[ This Gluten Free Quinoa Pizzetta Crust will quickly become your new go-to. So easy to make, firm enough to eat with your hands, and it’s also vegan, sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg free, soy-free, nut-free, yeast-free, and low glycemic. Suitable for all stages on an anti-candida diet.]
Like most people who went to university, I ate a lot of pizza. Pizza for dinner, pizza for lunch, leftover pizza for breakfast, pizza for snacks, pizza on Saturday night, pizza when out with my friends, pizza while studying.
I ate so much pizza, in fact, that I steered clear of the bready pie until late in my 30s. I just couldn’t face it.
Nowadays, I’m back to pizza on the regular. Once I learned how to make anticandida diet-friendly gluten free pizza crust–whether grain-based or grain-free–I was back on the pizza bandwagon.
I love that a fresh pizza crust is like a blank canvas on which you can imprint whatever your emotional landscape may be at the moment. Feeling saucy? Add some tomato sauce and toppings. Prefer to be a little more elegant? Lay down some pesto as a base and top with your most exotic cut veggies and protein sources. In need of some comfort? Go for mega cheesy with toothsome toppings like meaty crumbles or baconut.
However you slice it, there’s nothing like a hot, loaded slice of pizza.
I thought I’d covered it all when it came to gluten-free pizza crust, but today’s recipe surprised me. It’s deceptively simple to make, and it results in the most delicious pizza I’ve had in ages. Plus, it bakes up even and firm, perfect for loading with toppings. And perfect for hand-held eating (my favorite way to enjoy these pies).
The recipe is from Alisa Fleming’s just-released book, Eat Dairy Free. I’ve known Alisa almost since I first started blogging, about a decade ago (!!). In fact, I reviewed Alisa’s first book here.
What I love about Alisa’s recipes is that they work, and they deliver on flavor. When you reproduce one of Alisa’s recipes, you know that what you make will come out as promised. How refreshing is that?
This book is another that will become a staple in the kitchen of anyone who lives a dairy-free life (full disclosure: this is not an anti-candida cookbook, nor is it a vegan cookbook. However, all recipes are gluten-free or have GF options, 75% of the recipes are vegan, with 90% nut-free).
As with Alisa’s previous books, Eat Dairy Free is much more than a cookbook. You’ll find an ingredient primer, menu plans, quick references for allergen and special diets, and more. Plus, the book uses only real, everyday ingredients that you can find at the local supermarket–nothing weird, and no special “dairy substitutes” needed!
Chapters include recipes for beverages, breakfast and brunch, snacks, veggie dishes, comfort food, Mediterranean favorites, Asian faves, desserts, and staples (such as vinaigrettes, nut butters, cauliflower “rice,” and this amazing pizza crust!).
Some of the recipes I can’t wait to try include the Savory Sundried Tomato and Zucchini Muffins, Strawberry Short Stack, Impossible Vegan Quiche, Garlic and Herb Popcorn, Rich Thai Dip with Broccoli “Trees,” Roasted Carrot Bisque, Smashing Baby Potatoes, Creamed Cabbage, Pasta with Rustic Tomato Cream Sauce, Hot n Spicy Sesame Noodles, Snicker Dough-Dles and True Blue Raspberry Sherbet–among others!
Alisa has allowed me to share this crazy-good recipe with you all today. I’ve eaten this 3 times in the past week, and if there was more in the fridge, I’d probably polish that off, too. Guess I’ve come full circle with my pizza loving!
Gluten Free Quinoa Pizzetta Crust
from Eat Dairy Free by Alisa Fleming (used with permission)
Alisa writes: “This is a somewhat finicky recipe that may take a time or two to master [Ricki’s note: it wasn’t finicky at all for me. It came out perfect the first–and second, and third!–time]. But once you get the hang of it, the deliciously unique taste, ample nutrition, and overall ease are impossible to resist.
1 cup (240 ml) uncooked quinoa
2 Tbsp (30 ml) extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup (120 ml) warm water
1 Tbsp (15 ml) honey (can substitute agave nectar–see notes, below)
1/4 tsp (1 ml) garlic powder
Sauce and toppings of choice [see below for what I used]
Put the quinoa in a bowl, cover with a few inches of water, place in the refrigerator and let soak for 8 to 24 hours.
When the quinoa is finished soaking, divide the oil between two 8-inch (20 cm) pie pans and tilt the pans to evenly coat the bottoms. Place the pans in your cold oven, then turn the oven on to 450F (230C).
Drain the quinoa using a fine-mesh sieve and rinse well.
Put the soaked quinoa, warm water, honey, salt and garlic powder in your blender and blend ro one to two minutes, or until relatively smooth.
When the oven is almost preheated, remove the pie pans. Pour half the quinoa batter into one of the preheated pans and quickly spread it around with a spatula to evenly cover the bottom. Repeat with the second half of the batter in the other pan.
Bake for 12 minutes. Carefully flip each crust and bake for 8 more minutes. Add your sauce and toppings and bake 5 to 10 more minutes, or until the toppings are cooked. Makes two 8-inch crusts (2-4 servings).
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one day. May be frozen.
Ricki’s notes: I used 6 drops of plain liquid stevia instead of honey or agave. I also lined the pie pans with a circle of parchment as well, which made flipping incredibly easy. Peel the paper off after flipping and before continuing to bake.
For the pizza I had, pictured above: I added a kale-cilantro pesto (similar to this one), meaty crumbles, onion and grape tomatoes.
This recipe is reprinted with permission from Eat Dairy Free: Your Essential Cookbook for Everyday Meals, Snacks, and Sweets by Alisa Fleming (BenBella Books, 2018).
Suitable for: ACD All stages; refined sugar-free, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, egg free, soy-free, nut-free, yeast-free, vegan, low glycemic.
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I cannot wait to try this! we are loving Alisa’s book, and I already know it is going to be good! (and now you have me craving pizza…
We love it, too, Kristina! I just adore this crust. So, so easy to make, and it works so beautifully. Yum!!
That is my kind of pizza! I don’t love dough-y pizzas, it’s always been about the flavor and toppings for me. That overhead shot – it looks SO delicious!
Dreena, this was the perfect crust! Not doughy at all, and just right for loads of toppings (which we love, too)–held up really well! 🙂
Do you think I could use the whole batch for one cookie sheet? (rather than divide into two rounds?)
Cindy, the recipe said to use a pan, but I did one in a pan and one on a cookie sheet just to see. The cookie sheet one was a bit thinner (it spread a bit) and not as perfectly round, but other than that, it was terrific! So I’d say yes, cookie sheet *should* be fine. I’d still do two separate pizzas, though, since the center might not bake as well if you have one huge crust. Hope that helps!
How fun are these! I love Alisa and the work she does. Great use of quinoa, too!!!
I thought so, too, Heather! Nice to see your name pop up here. 🙂 Hope all’s well!
Thank you Ricki! As usual, you make everything look so good!! I appreciate you testing it out on a baking sheet! Since the batter is thinner, I never thought to do that. Glad it worked out!
My pleasure, of course! I loved this recipe. And yes, it was great on a cookie sheet, too–a little less perfectly round, but worked beautifully. 🙂