This Whole30 Pizza recipe uses a cauliflower crust as the base and is topped with tomato sauce, prosciutto and arugula and is perfect for your weekly pizza night.
You read that right—yes, you can have pizza during whole30! …with some modifications of course. This whole30 pizza recipe will leave you feeling satisfied and SO happy, because pizza = happiness.
The one thing I’m currently craving while doing this second whole30 is….. everything. I’m craving bread and sugar and all my normal foods, one of them being pizza. I know so many people work pizza into their weekly meal plan, and I don’t want anyone to have to go an entire month without their beloved pizza night. This whole30 pizza recipe is surprisingly filling despite the fact that the crust is made of cauliflower.
Have you tried cauliflower crust pizza? I know it’s been all the rage for at least the past year, probably longer. Truthfully, I don’t eat pizza often enough to feel like I need to sub out regular pizza crust. But, now that this cauliflower crust has made its debut into my life, I’m thinking that I might need to start a weekly pizza tradition for myself.
So what’s on this whole30 pizza anyway? What can you possibly eat?! It all starts with the cauliflower crust.
Tip: buy bagged cauliflower rice if it’s available to you. This will save you time and you’ll be left with less dishes in the end.
Tip: ALWAYS use parchment paper when making a cauliflower crust. This will make it way easier to transfer the pizza onto your plate and assure that the crust doesn’t stick to the pan.
Cauliflower rice, egg, almond flour, herbs, and some salt are the ingredients in this cauliflower crust. You’ll stir everything together and then use your hands or a spatula to form the “dough” into a circular crust.
Once the crust is made, you’ll bake the crust in the oven for about 15 minutes. Then, you’ll add on your appropriate toppings. Available pizza toppings include but are not limited to: tomato sauce, roasted garlic, caramelized onions, really any kind of vegetable, and any kind of meat too, so you really shouldn’t feel deprived.
For this recipe, I opted to use roasted garlic marinara sauce as the base, and then I topped it with prosciutto and arugula. I wanted to keep things simple and show that you don’t need a ton of toppings for this to be a flavorful recipe, though of course you can add more toppings.
After you decide on your toppings, you’ll add them on top of the baked crust then place the pizza bake into the oven to bake for an additional 10 minutes. Last, you slice it and eat up!
Note: I also decided to whip up a quick sauce while the pizza was in the oven, because I'm all about dips! I made Eat the Gains whole30 buffalo sauce and it was amazing!
I hope this whole30 pizza recipe makes its way into your life, even if you’re not doing whole30. Trust me when I say I had low expectations for this recipe—I mean, who actually wants to eat cauliflower crust?—but it surprised me in the best way possible. If you make this recipe, remember to tag @thealmondeater on Instagram!
Whole30 Pizza Recipe
Ingredients
for the crust:
- 6 cups cauliflower rice approx. 2 frozen bags
- ¾ cup almond flour
- ½ teaspoon garlic herb seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
for the pizza:
- ¾ cup marinara sauce
- 5 slices prosciutto
- ½ cup arugula
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425° and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Line a large bowl with cheese cloth and set aside.
- Cook both bags of cauliflower rice according to the package instructions. Pour cauliflower rice on top of the cheese cloth and wait for it to cool a bit. Then, use both hands to press as much liquid out of the cauliflower rice as possible. If the cauliflower rice is too water-y, the crust will turn out mushy.
- Pour dried cauliflower rice into a separate bowl, then stir in the flour, seasoning and salt. Last, stir in the egg.
- Use your hands to form mixture into a ball, then transfer it onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and press down on it, forming the mixture into a circular crust. Bake crust by itself for 15 minutes.
- Remove crust from the oven, then add your toppings! Start with the sauce, then add on your meat and veggies. Place pizza back in the oven and bake for 10 additional minutes.
- Remove pizza, wait a few minutes before slicing and serving.
- Enjoy!
Emily says
Hi! Wondering if this crust can be made/frozen and thawed for use later?
Erin says
Hi! I haven't tried it myself, but I think it should work.
Moon says
Incredible crust. My favorite of all that I’ve tried thus far (vegan, dairy-free, Whole30, gluten-free are some I’ve tried). I’m currently on my second round of Whole30 and this time, I’m not messing around. Food prepping and doing SWYPO foods from time to time. I think your recipe and your mindset are bomb. Let the critics judge. They always do. So, keep bringing the rest of us some bomb Whole30 compliant food. ❤️
Erin says
Thank you!! Thank you for the feedback and I'm so happy you enjoyed the pizza 🙂
Sarah says
my pizza stuck to the parchment paper and fell apart trying to take it off. Any ideas why? I was thinking too much water but I got so much out and used the cheese cloth and everything.
Erin says
Oh no! I'm sorry that happened. Typically when cauliflower crust sticks and/or falls apart, it means there's too much moisture in the crust. You have to squeeze ALL of the moisture out, which takes a lot of arm strength and can take up to a few minutes to do. I hope you give it another try!
Ari says
I love this! When I did the strict Whole30 the first time, it led me to eating disorder behaviors so this time around I am eating compliant ingredients but doing it my own way that makes me feel happy, comfortable, and most of all not guilty for eating a compliant meal that’s against the “rules.” My body, my food, my decisions to make 🙂 Can’t wait to try it!
a girl named James says
I cannot wait to try this. Initially, I was like "I cant do this, it is a "swap" even though the ingredients are W30 compliant"...then I realized there is a recipe for BUTTER CHICKEN in a Whole30 cookbook, like HELLO. That is a total BINGE food for me (I live near an AYCE Indian Buffet LOL,) so that is a total swap food if you are being as literal as some of these comments. And guess what, I ate the W30 Butter Chicken with no binging or any trouble! So is using carrot noodles in a "pasta" dish...So I like to think that the "swaps" (for me) are the sweets, like the banana/egg pancake or a cookie made of almond butter and almond flour. I wont be making those during this! This is not a sweet, it is cauliflower with tomato sauce and some meat and arugula. I could throw roasted cauli in a bowl and top it with that stuff and it would be the same. Anyway, just my thoughts 🙂
Erin says
I like your way of thinking and I completely agree! I hope you like this pizza 🙂
Vanessa says
This recipe is wonderful! It’s the best cauliflower crust I’ve tried so far. I’m not a huge pizza person... I always feel a little sick after eating it, but this “pizza” feels great and it even allows my husband to feel like he got his fix in.
Erin says
YAY--love when recipes are husband approved! Glad you both enjoyed it.
Meghan says
If someone is doing a strict Whole 30 then they know this is a SWYPO (I love that term lol) food and to stay away from it. As the original poster said, some people choose to use all compliant ingredients and make a whole 30 pizza as part of their food freedom. No one is responsible for anyone else's Whole 30. Want to be strict and follow the rules? Great! Then do as Melissa Urban says and read the book and know the rules. Just my two cents. Plan on making this on Friday. Thanks!
Erin says
Thanks Meghan, those are my thoughts too. I hope you like the pizza!
Haley says
That looks super delicious.
Julie says
Hello, I’m the one who posted about this not being compliant for Whole30. I would like to make sure you understand I am NOT ‘bashing’ Whole30! In fact, I think it’s amazing. And it’s also a program, with rules, and if you don’t follow the rules, you’re not doing Whole30. So, you may make better food choices, and ‘be successful’ (which I assume to mean ‘lost weight’), but if you’re eating this and say you’re ‘doing whole 30’ - you’re wrong. It’s not a strict or lax Whole30 - it’s got rules. So, yeah, Whole30 is great. This pizza is probably great too! But it’s NOT Whole30 compliant.
Olga says
Erin, it looks awesome! So much flavors packed on this recipe that makes this simply irresistible, definitely having this on my table!
Erin says
Thanks--let me know if you try it!
Bre says
Unlike the person who is bashing the Whole30 strictness, I appreciate you for making something with Whole30 ingredients AND keeping the name with Whole30. Since we are grownups and can read, we are fully capable of choosing which way we want to do our Whole30 (I've done it strictly, and I've done it relaxed - guess what, same results!!). Please keep the Whole30 in the recipe name. Thank you!
Erin says
Thank you for this comment!!
Julie says
This is actually not compliant while on a round of Whole30. https://whole30.com/downloads/official-whole30-program-rules.pdf
Erin says
hi! I think it depends on how strict you're being with your whole30. If you're following all of the technical rules, then anything pizza-related is probably off the table. However, all of the ingredients in this recipe ARE whole30-compliant, so if you're doing whole30 the lax way (my preferred way), then I don't think it's bad.
Julie says
Unfortunately what happens is that someone who IS trying to do Whole30 and thinks they ARE doing Whole30, sees this recipe and thinks it’s ok while on a round. It’s absolutely not. Maybe you could edit the description so people know? The reason I say anything is that someone who thought she was doing ok posted this recipe on a Whole30 forum and was very upset to find out it’s not compliant. It’s a disservice to people when they see recipes labeled Whole30 that aren’t actually compliant. I hope you understand.
Heather says
That is exactly what I thought. I had to double check TW30 book to reference (after I had already made the crust of course) if this was compliant. My husband and I have been following TW30 strictly and only have 3 days left! Still going to go through with it since we already made the crust. There is no way I’m going to start TW30 over again. Thank you for the recipe ❤️
Lisa says
people who are doing whole30 should educate themselves before and should already know that any swaps including pizza is a no-go following the protocol. It's their decision if they want to do it anyway.
phyllis says
I made pizza with already prepared cauliflower crust from Trader Joe's, spread marinara sauce over, topped with small pieces of mozzarella, baked and then added fresh arugula and thought I would die....
Liinda says
This looks delicious! I can't wait to try it!