Ditch the Dough, Not the Deliciousness: Cauliflower Pizza Crust Recipe
Craving pizza but watching your carbs? Our Cauliflower Pizza Crust recipe is your answer! This low-carb twist on a classic uses riced cauliflower for a healthy, gluten-free crust that’s surprisingly satisfying. It’s surprisingly easy to make – just a few simple ingredients transform into a delicious base for your favorite pizza toppings.
Perfect for weeknight dinners or a fun twist on pizza night, this cauliflower crust is sure to become a new favorite.
A repost of the Original Cauliflower Pizza Crust recipe by request – originally published August 9, 2008.
Cauliflower Pizza Crust? Says who?
Yes, it’s delicious. And yes, it’s really Cauliflower – no bread.
And what is even crazier is that you can’t even tell it’s Cauliflower.
I tried and tried to find a recipe for this online when I first made it. Nobody had one, so I asked the person I had tell me about it how they made it.
We followed his instructions as best as we could, but we did make a few very minor changes.
Now in 2022, there are recipes all over the Internet for this, but I promise when we first tried it, we couldn’t find one.
Other than riced cauliflower, making a pizza crust out of cauliflower was not a thing.
When we first made this pizza crust, I had to get it together before the 5 kids got home from school.
I was on a diet and was trying to lower my carb intake, and knew I had to cut out pizza crust.
I had been talking to a friend on my diet message board about healthy snacks and substitutions for unhealthy things like carbs.
He suggested I try a Cauliflower Pizza Crust. I thought he was crazy. But I was open to trying.
I also knew that at least one of my kids (maybe two) would be totally fine with the idea of Cauliflower in her pizza crust, but I wasn’t convinced about the other four.
And I’m 100% positive that my oldest daughter wouldn’t have touched it. Neither would by son.
But they both love pizza and I was focused on making sure they had no idea what I had made it with until AFTER they at least tried it.
And so I made this Cauliflower Pizza Crust recipe.
I suck because I did not take a photo of the finished pizza with the Cauliflower Pizza Crust when we made this because I was trying to keep it a secret from the kids, especially Miss Picky and my youngest, the nine year old.
They’d have thought I was nuts photographing a pizza, and I wasn’t wanting them to know it was Cauliflower just yet.
Anyway, it looks amazing, it tastes amazing and guess what – my pickiest eater who in a million years would not pop a piece of cauliflower into her mouth – Ever, I swear she wouldn’t.
AND she LOVES it. Yes.
My kids now request this all the time. All 5 of them.
That’s how good it is.
If I can convince at least 3 super picky eaters to eat this, and now they know what it is, you’ll be very happy you made the switch.
It’s a little extra work, but it’s SO good you won’t care. And it cuts out some major carbs. Also good.
Update: I now have 5 teenagers.
They still request this more often than most other recipes on my blog.
It’s just that good!
Let me know if you’ve tried the Cauliflower Pizza Crust recipe and what you thought of it.
Recipe for Cauliflower Pizza Crust
Cauliflower Pizza Crust Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup cauliflower cooked and riced
- 2 egg whites
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
- 1 teaspoons oregano
- 1 teaspoons garlic minced
- ½ cup pizza sauce
- 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese more if desired
Instructions
- Wash the head of cauliflower and pat it dry removing as much moisture as possible. Chop into bite size pieces and toss them into a food processor and process until it is the size of rice.
- Put the riced cauliflower into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 7-8 minutes until it has softened and appears cooked.
- Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F
- Spray a pizza pan with plenty of non-stick cooking spray. You can also use parchment paper if you have it. Spray the parchment paper with a light coat of cooking oil.
- In a medium bowl, combine the cauliflower, egg whites, mozzarella, oregano and garlic.
- Press evenly in the pan. Push it down into all the corners making sure its stuck to itself pretty well. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
- Bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven. Add your sauce, toppings and cheese.
- Place under a broiler for about 30-60 seconds, just until the cheese is melted. Watch it carefully or it will burn.
- Remove, slice and enjoy!
Okay, you’re ingredients list says “cooked”, riced cauliflower, but in your instructions, you said you washed it, chopped it and food processed it. Is the cooking part when it cooks in the oven for 12 minutes or is it supposed to be cooked before you mix it with the other ingredients and then press it into the pan?
And, do you think you could just use butter to grease the pan? My cooking stone is a stone and can’t be put under a broiler. I could probably just bake it longer couldn’t I?
Sorry for so many questions!! I want to try it, but don’t want to ruin it on my first try!
Thanks for posting it, Nicole!
@Michelle, you did indeed catch one step that probably should have been put it in there. I added it up there, but you will need to microwave the cauliflower for several minutes to make it “cooked”.
I’m honestly not sure if butter will work to grease the pan – one time we made it I was out of cooking spray so I used Crisco and it did work but it was messy. LOL
I’m pretty sure you aren’t supposed to use a pizza stone for this particular crust. A pizza stone is for bread – I would use a cookie sheet. I would be a little worried about the crust not cooking correctly on a pizza stone, but then again I haven’t tried it so I’m not sure. I usually use a round pizza pan for mine, but we’ve made rectangular pizza a few times using just a regular cookie sheet.
And don’t you worry about asking questions, I’m only sorry I don’t have more answers.
Never in a million years would I have thought to do this, but it sounds mighty tasty. And way to get picky kids to eat their veggies!
Kristen – SO good! And it will trick them – they won’t know what you did to it. And all you have to do is say you made your own crust. 😉
OMG I am SOOO trying this. Cauliflower is one of my top 5 favorite vegetables. I can actually sit down and eat a whole steamed cauliflower (with cajun spices, of course). I just had some as an afternoon snack 🙂 Thanks for sharing the recipe!
You should enjoy it, it is honestly our favorite way to eat pizza now. It’s a little more time consuming but it’s worth it.
When preparing the cauliflower, do you only use the flower parts, or also the white stems? Thanks! Can’t wait to try this! My husband and I are on the South Beach diet and we’ve been craving pizza!
We use all the pieces, the whole thing. It’s perfect for those who are dieting, definitely a good way to lower the carb calories.
I made this recipe today for my family. We love pizza but our 5 year old daughter has a severe allergy to yeast so she cannot eat regular pizza dough, when I seen this I was very excited to try it and it was EXCELLENT!! My entire family loved it…thank you sooo much for posting this recipe!!
I made this recipe today for my family. We love pizza but our 5 year old daughter has a severe allergy to yeast so she cannot eat regular pizza dough, when I seen this I was very excited to try it and it was EXCELLENT!! My entire family loved it…thank you sooo much for posting this recipe!!
Julie if there is one thing I love, that is when someone tries something I’ve posted and lets me know how they liked it. Your post made my day, I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it. It’s so delicious! Thanks so much for the great comment.
Interesting…I have got to try this!!! I simply love Pizza!! But I’m cutting calories & watching my blood pressure. So I think this wold be great & healthy!! Thanks Nicole!!! Love you girl!!
Brilliant! I’m always trying to find new ways to use cauliflower in unexpected ways. This one is definitely going into my “must make” box.
Do you have any recommendations on keeping it from sticking? I sprayed the sheet with cooking spray and it stuck both times. Still made it work and it is delicious even my 3 yr old loved it :-). Thank you!
I used parchment paper sprayed with cooking spray and it slid off perfectly.
Do you know how this would turn out on a pizza stone instead of a pizza pan?
@Nichole – I actually used a lot of cooking spray the first few times I made it. It still sticks a bit. I have more recently started spreading a generous amount of olive oil across the pan instead of the cooking spray. I feel like it might stick a little less with that than the cooking spray.
I strongly recommend using a thin spatula to lift the pizza and do it as soon as it comes out instead of allowing it to cool. That should help.
@Lisa – The pizza stone really doesn’t seem to allow the crust to cook evenly – it can be done, but the results are not the same.
Thank you all for the great comments! I’m so glad you love it.
AWESOME!! I made it tonight but changed things up a bit. Rather than using sauce, I used a layer of non-fat mozzarella cheese, then another layer of spinach, mushrooms, jalapenos, peppers… but the grand finale: I took two eggs and pressed lightly to form a shallow “bed.” I then cracked the egg and baked it… runny yolks with the spinach and peppers and spices was out of this world! All thanks to the crust 🙂 Thanks for sharing!!
AWESOME!! I made it tonight but changed things up a bit. Rather than using sauce, I used a layer of non-fat mozzarella cheese, then another layer of spinach, mushrooms, jalapenos, peppers… but the grand finale: I took two eggs and pressed lightly to form a shallow “bed.” I then cracked the egg and baked it… runny yolks with the spinach and peppers and spices was out of this world! All thanks to the crust 🙂 Thanks for sharing!!
Pam, that sounds amazing! What a yummy dinner!
We aren’t big fans of sauce either, so we don’t use it too often.
Love the egg idea, totally trying that. Thanks!
i have been wanting to try this for months! I would love for you to come link up on my page!
http://successful2gether.blogspot.com/2012/04/successful-saturday-link-up-week-10.html
This recipe sounds absolutely amazing! And my husband is gluten-free (and misses pizza so desperately) so this would be wonderful!!! Thank you so much for sharing, I look forward to trying this recipe and some of your other tasty treats 🙂
Blessings to you,
Megan
Just tried this today and it was AWESOME! Unfortunately I measured a cup of cauliflower BEFORE cooking it, so it was only about 1/2 a cup once it was cooked, so I halved the recipe. It made for a very small pizza but was still out of this world! Next time I’m going to quadruple it and make tons of pizza. Thanks so much!
Just tried this today and it was AWESOME! Unfortunately I measured a cup of cauliflower BEFORE cooking it, so it was only about 1/2 a cup once it was cooked, so I halved the recipe. It made for a very small pizza but was still out of this world! Next time I’m going to quadruple it and make tons of pizza. Thanks so much!
Would you happen to know the carb count on the pizza? It sounds wonderful and I am planning on trying it and sharing it with my other low-carb friends! Thanks so much for posting this!
Jackie, I do not have a carb count on this. But it’s limited due to the fact that there is no bread involved and most of the carbs come from what you put on the pizza.
I guess a good measure would be to figure out how many carbs are in that much cauliflower and then add anything else you add to it.
Seriously though, it is extremely low.
I just tried this for the first time and IT IS AMAZING!!!!! Even my children liked it 🙂 I am on a low carb diet and felt as though I was cheating!!!!
I just tried this for the first time and IT IS AMAZING!!!!! Even my children liked it 🙂 I am on a low carb diet and felt as though I was cheating!!!!
I made this tonight and it was AMAZING!!! I added a little extra cheese and subbed italian herb mix for straight oregano and topped mine with mashed black beans, feta, avocado, olives, cherry tomatoes, red pepper flakes and some bacon on the mister’s…so.good. THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE RECIPE!!
What if you don’t have a microwave? Couldn’t I just steam the cauliflower for a couple of minutes before ricing?
Nancy, yes you can just steam it. The microwave is quicker because you can do other things, but if you don’t have one – just steam it. Perfect. 🙂 Enjoy it!
This was DELICIOUS! I have to admit, I was skeptical at first. It was so good, I can’t wait to have left overs tomorrow. It took everything in me to stop eating the pizza so I could enjoy it again tomorrow. I read the comments first about olive oil, parchment paper and not letting the pizza sit for too long before eating it. I used parchment paper, olive oil, used a large spatula to remove it from the parchment paper onto a plate and inhaled it. 🙂 Thank you for such a great recipe!
This was DELICIOUS! I have to admit, I was skeptical at first. It was so good, I can’t wait to have left overs tomorrow. It took everything in me to stop eating the pizza so I could enjoy it again tomorrow. I read the comments first about olive oil, parchment paper and not letting the pizza sit for too long before eating it. I used parchment paper, olive oil, used a large spatula to remove it from the parchment paper onto a plate and inhaled it. 🙂 Thank you for such a great recipe!
I’m so glad you tried it and liked it! One of our favorite recipes, we make all the time! You’re quite welcome!
I am lactose intolerant what do I do about the cheese – what else can I use?
Thank-you
I’m really not sure Sia. I haven’t had to make it dairy free, and the cheese is what helps to hold the crust together. Hopefully someone else will pop in who may have a solution. I’m sorry.
Liddles make lactose free shredded cheese. You cannot taste the difference. I have just become lactose intolerant and am learning as I go.
This is good to know, thank you for passing that along. Lactose intolerance sucks because there are so many yummy things I have to avoid. 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing!
Sia,
I just made this last night using Daiya, a soy/dairy/lactose free cheese, and it came out wonderfully delicious!
I am doing no dairy right now and have fallen in love with vegan cheese. I’m not vegan but the cheese is great for eggs and pizza!
You were our Secret Recipe Club assignment this month and we selected this recipe, as we are huge fans of pizza and eat it once a week. This was a great recipe. I definitely had to go into it open minded. I mean, cauliflower? But it really came out quite amazing! We are going to make it again.
You were our Secret Recipe Club assignment this month and we selected this recipe, as we are huge fans of pizza and eat it once a week. This was a great recipe. I definitely had to go into it open minded. I mean, cauliflower? But it really came out quite amazing! We are going to make it again.
Sia,
I just made this last night using Daiya, a soy/dairy/lactose free cheese, and it came out wonderfully delicious!
I tried this about 10 minutes ago and WOW is all I have to say. I was skeptical at first most pinterest things I try fail horribly but this turned out amazing. Perfect size. I used a metal pie pan and it was the perfect size and the pizza never stuck. I added BBQ sauce to my tomato sauce and onions, mushrooms, pineapple, sausage and pepper jack and mozzarella cheese. Wonderful WONDERFUL WONDERFUL! Thank you
I tried this about 10 minutes ago and WOW is all I have to say. I was skeptical at first most pinterest things I try fail horribly but this turned out amazing. Perfect size. I used a metal pie pan and it was the perfect size and the pizza never stuck. I added BBQ sauce to my tomato sauce and onions, mushrooms, pineapple, sausage and pepper jack and mozzarella cheese. Wonderful WONDERFUL WONDERFUL! Thank you
You’re very welcome Melinda, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
P.S. Your pizza sounds wonderful!!
I am a Celiac and if there’s ONE thing I miss terribly it’s pizza!! I’m going to try this recipe tomorrow with my oh so picky daughter!!! Can’t wait! Thanks for posting!!
This recipe is unbelievable!!!!! And so quick to make!
Works with any topping, and tastes great cold for breakfast.
Finally a REAL PIZZA for those going wheat-free.
THANK YOU SO MUCH! 🙂
This recipe is unbelievable!!!!! And so quick to make!
Works with any topping, and tastes great cold for breakfast.
Finally a REAL PIZZA for those going wheat-free.
THANK YOU SO MUCH! 🙂
I’m so excited to try this! My husband LOVES pizza and isn’t a big fan of veggies. (Same with my 3 year old. I wonder where she got it?? Lol.) I’ve been looking for ways to trick them to eat healthier and I believe this is going to be a hit! I can’t wait!!!
My whole family LOVED it!!! It’s great, we used forks but no one cared because of the taste! Thank you!!
My whole family LOVED it!!! It’s great, we used forks but no one cared because of the taste! Thank you!!
Hi, can’t wait to try this! Have you tried it on a baking/pizza stone? I don’t really have a pizza PAN per se and always end up using a stone to cook crusts. Will it stick or burn?
I have not tried it on a baking stone, mostly because you have to spray the pan so well with oil, so it doesn’t stick that I would be concerned it would stick. You can use a regular cookie sheet instead and just shape the pizza to fit inside that pan.
I placed a piece of foil on top of the cookie sheet and sprayed it with non-stick spray and it made the crust really easy to get off the pan! Just a suggestion! Thanks for the yummy recipe!!
I placed a piece of foil on top of the cookie sheet and sprayed it with non-stick spray and it made the crust really easy to get off the pan! Just a suggestion! Thanks for the yummy recipe!!
I absolutely love this pizza crust…after ricing the cauliflower I use a cheese cloth to ring out any excess water then I microwave for 8 minutes I use a glass baking dish and spray the heck out of the pan with pam spray and I have had no problems with my crust falling apart or sticking. Hope this helps
I absolutely love this pizza crust…after ricing the cauliflower I use a cheese cloth to ring out any excess water then I microwave for 8 minutes I use a glass baking dish and spray the heck out of the pan with pam spray and I have had no problems with my crust falling apart or sticking. Hope this helps
These are great tips, thank you so much for sharing!
Has anyone tried to make small individual pizzas with this crust? I’ve read recipes similar to this on other sites that say to wring it out before AND after cooking the cauliflower. Anyone have trouble with it being too wet?
I used parchment paper sprayed with cooking spray and it slid off perfectly.
Thanks for your amazing recipe…..:)
Thanks for your amazing recipe…..:)
Do you know if frozen cauliflower can be substituted for fresh. Would love to try it. Recently roastd frozen cauliflower and it was excellent.
I have not tried it with frozen, and I think I would possibly be a little worried about the amount of water that would be there from frozen. If you can get the water out, you should be just fine. Good luck!
Such a yummy recipe! I made this tonight and it turned out perfect. I added a bit more calif lower and I DID put it on my pizza stone which I had HEAVILY sprayed with pam. (I just realized by looking at your other comments that those are two things I guess you are NOT suppose to do using a pizza stone but… I didn’t know and… it turned out GREAT!). It really only served my husband and me so if I had a large family I would need to quadruple the recipe! Thanks for the wonderful recipe!! This is a for sure REPEAT!
Such a yummy recipe! I made this tonight and it turned out perfect. I added a bit more calif lower and I DID put it on my pizza stone which I had HEAVILY sprayed with pam. (I just realized by looking at your other comments that those are two things I guess you are NOT suppose to do using a pizza stone but… I didn’t know and… it turned out GREAT!). It really only served my husband and me so if I had a large family I would need to quadruple the recipe! Thanks for the wonderful recipe!! This is a for sure REPEAT!
This pizza is good. I may be making it again. My husband had bariactric surgery in September and I have been trying different recipes. Thank you for sharing.
This pizza is good. I may be making it again. My husband had bariactric surgery in September and I have been trying different recipes. Thank you for sharing.
How about the riced cauliflower in the frozen department at grocery ?
Never tried using it to make this, however I Would highly recommend if you use it, that you get as MUCH moisture out of it as you possibly can or you’ll have a bit of a mess on your hands. That’s the only negative to using frozen. Otherwise I cannot see why it wouldn’t work.
What about whipping the egg whites and folding in the cauliflower, cheese and spices? Fluffier crust?
My wife had bariatric surgery and has missed having pizza. Having this surgery she can have almost any vegetable and this cauliflower crust helped her get her pizza fix.
The only thing we will try different is to use 1 egg white instead of 2 so that maybe the crust will get a little more firmer.
On mine I put grilled chicken, pepperoni, mushrooms and onions-
OMG… this was so good…
My wife had bariatric surgery and has missed having pizza. Having this surgery she can have almost any vegetable and this cauliflower crust helped her get her pizza fix.
The only thing we will try different is to use 1 egg white instead of 2 so that maybe the crust will get a little more firmer.
On mine I put grilled chicken, pepperoni, mushrooms and onions-
OMG… this was so good…
this was really good! so glad I didn’t have to use flour. Made my own pizza sauce to go with it. thanks for the recipe!
this was really good! so glad I didn’t have to use flour. Made my own pizza sauce to go with it. thanks for the recipe!
This is one of my favorite “dinner hacks”. A great way to enjoy a healthier version of a not so healthy food. 😉 I bet it was great with your pizza sauce!
Liddles make lactose free shredded cheese. You cannot taste the difference. I have just become lactose intolerant and am learning as I go.
I am doing no dairy right now and have fallen in love with vegan cheese. I’m not vegan but the cheese is great for eggs and pizza!
Such a yummy recipe! I made this tonight and it turned out perfect. I added a bit more calif lower and I DID put it on my pizza stone which I had HEAVILY sprayed with pam. (I just realized by looking at your other comments that those are two things I guess you are NOT suppose to do using a pizza stone but… I didn’t know and… it turned out GREAT!). It really only served my husband and me so if I had a large family I would need to quadruple the recipe! Thanks for the wonderful recipe!! This is a for sure REPEAT!
I used parchment paper sprayed with cooking spray and it slid off perfectly.
I absolutely love this pizza crust…after ricing the cauliflower I use a cheese cloth to ring out any excess water then I microwave for 8 minutes I use a glass baking dish and spray the heck out of the pan with pam spray and I have had no problems with my crust falling apart or sticking. Hope this helps
I placed a piece of foil on top of the cookie sheet and sprayed it with non-stick spray and it made the crust really easy to get off the pan! Just a suggestion! Thanks for the yummy recipe!!
I tried this about 10 minutes ago and WOW is all I have to say. I was skeptical at first most pinterest things I try fail horribly but this turned out amazing. Perfect size. I used a metal pie pan and it was the perfect size and the pizza never stuck. I added BBQ sauce to my tomato sauce and onions, mushrooms, pineapple, sausage and pepper jack and mozzarella cheese. Wonderful WONDERFUL WONDERFUL! Thank you
Sia,
I just made this last night using Daiya, a soy/dairy/lactose free cheese, and it came out wonderfully delicious!
You were our Secret Recipe Club assignment this month and we selected this recipe, as we are huge fans of pizza and eat it once a week. This was a great recipe. I definitely had to go into it open minded. I mean, cauliflower? But it really came out quite amazing! We are going to make it again.
This pizza is good. I may be making it again. My husband had bariactric surgery in September and I have been trying different recipes. Thank you for sharing.
This was DELICIOUS! I have to admit, I was skeptical at first. It was so good, I can’t wait to have left overs tomorrow. It took everything in me to stop eating the pizza so I could enjoy it again tomorrow. I read the comments first about olive oil, parchment paper and not letting the pizza sit for too long before eating it. I used parchment paper, olive oil, used a large spatula to remove it from the parchment paper onto a plate and inhaled it. 🙂 Thank you for such a great recipe!
I just tried this for the first time and IT IS AMAZING!!!!! Even my children liked it 🙂 I am on a low carb diet and felt as though I was cheating!!!!
Just tried this today and it was AWESOME! Unfortunately I measured a cup of cauliflower BEFORE cooking it, so it was only about 1/2 a cup once it was cooked, so I halved the recipe. It made for a very small pizza but was still out of this world! Next time I’m going to quadruple it and make tons of pizza. Thanks so much!
AWESOME!! I made it tonight but changed things up a bit. Rather than using sauce, I used a layer of non-fat mozzarella cheese, then another layer of spinach, mushrooms, jalapenos, peppers… but the grand finale: I took two eggs and pressed lightly to form a shallow “bed.” I then cracked the egg and baked it… runny yolks with the spinach and peppers and spices was out of this world! All thanks to the crust 🙂 Thanks for sharing!!
I made this recipe today for my family. We love pizza but our 5 year old daughter has a severe allergy to yeast so she cannot eat regular pizza dough, when I seen this I was very excited to try it and it was EXCELLENT!! My entire family loved it…thank you sooo much for posting this recipe!!
Thanks for your amazing recipe…..:)
My whole family LOVED it!!! It’s great, we used forks but no one cared because of the taste! Thank you!!
This recipe is unbelievable!!!!! And so quick to make!
Works with any topping, and tastes great cold for breakfast.
Finally a REAL PIZZA for those going wheat-free.
THANK YOU SO MUCH! 🙂
this was really good! so glad I didn’t have to use flour. Made my own pizza sauce to go with it. thanks for the recipe!
My wife had bariatric surgery and has missed having pizza. Having this surgery she can have almost any vegetable and this cauliflower crust helped her get her pizza fix.
The only thing we will try different is to use 1 egg white instead of 2 so that maybe the crust will get a little more firmer.
On mine I put grilled chicken, pepperoni, mushrooms and onions-
OMG… this was so good…
Liddles make lactose free shredded cheese. You cannot taste the difference. I have just become lactose intolerant and am learning as I go.
I am doing no dairy right now and have fallen in love with vegan cheese. I’m not vegan but the cheese is great for eggs and pizza!