Easy Vegan Quinoa Pizza Crust

This easy vegan quinoa pizza crust, with whole quinoa plus 5 easy ingredients and no soaking required, makes the ultimate plant-based pizza that's naturally gluten-free.

Whole quinoa, not quinoa flour, is the power ingredient behind this easy crust. The other powers? A food processor (or blender) and a few minutes of mixing time.

You could probably make this crust with just quinoa and water, but don’t do that. Add oregano, garlic powder, salt, and agave syrup for flavor. The baking powder acts as a leavening agent. This helps the crust to rise slightly.

I'm sharing my basic quinoa crust recipe, but there are other spices you could make to keep things interesting. Red chili flakes will give your crust a dash of heat. There are loads of dried herbs that will compliment your pizza toppings. Basil, thyme, rosemary, or Italian seasoning are good choices if your pizza is keeping to an Italian theme. Try ground cumin, chili powder, or cayenne pepper if you are leaning into Mexican pizza.

If you like your crust cheesier, add a tablespoon or 2 of nutritional yeast. You may need to add another tablespoon of water depending on how much ‘Nooch’ you add.

Crusty tips

1. Always rinse quinoa

Quinoa is a superfood. It also does a super job protecting itself from fungi and microbes with a natural coating called saponins. Saponins are not toxic and are usually rinsed off the quinoa before packaging. Yet, quinoa can still taste bitter. For this reason, take 2 minutes and always rise it. Be sure to use a small mesh strainer. You don’t run it down the sink.

2. Soaking (or not)

Although some preps recommend soaking the quinoa overnight, I’ve tested this process and found no discernable difference.

Soaking may help create a smoother crust if you do not have a high-speed blender or food processor. However, by practicing a little patience, you can get your dough ready to spread in about 15 minutes without soaking.

3. Scraping

Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of your food processor periodically. Quinoa seeds can accumulate around the blade. The first time I made this, I was a bit shocked to discover a big clump of quinoa when I removed the processor blade and poured it. A bit of unprocessed quinoa won't ruin anything, but it will make the crust a bit lumpier than you might like.

4. Watch the water

I tend to make this crust batter a bit on the thick side. Then I spread it onto a pizza stone with a spatula. Unless you are pouring it into a round cake pan or something, a thin batter will stop only when there is a barrier. That could result in a super-thin crust depending on the size of the pan.

5. Use parchment paper

Be sure to line any baking sheet or dish with parchment paper. It’s the easiest way to flip the crust. Some baking surfaces attract quinoa batter so much that it won't want to be separated. There’s no sense ruining your pan or crust by having to use a knife to separate it, only to end up with a crust-in-pieces after the effort.

6. Don’t overbake

Ultimately, you decide how brown you want your crust. Practice mindful baking. Once you pile the sauce and pizza toppings on, you’ll be popping it back into the oven. This means that the crust will continue to bake and brown on the bottom and edges.

7. Pre-bake

Even when I make sweet potato pizza crust, I always pre-bake before building my pizza. The ease of using parchment paper also means that flipping the crust is a breeze. 

8. Hold the sauce

I’m a bit nit-picky when it comes to soggy crust. Usually, this occurs because I’ve added the sauce, loaded up the pizza, and then walked away for a few hours. I’ve not actually had that problem with my quinoa crust. It tends not to get soft in the middle; however, if you want the best pizza (and we all do), build your pizza right before baking it.

How to flip the quinoa pizza crust

I have a little technique I first used to flip plant-based bacon that works like a charm for pizza crust. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be making both.

Here’s the process:

1. After the crust has baked on the first side (about 15 minutes), remove it from the oven and place it somewhere that it won’t burn your countertop.

2. Lay a fresh piece of parchment paper over the top of the pizza and lay another baking sheet or lightweight cutting board over the top.

3. flip the pizza over and remove the sheet or pan you baked in on.

4. Peel back the original layer of parchment paper. The bottom side of the crust is now on top. Once it’s free, gently move the fresh parchment (now on the bottom) back onto the original baking tray or pizza dish.

5. Place the crust back into the oven and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes.

6. If you created a crust with folded edges, like the one in the picture), you can flip that back over before adding the sauce and all your yummy toppings.

Topping it off

I love pizza because the toppings are just limited by your imagination and sometimes, what you’ve got in the fridge. Here are a few of our favorites:

Plant-based bacon – we consider our sheet pan bacon a pizza necessity. Depending on your pizza theme, you can also flavor our original recipe with different herbs and spices.

Hemp seed parmesan – Pizzas and other Italian dishes love our baked hemp seed parmesan. It’s easy to make and lasts forever in the fridge.

Tofu ricotta – Whip up a batch of tofu ricotta in 5 minutes. Bake it along with the rest of the pizza toppings.

Artichoke pesto – If you aren’t in the mood for a tomato-based sauce and you love artichokes on your pizza, make that flavor your sauce. It’s SO yummy!

Sun-dried tomato sauce – Our go-to tomato sauce is the one we use on sweet potato crust pizza. It whips up in the blender. Use our oil-free baked semi-dried tomatoes. They also make a righteous topping on their own.

Final Thoughts

Several years ago, I committed to exclusively following a plant-based diet. As I've discovered new recipes, I've been overjoyed to realize that some of my favorite foods are no longer reserved for special occasions. This includes pizza! With an easy pizza crust that eliminates any dough-making, kneading, or flour-everywhere mess, pizza gets to be a quick meal. You're never bored with all the variations of toppings and sauces. It's ever healthy and always so satisfying. Peace.

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