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Gluten Free Vegan Pizza

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Easy Gluten free Vegan Pizza made with a basic gluten free & vegan crust and topped with vegan cheese, delicious pesto, spinach, mushrooms and flavourful sun-dried tomatoes. This pizza requires just one bowl and it’s ready in 30 minutes!

Sliced pizza topped with cheese and veggies and mushrooms against a white background.
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WHY MAKE THIS RECIPE

You are going to love this vegan pizza! The dough is super easy to make, almost no kneading is required and all you need are 4 basic ingredients. Oh, and the best part is that it’s ready to bake in 20 minutes. 

This is a thin and crunchy pizza crust, which means less bread and more toppings to taste. Sometimes a thick crust can mask those delicious fresh toppings, like the ones you’ll find in this recipe. 

This Gluten Free Vegan Pizza is also equipment-friendly. It calls for one bowl, a wooden spoon, parchment paper and an immersion blender or food processor to make the pesto sauce.

If you have a stand mixer, it will help you with the mixing and kneading.

RECIPE INGREDIENTS

Ingredients for the pizza crust and toppings.
Ingredients to make the Vegan Pesto Sauce. Just a few basic ingredients and ready in 5 minutes!

INGREDIENTS NOTES AND SUBSTITUTIONS

Flour. Gluten free all-purpose flour is what I usually use here. If you happen to run out of it, substitute all-purpose gluten-free flour for all-purpose flour at a ratio of 1:1.

Vegan Cheese. There is a wide variety of vegan cheese nowadays. For this recipe I use a curated cheddar type, one of my favorite for pizzas. 

Spinach. I prefer to use fresh spinach but feel free to use frozen if that’s what you have on hand. Make sure it’s completely drained before adding to the pizza.

Mushrooms. Those can be frozen too if well drained. 

Pesto. You can use store bought pesto or homemade. You’ll find a step-by-step recipe below to make you own vegan homemade pesto. 

Nutritional Yeast. This is an optional ingredient and it’s basically used to substitute cheese in vegan pesto. It has a strong, rich, and savory flavor that resembles cheese. It also adds more texture to the pesto sauce.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE THE DOUGH

Step-by-step directions to make the pizza dough.
  1. To make the dough: In a bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the flour, instant yeast, and warm water. Let it sit for a few minutes to activate.
  2. Add the olive oil and the salt and mix in.
  3. Knead for a few seconds into a soft slightly sticky dough. Fine-tune the dough: If it’s too sticky, add more flour. If it’s too crumbly, add more water.
  4. Gather the dough into a ball and let it sit for 15 minutes in a warm place.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE THE PESTO SAUCE

Step-by-step directions to make the pesto sauce.
  1. To make the pesto: In a blender or food processor, pulse the basil, pine nuts, garlic, salt and nutritional yeast until smooth and combined.
  2. Then, add the olive oil and lemon juice.
  3. Puree until the mixture is smooth and well mixed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl or cup if needed. If you like a thinner pesto you can add a little more olive oil or water.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO ASSEMBLE THE PIZZA

Step-by-step directions to top the crust with the toppings.
  1. To make the pizza: Carefully roll out the dough on a lightly floured parchment paper into a 13 to 14 inch size oval (don’t use too much pressure). You can stretch it a bit with your hands until it has the right shape. 
  2. Top the pizza dough with vegan cheese, pesto sauce, spinach and fresh mushrooms. Drizzle the veggies with some more pesto.
  3. Bake the pizza for around 18 minutes or until golden on the edges. Enjoy!

RECIPE FAQs

Can I make the vegan pizza dough ahead of time?

Pizza dough can be made 2-3 days ahead. Once the dough is kneaded and formed into a ball, refrigerate it. It will slowly raise in the refrigerator. Keep it covered or it will get dry. 

Can I reheat the pizza?

Once the pizza is cooked, the leftovers can be stored in the fridge and reheated in the oven or the microwave before using them. 

Can I freeze the vegan gluten free dough?

Once the dough is kneaded and formed into a ball, double wrap it in plastic wrap and place in the freezer. Alternatively you can also wrap it in plastic wrap and then place it in a freezer bag or zip bag. It can be frozen for up to three months. 

Can I use other toppings?

Sure! Feel free to use your favorite veggies, herbs and spices to make this vegan gluten free pizza. Fresh asparagus, sliced zucchini, sliced tomato, broccoli and onion rings are a great match, and absolutely delicious on top of the pesto sauce. 
Also, I always have dried oregano for my pizzas, to sprinkle over the toppings. 

Sliced pizza topped with cheese and veggies and mushrooms against a white background.

If you try this recipe don’t forget to rate it and let me know how it went in the comments below! You can also FOLLOW ME on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.

RECIPE

Gluten-free Vegan Pizza with vegan cheese, spinach, mushrooms and pesto

Gluten-free Vegan Pizza

NATALIA @ SIMPLE GREEN RECIPES
Easy Gluten-free Vegan Pizza made with a basic vegan & gluten-free crust and topped with vegan cheese, delicious pesto, spinach, mushrooms and sun-dried tomato.
5 from 31 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Total Time 30 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 3
Calories 313 kcal

Equipment

  • Mixing bowl
  • Wooden spoon or spatula
  • Parchment paper
  • Immersion blender or Food processor

Ingredients
  

For the Gluten Free Vegan Pizza Crust

  • 1 ¼ cup all-purpose Gluten Free flour
  • 1 teaspoon active yeast
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon virgin olive oil
  • ⅓ cup warm water

For the Toppings:

  • 8 ounces vegan cheese grated or shredded
  • ½ cup pesto sauce
  • 2 cups fresh spinach
  • 2 ½ cups mushrooms portobello, yellow-foot, washed and sliced
  • ¼ cup sun-dried tomato halved

For the Vegan Pesto Sauce:

  • 2 cups fresh basil
  • 3 tablespoons pine nuts or walnuts or sunflower seeds
  • 2 cloves of garlic peeled
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast optional
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup olive oil

Instructions
 

For the Crust

  • To make the dough: In a bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the flour, instant yeast, and warm water. Let it sit for a few minutes to activate.
  • Add the olive oil and the salt and mix in.
  • Knead for a few seconds into a soft slightly sticky dough. Fine-tune the dough: If it’s too sticky, add more flour. If it’s too crumbly, add more water.
  • Gather the dough into a ball and let it sit for 15 minutes in a warm place.
  • Preheat the oven to 475ºF (245ºC) and place the rack in the lower third of your oven.

For the Pesto Sauce:

  • To make the pesto: While the dough is resting, prepare the pesto sauce. In a blender or food processor, pulse the basil, pine nuts, garlic, salt and nutritional yeast until smooth and combined.
  • Then, add the olive oil and lemon juice. Extra-virgin olive oil adds richness and a slightly deeper flavor.
  • Puree until the mixture is smooth and well mixed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl or jar if needed. If you like a thinner pesto you can add a little more olive oil or water.

For the Pizza:

  • To make the pizza: Carefully roll out the dough on a lightly floured parchment paper into a 13 to 14 inch size oval (don't use too much pressure). You can stretch it a bit with your hands until it has the right shape.
  • Top the pizza dough with vegan cheese, pesto sauce, spinach, fresh mushrooms and the halved sun-dried tomatoes. Drizzle the veggies with some more pesto.
  • Bake the pizza for around 10-15 minutes or until golden on the edges. Enjoy!

Notes

MAKE AHEAD. Pizza dough can be made 2-3 days ahead. Once the dough is kneaded and formed into a ball, refrigerate it. Keep it covered or it will get dry.
FREEZING THE DOUGH. Once the dough is kneaded and formed into a ball, double wrap in plastic wrap and place it in the freezer. Alternatively you can also wrap it in plastic wrap and then place it in a freezer bag or zip bag. It can be frozen for up to three months.
MORE IDEAS FOR TOPPINGS. Feel free to use your favorite veggies, herbs and spices. Fresh asparagus, sliced zucchini, sliced tomato, broccoli, onion rings and pitted olives are a great match, and absolutely delicious on top of the pesto sauce. Also, I always have dried oregano for my pizzas, to sprinkle over the toppings.
LEFTOVERS. Reheating. Once the pizza is cooked, the leftovers can be stored in the fridge and reheated in the oven or the microwave. If reheated in the oven, the crust retains its crispy texture. In the microwave, the pizza becomes a bit soggy. Freezing. Leftovers freeze well. Cut them into serving pieces and double wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Ideally, store in a freezer bag.
NUTRITION INFORMATION
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
See our full nutrition disclosure.

Nutrition

Calories: 313kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 9gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 1189mgPotassium: 718mgFiber: 6gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 1956IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 89mgIron: 3mg
Keyword gluten-free pizza, gluten-free vegan pizza, vegan pizza
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Comments

  5. Shilpa

    5 stars
    I’ve never tried pesto pizza and this one looks incredible. I’m going to make it soon! Love that it’s gluten-free too. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  10. Farrukh Aziz

    5 stars
    This was fantastic! The toppings, the crust, DELICIOUS! And the homemade vegan pesto was so flavorful! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

    • Natalia

      Farrukh, I’m super glad to hear that! Thank you for letting me know. It always makes my day when someone sends me feedback about a recipe and really loved it!

      Reply

  11. Elaine

    5 stars
    It’s pretty simple – I hear PIZZA I go for it! 🙂 I love how you’ve made it super healthy, too. Delicious recipe!

    Reply

  12. Amy Nash

    5 stars
    I love that everyone can enjoy this pizza! The homemade pesto is so good and such a fun pizza topping! As are the sundried tomatoes!

    Reply

    • Natalia

      Thank you so much, Layla! I’m super excited to hear that you like the pizza. The pesto together with the veggies and the sun dried tomatoes are such a delicious combo! Let me know if you make it!

      Reply

  13. Tammy

    5 stars
    Pesto on pizza is probably one of my favorites. Your vegan pizza looks absolutely delicious! I’m so impressed..definitely need to make this asap!

    Reply

  14. Jenny

    5 stars
    What a wonderful recipe! The pizza looks delicious and healthy. Thank you for your post; I will definitely make this. 

    Reply

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