Vegan Pizza Dough
This easy vegan pizza dough recipe is great if you’re new to homemade pizzas. You’ll love the soft homemade pizza crust that’s crispy in all the right places. Stop searching for pizza delivery for vegan pizzas! Because you can make your own homemade crust with only 7 basic ingredients.
This homemade vegan pizza dough is my go-to favorite for making homemade pizza, which I like to do quite regularly. Sure, I have sometimes bought pre-purchased vegan pie crusts. Learn more about those on my Two Easy Vegan Pizzas for Under $15 post.
However, the store-bought vegan pie crusts are only so-so in my opinion and there’s so much plastic packaging! It really is a goal of mine to reduce the amount of single use plastic wherever we can. Besides, making your own vegan pie crust is not that much work and it tastes SO much better!
If you’ve ever made homemade vegan bread (like this vegan whole wheat bread recipe), then making a vegan pie crust will be a piece of cake! Well, not literally, but you know what I mean! In fact, vegan pizza dough is even easier than homemade bread, because there’s simply fewer steps involved.
Look, we all know that you judge a Mexican restaurant by its tortilla chips and an Italian restaurant by the quality of its bread. So, it’s the same with pizza. Any great pizza begins with the crust. Some people prefer it thin and crispy, others want soft and tender. With this pie crust recipe, you can have it all, based on how you roll it out!
Is store-bought pizza dough vegan?
It’s true that store-bought pizza dough can save time, but many of them are not vegan (oftentimes they have dairy in the ingredients), it’s hard to find one that tastes great, and there’s the plastic packaging that contributes to single-use plastic waste.
This dairy free pizza crust delivers so much flavor that it’s well worth the minimal effort required to make it. It may take some “time” to make your own crust, but most of that is passive time, while the dough is rising.
Pizza Dough Ingredients
You can expect the same basic ingredients for most vegan pizza dough recipes: yeast, water, flour, and salt. Let’s talk more about the ingredients I’m recommending because understanding them can help you make the best pizza crust ever!
- Yeast — I love using instant yeast with my pizza dough. You’ll need 1 standard packet of instant yeast, which measures out to 2 and 1/4 teaspoons. If you don’t have instant yeast, regular active yeast is fine too.
- Water — Some breads are made with milk, but not pizza. You need 1 1/3 cups water and it should be warm. I pour the water into a glass measuring cup and then heat it in the microwave for about 20 – 25 seconds. To test if the temperature is right, you should be able to stick your finger in the water and it feels the same temperature as your finger.
- Sugar — We’ll add just one tablespoon of sugar to the yeast and water mixture, to help get the yeast going. It also helps to tenderize the dough.
- Flours – I use a mixture of flours in my pizza. There’s no doubt that using an unbleached all-purpose white flour tastes great. However, adding a little bit of whole wheat flour to the mix adds fiber to the crust which I like.
- Olive Oil — I find that adding two tablespoons of olive oil adds both flavor and texture to the dough. Sometimes I’ll also brush the crust with some olive oil before adding toppings. This step creates a barrier between the crust and toppings, which prevents the baked crust from getting too soggy.
- Salt — As with any bread, salt is an important ingredient for providing flavor.
- Optional Cornmeal — We’ll use just a little bit of cornmeal in this recipe. It won’t be added to the dough. No, that wouldn’t taste great. However, it’s great to dust your pizza pan with and helps create just a little bit more crunch to the baked crust. isn’t in the dough, but it’s used to dust the pizza pan. Cornmeal gives the pizza crust a little extra crunch!
Lean Bread Dough
A lean bread dough is one that is made with minimal fat or sugar. This is important because lean doughs make a crusty bread which is perfect for pizza! That’s why a rich dough like these vegan dinner rolls are so soft, because we add fat to the dough.
However, you’ll notice that I am using a little bit of olive oil. That’s because it adds both flavor and keeps the interior of the crust soft and tender. That way you get both — a crispy pizza crust on the edges with a soft interior.
How to Make Vegan Pizza Dough
If you’re wondering how to make pizza dough, it’s really easy. I promise! The good news is after you’ve done it once, it will be easier and easier to make it again and again. So, let’s get started. Here are the steps involved.
Step One: Yeast Mix
Pour the water in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for about 20 – 30 seconds. You want the water to be slightly warm, or lukewarm. You should be able to dip your finger in it and not feel much of a difference between the temperature of your finger and the water. That’s perfect!
Next, add the yeast and the sugar to the water. Give it a quick stir and set aside for about 5 minutes to allow it to get nice and frothy! Once that happens, add the oil and set aside.
Step Two: Combine Dry Ingredients
While the yeast proofs, stir together the flours and salt in a large bowl. Use a whisk to sift and stir the ingredients together. Add the oil-infused yeast mixture and stir to combine. The mixture should resemble a sticky dough.
Quick Fix Tip
Here’s my favorite time-saving trick when it comes to kneading bread: We’re going to knead the dough right in the bowl. Sprinkle the top of the dough with a little bit of all purpose flour (have some on-hand to add as you go) and grab the far edge of the dough and turn half of it back toward you, like you’re folding a towel. Sprinkle a little bit more flour and continue, pressing down on the dough ball between each turn. Continue this for about 5 minutes, or until the dough is no longer sticky. You should be able to press your thumb lightly into the top of the dough ball and it will spring back after you release it. If so, your dough is ready.
Step Three: Let the Dough Rise
Temporarily remove the dough ball from the bowl and give it a quick spray with vegetable cooking spray. Place the dough ball back in the bowl and cover with a damp kitchen towel and place in a slightly warm place for the dough to rise. I like to give it at least an hour or two, but it can sit up to overnight in the fridge.
Step Four: Making Vegan Pizza
When the dough is ready, preheat your oven to 400F. Then use your fist to punch down the dough and divide into two balls. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough balls into the size required by your pizza pans, usually between 12 – 16″, depending on the size of your pans.
Sprinkle the pan with a little bit of cornmeal and then place the dough on the pizza pan.
Optional: Brush a little bit of olive oil over the top of the unbaked dough. This helps to keep the crust crispy and not soggy from the pizza toppings.
Top the rolled pizza dough with the your favorite toppings, like tomato sauce, vegan meats (see below) and vegan cheese.
Place the pizzas in the heated oven and bake for 15 – 20 minutes, keeping an eye on them after about 10 minutes to make sure the crust doesn’t burn.
When the crust is golden brown, remove from the oven. Allow the pizzas to cool slightly before slicing and serving.
How to Freeze Pizza Dough
It’s a great idea to double this vegan dough so you can make two fresh vegan pizzas and freeze the two extra dough balls to make pizza in the future. Some would call that meal prepping, I just call it smart.
After the dough has risen, punch down the dough and divide it into two balls (or four balls if you’re doing a double batch). Wrap the dough balls in plastic wrap and place them in individual freezer ziplock bags. Place these in the freezer until you’re ready to make your pie crusts. They will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
How to Thaw Pizza Dough
The day before you’re ready to make your pizza, simply transfer one or both of the frozen pizza dough balls into the fridge. Let that sit 8 hours (or overnight). Then place the dough ball on the counter and let it sit out for 30 minutes to an hour. Then you’re ready to roll the dough and make pizzas!
Favorite Vegan Pizza Toppings
So, now that you’ve got the best ever vegan pizza crust recipe, it’s important to have some awesome toppings too! Here are some of my favorites:
- You can use pizza sauce, but if all you have is spaghetti sauce or marinara, add a little bit of tomato paste to make it thicker. It works like a charm.
- Of course, this vegan pepperoni is a great topping
- I also love making vegan sausage crumbles for my pizza
- Did you know some people will do an alfredo chicken pizza? You can use my vegan alfredo sauce and make some homemade vegan chicken and top it with vegan cheese!
When it comes to vegan cheese, we prefer Follow Your Heart mozzarella as it melts the best. However, the new version of Daiya mozzarella shreds are pretty good too, it’s just a little harder to find.
Here’s my Vegan Pepperoni Pizza and my Vegan Deep Dish Pizza too. You can also try my Vegan Pepperoni Pizza Dip recipe as well. It’s all great stuff!
I hope you love this recipe as we do! Have you tried it? Be sure and leave a comment and a rating of this recipe below and then take a quick photo and share it with me using #namelymarly on Instagram. I love seeing your creations!
Easy Vegan Pizza Dough
Ingredients
Easy Vegan Pizza Dough
- 1⅓ cups water
- 2½ teaspoons instant yeast 1 packet
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- Additional all-purpose flour for kneading and rolling
- 2 teaspoons cornmeal (for dusting the pans)
Instructions
- Pour the water in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for about 15 – 30 seconds. You want the water to be slightly warm, or lukewarm. You should be able to dip your finger in it and not feel much of a difference between the temperature of your finger and the water. That's perfect! Add the yeast and the sugar. Give it a quick stir and set aside for about 5 minutes. After it gets frothy, add the olive oil.
- In a large bowl add the flours and salt. Use a whisk to sift and stir the ingredients together.
- Pour the frothy yeast mixture into the flour mix and stir to combine. The mixture should resemble a sticky dough.
- Here’s my favorite time-saving trick: We’re going to knead the dough right in the bowl. Sprinkle the top of the dough with a little bit of all purpose flour (have some on-hand to add as you go) and grab the far edge of the dough and turn half of it back toward you, like you’re folding a towel. Sprinkle a little bit more flour and continue, pressing down on the dough ball between each turn. Continue this for about 5 minutes, or until the dough is no longer sticky. You should be able to press your thumb lightly into the top of the dough ball and it will spring back after you release it. If so, your dough is ready.
- Temporarily remove the dough ball from the bowl and give it a quick spray with vegetable cooking spray. Place the dough ball back in the bowl and cover with a kitchen towel and place in a slightly warm place for the dough to rise…about an hour.
- When the dough is ready, preheat your oven to 400F. Then use your fist to punch down the dough and divide into two balls. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough balls into the size required by your pizza pans. Sprinkle cornmeal on the pans and place the rolled out pizza dough on the pans.
- Top the rolled pizza dough with the your favorite toppings, like tomato sauce, vegan meats, and vegan cheese.
- Place the pizzas in your heated oven and bake for 15 – 20 minutes, keeping an eye on them after about 10 minutes to make sure the crust doesn’t burn.
- When the crust is golden brown, remove from the oven. Allow the pizzas to cool slightly before slicing and serving.
Notes
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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