The 3 Best Vegan Pizza Recipes

Pizza, for many people, is all about the cheese and loaded toppings. But if you are vegan, have certain food and dairy allergies or simply hate tomato bases, finding the perfect pizza can be difficult.

The good news is that you don’t have to miss out, with or favourite vegan pizza recipes.

Simple Vegan Pizza Recipes

Substituting ordinary cheese for vegan mozzarella-style cheese is now easy as it is readily available in the supermarkets, but if you are after something a bit more jazzy and out-there, then we have three of the best vegan pizza recipe ideas for different toppings – and the good news is that they all use the same simple base, which is quick to make.

If you were to use a pizza oven, you’d even get the same taste experience as you would heading out to a pizzeria – all for a more budget-friendly price.

Vegan Pizza Dough Recipe:

(Makes two large or four small pizzas):

You will need:

• 500g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 tsp dried yeast
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 150ml boiling water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 150ml cold water

Method:

1. Put the flour, yeast and sugar in a large mixing bowl
2. Mix together the two water quantities in a jug – this results in the perfect temperature for the yeast to work
3. Add the oil and salt to the water, and pour over the flour combination
4. Stir with a spoon, then knead with your hands until the dough is soft and sticky if it becomes too dry, add another bit of cold water
5. Dust a bit of flour on a suitable work surface and knead the dough for 5-10 minutes until well combined. Place back in the bowl and cover with some lightly oiled cling film for one hour, until it is at least doubled in size
6. Once ready, knock it back by punching with your fist, and re-knead. It should be springy
7. Your dough is ready to be loaded with your choice of toppings once you split it and roll flat

Hummus and Roasted Veggie Pizza:

There is a good chance you have had hummus and dips such as carrots, cucumber or pitta bread. But it also works great as a tomato and cheese base substitute on pizza, along with roasted vegetables.

It adds creaminess, yet isn’t too heavy and keeps the taste of the toppings. You could even use fancy hummus alternatives, such as red pepper.

You will need:

• Ready-made hummus of choice
• 8 mushrooms, sliced
• 1 handful spinach
• 8 cherry tomatoes, sliced
• ½ red onion, cubed or cut into rings
• 1 small courgette
• ½ bell pepper
• 1 tsp dried mixed herbs

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200C
2. Spread the pre-cooked dough bases with a generous helping of hummus. Add a splash of water if it is difficult to spread
3. Place the vegetables in a large mixing bowl and drizzle with olive oil, the herbs, and salt and pepper to taste
4. Place on a baking tray and roast for 5-10 minutes, until they start to soften
5. Meanwhile, place your pizza bases on a stone or tray. Cover the bases with the vegetables once ready, and bake for 10-15 minutes until the edges are browned

Vegan Nacho Pizza:

Combining pizza and nachos sounds like a pretty great idea to us. This recipe uses textured vegetable protein (TVP) as a mince substitute, but you can keep it completely vegetable based if preferred.

There are also vegan sour cream alternatives widely available in supermarkets now, such as in Free From ranges.

You will need:

• 50g soya mince/TVP
• ½ onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp paprika
• ½ tsp chilli powder
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 1 tbsp sliced jalapenos
• 3 tbsp tomato sauce/passata
• Guacamole, premade
• Vegan sour cream

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200C and pre-bake the pizza base for 10-15 minutes until golden
2. Prepare your meat substitute, if using, by mixing with 120ml water
3. Fry the onion, pepper, and garlic in a medium pan until softened. Add the TVP, jalapenos, paprika, chilli powder and tomato sauce and heat for a few minutes
4. Finally, spread the guacamole over the pizza bases and top with the taco mix and sour cream

Vegan Cauliflower Cheese Pizza:

You’ve heard of cauliflower pizza bases, but how about putting the cauliflower on top of the ordinary dough base? If you love vegan cheese but want a different way to put it on your pizza as opposed to covering the base, then look no further.

You can also use broccoli as opposed to cauliflower. Side note: the vegan cheese sauce recipe is great to use at any time, such as with dips.

You will need:

• 1 cup cashews (soaked in hot water for 15 minutes)
• 300ml vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp tahini paste
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cauliflower, broken into florets
• 1 onion, sliced
• Vegan parmesan

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200C
2. Firstly, prepare your vegan cheese sauce. Add the cashews, stock and tahini paste to a blender and pulse until smooth
3. Steam the cauliflower until cooked
4. Meanwhile, combine the sauce with the garlic and then the cauliflower and onion
5. Layer onto the pizzas and sprinkle with vegan parmesan
6. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden