[A pizza made with a sugar-free cookie crust, dairy-free cream cheese frosting, and lots of colorful fresh fruit. Who wouldn’t love that?! This Fruit Pizza is vegan, sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg free, soy-free and yeast-free. Suitable for Stage 3 and beyond on an anti-candida diet.]
Okay, I’m going to age myself here.
How many of you remember the days of oleomargarine in Canada? When the makers of margarine weren’t allowed to color the pasty white fat because it would then look too much like butter, and could cut into the butter market? When we had to buy margarine with accompanying little plastic packets of yellow liquid dye so we could knead it by hand into the pasty white fat, thereby rendering it pasty butter-colored fat? When laws were introduced to ensure that no margarine ever could call itself “butter”–and the label “buttery spread” was born?
How about champagne? Did you know that only the bubbly booze that’s made in the Champagne region of France is allowed to use that moniker legally, and that the drink must be made from either Chardonnay, Pinot Noir or Pinot Meunier only? That any other sparkling wine derived from white grapes must call itself something else–either “sparkling wine” or Cava, or Prosecco, or something else.
Then there’s the mayonnaise controversy. With the explosion of so many plant-based foods becoming mainstream recently, we’ve seen a lot of “lookalike” foods made with plants–the Impossible Burger comes to mind immediately. But back in 2014, then-startup Hampton Creek’s vegan mayonnaise, Just Mayo, was almost sued by Hellmans because, the food giant claimed, the term “mayonnaise” was reserved only for those products that contain eggs (Hellmans has since debuted their own vegan mayonnaise to the market.).
But what about pizza? What makes pizza, well, quintessentially PIZZA?
When the HH first spied this Fruit Pizza I made, he exclaimed, “That’s a cookie, that’s not pizza!”
Hmm. He may have a point, there.
The Oxford definition of everyone favorite ‘za is “A dish of Italian origin, consisting of a flat round base of dough baked with a topping of tomatoes and cheese, typically with added meat, fish, or vegetables.”
Do you see fruit mentioned anywhere (okay, tomato is technically a fruit, but. . . )?
Do you see cream cheese frosting mentioned anywhere (well, “cheese,” yes, but not cream cheese)?
Most importantly, do you see sugar cookie crust mentioned anywhere (oh, wait, I suppose a sugar cookie IS a “flat round base of dough”)?
Okay, I take it back. This Fruit Pizza IS pizza.
When I recommitted to my candida diet journey back in 2009, I probably would have agreed with the HH. In other words, I felt as if anything that wasn’t “normal” food would be tasteless, feel like cardboard in my mouth, and would, overall, be decidedly unappetizing. I yearned for the days of “real” cream cheese-based cheesecake; silky smooth milk chocolate; or even super sweet packaged treats with their grainy, sugary frostings and “chocolately” coatings, like May Wests or Ding Dongs.
It took time, but eventually I came to accept that those foods simply don’t serve my body or my best health, physically OR psychologically. I began to experiment with different approaches to baking and cooking, and discovered that I actually loved making healthy desserts (and that, I daresay, I was quite good at it).
And it was only then that I began to enjoy my food again. I couldn’t have conceived of this particular Fruit Pizza ten years ago–free of sugar, gluten, eggs and dairy. But now, it’s a stellar example of the kinds of healthy and delectable treats I love.
This recipe is one of almost 300 housed in The Sweet Life archives, which I’m sharing with all of you today!
This colorful confection makes an incredible summer dessert that’s not only delicious, but even portable. Dress one up, bring it along with you to the BBQ, then slice it up on-site. Or pre-slice, wrap individually, and take it on a picnic. Or set up a buffet with the base already on the table, and bowls of individually sliced fruits so that guests can top their own slices heir own way.
The HH and I both loved this Fruit Pizza, and hubs even went back for seconds (okay, thirds).
A doughy, not-too-sweet crust topped with a gooey, smooth and creamy frosting all dotted with your favorite colorful, sweet and juicy fruits. Best of all, everything is free of gluten, eggs, dairy and sugar, so you can indulge and feel great about treating your taste buds, and your body.
Whatever you call it, you’ll love this candida diet-friendly Fruit Pizza.
Sugar-Free, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free Fruit Pizza
shared from The Sweet Life recipe library
This is the quintessential summer dessert, making use of all the vibrantly colored fruits and pairing them with an easy, creamy, portable sugar cookie crust slathered with cream cheese frosting. If it isn’t yet, this might just become your favorite summer treat!
For the sugar-free sugar cookie crust:
3 Tbsp (45 ml) xylitol or Lakanto
1.5 Tbsp (22.5 ml) Lakanto Caramel Syrup
1.5 tsp (7.5 ml) chia seeds (from about 3/4 tsp or 3.5 ml whole chia seeds)
1 Tbsp (15 ml) unsweetened nondairy milk of choice
1/4 tsp (1 ml) pure lemon extract
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup (60 ml) virgin coconut oil (or refined if you prefer no flavor), firm at room temperature
1 cup Ricki’s All Purpose Gluten Free Flour mix
3/4 tsp (3.5 ml) baking powder
1/8 tsp (.5 ml) fine sea salt
For the cream cheese frosting:
1/4 cup (60 ml) coconut butter (not oil), melted
2 Tbsp (30 ml) smooth natural cashew butter (you can use sunflower seed butter, too, but the flavor
is more prominent)
1 tsp (5 ml) fresh lemon juice
3 Tbsp (45 ml) alternative milk of choice
20 drops (1/8 tsp or .5 ml) pure plain or vanilla liquid stevia, or to taste
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) raw apple cider vinegar
Pinch fine sea salt
For the fruit topping (adjust the specific fruits to your taste/diet):
About 2 cups (420 ml) fresh raspberries and/or strawberries
About 1/2 cup (120 ml) fresh blueberries
One fresh peach, cored and sliced
2-3 fresh kiwis, peeled and sliced
Make the crust: Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Line a large cookie sheet or pizza pan with parchment, or use an 8-inch (20 cm) pie plate and grease the bottom and sides.
In a small pot over medium heat, combine the xylitol, caramel syrup, ground chia, milk, lemon extract and vanilla. Bring just to a boil (it will bubble on the sides of the pot), then cook, stirring constantly, until the xylitol is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the coconut oil until melted. Allow to cool slightly, about five minutes, stirring once or twice.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Pour the liquid over the dry ingredients and stir quickly to blend. You should have a soft and slightly sticky dough.
Turn the dough onto the parchment and press with your hands until you have a circle that is about 8 inches (20 cm) in diameter. If using the pie plate, just press the dough evenly on the bottom of the plate. Prick the dough four to six times with a fork moving across the dough so that you don’t have all the holes in one spot.
Bake the crust for 12-15 minutes, just until it begins to turn golden on the edges (if you prefer a crisp cookie crust, bake an additional 4-6 minutes). Allow to cool completely before frosting.
When the crust is cool, make the cream cheese frosting: Combine all ingredients in a bowl or food processor and blend well, until smooth and creamy. Spread over the cookie crust, leaving about 1/4 inch (.5 cm) of the crust uncovered around the edge.
Top with the fruit: Arrange the sliced fruits over the frosting in a decorative manner. Refrigerate the pizza until set, one to 2 hours. Slice and serve. Will keep, covered in the refrigerator, up to 2 days. If the pizza has been chilled, allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before slicing. Makes 6-8 servings.
Note: the base and frosting can be made ahead and will keep, covered in the refrigerator, up to 4 days. You can make ahead and then top with the fruit right before serving.
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Suitable for: ACD Stage 3 and beyond; refined sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg free, soy-free, yeast-free, vegan.
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Hi! I'm Ricki, cookbook author, professional recipe developer, holistic nutritionist and anti-candida crusader. Let me show you how easy it is to eat plant-based, sugar-free, gluten free food that tastes great! 
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