• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Olives for Dinner

Vegan Recipes for Those Who Love to Cook and Eat

  • Recipes
  • Work with Us
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
Home » Entrees » Quinoa Pizza Crust

February 14, 2022

Quinoa Pizza Crust

Jump to Recipe

This quinoa pizza crust is no knead, super simple to make and uses only three ingredients. It’s thin and crispy, but sturdy enough to hold your favorite toppings. Plus, it’s gluten-free, delicious and may just become your go-to pizza crust for its simplicity, wholesome quinoa and crispy, thin-crust!

A quinoa pizza in a cast iron skillet being held with a potholder. this Recipe

Blending up uncooked but soaked quinoa into a batter to use as a pizza crust isn’t my idea. It’s something I stumbled across over at the Cafe Johnsonia blog when I saw Lindsey’s gorgeous pizza pop up in my Pinterest feed. However, I tested this several times and did end up making a few tweaks with the timing and adding in a little tapioca flour for some softness. I have nothing against a traditional pizza dough or a focaccia pizza, but now having the option of something equally delicious without all of the refined carbs, heaviness that follows or extensive prep is kinda nice.

Table of Contents

  • How to soak quinoa to remove the saponin coating
  • How to make a quinoa pizza crust
  • Quinoa Crust Pizza
    • Description
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Notes
  • Check out more pizza ideas here!

How to soak quinoa to remove the saponin coating

This pizza crust is super simple to make; however, there is a critical step to include that involves soaking and rinsing your quinoa. This will help to reduce the bitter saponin coating which impacts the taste and could be hard on your belly if you are sensitive to it. Soak the quinoa in plenty of cold water. One or two times in between the 12-18 hour soak time, rinse it again. I used a fine-mesh strainer, but a chinois is another great option. Rub the quinoa in your hands while rinsing to help remove more of the saponin. Before blitzing up your batter, give it a good rinse one final time.

Quinoa soaking in a bowl of water.

Blend the soaked and rinsed quinoa. I used my nutribullet for this. Blend until completely smooth.

Quinoa being blended with water in a Nutribullet.
Quinoa pizza crust batter with a spoon against a dark background.

How to make a quinoa pizza crust

This protein-forward crust is crispy around the edges and bottom, and has a little softness in the middle. Don’t skimp on the amount of olive oil in the recipe or you’re going to end up with a crust that sticks or is dried out. Also, be sure to sprinkle some flaky sea salt around the edges of the crust towards the end as described in the recipe below because it adds just the right little pop of flavor.

The batter is made from quinoa, so it’s going to smell … like quinoa. After you’ve blended it up and while it’s baking, you’ll really notice it. However, the final result is not going to taste like quinoa at all.

A top-down shot of a quinoa crust pizza.
A top-down shot of a quinoa crust pizza that's being cut.
A top-down shot of a quinoa crust pizza that's been cut into four pieces.

I just made a simple cheese pizza here, but this can be topped with whatever you like. Enjoy!

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
A top-down shot of a quinoa crust pizza that's been cut into four pieces.

Quinoa Crust Pizza


★★★★★

4.7 from 3 reviews

  • Author: erin wysocarski
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 1, 10-inch pizza
  • Diet: Vegan
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Description

This quinoa crust pizza is easy and gluten-free! Whether you are gluten free or just want to enjoy a pizza without that heavy feeling afterwards, this pizza hits the spot. This crust is thin, crispy and sturdy enough to hold your favorite toppings!


Ingredients

for the crust

  • 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed in a sieve then soaked in plenty of water for 12–18 hours
  • 2 TB tapioca flour
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 TB olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 2 TB of olive oil, to coat the pan

to make a basic cheese pizza

  • 1/3 cup pizza sauce
  • 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 cup vegan mozzarella shreds, chopped
  • 1 TB olive oil
  • flaky sea salt, for seasoning the outer crust

Instructions

to make the crust

  1. Preheat oven to 450.
  2. Place a 10-inch cast iron skillet into the oven to preheat.
  3. Rinse the quinoa again, rubbing it between your fingers, then drain it and place into a NutriBullet or other similar blender. (See note below)
  4. Add in the tapioca flour, water, 1 TB of olive oil and sea salt.
  5. Blend until completely smooth.
  6. Once preheated, remove the skillet from the oven and add 2 TB of olive oil to the bottom of the pan. Don’t use spray oil or skimp on the amount of oil or your pizza will stick. Return it to the oven for a few more minutes.
  7. Remove the skillet and tilt if needed to ensure the bottom of the pan is evenly coated. Pour the batter into the center of the hot skillet so it covers it in an even layer. Tilt and roll just a little bit if needed to make sure it covers the bottom of the pan.
  8. Place into the oven to bake for 15 minutes.
  9. Flip with a large spatula (it will be sturdy and very easy to handle), and bake for 5 minutes more.
  10. Remove from the oven, flip again, and add the sauce, Italian seasoning and cheese onto the crust.
  11. Drizzle the outer edges of the crust with 1 TB of oil and season with the flaky sea salt. Return it to the oven.
  12. Place a pizza pan or cookie sheet over the skillet. This will allow the cheese to melt without burning your crust.
  13. Cook for 10 minutes more, or until the cheese has fully melted.
  14. Allow to rest for a few minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes

I tried a Vitamix for this and it didn’t really work for me, but my NutriBullet did a perfect job.

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Category: Lunch, Dinner
  • Method: Soaked, Blended, Baked
  • Cuisine: Italian

Keywords: quinoa pizza crust, gluten-free pizza crust, pizza crust quinoa, quinoa crust pizza

Did You Make This Recipe?

Tag @olivesfordinner on Instagram … we’d love to see it!

Check out more pizza ideas here!

Easy Homemade Pizza Dough

Quick + Easy Focaccia Pizza

Buffalo Cauliflower Pizza

Spicy Thai-Style Pizza with Peanut Sauce

Purple Cauliflower Crust with Garlic Oil

Socca Pizza Crust with Caramelized Shallots and Kale

A hand holding a slice of quinoa crust pizza against a dark background.
A hand holding a slice of quinoa crust pizza against a dark background.

You may also like:

Crispy Beer-Battered Vegan Fish
Mongolian Soy Curls
Easy Raw Kale Salad
Socca Pizza Crust (Gluten-Free)

Filed Under: Entrees, Pizza Tagged With: quinoa

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. jennifer says

    February 14, 2022 at 10:25 am

    can you make this crust ahead of time and freeze it?
    thank you for your wonderful offerings!

    Reply
    • erinwyso says

      February 14, 2022 at 10:44 am

      Jennifer, I haven’t tried that, so can’t say for sure … if you try with good results, I’d love to know. I hope you enjoy!

      Reply
  2. JUDY says

    February 14, 2022 at 3:10 pm

    any suggestions if I don’t have a cast iron skillet please? Thanks, your recipes are incredible 🙂

    Reply
    • erinwyso says

      February 14, 2022 at 3:46 pm

      Judy, the cast iron is pretty essential here, so I’m not sure what else could be used. Cast iron pans are relatively cheap and give amazing results … Lodge is a great brand.

      Thanks for your kind words.

      Reply
  3. Natasha Brunetti says

    February 27, 2022 at 1:19 pm

    Excellent recipe. Came out okay. I think not perfect due to it being hard to keep the oven at the right temperature. Will definitely try it again.

    ★★★★

    Reply
  4. Jenn T says

    April 1, 2022 at 6:19 pm

    Just made this tonight. Excellent recipe. Will definitely make again. Thanks!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  5. discoverregina says

    April 20, 2022 at 3:20 pm

    This will be cooked in my house tomorrow dammit!!!! Thanks for posting.

    Reply
  6. Nancy says

    June 4, 2022 at 5:57 pm

    When I took it out of the oven, I thought hey these would be good as crackers! So I cut them up for snacking. Next time I will finish the pizza.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  7. Michael Castellano says

    November 20, 2022 at 12:01 pm

    Hello I was wondering if you can please tell me for the 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, it says it has to be rinsed in a sieve then soaked in plenty of water for 12–18 hours. I was wondering if you can skip that step?
    Please let me know asap thanks! 🙂

    -Mike

    Reply
    • erinwyso says

      November 20, 2022 at 4:18 pm

      Hi Mike, the quinoa has a saponin coating that definitely needs to be soaked and rinsed away … it’s bitter and can cause stomach upset if you skip this step. I hope you enjoy the recipe!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

Primary Sidebar

Hi! I’m Erin Wysocarski. Glad you’re here.

I create vegan recipes for those who love to cook and eat. My husband Jeff photographs them. We live in Boston with our rescue dog, Harper. More about Erin →

Follow Me!

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest

As Seen On

Popular Recipes

Pasta, artistically draped around a fork on a table.

Pasta with White Wine Sauce

Two hands holding a glass mason jar of coffee sugar scrub

Homemade Coffee Sugar Scrub

Two hands framing a plate of curry on a dark background.

Cauliflower and Mushroom Curry

A whole head of firecracker cauliflower, basted with sauce in a cast iron pan against a dark background.

Firecracker Cauliflower

Sweet Potato Tempura Rolls

Sweet Potato Tempura and Avocado Rolls

Vegan Shrimp

Vegan Shrimp

Two hands holding a bowl of bang bang cauliflow

Vegan Bang Bang Cauliflower

A bagel loaded with carrot lox, red onion, capers and vegan cream cheese on a wooden board.

Carrot Lox

Footer

About

Olives for Dinner is a vegan food blog for those who love to cook and eat. You'll find fresh, creative and delicious recipes here, all made with plants!

Search for recipes

VIEW ALL RECIPES

Interviews

Amber St. Peter | Fettle Vegan - Good Saint
Cara Ansis of Fork and Beans
Constanze Reichardt of Seitan is My Motor.

Sign up to get new recipes via email.

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
HOME ∙ ABOUT ∙ CONTACT ∙ PRIVACY

Copyright© 2023 · Brunch Pro Theme by Shay Bocks