Imagine, a “cheesy” and flavorful gourmet vegan pizza done in your own kitchen in roughly the same amount of time it will take you to order one. Introducing the fuss-free vegan pizza recipe that doesn’t require hours of prep time!
The appeal of the pizza lies not only in the fact that it is abso-frickin-lutely delicious, but also that it’s super easy to get or make. It is the ultimate comfort food. For most households, pizza night is meant to be a break from a hectic week of juggling responsibilities. It’s a hassle-free meal option whether you are vegan or not.
Somehow, people think that homemade food should entirely be made from scratch, and that using anything canned or premade is a compromise. While there’s no arguing that fresh is best, I think that this mentally just discourages people who are starting or want to cook for themselves.
This homemade vegan gourmet pizza recipe is beyond easy. All it takes are a few supermarket staples (I’m using store-bought pizza dough, pizza sauce, fresh oregano, grape tomatoes, and vegan cheese), a pan, and an oven.
Ingredients used to make this vegan gourmet pizza?
- Pizza Dough - Premade from Whole Foods
- Pizza Sauce - Premade pizza sauce
- Vegan Mozzarella Cheese - Go with your preferred brand; however Miyoko's Organic Cashew Mozzarella melts like dairy cheese than most other vegan cheeses in my experience.
- Grape Tomatoes - Cherry tomatoes are a fine substitute
- Olive Oil - Extra virgin, organic and cold pressed.
- Fresh Oregano - Feel free to swap out for another fresh herb like basil or Italian parsley.
- All Purpose Flour - Some extra flour used to sprinkle the dough when rolling.
Instructions (Step by Step)
- To avoid the dough from sticking to the surface, sprinkle flour generously on the surface where you will be preparing the dough. Then use a rolling pin to flatten the dough into the shape of pizza crust you want.
- Once you’ve achieved the shape and thickness that you want for your pizza crust (personally I like a thin crust), move it to a baking or pizza pan lined with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a pan, blister your tomatoes in olive oil over medium heat and season with salt.
- In a pan, blister your tomatoes in olive oil over medium heat and season with salt. When its skin of the tomatoes starts to turn wrinkly and some caramelization is formed, then remove the tomatoes from the heat and set aside.
- Ladle the pizza sauce onto to the flattened dough.
- Cut up the vegan mozzarella cheese into medium-sized cubes and place them all over the sauce-coated dough. If you prefer to grate the cheese, this Miyoko's Vegan Mozzarella Cheese that I used is a bit on the soft side so you’ll need to pop it into the freezer for 20 minutes before you can use a grater on it.
- Add the blistered tomatoes and top with fresh oregano.
- Bake the pizza in the oven for 20 minutes at 400° F.
See recipe card for full details on recipe.
That’s it! Fresh, light, but ultimately satisfying. We love having it with a glass of white (or red!) and if we have extra room after, we finish off the night with an easy vegan dessert (I make a batch of this Homemade Vegan Peach Ice Cream when I have extra time during the weekends so we have something sweet but healthy ready for the week ahead).
What is vegan cheese, exactly?
Vegan cheeses are plant-based cheeses. They are usually made of nuts, root vegetables, and/or seeds. Like dairy cheeses, vegan cheeses come in a variety of flavors and textures. There is vegan parmesan cheese, vegan mozzarella, cheddar, gouda, and even cream cheese! Just remember that not all vegan cheeses are healthy so read the label! Some are actually overprocessed and contain a lot of additives, sodium, preservatives, and unhealthy oils.
For this recipe, I used vegan mozzarella by Miyokos. It is made with cashew milk, coconut oil, tapioca, agar, mushroom, and konjac. I’m totally in love with it because it legitimately melts and tastes like dairy cheese! This is also what I use for my dairy-free caprese salad! I think vegan cheese has come a long way and this Miyokos vegan mozzarella makes my heart sing.
Is pizza dough vegan though?
Pizza dough is typically made with flour, yeast, water, salt, and sometimes with sugar and oil. It doesn’t contain milk or eggs so yes, it’s vegan. What makes most pizzas non-vegan as a whole are the usual toppings --- cheese and meat. But always check the label to make sure of what you are buying.
Variations & Substitutions
What I love about this simple homemade vegan pizza recipe is how you can easily tweak it to suit your preferences. For example, you can swap the pizza sauce with marinara sauce. Or use vegan parmesan cheese instead of vegan mozzarella if you want a sharer flavor and less gooey texture. The fresh oregano can also be replaced with fresh basil if that’s your thing. And if you want some heat, add a dash of red pepper flakes. You can go as crazy as you like with the pizza toppings!
Here are some of the best vegan gourmet pizza toppings that I've tried:
Red onion
Wild Mushrooms
Buffalo Cauliflower
Eggplant
Pesto
Sun-dried Tomatoes
And the list goes on…
Exciting isn’t it?
More Vegan Dinner Recipes
- Vegan Ramen Noodles with Lemongrass Broth
- Vegan Enchilada with Green Chile Sauce
- Baked Pasta with a Vegan Spin
- Red Thai Curry
Easy Gourmet Vegan Pizza Recipe
DESCRIPTION
INGREDIENTS
- 1 Dough Ball Natural Pizza Whole Foods
- 1 lb fresh pizza sauce Whole Foods
- 8 oz Mikoyos Organic Cashew Vegan Mozzarella Cheese
- 16 oz grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
- ¾ oz oregano fresh
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- black peppercorn crushed
- all-purpose flour sprinkle as needed
METHOD
- Preheat oven to 400° F.
- Sprinkle flour generously on the surface where you will be preparing the dough. This will prevent the dough from sticking to the table. Using a rolling pin flatten the ball of dough into the shape of pizza crust that you want. Try your best not to work the dough too much. Kneading develops the gluten in the dough so if you overdo it, you could end up with a tough pizza crust and nobody wants that.
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Once you’ve achieved the shape and thickness that you want for your pizza crust (personally I like a thin crust), move it to on to the baking sheet.
- In a pan, heat olive oil over medium heat and add tomatoes. Use a spatula to roll the tomatoes in the pan to properly coat them with the hot oil. Season them with salt and crushed black peppercorn and wait for them to blister. You will know that the tomatoes are done when its skin has turned wrinkly and well… blistered. Some caramelization should form on the surface. Once they are ready, set the tomatoes aside.
- Ladle the pizza sauce onto the rolled out dough.
- Cut up the vegan mozzarella cheese into medium-sized cubes and place them all over the sauce-coated dough. If you prefer to grate the cheese, this Miyokos Vegan Mozzarella Cheese that I used is a bit on the soft side so you’ll need to pop it into the freezer for an hour before you can use a grater on it.
- Add the blistered tomatoes and top.
- Remove oregano leaves from the stems- Pinch the stem near the top with the fingers of one hand, then run the fingers of your other hand down the length of the stem from top to bottom. Garnish pizza with ¼ ounces of oregano leaves.
- Bake in the pizza in the over for 20 minutes. (Optional: I gently pressed down the vegan cheese cubes with a spatula to give it a melted cheese form and stick it back in the oven for another 3 minutes).
- Once it's ready, garnish with the remaining fresh oregano leaves before serving.
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