Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Recipe from Alli Shircliff



cauliflower pizza crust

Some time in the 2010s, essentially all pizzerias suddenly started offering pizzas with an alternative crust, promoted as both gluten-free ("GF") and as low-carbohydrate. The secret turned out to be flour produced by shredding, lightly cooking (usually steaming), and drying cauliflower florets. I heard of this, and found "cauliflower flour" at online sources but not local stores1, so sought a DIY solution, and lo! It's not at all difficult.

Yields:

enough "cauliflower rice" for two 25cm (10")2 round crusts

Time Required:

Ingredients:

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C).

The first and essential step is turning your head of cauliflower into "cauliflower rice", a very versatile, neutral-flavoured ingredient resembling cooked white rice, but without its carbohydrate load. Cut all the florets from the central core, as large chunks able to fit into your food processor's funnel to the grating blade. Now, pulse the florets until they're in crumbs the size of rice. (If you lack a food processor, use a box grater.)

Now, you must cook the "cauliflower rice" to soften it, in any of several ways. Some cooks just cook it about 5 mins. in a pan with some oil. I find it convenient to steam it for 15 minutes, instead, stirring occasionally. (I'm sure microwaving would also do, but haven't tested that.) In any event, now let it sit, perhaps refrigerated, to cool 15 mins.

Last, the vital step: Wrap the cauliflower rice in a dish towel or cheesecloth, and squeeze to remove all the water you can. The drier you can make the "rice", the better, letting the crust crisp while baking. Congratulations, you have "cauliflower rice". I gather that what's sold as "cauliflower flour" is the same thing, merely fully dried and perhaps milled some more.

Stir in shredded cheese, parsley, egg, garlic, salt, and pepper. Despite best efforts, the mix will still be damper than a standard pizza dough. Pour it onto (per your preference) either an oiled baking sheet or one covered in parchment paper or a silicone mat. Press and shape into a pizza crust.

Parbake the crust for 8 mins. or until browned (and dried), prior to adding toppings.

Cook's Notes:

What toppings, you ask? Ah, as Marcus Ranum pointed out, home-baking pizza invites creativity. Experiment!

My wife likes a combo with pesto sauce as the bottom layer, then shredded Mexican cheese, mild Italian sausage, chopped black olives, chopped garlic, and chopped mushroom. However, you're in charge, so you decide.

Other winning toppings on my pizzas have included salami slices, sweet bell peppers, chili peppers, bamboo shoots, chopped basil, various types of sliced sausage, marinara sauce, chopped artichoke hearts, and (usually) lots of chopped onion. Beware of too many toppings or ones adding moisture, as those can make a pizza soggy. (Parbaking helps avert that problem, but you cannot get away with piling toppings high as with a wheat-based crust.)


1 I'm told that "cauliflower rice" (see this recipe's first step) can be found in the frozen section.

2 Pizzerias' GF pizzas are limited to about this diametre, which seems a wise precaution against collapse: Of necessity, GF pizzas' crusts are both thin and brittle, lacking the strength lent by wheat & similar grains' gluten protein, which stretches.

3 Cups, tablespoons, and teaspoons are as defined in US Customary Units, not to be confused with differing British imperial, "legal", "coffee", Commonwealth of Nations, Canadian, Latin American, Japanese, Russian, or Dutch definitions — further proof that everyone needs the metric system.

4 Many recipes suggest about 1 cup shredded mozzarella and ¼ cup shredded parmesan. My wife happens to love shredded Mexican cheese, we keep it around, and it works well.

5 As in many recipes, the egg is structural, helping to keep the mix together and form a cohesive crust. The original recipe says "1 large egg", but, as usual, medium's fine.

6 Personally, I think 1 clove of garlic is tragically scant, but Views Differ™. In fact, I suspect that the phrase "1 garlic clove" in a recipe is often just a code phrase meaning "most cooks will use a lot more, but we're citing this minimum out of deference to the garlic-adverse."

Taken from: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/232930/cauliflower-pizza-crust/, as the submission of Alli Shircliff on November 16, 2004. Thank you!

There are many similar recipes of note, such as Monique Volz's, Lindsay Funston's, and Makinze Gore's. We are indebted to all of these fine cooks.

Collected and re-published at http://linuxmafia.com/~rick/recipes/cauliflower-pizza-crust.html by Rick Moen <rick@linuxmafia.com> on Dec. 18, 2025. Individual recipes are free from copyright. Share and enjoy!

(If I have any copyright title in my own very minor contributions to this page — not my intention — they were created in 2025 by Rick Moen <rick@linuxmafia.com> and licensed for use under CC0. The image file (photograph) was taken on Dec. 21, 2025, also by Rick Moen <rick@linuxmafia.com> and licensed for use under CC0. I have thereby waived all copyright, compilation copyright, and related or neighbouring rights to this work. This work is published from: United States of America.)