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Homemade Pizza Dough, better than Store-Bought

from 15 reader reviews

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So easy to make with a few simple ingredients, this homemade pizza dough makes the perfect base for your plant-based pizzas and flatbreads. You’ll never want to buy pre-made pizza crust again!

uncooked ball of pizza crust dough with basil leaves , pizza sauce, and olive oil in background

My struggles with finding a plant-based pizza crust

I have really struggled with finding pre-made pizza dough that is totally vegan. My local grocery store used to carry one but then recently I noticed that dairy was a newly added ingredient. Finding a dairy-free pizza crust can be a challenge.

Then I was so excited to find a new dairy-free flatbread crust until I noticed that “enzymes” was listed as an ingredient. Enzymes might be plant-based BUT they also might be sourced from the animal pancreas – which was kinda a blech for me.

I do love using puff pastry dough for my pizza crust and have had no problem finding a vegan brand, but holy cow the fat and calories! There is a reason puff pastry is so flaky and tender. (Ten grams of fat for a tiny little serving anyone? And who eats just one tiny serving when eating a pizza? Not this gal!)

So I had to make my own!

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ball of pizza crust with sauce in background and pinterest text overlay

Why you’ll love this pizza crust

  • easier to make than I thought
  • totally plant-based – no worries about dairy or enzymes
  • low in added fat
  • makes a nice base for almost any type of topping

Ingredients needed to make homemade pizza crust

  • warm water
  • sugar
  • active dry yeast
  •  all-purpose flour (I’ve also used King Arthur’s pizza flour and like it best. But it’s not a common item you’ll find at the store and all-purpose flour is fine.)
  •  salt
  • olive oil 
ingredients for pizza dough including olive oil, sugar, salt, yeast, flour, and water

How to make yummy plant-based pizza dough at home

Step 1: Proof the yeast

Otherwise known, as getting it started. Use warm (not hot) water. Gently stir in the yeast and sugar. It will be slightly frothy. Set it aside for 5-10 minutes. The yeast should start to form a nice foamy top.

foamy proofed yeast

Step 2: Measure the dry ingredients and pour in the yeast solution

While the yeast is proofing, you should measure the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl you’ll be using. I like to use a mixer with a dough hook like my stand mixer.

Add the olive oil to the wet yeast mixture.

Next, I pour in the foamy fully-proofed yeast solution.

pouring proofed yeast into metal bowl

Step 3: Mix it up

You’ll have a much easier time with a dough hook and a stand mixer. If you don’t have one, it will still work. You can use a regular mixer. Just be patient and understand that you might need to mix by hand to fully incorporate the liquid.

Mix everything well until all of the dry mixture has been absorbed and a sticky dough forms. You might need to take a pause to scrape some of the mixture from the side of your bowl.

Step 4: You need to knead!

Turn the mixed dough onto a lightly floured surface and with both hands knead until smooth and velvety. You should be able to gently poke your dough ball and have it begin to bounce back.

If you are a novice at kneading, you might want to watch this video about kneading bread dough by All Recipes for a nicely done step-by-step.

ball of uprisen pizza dough and floured wooden cutting board

Step 5: Cover and rise

Cover the kneaded dough ball and let rise for about 20 minutes. The room it rises in should be warmish – so if your house is cold, try to find a warm spot.

Your dough ball will be larger and quite smooth. Don’t let it rise too long though or the texture of the finished crust will be a little gummy and not nice and chewy.

ball of risen pizza dough and floured wooden cutting board

Step 6: Shape and bake

Roll the crust into the shape you’d like. I like to roll mine onto parchment paper. This recipe makes a fairly large medium-thick crust. If you want to roll it thinner, you can get two (smaller) crusts.

I poke holes in the crust and brush on a little olive oil (optional) before baking the first time.

brushing pizza dough with olive oil

Bake at 450° for eight minutes. It will be a nice light tan color.

The last step: Adding toppings and the final bake

Add whatever sauce or toppings you’d like. I also like to brush the edges with a little more olive and sprinkle on some garlic salt (optional).

A warning about vegan cheese

I have not yet found a vegan cheese I’m perfectly happy with. They are improving but not quite there yet. In my opinion, too much vegan cheese on a pizza is…nasty. It doesn’t melt right and can have a “funky” taste. I sprinkle my vegan cheese lightly and find that’s all I need.

Put it back in the oven and continue to bake for another 5-7 minutes. Enjoy that yummy pizza and feel good about the homemade pizza crust you just made all by yourself!

What to make with your homemade pizza dough

You can use just about any plant-based ingredients you’d like to make a vegan pizza. I like to top it with my Sausage Tofu Crumbles and Pepperoni Pizza Tofu Crumbles (coming soon). I’ve also topped my pizza with my Italian Marinated Chickpeas and have thinly sliced these Maple Glazed Brussels Sprouts along with my Tofu Bacon bits, thinly sliced shallots, and pineapple tidbits (no hate please lol!).

You can also top it with any veggies you have on hand as I did with my pizza today. This pizza is topped with canned artichoke hearts, bell peppers, red onions, tomatoes, and a little shredded vegan cheese.

cooked veggie pizza on parchment paper. some of the veggies include artichoke hearts, red onion, and tomatoes

Or if you need some plant-based pizza inspiration, you could try one of these tasty vegan pizzas found around the web and made by some fabulous vegan bloggers:

The printable recipe card for Homemade Pizza Dough

uncooked ball of pizza crust dough with basil leaves , pizza sauce, and olive oil in background

Did you love this recipe?

Want to share the love? It would be great if you could leave five ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ stars and even a comment. Did you know that this will help Google to find this recipe when others are looking for something similar? Thanks, Cindy

uncooked ball of pizza crust dough with basil leaves , pizza sauce, and olive oil in background

Homemade Pizza Dough

So easy to make with a few simple ingredients, this homemade pizza dough makes the perfect base for your plant-based pizzas and flat breads. You'll never want to buy pre-made pizza crust again! 
from 15 reader reviews
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: pizza dough, vegan pizza
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Cook with toppings: 7 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 10
Calories: 146kcal
Author: Cindy Rainey

Equipment

  • mixing bowl and mixer with dough hook

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup warm water
  • 1 Tablespoon sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons active dry yeast
  • cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil more for brushing on crust (optional)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 450°
  • Mix yeast and sugar into warm water until mixed and frothy. Set aside for five minutes.
  • Measure the flour and salt into a mixing bowl and mix togther.
  • After about five minutes the yeast will have started to form a thick foam on top. Add the olive oil and gently stir to mix.
  • Pour the yeast/oil mixture into the flour/salt mixture.
  • Beat on high with your mixer's dough hook attachment until the liquid has been incorporated. The dough should be sightly sticky.
  • Turn out onto a floured or non-stick surface (preferred). Knead for a few minutes as you are forming the dough into a ball. You should be able to gently poke to dough and have it begin to bounce back.
  • Cover the dough ball and let rest for twenty minutes.
  • Roll into the shape you'd like, poke holes around the center of the rolled pizza with a fork.
  • Bake at 450° for 8 minutes. the dough will have started to turn a light tan color.
  • Take out of the oven and add your toppings of choice. (Optional) Brush the outside of the crust with oilive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt. Put back in the oven and bake for about 5-7 minutes until toppins are cooked as desired and the crust is as brown as you'd like.

Notes

If you don’t have a mixer with a dough attachment then I recommend mixing by hand. You might burn out a regular hand mixer. 

Nutrition

Calories: 146kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 234mg | Potassium: 41mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 1mg

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By on September 30th, 2021

About Cindy Rainey

Veggie Fun Kitchen by Cindy Rainey
Welcome to Veggie Fun Kitchen where you will learn to recreate family favorites the plant-based/vegan way! Let me know if I can help. I'm here for you.

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9 thoughts on “Homemade Pizza Dough, better than Store-Bought”

  1. 5 stars
    I made homemade pizza on my Blackstone Griddle and used your crust recipe. Everyone loved the crust and the pizza!! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Yes, absolutely! I’ve only recently discovered pizza flour myself (King Arthur brand). I think with any flour it’s best to use the type for the food intended. I always use bread flour for bread now and am finding I like cake flour a lot better for softer cakes.

      Reply

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