Vegan White Pizza Recipe (2024)

Pizza Dough:

• 5 cups all purpose flour + more as needed
• 1.5 tsp active dry yeast
• 2.25 cups cold water + more as needed

Cashew Ricotta Cheese:

• 2 cups raw cashews
• 1 lemon , juiced
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 3/4 cups filtered water

Toppings:

• 1 batch marinated artichoke hearts
• 1.5 cups baby spinach
• 2 cloves garlic (for rubbing the pizza crust)
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil for brushing (OPTIONAL)
• sea salt + black pepper to taste

US Customary - Metric

Make the Pizza Crust:

• Add the flour, yeast and salt to the bowl of a kitchen aid mixer and combine. Switch to the dough hook attachment and start pouring in the water until all is combined. Knead on medium speed for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and barely sticky to the bottom of the bowl. If the dough sticks to the sides of the bowl add a little more flour.

• Dump the dough onto a cutting board and cut it into 8 pieces. Shape each one into a round ball and at this point you can individually wrap them in plastic wrapped lightly coated in some olive oil first. Make sure they are loosely wrapped.

• If you plan to make all 8 pizzas at once then you can place them all on a very lightly oiled cookie sheet about 4 inches apart, lightly spray with olive oil and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise at room temperature in a draft free area for 2 to 3 hours.

• If you aren’t going to make them all at once then wrap them loosely individually and freeze or refrigerate (no need to let them rise now). If refrigerated use within 3 days for best results. Just place them on the kitchen counter for 2 hours before cooking to give them time to rise.

Grill the Pizza:

• Preheat your cast iron grill skillet or griddle on high flame until very hot. Do not add any oil at all. Just a dry hot skillet.

• Sprinkle a little flour on your kitchen counter or pastry board and place one of the pizza dough balls on top. Sprinkle with a little flour and use the palm of your hands to press it in and stretch gently until very thing but the perfect size to fit your skillet.

• Add the stretched dough to the hot griddle skillet and grill for about 3 minutes each side until nice grill marks form and the crust is crispy.Use a pair of kitchen tongues to transfer it to a cutting board.

• Take one of the garlic cloves and slice the end. With the cut side make sure to rub one side of the grilled pizza crust just like you would bruschetta. Optional: brush with a little olive oil and sprinkle with a tiny pinch of coarse sea salt.

• Spoon some of the cashew ricotta cheese on top in a thin layer and top with the marinated artichoke hearts.

• Meanwhile in a separate skillet sautée the baby spinach with a splash of water (or a tiny drizzle of olive oil) and a pinch of sea salt. Toss it around for about 20 seconds or so until it starts to wilt. Transfer on top of the Pizza Bianca and serve with a pinch red pepper flakes on top.

• Repeat with the remaining pizzas or refrigerate the dough for later use.

Oven Baked Method:

• Preheat your oven with a pizza stone inside to 500”F or as high as it will go for at least 45 minutes.

• Sprinkle some flour on a board or the kitchen counter and place a piece of dough on top. Sprinkle some more flour on top and using the palm of your hand press down on it until a thin round forms, about 1/2 inch thick. Stretch it out as thin as possible without tearing it and transfer it to a floured pizza peel or a piece of cardboard.

• Transfer to the preheated pizza stone and bake 5 to 8 minutes to your liking. Carefully remove the pizza from the oven and rub it with a clove of garlic. Optional: brush with a little olive oil and sprinkle with a tiny pinch of sea salt.

• Spoon the cashew ricotta cheese on top in a thin layer and top with the sauteed spinach and marinated artichoke hearts.

  note: Alternatively you can bake the pizza pie with the cashew ricotta cheese on top for 5 to 8 minutes but the bottom won't turn out as crisp as it does when you bake the crust on its own.

Make it WFPB:

• To make this pizza whole foods plant based compliant you’ll need to make the crust using a whole grain flour and omit the oil from the artichoke marinade.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Vegan White Pizza

Author: Florentina