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!
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.
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.
Blend the soaked and rinsed quinoa. I used my nutribullet for this. Blend until completely smooth.
This is the texture you want.
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.
Since 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.
Slice it up just like you would any pizza. It’s thin but sturdy crust is so good!
I just made a simple cheese pizza here, but this can be topped with whatever you like. Enjoy!
Check out more pizza ideas here!
Spicy Thai-Style Pizza with Peanut Sauce
Purple Cauliflower Crust with Garlic Oil
Socca Pizza Crust with Caramelized Shallots and Kale
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Quinoa Crust Pizza
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 1, 10-inch pizza
- Diet: Vegan
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
- Preheat oven to 450.
- Place a 10-inch cast iron skillet into the oven to preheat.
- Rinse the quinoa again, rubbing it between your fingers, then drain it and place into a NutriBullet or other similar blender. (See note below)
- Add in the tapioca flour, water, 1 TB of olive oil and sea salt.
- Blend until completely smooth.
- 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.
- 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.
- Place into the oven to bake for 15 minutes.
- Flip with a large spatula (it will be sturdy and very easy to handle), and bake for 5 minutes more.
- Remove from the oven, flip again, and add the sauce, Italian seasoning and cheese onto the crust.
- Drizzle the outer edges of the crust with 1 TB of oil and season with the flaky sea salt. Return it to the oven.
- Place a pizza pan or cookie sheet over the skillet. This will allow the cheese to melt without burning your crust.
- Cook for 10 minutes more, or until the cheese has fully melted.
- 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
Michael Castellano says
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
erinwyso says
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!
Nancy says
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.
★★★★★
discoverregina says
This will be cooked in my house tomorrow dammit!!!! Thanks for posting.
Jenn T says
Just made this tonight. Excellent recipe. Will definitely make again. Thanks!
★★★★★
Natasha Brunetti says
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.
★★★★
JUDY says
any suggestions if I don’t have a cast iron skillet please? Thanks, your recipes are incredible 🙂
erinwyso says
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.
jennifer says
can you make this crust ahead of time and freeze it?
thank you for your wonderful offerings!
erinwyso says
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!