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Get It Now- Why You’ll Love This Cauliflower Pizza Crust Recipe
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- How To Make Cauliflower Pizza Crust
- Tips For The Best Cauliflower Pizza Crust
- Topping Ideas
- Storage Instructions
- More Healthy Pizza Recipes
- Recommended Tools
- Cauliflower Pizza Crust (3 Ingredients!) Recipe card
- Recipe Reviews
Pizza is one of my favorite foods in the world. And even though I love keto pizza crust and keto calzones, sometimes I want something a little lighter. Cauliflower pizza crust naturally comes to mind! I spent a long time experimenting to come up with what I feel is the best cauliflower pizza crust recipe, including an option that doesn’t require squeezing the riced cauliflower (yay!). I can’t wait to hear what you think.
Why You’ll Love This Cauliflower Pizza Crust Recipe
- Neutral, mild taste
- Crispy edges
- You can actually pick up this cauliflower crust pizza!
- Just 3 grams net carbohydrates
- No flour, cornstarch, or cornstarch substitutes needed
- Healthy way to eat veggies AND pizza
- Naturally low carb, keto friendly, grain-free, and gluten-free
- Easy to customize with your favorite toppings
Ingredients You’ll Need
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for cauliflower pizza crust recipe, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
- Cauliflower – You’ll need one large head. We’re making it into cauliflower rice for the crust. If you like, you can even use frozen cauliflower rice to save time.
- Eggs – Use large eggs. Egg substitutes won’t work well here.
- Parmesan Cheese – Use grated parmesan for best texture. This recipe has more cheese than some other cauliflower pizza recipes, because I find that it holds together better that way and improves the texture. It’s also salty enough that it doesn’t require any additional salt in the recipe. You can replace the parmesan with other cheeses, such as mozzarella, but parmesan makes the crust more sturdy than other options.
VARIATION: Add seasonings for extra flavor!
Try Italian seasoning (or simply dried oregano) and garlic powder.
How To Make Cauliflower Pizza Crust
This section shows how to make cauliflower crust pizza with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Rice the cauliflower. Pulse cauliflower florets in a food processor until they are the consistency of rice.
- Stir fry the cauliflower rice. This step is the secret for making the best cauliflower pizza crust — stir frying removes excess moisture, preventing a soggy crust that falls apart. Cook the cauliflower until it’s very soft and dry.
- Optional step: squeeze the cauliflower. Squeeze the riced cauliflower in a clean dish towel over the sink to release as much liquid as possible. It should be extra dry and clumpy. You won’t get as much moisture out as you would after steaming because the stir frying process actually helps most of the moisture evaporate.
TIP: Squeezing is recommended for a large pizza, but optional if you make 2 small pizzas instead.
I was pretty excited about the possibility of an easy cauliflower pizza crust recipe that doesn’t require squeezing. The stir fry step helps a lot, but you do get a firmer crust if you squeeze it. Squeezing is necessary for one large pizza, but if you split the dough into 2 smaller crusts, you can get away without it.
- Mix together the binders. In a large bowl, whisk eggs and stir in parmesan cheese. Add seasonings, if using.
- Add the cauliflower. Stir the cauliflower into the bowl with the egg and cheese mixture. Press and knead cauliflower mixture, with a spatula or your hands, to mix well.
- Form the cauliflower pizza crust. Spread the cauliflower crust “dough” into a thin layer, about 1/4 inch thick, on a piece of parchment paper laid over either a pizza peel (if you’ll be sliding onto a pizza stone — highly recommended!) or a baking sheet.
- Bake the crust. Bake until it’s dry and firm, and the edges are golden brown. Let the crust cool for 10 minutes before adding toppings.
- Top the pizza. Add your favorite pizza toppings (see ideas below!) to your homemade cauliflower pizza crust.
- Bake again. Transfer the pizza directly onto the pizza stone (no parchment paper this time) and bake again. It’s super quick the second time, just long enough to melt the cheese. You can also place the pizza under the broiler for a couple of minutes at the end to brown the cheese if you like, or top with parmesan, red pepper flakes, or fresh herbs.
Tips For The Best Cauliflower Pizza Crust
- Stir fry the cauliflower until VERY soft. Unlike a traditional cauliflower rice, you don’t want crisp-tender cauliflower here, you want it as soft as possible. This will create the best texture in the final crust.
- Squeeze the cauliflower rice or don’t, based on your needs. Squeeze for one large cauliflower pizza, or skip this step and make two small ones instead.
- Mix the ingredients well. This is crucial for a uniform result.
- Cook cauliflower crust on a pizza stone. This is the key to a crispy keto cauliflower pizza crust! Just be sure to place it in the oven before the oven preheats, so that it doesn’t crack. (I rarely buy single-purpose items for my kitchen, but the pizza stone is well worth the investment. I use it for ALL my pizza recipes and it makes for the best crust — whether you are using this cauliflower pizza crust recipe or any other kind!)
- Use a pizza peel to slide the pizza onto the stone. You can use something else, like a cutting board or oversized turner, but a pizza peel works best.
- Rest the crust before adding toppings. Letting the crust cool for 5-10 minutes creates a seal, which will prevent your crust from soaking up the sauce and getting soggy.
Topping Ideas
- Meat Lover’s – Pizza sauce (or tomato sauce or sugar-free pizza sauce), shredded mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, Italian sausage, crumbled ground beef, and diced Canadian bacon.
- Veggie Lover’s – Pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, onions, bell pepper, mushrooms, and black olives.
- Margherita – Pizza sauce, sliced fresh mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, and fresh basil. (You can also add fresh basil after baking instead if you like.)
- Taco Pizza – Top your cauliflower crust pizza with salsa, ground beef cooked with taco seasoning, and Mexican cheese blend, and bake. After removing from the oven, top with shredded lettuce, diced tomato, jalapenos, and sour cream.
- BBQ Chicken – Barbecue sauce (I use sugar-free bbq sauce but any kind works), shredded chicken, diced red onions, and cheddar cheese. This combo is also amazing with ranch dressing drizzled over it!
- Hawaiian – Pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella, Canadian bacon, and diced pineapple (omit for keto, but ok in small amounts for low carb).
- Pesto – Spread with prepared pesto sauce and top with fresh mozzarella and sliced tomatoes (or sun-dried tomatoes). Garnish with fresh basil after baking.
- White Pizza – Top it with homemade alfredo sauce, spinach, cooked chicken, onions & cheese for a twist on the classic pizza.
Storage Instructions
- Store: Keep leftovers in the fridge for 3-5 days.
- Meal prep: Bake the crust in advance and store in the refrigerator or freeze. Add toppings and bake right before serving.
- Reheat: For best results, reheat the pizza in the oven on a pizza stone for best results. It might be a little softer, especially if you used a fair amount of pizza sauce, but I think it’s delicious anyway. I don’t recommend reheating in the microwave, unless you are okay with a very soft crust that you have to eat with a fork.
- Freeze: Make the crust without toppings, wrap in plastic followed by foil, and keep in the freezer for 3-6 months. No need to thaw when ready to eat. Just add toppings, slide onto a pizza stone in the oven preheated to 400 degrees F, and bake for 15 minutes.
More Healthy Pizza Recipes
If you like this cauliflower pizza crust recipe, you’ll also love these other healthy takes on pizza:
Recommended Tools
- Food Processor – The kitchen staple makes light work of grating the cauliflower for pizza crust.
- Pizza Stone – I love this thing for all my pizza recipes, but it’s especially crucial for cauliflower crust pizza, because it helps it brown and get sturdy enough to pick up.
- Pizza Peel – Makes it a lot easier to transfer the pizza to and from the pizza stone.
Cauliflower Pizza Crust (3 Ingredients!)
Make the BEST cauliflower pizza crust recipe, with just 3 simple ingredients & an easy method for crispy edges. You can actually pick it up!
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C). Place a piece of parchment paper onto a pizza peel if you plan to use a pizza stone (recommended), or a pizza pan.
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Pulse the cauliflower florets in a food processor until they are the consistency of rice. (Use the grate attachment if you have one.)
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In a lightly oiled saute pan on the stove, stir fry the cauliflower for about 10 minutes, until the cauliflower is very soft. (This is important! The texture will be off if it's still crisp, so keep cooking until nice and soft.)
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Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Stir in the parmesan cheese. If using Italian seasoning and garlic powder, stir those in as well.
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When the cauliflower rice is cooked through and soft…
Option 1
(more effort – recommended if making one large pizza): Place the cauliflower rice into a kitchen towel and squeeze over the sink.
Option 2
(easier – better for making 2 smaller pizzas): Stir the cauliflower rice directly into the egg/cheese mixture. With both options, make sure it's mixed very well. You may need to press with a spatula.
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Spread the "dough" onto the parchment paper with your hands, to about 1/4-inch (6.4 mm) thick. You can make one large pizza or two smaller pizzas, depending on which option you chose in the previous step.
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If using a pizza stone (recommended for best results), use the pizza peel to transfer the parchment paper onto the stone in the oven. Otherwise, just place the pan into the oven. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the top is dry and firm, and the edges are a little golden.
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Let the pizza crust cool for at least 5-10 minutes at room temperature to firm up more. Add desired toppings. Return to the oven for about 5-10 minutes, until cheese melts.
Did You Like It?
Leave a rating to help other readers (this also helps me continue to provide free recipes on my site), or get the recipe sent to your inbox.
Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 slice of an extra-large pizza, 2 slices of 2 smaller pizzas, or 1/8 of the entire recipe
Nutritional information does not include toppings.
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead. 🙂
249 Comments
Kathy
0I was wanting to ask if you could dehydrate the cauliflower to get the moisture out instead of putting it in the skillet.
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Kathy, I haven’t tried that here but I suspect it would make the crust too dry and brittle.
Romaida Ostrand
0Does it get crunchy? Can I use the zucchini recipe with cauliflower?
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Romaida, this crust is on the softer side. If you want a crisper crust, you might like my fathead pizza or almond flour pizza crust recipes better.
Kathleen
0Can you give me the calorie count for the whole pizza base. No toppings ?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Kathleen, The nutrition info is per serving and without any toppings. You can multiply it by the number of slices to get the whole pizza crust.
Cherie
0Loved this crust! I have tried a few and they always are mushy. This one is sturdy anfU feel like Im eating real pizza. Ty for experimenting and sharing! (I did the no squeeze method after stir frying in pan.)
T. Whitaker
0Very fantastic and fairly simple.. my family couldn’t believe it was cauliflower crust.. can you use crust to replace bread, like a flatbread?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you! Sure, I’m sure you could do that!
Debra Amn
0Great pizza crust I add it to the top some grilled chicken sauteed mushrooms and Italian cheese absolutely delicious
Meghan Wendland
0This was AWESOME! I used the exact recipe and did a pepperoni and green olive and it turned out great. While I did not squeeze the rice I did blot it before adding it to the cheese/egg mixture with a paper towel and again after it came out of the oven before adding toppings and I think it made a difference. Lastly I broiled for about 1 minute at the end which definitely added an extra crunch! THANKS!
Joanna
0Thanks for this great recipe – it is helping me to convert the ado element in the family to love vegetables.
Keep them coming :))
Leanne
0I have to admit, I was skeptical. But it was absolutely delicious. Making one for tomorrow again.
Lou
0Followed the recipe to the t, had to add an extra egg. Best keto crust I’ve had . Used pizza pan with parchment paper
Natalie
0I can’t wait to try this!!! Stir frying the cauliflower is genius!! I think I will steam it first, strain out the water, then stir fry it and put it into my cheese bag to smush the water out.
I have all the ingredients but not enough Parmesan. Can I use half Parmesan and half shreddedmozzarella? How would that alter the crispness of the crust?
Thanks!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Natalie, Sure, you can use 1/2 parmesan and 1/2 mozzarella if that’s what you have on hand.
Boyd Kobe
0Just saved the recipe and will make it during the next week! I’m sure my family will love it and I really like the recipe as it is low carb!
Jane
0I try to follow a recipe exactly the first time but I only had 1 pound of cauliflower rice and I was worried an egg would be too much moisture. I added 2T of flax meal and 4T almond flour to your recipe after sauteing and squeezing the ‘rice’. I also don’t have a pizza stone so I used a LeCreusett pan (preheated) to par-bake the crust. It came out of the oven firm and thin and even with pizza sauce the finished pie was firm enough to pick up and the edges crunched like a thin crust pizza. No cauliflower flavor and the mouthfeel of a thin crust pie, pure heaven, thank you Maya!
Shedricka McNeill
0Just tried the crust and it’s AMAZING!!
Karen Garfield
0So glad I found this recipe today. I bought a 10 ounce bag of cauliflower at the Grocery store so I halved the recipe and it was perfect. I used parchment paper to flatten the dough then flipped it onto my stone. It cooked perfectly and was delicious.
Rene
0Can you save the remainder of the cauliflower crust to use in a day or two? I have enough for 1 more mini pizza.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Rene, Yes, you can do that!
Meghan
0If using the frozen riced cauliflower, what do you think the measurement would be?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Meghan, It would be the same – about 1.5 lb riced cauliflower.
Heidi
0Made this for the second time today. Loved it the first time but didn’t get enough of the moisture out of the cauliflower. This time I waited until it was cool to squeeze it out and the result was much more successful. As an experiment I added 2 tablespoons of flaxseed meal and I think it came out a little crispier. Thanks for the recipe!
Minde
0So does the crust ever get crunchy. It tasted great, but it was really soft.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Minde, Cauliflower crust is soft, not crunchy, though the edges can sometimes get slightly crunchy. If you want a crispy crust, you might like fathead pizza or almond flour pizza crust instead.
Valerie
0Very easy recipe. Since I don’t like parmesan cheese, I used provolone instead thinking it was heavier than mozzarella cheese. I think it worked well. The crust had a good consistency, taste (also added onion powder), and stood up under the toppings. I made several small crusts to freeze. I will let you know how they fair after freezing.
Barsco
0Would it be possible to substitute zucchini for the cauliflower? I’m thinking that it is lower in carbs and calories but not sure how it might affect the texture.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Barsco, Use this zucchini pizza crust recipe instead if you want to make it with zucchini.
Kayla
0Was delicious!! My whole family said if they didn’t know about the cauliflower then they wouldn’t have even guessed about the crust! Next time I will squeeze more of the moisture out of the cauliflower after stirfrying it but otherwise, it was amazing!
Crystal Hoeg
0Does the Parmesan have to be fresh? Or can you use the canned kind?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Crystal, Any grated parmesan will work!
Holly Hayes
0Great crust. First cauliflower crust I’ve made. I will try some more recipes to see which one is best but my daughter loved this one.
Tara
0Great Recipe! I followed it exactly and the crust came out perfect. And, it didn’t taste like cauliflower. I followed option 2 (no squeezing) and made two pizzas. It was soooo good!!
Angela McGowan
0Juice the cauliflower through an extractor. Use the dry cauliflower pulp for the crust! 🙂
Tiki
0Looks yummy!
Tamara
0Hi! I am looking forward to trying this recipe but wondering about the nutrition facts. Am I figuring right in that the crust alone is just over 800 calories? Or am I missing something? Thanks!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Tamara, The crust has 106 calories per slice. So technically yes, the crust for an entire 10-inch pizza would have over 800 calories. I can’t imagine anyone would eat an entire 10-inch pizza on their own, though. 🙂 Either way, a regular wheat pizza crust would have more calories than this.
Brenda
0Just a question for you! I was going to use the fresh riced cauliflower available in the store but wondered if one bag equated to a head of cauliflower or if I needed more. When you’ve grated your cauliflower how much would you say you have? Thx!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Brenda, You need 1.5 lb of riced cauliflower total, whether it’s from a bag or from a head.
James Benner
0This worked out great and was delicious!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I am so happy you liked it, James! Thanks for stopping by!
Debbie
0I just recently found your awesome info, thanks 4 the videos. I’m 54 and have had 2 strokes and making as many lifestyle changes. I appreciate your videos. Thanks!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Good luck to you, Debbie!
Jeannette
0Thank you very very much for your detailed instructions. I have never made (or eaten) a cauliflower crust pizza and I don’t like to waste food/ingredients after spending so much money on them. I found this on Pinterest.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I am so happy you liked it, Jeannette! Please come back soon!
Judith Mayer-Smith
0Thank you for the tip about stir frying the cauliflower. I bought the already riced cauliflower and still had enough for several pizzas!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I am happy to hear that, Judith!
Marie
0Hi Maya,
This looks absolutely delicious! You mentioned that you can freeze the crust. Do you cook the crust before you freeze it or after it is thawed from the freezer? I have heard that cauliflower becomes soggy after it is thawed.
Thanks.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Marie, Freeze it after baking but without any toppings. Then, add sauce and toppings to the frozen crust (don’t thaw) and place in the oven.
Sandra Diesing
0Hi. I have baked the cauliflower pizza crust and it has cooled. At this point, can I refrigerate it overnight to finish the next night?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Sandra, Yes, that should work. Pat dry before use if there’s any condensation.
Tina Kobriger
0I do have a pizza stone…do I still put it on parchment paper or directly on the stone?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Tina, Yes, use parchment on top of the stone. Otherwise it will stick.
cheryl s
0Can you use the frozen cauliflower rice for this??
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Yes, you can use frozen cauliflower rice, Cheryl. Just make sure you defrost in completely and squeeze out any liquid. I hope you like it!
Nicole
0Hi!! Wondering at what heat is stir frying?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Nicole, It will depend on your stove, but generally medium-high. Basically as hot as you can get it without burning the cauliflower. Higher heat will evaporate more liquid, but you don’t want the cauliflower to burn on the outside and stay too crispy on the inside.
Rukhsaar
0Hi, can you use mozzarella cheese instead of parmesan?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0You probably can, but I haven’t tried it. Let me know how it goes if you do!
Jennifer
0When you say “saute” the cauliflower, do you mean like in oil? Or just by itself in a pan?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Jennifer, You can use just a little bit of oil to prevent sticking, or if your pan is very good non-stick (I have hard anodized pans), by itself is fine too. The oil is not a necessary ingredient, it’s just if you need it to avoid sticking.
Rebekah
0Could I make the crust ahead of time and then put the toppings on later and bake again?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Rebekah, Yes, definitely! Let me know how you like it!
Rebekah
0What’s a pizza peel?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0A pizza peel is used to get pizza crust on and off of a pizza stone, which stays in the oven. Here is one I like.
Georgia
0Beautiful. Easy. Tasty. Once your toppings are on you definitely can’t tell the difference.
I’ll add that in Aus you can buy pre-blitzed cauliflower (cauliflower rice) at Coles to make his even easier!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I love making things even easier, Georgia! I am so happy you liked it!
Hernan F Padilla Jr
0Tried the crust tonight. Quite salty. Maybe my measuring? 1 cup = 8 oz? Looked to me like a lot of parm cheese. I used 8 1/2 oz cauliflower and 8 1/2 oz grated parm. Please advise. Thanks.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Hernan, Sorry it didn’t turn out, but unfortunately your measurements were off. This recipe calls for 1.5 lb of cauliflower florets and 1.5 cups grated Parmesan. That would be 24 oz of cauliflower florets (after de-stemming) and 5.25 oz of grated Parmesan cheese. It looks like you used almost 3 times less cauliflower than needed and about twice the amount of Parmesan. That would explain the saltiness and the texture was probably not right. Hope you’ll try again with the amounts in the recipe. 🙂
Elaine
0Maya, No, 1 and 1/2 cups of Parmesan equals 12 ounces. 1 cup is 8 ounces. 1/2 cup is 4 ounces. So Hernan just used a bit much on the cheese.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Elaine, The weight of a cup of something depends on what is inside the cup. A cup of Parmesan is 3.5 ounces, not 8 ounces.
Michelle
0For all of us keto cooks we are use a scale for everything. However, some recipes are not listed in the proper measurements of weight which is where this confusion comes in. Thank you for explaining this. But this is definitely a learning opportunity. I made the same mistakes during the learning curve. It may be a little more work to list in recipes, but well worth it for the rookies that are not used to weighing out all measurements in the kitchen.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0You’re totally right! I’m actually adding metric measurements to all recipes this month.
Kate
0This turned out very well for me. I used the squeeze method, using my potato ricer. That was perhaps too effective at removing moisture as I had to add a second egg to hold it together. No matter, it tasted fine and not eggy. I am enjoying the leftovers.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Yay! I love leftovers, Kate! Thanks for stopping by!
Stevie
0I made a deep dish version of this pizza – basically put all the ingredients in a greased pie dish, instead, and followed baking instructions to a T. I used your recipe for garlic alfredo sauce as the sauce, topped it with mozarella cheese and sweet italian sausage.
I can’t begin to describe how amazing it all was.
I am eternally grateful for your recipes and your site, Maya – it’s so helpful to have these incredible recipes with minimal ingredients! I was never a fan of cauliflower, and I’m excited to experiment with it more now that this recipe has opened up the doors for me!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Stevie! I love the idea of a deep dish version, and white sauce is my favorite. Great idea to use the alfredo sauce with it. I really appreciate the kind words and am so grateful to have you making the recipes!
Kate
0Would like to try this but need to buy a pizza stone. Any recommendations on brand? Also, any reason why you could not use pre riced cauliflower? If ok, about how much to use? Thanks so much.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Kate, This is the pizza stone I have. You could use pre-riced cauliflower, it should be about 6 cups riced. If you use frozen pre-riced cauliflower, you would probably have to squeeze it.
Denise Palomino
0What kind of pizza sauce is used for this recipe?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Denise, It’s on my list to make a recipe for my own, but for now I usually buy an organic marinara sauce without sugar added. Just look for one that doesn’t have starch or sugar (or other names for sugar, like maltodextrin, etc.) listed in the ingredients.
Victor S.
0Would steaming the cauliflower yield the softness required, without the attention that Stir Frying requires?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Victor, You can steam it, but it would require squeezing afterward for sure. Stir frying makes some of the moisture evaporate.
Robin
0What about using frozen riced cauliflower?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Robin! Yes, you can use frozen riced cauliflower, just defrost it first. I hope you love it!
Julie
0Does this recipe work without the Parmesan cheese? Or please share a dairy free recipe!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Julie, The Parmesan is necessary to hold this together, and also counteracts the flavor of the cauliflower. I’m sure there are other ways to do it, but I haven’t tested those variations. I’ll add it to my list to create a dairy-free cauliflower crust. In the meantime, this pizza crust is dairy-free.