or a little olive oil. Do not use wax paper and I do not recommend foil.
5. Keep your toppings dry. I’d stay away from really soggy toppings like tomatoes and eggplant, it’ll soften the structure of the crust. Tomato sauce is totally fine to use or sundried tomatoes!!

Making a Cauliflower Pizza Crust That Won’t Fall Apart

Ok, so let’s talk about getting a good structure for this cauliflower crust so that it doesn’t fall apart on you.

Cauliflower is a SUPER watery vegetable, so the key to success here is getting out as much water as possible.This is absolutely crucial for preventing a soggy crust.

The cauliflower needs to be as dry as possible–so when you think you’ve squeezed out all the water, still give it one last squeeze.

Once the cauliflower is dry, you need some glue to hold it all together. This comes in the form of eggs, a nice melty cheese like mozzarella, and some good ol’ shakey parmesan cheese from the plastic jar.

That green lidded, dry, shakey cheese is the perfect tool for this job since it adds flavor to the crust and absorbs any additional liquid.

I don’t recommend using a fancy parmesan (and I’ll never say this for any other recipe but this one) for the building of the crust, use it as a topping instead.

If you don’t have shakey parmesan cheese, or just don’t like it, you can sub in almond flour instead!

Frequently asked questions

Ideas for Pizza Toppings

• Traditional Pepperoni (our fave!!)
• Fresh tomatoes and basil for a cauliflower Margherita pizza
• Pepperoni and sliced black olives
• Mushroom, onion, green pepper, for a veggie cauliflower pizza
• Italian Cheese blend and Fresh Basil
• Use buffalo sauce and shredded chicken for a buffalo style pizza
• BBQ Sauce and Shredded Chicken for a BBQ cauliflower pizza
• Make breadsticks with garlic butter and cheese!!!

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Easy Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Yield: 8 Servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

A veggie filled, low carb (keto friendly) gluten free, alternative to traditional pizza crust! It’s cheesy, delicious and won’t fall apart on you!

Ingredients

• 1 Medium to large head of cauliflower
• 2 eggs
• 1 Cup grated/shredded mozzarella cheese or favorite pizza cheese blend
• 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese from the can
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp of dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp of dried basil
• Pinch of salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425° and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
2. Chop the head of cauliflower into florets and pulse in a food processor until very finely minced--like snow
3. Microwave cauliflower in a microwave-safe bowl for 5 minutes. This will tenderize the vegetable.
4. Let cool until cool enough to handle. Place cauliflower in a kitchen towel and squeeze as much water out as possible. You want the ball as dry as you can get it. The ball of squeezed cauliflower will be significantly smaller than when you started.
5. Place ball of squeezed cauliflower in a mixing bowl and add the cheeses, eggs, and spices. Mix until thoroughly combined.
6. Pour contents onto parchment lined sheet pan.
7. Press into a circle shape, making sure to make a little lip at the edge of the crust.
8. Bake 15-20 minutes until crust is lightly browned.
9. Top with favorite sauce and pizza toppings. Bake for another 10-15 min until cheese is melted and browned.
   

Notes

**Make ahead: After baking the crust (without toppings) let cool and keep in the fridge until ready to use.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 151Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 351mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 10g

Tools You May Need

The food processor I use

The sheet pans I use

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