Publised on 04/04/2024. Last Updated on 21/06/2024 by Richard
Easy vegan pizza dough for all your home-made vegan pizzas! No pizza oven required, just a grill or broiler and you're good to go!
Today we're gonna take a nice close look at how to create your very own vegan pizza dough from scratch. Trust me, this vegan pizza dough recipe is super simple and oh-so-tasty — plus, nothing beats the sense of accomplishment and the boasting privileges that come with crafting a homemade dough. Am I right??
So, whether you're dipping your toes into the world of homemade vegan pizza dough for the first time or you're a seasoned vegan pizza virtuoso looking to revisit the basics, I've got you covered.
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🫙Ingredients You'll Need
Alright, now that we've set the scene, let's talk ingredients. The beauty of this vegan pizza dough recipe is its simplicity. You’ll just need these key components to make your dough:
- Warm water
- Sugar
- Easy bake yeast
- '00' flour aka pizza flour, or sub for strong white bread flour
- Plain white flour aka all purpose flour
- Fine sea salt
- Extra virgin olive oil
For sprinkling, we're going to use either semolina flour or plain white flour. This helps to stop the dough from sticking to the counter or the pizza stone/tray!
❓ Which Flour Is Best For Vegan Pizza Dough?
'00' flour, also known as pizza flour, is the prime pick for this vegan pizza dough recipe due to its fine texture and high gluten content, making it perfect for achieving that desirable, springy crust. However, strong white bread flour can also make a great substitute if needed.
In pizza dough, gluten plays a pivotal role. It reacts with water to create an elastic mesh that imparts the stretchy nature to the dough. More importantly, it helps in the rising process and bestows that coveted chewy crust. Sadly, gluten-free flours fall short in delivering these essentials in the context of this recipe. Hence, I wouldn't recommend trying gluten-free alternatives in this scenario.
🍕 How to Make Vegan Pizza Dough
And now, onto the exciting part - let's turn those ingredients into something delicious, shall we? I'll be breaking this vegan pizza dough recipe down into 4 basic steps, easy enough for anyone to follow! Oh and if you're looking for the full recipe, just scroll to the bottom of the page.
Proof the Dough: Once you've kneaded your dough together, the first step is to proof it. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise for an hour at room temp.
Shape the Dough: Divide the proofed dough in three then work each portion into a tight ball. See the "How To Shape Pizza Dough" section below for help with this.
Proof again: Now cover the balls of vegan pizza dough and allow them to double in size again. You can do this at room temp for about an hour or in the fridge overnight.
Bake: Once you've stretched out the dough into a circle, you'll need to bake on either a pizza stone or a thick metal baking sheet. I put a pizza stone under the grill/broiler to get super hot, then slide the pizza on top for a few minutes!
🍅 How To Shape Pizza Dough
Divide the Dough: Divide your big ball of dough into three. I use a bench scraper to do this but a large knife will work too. Place the rough divided dough on a lightly floured surface.
Stretch the Dough: Starting at the 12 o'clock position, pinch the top of the vegan pizza dough and stretch outwards. Tuck the stretched dough back in to the centre of the ball. Repeat, working your way around the ball of dough, stretching out and tucking back in.
Push Down: Use your index finger to push down gently in the centre of the vegan pizza dough and seal all those tucked pieces in place. Then, flip the ball of dough upside down to reveal a nice smooth top.
Finish Shaping: Place your hands either side of the ball of vegan pizza dough. With your pinky fingers touching the dough, push one hand away from your body and pull the other towards you. This should rotate the ball of dough and tuck the edges under at the same time, producing a nice tight smooth surface on top of the ball of dough.
🔥 How to Cook Pizza Dough at Home
Yes, it is very possible to cook professional style pizza at home, but here's the rub - you shouldn't bake it. Pizza dough usually cooks at very high temperatures; in a wood burning pizza oven, temperatures can reach up to 500ºc (or over 900f). This is WAY hotter than your home oven can manage.
However, if we use our grill (aka broiler), combined with a pizza stone or nice thick metal baking sheet or skillet, things will get hot enough for a delicious crispy base and puffy chewy crust. Here are my tips for cooking your vegan pizza dough:
- Use a pizza stone! If you have one, this will help to radiate heat from above AND below your pizza, avoiding the dreaded soggy bottom!
- Preheat your grill/broiler (and pizza stone) at least 10 mins in advance. You want that grill/broiler to be as hot as possible before your pizza goes under there. Preheating the pizza stone is also essential.
- Use a pizza peel or a very thin baking sheet. This is essentially there to make sliding your pizza into the oven easier. This way you can load up your dough and slide it onto the pizza stone without removing it from under the grill/broiler.
🍅 My Favourite Toppings
Make the most of your new vegan pizza dough! Get ready to put a fun vegan twist on your traditional pizza toppings with my favourites listed here:
- Buffalo Tofu: (as pictured above!) This is my definitely a winner! Chewy, well-seasoned tofu sliced and slathered in a tangy buffalo sauce offers a vegan twist on buffalo chicken. It's a game changer on any pizza.
- Vegan Mozzarella: (as pictured below!) My vegan mozzarella recipe is sure to take your vegan pizza to the next level!
- Grilled Artichokes and Sun-Dried Tomatoes: For a Mediterranean twist, top your pizza with marinated, grilled artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes. They bring in a woody, tangy uniqueness to the pizza.
- Caramelised Onions and Bell Peppers: The sweetness of caramelized onions combined with the slight bitterness of bell peppers is a blummin delight. Who doesn't love a caramelised onion??
🤷♀️ Vegan Pizza Dough FAQs
A: Typically yes, most pizza dough is vegan since it’s made from water, flour, yeast, and salt. However, some variations may include dairy products like butter or milk, so always check the ingredients.
A: Creating a vegan pizza involves starting with a vegan dough, adding a plant-based sauce, and selecting vegan toppings. Substitute animal-based cheeses with vegan alternatives or omit the cheese altogether for a delicious, cruelty-free pizza.
A: Making vegan pizza dough can take around 15-20 minutes of preparation time and around 2 hours of proofing time, during which you can prepare your toppings or sauce.
And that's it! My fool-proof vegan pizza dough recipe! Are you a lover of vegan Italian food? Why not try my Vegan Bolognese, my Vegan Lasagna and my Vegan Tiramisu for dessert!
Vegan Pizza Dough
Equipment
- 1 Measuring Jug
- 1 stand mixer or large mixing bowl
- 1 pizza stone or thick metal baking sheet or large cast-iron skillet
- Pizza Peel or thin baking sheet
Ingredients
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 300 ml warm water
- 1 teaspoon easy bake yeast
- 330 g "00" flour aka pizza flour or sub for strong white bread flour
- 100 g plain white flour aka all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- semolina flour for dusting, or use plain white flour
Instructions
- In a measuring jug, combine the sugar and warm water. Mix until the sugar is dissolved. Sprinkle the yeast over the surface then set aside for 5-10 minutes for the yeast to bloom.½ teaspoon sugar, 300 ml warm water, 1 teaspoon easy bake yeast
- Once the mixture is foamy, place the flours and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook and whisk together until combined. Alternatively, if kneading by hand, whisk together in a large mixing bowl.330 g "00" flour, 100 g plain white flour, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Add the yeast mixture and extra virgin olive oil to the flours and knead on medium speed for 7 minutes. If kneading by hand, mix the ingredients together with a spatula until a rough dough forms, then grease your hands with a little extra olive oil and knead for 10 minutes on a clean surface.1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Once kneaded, cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and leave at room temperature to proof until doubled in size - around one hour.
- Once the first proof is complete, turn out the dough onto a clean counter. Divide the dough into three using a sharp knife or bench scraper and then form each portion into a tight ball (see the “How To Shape Pizza Dough” section in the blog post above for a visual guide).
- Transfer the balls of dough into a baking tray dusted with flour and cover with cling film/saran wrap. Leave the dough to proof at room temperature for another hour or place in the fridge to slow-proof for 6-8 hours or overnight.
- When you’re ready to make the pizzas, preheat the grill/broiler to its highest setting and place a pizza stone or thick metal baking sheet or large cast-iron skillet on the highest oven shelf possible. Leave to heat for at least 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, sprinkle a pizza peel or thin baking sheet with semolina flour or plain white flour. Transfer a ball of proofed dough to the peel/sheet and stretch into a rough circle using your hands (do not use a rolling pin). Cover with your desired toppings then brush the edges of the crust with a little olive oil.
- Slide the loaded pizza under the grill/broiler, onto the pizza stone. Cook under the hot grill for 5-7 minutes or until the base is crispy and the crust is puffed and browned.
- Repeat with the remaining portions of pizza dough and serve.
Delaney
Hey! Would it be fine to not add sugar to this recipe?
MJ
Incredible!
Kate
I love this recipe! Made amazing pizza many times now.
Emily
My yeast was too old, so I used baking powder and this still turned out amazing! I also used white spelt instead of the 100g plain flour. Great recipe, can’t wait to try it again now that I have new yeast.
kay Lin
I’m obsessed with this recipe. Thank you so much
Claire Faiers
Super easy to follow and worked perfectly. My broiler doesn’t reach that temperature but the pizzas still came out crispy and delicious!
Elaine
How large is the pizza?
Emily
This recipe says it makes three pizzas, so I split the dough in three. It wasn’t even, but that wasn’t too important to us. You could also weigh your dough before splitting, if you want them to all be the same weight.