Parmesan Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Make pizza night healthy! A parmesan cheese and cauliflower mixture makes the perfect base for an EASY Cauliflower Pizza Crust recipe!

 

Who knew there was a way to make pizza healthy! I used to rationalize that as long as I had a hefty dose of veggies and didn’t request extra cheese, that my pizza was healthy, but this takes it up a notch… even though it does use a healthy dose of Parmesan.

This Cauliflower Pizza Crust Recipe is the secret to getting a perfectly crispy edges, no-carb cauliflower crust- the number one issue with making them at home.

Cauliflower Crust

The newest craze in pizza has been using a delicious Cauliflower Pizza Crust. I did my homework and read comments, reviews and recipes and then did my own testing and jumped on the cauliflower pizza crust bandwagon. Foodie friends, making a good cauliflower pizza crust is difficult, and a little labor intensive.

I am not here to discourage you. I am here to tell you that I’ve figured out the no-fail way to make your homemade pizza crust the best and avoid all of the issues others before you had. 

What You’ll Need

• Fresh Cauliflower- you’ll need a whole head of cauliflower.
• Eggs- these are your binder.
• Parmesan cheese- this crust works best with a dry, hard cheese with little moisture like parmesan.
• Italian Seasoning- to add a little flavor. If we are being honest, riced cauliflower doesn’t have much flavor.
• Coarse sea salt & Freshly ground pepper
• Nonstick Cooking Spray or piece of parchment paper to prevent sticking.

Can you grill cauliflower pizza crust? You can on a pizza stone or pizza pan, but again, it is fairly delicate, so be mindful of that. 

Do I have to use an egg in cauliflower pizza crust? I would strongly suggest you do as a binding mechanism. It is so hard to get it to stay together in the first place that not having that element would be crucial. 

How to make a Cauliflower Pizza Crust

The main theme I saw was that cauliflower pizza crusts were soggy. Solution: squeezing out excess water in a tea towel or paper towels. This will ensure you get the best cauliflower crust. Other complaints included the crust not having any flavor or falling apart. Solution: Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning.

I enjoy a nice crispy, thin crust with some flavor. How did I overcome my barriers to make the perfect Cauliflower Pizza Crust?

By roasting the cauliflower prior to removing the excess moisture, it brought out the natural flavors and then adding nutty Parmesan cheese. A hard cheese that bakes up nice and crispy and also works as binder. Some use Mozzarella, but this gets gooey, not crunchy because it has too much water.

My first time making this cauliflower crust recipe, I used the KitchenAid juicer attachment, but I realize not many folks own this OR even if they do aren’t going to haul it out just for a pizza.

To those who do not have a juicer or a Kitchen Aid, no worries. Simply run the cauliflower through a ricer or finely pulse it in a food processor (the same way you’d rice cauliflower to make cauliflower rice) and wring out as much moisture as possible in a tea towel. You can also use a clean dish towel, a kitchen towel or cheese cloth to do this. I’m telling you this is the mistake made by many a home cook- too much liquid left in the cauliflower!

I also used Parmesan cheese seeing it naturally has less moisture and oil and therefore will crisp up well. Double whammy. Because no one likes a soggy crust!

Cauliflower Pizza Crust Toppings

Use any toppings that float your boat and don’t feel like you need to stick with the traditional.

However, you can totally use this as a low carb version of a traditional pizza crust too. Top your cauliflower crust with pizza sauce, Italian seasoning, mozzarella cheese and any other pizza ingredients you like. Or specialty pizzas likes Thai Chicken or Flammkuchen (German pizza).

Some options include: red pepper flakes, bell peppers or cherry tomatoes. I promise it will taste just like a regular pizza!

Here is a list of popular pizza toppings:

• Pepperoni
• Ricotta cheese
• Fresh basil
• Fresh tomatoes
• Mushroom
• Extra cheese
• Sausage
• Onion
• Black olives
• Green pepper
• Fresh garlic
• Artichokes
• Sun dried tomatoes

Lifestyle Questions

Is cauliflower pizza crust low carb? It is! By definition, this is a low carb pizza crust. 

Is cauliflower pizza crust keto friendly? I beleive it is, but I am not a keto expert. If someone wants to chime in using the comments section, I’d love that !

Is cauliflower pizza crust healthy? It is healthier than a doughy original pizza crust, but the definition of “healthy” is different for every person, so I am not going to label anything as purely healthy. 

Is cauliflower pizza crust vegan? My recipe is not vegan, it includes an egg and Parmesan cheese as binders. But I am sure there are vegan versions out there! You can omit the Parmesan cheese, but it isn’t as sturdy of a base.

Make Ahead, Store & Freezing Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Can I freeze cauliflower pizza crust? I’m not sure I would suggest freezing it after baking. It is still pretty delicate and will likely break. You could, however, freeze the cauliflower pulp mixture until ready to use. 

Can cauliflower pizza crust be made ahead of time? It can, but not too far ahead of time. I would suggest making the cauliflower pulp ahead and putting it in the fridge uncovered. In fact, this will help it dry out even more. Then form and bake when you are ready to make your pizza. The crust is the most time consuming piece of the process. 

More easy pizza recipes:

• Cheeseburger Pizza
• Pesto Pizza
• Spinach, Feta and Chicken Pizza
• Mexican Pizza