Crispy Kale Pizza

We wanted to try a new pizza recipe because the Superbowl is this weekend and my plans include sitting there stuffing my face with food. I’ll probably take one, maybe two, glances at the game. Also, by “glances” I mean that when I come up for air I may accidentally see what’s on the screen.

Yep, I’m one of thooooose people who only watches the Superbowl for the commercials (except I don’t actually watch those either). Last year, Matt changed the channel during the halftime show and since I wasn’t watching, I didn’t even notice. Then, everyone was freaking out over Lady Gaga’s performance and I was all like, “Why didn’t you tell me it was halftime!” and he’s all “You weren’t even watching!” and he was right so I really couldn’t blame him anymore at that point.

I don’t watch sports and that’s fine with me. I have other hobbies, like photography and reading and MAKING PIZZA! This Crispy Kale Pizza is where it’s at. It’s made Grandma-style! I know what you’re thinking and no, that’s not a new dance move (although it would probably be a good one…). “Grandma-style” means that this pizza is rectangular in shape with a crispy crust. It’s like Sicilian pizza, but the dough is half as thick.

For the base of this Crispy Kale Pizza, all you need is some EASY Vegan Pizza Dough, homemade cashew ricotta, and kale. Then, you can add any other additional ingredients you like. We used vegan mozzarella cheese shreds, kalamata olives, mushrooms, and fresh grape tomatoes.

To make the crust, take your pizza dough and stretch it out onto a greased cookie sheet until it touches the edges. Try to get the dough as even as possible and patch up any holes with additional dough. Cover the pan and let it rise for about 20 minutes – until the dough is a little more puffy. If you let it rise longer, you’ll get Sicilian pizza, which is cool too, but we’re going for the thinner crust in this recipe so 20 minutes is what it’s going to be.

Then, spread vegan cashew ricotta on top. You don’t want to collapse the bubbles in the dough, so be gentle when spreading. After that, rip some kale into smaller pieces and massage some olive oil into it. Spread the kale on top of the ricotta layer. You can now add your additional ingredients: vegan mozzarella cheese shreds, kalamata olives, grape tomatoes, baby bella mushrooms – that’s the combination we used but feel free to get creative.

Oh yeah, by the way, we used the new Cutting Board Collection by Daiya for the mozzarella cheese shreds. For a long time, I was a total Daiya hater and condemned any restaurant that used it for a cheese substitute, but their new collection tastes completely different and SO MUCH BETTER. It doesn’t have that weird, sweet Daiya taste to it at all – crazy! It’s actually pretty darn goooood – give it a shot if you haven’t already but make sure the packaging says “Cutting Board Collection.”

Lastly, bake the pizza at 425°F for 20-25 minutes, until the edges get crispy and browned.

HOW TO MAKE CRISPY KALE PIZZA IN 1 MINUTE:

5 from 3 votes

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Vegan Crispy Kale Pizza

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Resting Time

1 hr 20 mins

Total Time

1 hr 45 mins

 

This Vegan Grandma-Style Pizza is made with homemade cashew ricotta and fresh kale shreds. Then, topped with melty vegan mozzarella cheese shreds and grape tomatoes.

Course: Dinner, Pizza

Cuisine: Italian, Vegan

Servings: 15 slices

Calories per Serving: 172 kcal

Author: Pasta-based

Ingredients

Vegan Cashew Ricotta

• 1 cup raw cashews
• 3.5 ounces extra-firm tofu (usually 1/4 block)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened plant milk
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 clove fresh garlic
• 6 leaves fresh basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

EASY Pizza Dough

• 1 package active dry yeast (2 + 1/4 teaspoons)
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (plus extra for kneading)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt

Additional Toppings

• 3-4 large stalks curly kale
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup vegan mozzarella cheese shreds
• 2-4 sliced baby bella mushrooms
• a handful sliced grape tomatoes
• a handful kalamata olives

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

TO MAKE VEGAN PIZZA DOUGH

1. Mix yeast in warm water and stir to dissolve. Let sit to activate yeast for about 10 minutes or until frothy.

2. Add flour, salt, and sugar to a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add olive oil and yeast + water mixture and mix with a spoon until well-combined. As the mixture starts coming together, use your hands to combine and slightly knead into a smooth dough ball.

3. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl and roll it around to cover it in the oil. Cover the bowl with a clean towel and set aside in a warm area to rise until doubled (about one hour). 

4. Once doubled, sprinkle flour on a clean counter and knead dough for 5 minutes, using the quarter-turn method, until smooth and elastic.

TO MAKE VEGAN CASHEW RICOTTA

1. Place raw cashews into a small pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil on high-heat. Once boiling, remove from heat and cover. Let sit for 15 minutes. Drain water.

2. Meanwhile, add all the other cashew ricotta ingredients to a food processor. When cashews are ready, drain and add them to the food processor. Pulse until well-combined and creamy.

TO MAKE CRISPY KALE PIZZA

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.

2. Lightly grease a 13x9 baking sheet. Stretch dough out onto the pan, until it touches the edges. If you rip any holes, use the dough to fill them in. Cover and let sit for 20 minutes to puff up some more. 

3. Prepare kale by ripping the leaves into small shreds. Massage olive oil into kale leaves and set aside. 

4. Once dough is ready, evenly spread a layer of vegan ricotta cheese, leaving a small gap close to the edges, for the crust. Add kale shreds evenly on top of the ricotta. Repeat for additional ingredients.

5. Bake at 425°F for 20-25 minutes, until the crust starts getting browned and crisp. Remove and let cool before slicing and serving.

Recipe Notes

Nutrition Facts

Vegan Crispy Kale Pizza

Amount Per Serving (1 slice)

Calories 172 Calories from Fat 63

% Daily Value*

Fat 7g11%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Sodium 318mg14%

Potassium 185mg5%

Carbohydrates 22g7%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 5g10%

Vitamin A 1160IU23%

Vitamin C 14.2mg17%

Calcium 33mg3%

Iron 1.9mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.