Easy Gluten Free Pizza Crust (Vegan)

Whether you’re gluten free or not, this gluten free pizza crust is sure to be a favorite. It’s naturally vegan, easy to make, perfectly chewy with a crispy crust.

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Alright ya’ll. (I’m from Boston so I probably can’t say ya’ll but here we are). Developing a gluten free pizza crust recipe was HARD. Especially a gluten free AND vegan pizza crust.

The past few weeks were filled with frustration and far too many slices of gummy and dry pizza for me to count. But nevertheless I persisted, and thank god I did because ohmygod this is the best gluten free pizza crust in all the land and I can’t wait for you to try it.

This gluten free crust tastes just like a regular pizza crust, texture, flavor and all. I promise, if you tasted this without knowing what it was made off, you’d have NO idea it was gluten free.

It’s all thanks to a special blend of flours which includes white rice flour, tapioca and corn starch to hold it all together. These three combine to form the perfectly fluffy, airy, moist, sturdy, chewy yet crispy pizza crust. Some pizza crusts are made with eggs, but this recipe doesn’t need it thanks to the blend of flours that holds everything together, so it’s naturally vegan!

How to make this recipe

The first step is to combine the yeast, warm water and sugar or honey in a bowl. I like using honey, but if you follow a strict vegan diet, regular sugar is fine. Maple syrup may work, but it’s not best from a flavor point of view.

Combine the rice flour, tapioca corn starch, baking powder, salt, psyllium husk powder and garlic powder in a large mixing bowl. 

Pour in the water/yeast mixture, oil and apple cider vinegar.

Use a wooden spoon to mix until combined. There should be some air bubbles and should be moist, and definitely not too wet or dry.

Transfer to a clean surface and need with your hands for 90 seconds. I suggest setting a timer because if you knead for too long it can make the dough gummy, but too little and it won’t rise properly. 

Transfer back to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm and dark environment for 90 minutes to 2 hours. If it’s a cold day, preheat the oven to 110 Fahrenheit, turn it off and then the dough sit in the off oven. Otherwise, in a regular off oven or the warming drawer below the oven is perfect. 

After about 90 minutes, the dough should roughly double in size. If your dough doesn’t rise much, that is likely an indicator that your yeast was old, expired or inactive. You can absolutely still make the recipe, it’ll taste delicious, but the texture may not be the same as the original recipe.

Transfer the dough to a piece of parchment paper and roll into about 1/4-1/2 inch thick, creating a slight lip with the edge of the crust if desired.

Brush lightly with olive oil and bake for 5 minutes once the oven has heated. The oil will aid in the cooking process and help the crust brown up on the edges so it gets a bit crispy. I brush the entire crust, but you can focus mostly on the outer portion of the crust where there won’t be any sauce.

Remove from the oven, add sauce and desired toppings and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven, slice and serve warm.

A note about cooking with yeast

If you’re at all intimated by cooking with yeast, don’t be! It’s incredibly easy. The main thing you need to be aware of is temperature.

A lot of people will tell you there is no need to activate instant yeast with water before adding to a recipe, but I always do. It really ensures the yeast is properly active and dissolves into the water and actually does what it is supposed to in the crust- help it rise.

When you pre-bake the crust, you will likely notice a few air bubbles forming (see the middle photo above), but this is actually good! It shows the yeast is active and doing its job.

When you combine the yeast with the water, you want the water to be WARM but not hot because it will kill the yeast. About 105-110 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal.

Recipe tips

• It’s important to use instant or quick rise yeast for this recipe. Regular yeast will work, but it won’t yield quite as fluffy a texture since it needs to prove for longer.

• I do not recommend making any flour substitutions with this recipe. I have tested with brown rice flour, and other starches, and it often turns out gummy. This blend turns out perfectly every time so keep it as is for best results!

• Be sure to spoon and level all of the flours. Do not scoop right from the bag. The measurements need to be pretty exact to avoid a gummy or dry crust.

• Once prepared, this pizza will store in the fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat in the oven for best results.

• This crust can be frozen after it has par-baked. After it bakes for 5 minutes, remove from the oven and let cool completely. Carefully (but tightly) wrap in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for 1 month. When you’re ready to eat, top with toppings and bake as usual. You may need to add a few extra minutes of bake time to account for the colder temperature.

Looking for easy weeknight meals? Try these!

• Easy Oven Baked Falafel
• Dairy Free Pesto Pasta
• Roasted Red Pepper Penne
• Baked Orange Cauliflower

Lastly, if you want more recipes straight to your inbox, be sure to subscribe to my email list. As always, tag me on instagram if you make this recipe so I can see your creation! Be sure to comment and leave a review if you like this recipe!

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