How to Make Tasty, Lower-Carb Pizza Crust at Home

If there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that cauliflower is one versatile vegetable. It’s a nice, crunchy raw snack; it blends in seamlessly with spuds for lighter mashed potatoes; it roasts up whole for a statement-making weeknight dinner. Our latest incarnation of the cruciferous veg: this healthy, grain-free pizza crust, which involves cooking and baking baking the florets with almond meal for a tender and flavorful crust. Choose your own toppings such as fresh spinach, red onions, black olives, marinara sauce, shredded cheese, mushrooms and zucchini. Pro-tip: Add an extra pinch of chili powder to the dough for spicy kick!

Cauliflower Pizza Crust
Serves 2

Ingredients

1 large cauliflower, cut into florets
2 tablespoons almond meal, plus more if needed
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
large pinch chili powder

Topping Suggestions: fresh spinach, sliced grape tomatoes, diced red onions

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Place cauliflower in a food processor; pulse until finely ground and resembles rice. Transfer to a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, cover then reduce heat and simmer for 7 minutes.

Drain cauliflower and place cooked cauliflower in the center of a large piece of cheesecloth or cotton cloth. Twist to seal the cheesecloth or cloth and wring the liquid out of the cauliflower.

Transfer the drained cauliflower to a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients; mix by hand with a large spoon to combine. If needed, add more almond flour to keep the dough together.

Transfer mixture to the prepared baking sheet and use the back of a large spoon to gently flatten the dough to your desired shape. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven; set aside to cool before serving.

Note: Add toppings and/or tomato sauce after removing crust from the oven. (If you’re adding cheese or veggies, you can serve the veggies on top of the crust raw or cooked. To heat the toppings, place the pizza back in the oven with the toppings for 5-7 minutes or until cheese is melted).

Crust Nutrition* (per serving): Calories: 220; Total Fat: 9g; Saturated Fat: 2g; Monounsaturated Fat: 2g; Cholesterol: 212mg; Sodium: 761mg; Carbohydrate: 25g; Dietary Fiber: 11g; Sugar: 11g; Protein: 16g

*Note: The nutritional information does not include any pizza toppings.

All photos courtesy of SELF.

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8 responses to “How to Make Tasty, Lower-Carb Pizza Crust at Home”

Joe Bush says:

June 18, 2015 at 9:24 pm

That don’t look like any pizza I’ve ever seen.

Reply
Daniel says:

June 18, 2015 at 9:52 pm

It looks like an artisan flat bread pizza. The texture will probably be off for a pizza crust. 14 net carbs isn’t all that low unless it’s for the whole thing. It also doesn’t say how large it is.

Reply
Spanx McB says:

June 19, 2015 at 5:05 am

Out of all the cauliflower pizza crust recipes out there, they chose a pretty terrible one. I make this all the time and the Lucky Penny Blog has the best recipe. My last cauliflower crust creation is pictured. So good!

Reply
- Author Jay Doubleu says:
  
  June 20, 2015 at 9:01 pm
  
  That does look good! I need this recipe!
  
  Reply
  - magusxxx says:
    
    October 9, 2015 at 2:51 am
    
    Would you be able to thin out this crust, cut it with a pizza cutter into squares, and then bake it? I’m thinking this might be a good cracker substitute.
    
    Reply
Veronica Gowan Wanda Daigle says:

October 8, 2015 at 11:09 am

Just buy the Atkins pizza, 11 carbs and deeeeelisous!!!

Reply
DB says:

October 8, 2015 at 12:26 pm

Cauliflower Pizza Crust
Recipe (adapted slightly) from The Lucky Penny

2 1/2 cups grated or ground cauliflower (use a food processor or cheese grater)
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
kosher salt
1 egg, slightly beaten

Preheat oven to 425. Place cauliflower in a heat-safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap with a few holes to vent. Microwave for 4 minutes, remove plastic, and stir to cool it off a little. Place cauliflower in a fine mesh strainer and use a rubber spatula to press cauliflower against strainer, pushing out any liquid. Use several paper towels and press down to absorb more liquid. You could also ring it out in a clean, dry tea towel. Place cauliflower in a bowl and fluff with a fork. Ad basil, oregano, garlic, Parmesan, and mozzarella. Mix well and taste. Add salt to taste (I find depending on the saltiness of my Parmesan, I need a few pinches of salt). Add egg and stir to blend completely.

Press mixture out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper that’s been sprayed with non-stick spray (I’ve found parchment produces better results that a silicone baking sheet). Press out to about 1/4 inch or slightly thicker. Keep mixture tight together and in an even layer. You can bake one large pizza or multiple smaller ones.

Place pan in oven and bake until golden brown. My pizzas tend to vary in time so sight is the best indicator. Generally 15-20 minutes is a good time frame, and it should be starting to brown on top. Remove from oven, top with desired toppings, and return to oven to melt cheese, etc. Let rest for a couple of minutes and then slice and serve.

Reply
Peggy Denton says:

October 9, 2015 at 5:21 pm

If I’m not going to eat REAL pizza crust, I’m not going to eat pizza. Amazing weight loss idea!

Reply