Quinoa-based pizza crust offers a tasty gluten-free option

I went to Washington, D.C., last weekend to visit my friend Lina. As we mapped out our schedule of museum visits and restaurant options, she mentioned she had been trying to avoid eating gluten to see if the dietary change could have a positive effect on her health. She told me she’d found a frozen pizza brand that used riced cauliflower for the crust, and since I was there, she also wanted to experiment with a quinoa crust.

Whether starting with a full head of cauliflower or frozen riced cauliflower, this is an excellent alternative. Its mild taste makes it a good stand-in for flour-based crusts, and it is typically higher in fiber, protein and vitamins. However, there may be additional ingredients that can change the nutritional profile. In Lina’s frozen pizza, the label listed tapioca starch, rice flour and rice starch as ingredients. This tells you that it may be gluten free, but not necessarily low-carb.

Quinoa is considered a whole grain, which is better for you than refined grains like the white flour found in standard pizza crust recipes. It is a complete protein, high in fiber, minerals and antioxidants. There are several types of quinoa, and they vary in color. If you are making pizza dough, select plain quinoa, not the mixture of black, red and white that we used.

Of course, the best way to determine which was the better choice was to conduct a taste test. Unfortunately, we did not pay enough attention to the quinoa recipe instructions, which required soaking the raw quinoa for six to eight hours. We read the fine print, which said we could accelerate the process by using hot water, so we plowed ahead.

The batter came together readily enough with an immersion blender, but next time I would use a food processor or standard blender. The baking times we originally used have been adjusted to a shorter time in the recipe below, as I think ours cooked too long, making it a little more crispy than tender (see photo). We didn’t have tomato sauce, so we made a basil pesto pizza instead of the traditional tomato and cheese version. 

The flavors were delicious, but just a tad salty from the commercial jarred pesto we used. We layered on sautéed mushrooms, but their flavor was lost, so next time it would be just the pesto, cheese topping and some slivered red peppers. We agreed the quinoa crust worked just fine, a little too crisp and lacking the pillowy, doughy texture you find at your local pizza parlor. We also benefited from the lower calories, lower cholesterol and gluten-free features of the quinoa-crust pizza. 

Next, we tried the cauliflower-crust vegetable pizza shown in the single-slice photo. This pizza cooked from its frozen state in about 10 minutes. The texture of the crust was soft in the center with crisp edges, but it had virtually no flavor. It was topped with a light tomato sauce, roasted vegetables and shredded cheese. We agreed it was a good replacement, without the oily runoff often seen in commercial pizza-place pies, and it held together nicely.

So, if you’re interested in trying flour-crust alternatives for your next pizza, both of thees options are workable and the toppings are infinitely interchangeable – just be sure not too overload the crust with too many. Here’s to gluten-free pizza!

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Place the cauliflower rice in a microwave-safe bowl; cover and cook for 4 minutes to soften. Drain off any liquid, then transfer the cauliflower rice onto a thin kitchen towel. Twist the towel tightly to secure the cauliflower and squeeze until all the excess moisture is gone. Place the drained cauliflower rice in a large mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients and use your hands to combine into a dough. Form the dough into a 9-inch circle on the parchment-lined pan. Bake for 20 minutes, flip the crust over, and bake an additional 5 minutes. Remove from oven and add desired toppings. Bake until heated through, about 10 minutes. Cool for a few minutes before slicing. Yield: 2 servings.

Quinoa Pizza Crust

Begin the day before: Cover quinoa with water and soak for 6 to 8 hours. When ready to make the crust, preheat oven to 425 F. Line a baking pan with parchment paper; set aside. Rinse and thoroughly drain quinoa; place in the bowl of a blender or food processor. Add remaining ingredients and puree until mixture resembles a thick pancake batter. Pour batter 1/8-inch thick in a circular shape on the parchment paper. Bake for 10 minutes and flip the circle of dough; bake another 10 minutes. Coat with desired toppings and bake 8 minutes to completely heat toppings. Cool for a few minutes before slicing. Yield: 2 servings.