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!
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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 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.
HOW TO MAKE THE DOUGH
- 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.
HOW TO MAKE THE PESTO SAUCE
- To make the pesto: 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.
- 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.
HOW TO ASSEMBLE 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 and fresh mushrooms. Drizzle the veggies with some more pesto.
- Bake the pizza for around 18 minutes or until golden on the edges. Enjoy!
RECIPE FAQs
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.
Once the pizza is cooked, the leftovers can be stored in the fridge and reheated in the oven or the microwave before using them.
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.
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.
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RECIPE
Gluten-free Vegan Pizza
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
Nutrition
This sounds amazing! I can’t wait to try this gluten-free pizza. I love all the veggies on top too. Perfect for a summer meal! 🙂
That is great to hear! I am so glad that you love the pizza! Let me know if you make it, I would love to hear how it worked out for you. XO
I love that this recipe can be broken down into different delicious parts to use. I can use the pizza crust with red sauce and the pesto sauce with pasta– or enjoy it as is. Very versatile.
Hi, Sarah! I can’t agree more! In fact, this is my go-to crust to use with tomato sauce, they make a great combo too. And thanks so much for commenting!
Yum! My wife will surely love your Gluten Free Vegan Pizza. All ingredients included are her favorites. Thanks for sharing.
You’re so welcome! And thanks for the comment, Chef Dennis!
Ready in 20?! Now there’s a keeper! I’m definitely saving this recipe for the days when I have no idea what to make for dinner. Love this combo of toppings, too.
Thank you so much, Bernice! I’m super excited to hear that you that you like the pizza. Let me know how it turns out for you when you make it! XO
Oh my this dish looks so good. We recently got a pizza oven and I’ve been trying to think of new recipes and especially ones that use Pesto, since I love pesto. I’ll definitely be trying this next week. Thank you!
I absolutely love this recipe AISilva, I recommend you try it. It’s made in the blink of an eye and it can’t be tastier. Thanks for the comment!
This looks very easy to make and super delicious! I have to make it this weekend!
Thanks Aisasami, it’s a delicious and very forgiving crust, you’ll love it. Hope you like it!
This pizza looks delicious. I have PCOS so I have been trying to go gluten and dairy-free this sounds like its right up my all alley and looks amazing!
Thank you Michele, I’m so glad you like it! Let me know when you try it.
I only tried a vegan pizza once but this recipe really makes me want to try again.
I’m so glad to hear it, thank you!
Looks really good! I want to try and make something like this with my sister for a healthy pizza night!
Hi Nkem, you both will love this pizza even if you’re not vegan. It’s an easy and quick recipe, let me know when you try it! Thank you!
I’m very often in Italy so I’ve tried all kinds of pizza – and yours looks just fantastic. Very artsy culinary – and I love a thin crust!
Thanks I’m glad you like the recipe, Renata! A thin crust and healthy toppings is how I love pizza. It means less calories and a more nutritious pizza.
ohhh my looks delish! I love having spinach on pizzas. lately I appreciate more vegan pizzas, they are more tasty than meaty ones. I will be cooking it tonight for dinner and I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Thanks Rhea! I hope you enjoyed the pizza! I love the flavor combination. It’s a really flavorful vegan pizza!
Pizza is love. I can live with just pizza and pasta. This recipe looks delicious and I’m usually an all-meat pizza kind of girl, though.
Wow, that looks delicious! I don’t like mushroom so I’ll try the recipe without them. Any other toppings that go well with this? Thank you.
Hi Bushra, I don’t always use the same toppings, it depends on what I have on hand. 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, you will love it!
Thanks Crickette, my non vegan friends love this recipe, you have to try and make it!
I must say that you have explained the process so lucidly and in detail with ably supporting pics. For someone who is a foodie, step-by-step images are really helpful, thanks for making the recipe so inviting. Will make it ASAP!
Hello! I’m so happy you like the recipe, hope you enjoy it! Let me know how it turned out. Thank you!
Interested on the dough..but not vegan or gluten free person ..will give it a try…thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome Kenneth! I’m sure you’ll love the crust even if you’re not vegan or a gluten-free eater.
I’m focusing on plant based foods and this recipe sounds amaaazing xxx
Thank you Aimee, it’s a quick and easy vegan recipe, made in less than 30 minutes. I’m sure you’ll love it!