Homemade Easy Vegan Pizza Crust
This incredible homemade vegan pizza crust is a combination of just five simple ingredients that creates a crust that is light, airy, and chewy. Plus, I’ve included how to make this dough either by hand or in a stand mixer.
You can add any toppings that you love, from classic red sauce and vegan cheese, to a tomato free pizza sauce, or more adventurous combinations like these roasted vegetable medleys.
Not to mention, you can experiment with different herbs like fresh basil, spices, and seasonings to create your perfect pizza flavor profile.
No matter if you’re a vegan or just looking for a tasty and easy pizza crust recipe, this one is sure to satisfy.Â
Ingredients
The ingredients for this pizza dough couldn’t be any easier. You don’t need anything fancy at all.
- All Purpose Flour: No fancy flours required! Just a good all purpose flour. You can also use a mix of half bread flour and half all purpose for an extra chewy crust. And if you want to have a heartier crust, half all purpose and half whole wheat flour is perfect.
- Yeast: I like to proof my yeast so I always use active dry yeast and never instant yeast. The reason I prefer active dry yeast is that I can know before I add other ingredients if the yeast is alive and will make a good batch of pizza dough.
- Oil: I typically use extra virgin olive oil, as this is an Italian inspired pizza! But any oil is good.
- Salt: You can’t make bread without salt. Flavor, texture, the rise of the dough, all happen because of the salt.
- Water: Use warm water to make this. It’s really helpful to have a thermometer to know exactly how warm the water is. Aim to have the temperature between 100F to 110F (38-43C). Any colder and the yeast won’t proof and any hotter and it might kill the yeast.
Variations
- Herb Crust: Add up to 2 tablespoons of dried herbs to the dough when adding the final cup of flour when kneading the dough. After shaping the crust, brush the edge with olive oil and sprinkle with a mixture of more herbs, cashew cheese, or other vegan parmesan cheese, and sea salt.
- Garlic Crust: Add 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder into the crust when adding the final cup of flour when kneading the dough.
Instructions
Making pizza dough isn’t difficult, it just requires patience. I’ve included instructions for both mixing the dough by hand and in a stand mixer in the recipe card.
Make sure to check out the recipe card below for the full recipe and ingredient list.
First up, proof the yeast! Make sure that your yeast is alive with this safety step. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in ½ cup of warm water. Let it sit for about 10 minutes until it gets foamy with bubbles on top. That means it is alive and you are ready to move on.
Tip! You can make this by hand or in a stand mixer. Up to you! The photos show making it by hand, but the instructions for both are in the recipe card.
Next, mix the dough together. Start by adding the remaining warm water and olive oil. Mix this well. Then, adding one cup of flour at a time, begin to add the flour to the dough. Add the salt with the second or third addition of the flour.
Mix this until you get a shaggy dough, then begin to knead. Knead for about 5 minutes or until you get a dough that is soft, smooth, and is tacky but not sticky.
The difference between tacky and sticky is that sticky will actually stick to your hands when you tough it. Tacky can feel a bit sticky, but when you touch it, no dough should stick to your hand.
Then, let it rise for about 1 hour in a warm spot. Cover it with a clean damp towel and pop it into a warm spot. I like to place a hot tea kettle next to my bowl.
After it is doubled in size, it’s finally time to make the pizzas!
Using your hands on a lightly floured surface, divide the dough in two pieces. Gently stretch and press the dough into a crust about 10 to 12 inches wide.
You can use a rolling pin, however, this will press out any of the bubbles in your crust.
Top with your choice of a sauce and any pizza toppings.
Bake at 425F for 20 minutes or longer, depending on how many toppings you added. Enjoy!
Suggested Pizza Toppings
Now for the fun part! There are so many different ways that you can top these to make a great pizza. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
- Classic Cheese: Use your favorite combination of vegan cheeses to top this pizza. There are so many different brands out there which make it easy to find ones that you like.
- Veggie Filled: That’s what these pizzas are! No cheese is required to make these pizzas. Top with veggies like onions, red onion, bell peppers, black olives, broccoli, mushrooms, frozen sweet corn, sliced tomatoes, pineapple chunks, chopped cabbage, artichoke hearts, and top with fresh slices of avocados after it is cooked.
- Lentil Meatballs: Sprinkle some leftover lentil balls on top.
- Pepperoni: Of course, you can also use things like beyond meat or other plant-based pepperoni to top the pizza.
FAQs
Yes! You can make this dough in advance and even freeze it to use later.Â
Make sure that your pizza dough has fully risen, completing the fermentation process. Then, divide the dough in half, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and place it in a freezer safe container or bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.Â
When you are ready to use your crust, allow it to thaw on the countertop for at least an hour before shaping and baking as normal.Â
Some pizza crusts are vegan friendly and others are not. The basic ingredients for a pizza crust are flour, yeast, salt, oil, and water. A lot of times major pizza retailers will use milk powders to help flavor the dough. Any time you get a flavored crust, you increase the chances of it not being vegan.Â
How to Store
The best part about this is that you can make one crust tonight and save the other crust for a later date by freezing half of the dough.
- You can divide the dough in half, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and place it in a freezer safe container or bag. Then, allow the dough to thaw for 1 hour at room temperature before shaping and baking as usual.
- You can press the dough into a crust and freeze it on a baking sheet. Then, you can wrap the pre-made crust in plastic wrap and store in a freezer safe bag. When you want to make the pizza, allow it to thaw for 20 minutes before topping and baking as directed.
What to Eat with Pizza
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Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Mixing spoons
- measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- food thermometer
- parchment paper
- Pizza Tray
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 1 ¾ cups water warm to 100°F to 110°F / 38-43°C
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 to 4 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
Instructions
Making the Dough by Hand
- Proof the yeast. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in ½ cup of warm water, stirring to mix well. Let the yeast proof for about 5 minutes, or until tiny clusters of bubbles appear on the surface. Stir in the remaining warm water along with olive oil.
- Add the flour. Start by adding 1 ½ cups of flour to the yeast mixture, mixing well. Add the salt with the second cup of flour. Add more flour until the dough comes together into a shaggy mess, somewhere between 4 and 4 ½ cups total.
- Knead. In the bowl, begin to knead. Knead until you have a soft ball of dough that is slightly tacky but not sticky. It should take about 5 minutes of kneading. If the dough is dry and crumbly, add a little water, a spoonful at a time, until the dough is soft. If the dough is sticky, add more flour, one spoonful at a time, until the dough is soft and smooth.
- If adding any flavored elements to the crust, now is the time to do so.
- Rise. Lightly spray the bowl with oil and put the dough in the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm spot until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Making the Dough in a Stand Mixer
- Proof the yeast. In a large mixing bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast in ½ cup of warm water, stirring to mix well. Let the yeast proof for about 5 minutes, or until tiny clusters of bubbles appear on the surface. Stir in the remaining warm water along with olive oil.
- Add the flour. Start by adding 1 ½ cups of flour to the yeast mixture, mixing well with the dough hook on low speed. Add the salt with the second cup of flour. Add more flour until the dough comes together into a shaggy mess, somewhere between 4 and 4 ½ cups total.
- Knead. Knead the dough with the dough hook on medium speed until you have a soft ball of dough that is slightly tacky but not sticky. It should take about 5 minutes of kneading. If the dough is dry and crumbly, add a little water, a spoonful at a time, until the dough is soft. If the dough is sticky, add more flour, one spoonful at a time, until the dough is soft and smooth.
- If adding any flavored elements to the crust, now is the time to do so.
- Rise. Lightly spray a large bowl with oil and put the dough in the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm spot until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Shaping and Baking the Pizza
- Preheat the oven to 425°F / 218°C. Place the oven racks in the middle of the oven.
- Shape the dough. When the dough is ready, sprinkle your work surface with flour and turn the dough out. Divide it in two. Using your hands, begin to shape the dough into a disc, leaving a little bit of edge for the crust. Stretch and flatten it until you have a pizza crust that is about 10 to 12 inches in size. Transfer it to a parchment lined pizza pan or a parchment lined baking sheet. If you’re using a pizza stone, place the dough directly onto a lightly floured pizza peel. Repeat with the second crust or freeze for later use.
- Bake. Cover the pizza with your preferred choice of toppings. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, depending on how many toppings you have added. The pizza crust will have an internal temperature of at least 190°F/80°C when done. Remove it from the oven, slice, and serve. Enjoy!
Notes
- Variations
- Herb Crust:Â Add up to 2 tablespoons of dried herbs to the dough when adding the final cup of flour when kneading the dough. After shaping the crust, brush the edge with olive oil and sprinkle with a mixture of more herbs, cashew cheese, or other vegan parmesan cheese, and sea salt.
- Garlic Crust: Add ½ teaspoon of garlic powder into the crust when adding the final cup of flour when kneading the dough.
- How to Store
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- Store any leftover slices in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- You can divide the dough in half, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and place it in a freezer safe container or bag. Then, allow the dough to thaw for 1 hour at room temperature before shaping and baking as usual.
- You can press the dough into a crust and freeze it on a baking sheet. Then, you can wrap the pre-made crust in plastic wrap and store in a freezer safe bag. When you want to make the pizza, allow it to thaw for 20 minutes before topping and baking as directed.Â
