Vegan Deep Dish Pizza | Gluten-Free Recipe - Elavegan (2024)

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5 from 6 votes

This easy to make vegan deep dish pizza is the perfect comfort food on weekends! The recipe is gluten-free and plant-based. You can use your favorite veggies for this yummy pizza pie!

Vegan Deep Dish Pizza | Gluten-Free Recipe - Elavegan (1)I am sure you know how much I love pizza. Yes, I adore it! That’s why I always get so excited when I create a new pizza recipe. This deep dish pizza is a crowd-pleaser for sure. You can make the recipe with a regular (wheat flour) dough, but for all of you who are gluten-free (and vegan), you have to try out this recipe!

Vegan Deep Dish Pizza | Gluten-Free Recipe - Elavegan (2)Healthy Pizza

You might ask why I am sharing this vegan deep dish pizza recipe with you. Well, I like veggies, mushrooms, and vegan cheese. You can fill up a deep dish pizza with lots and lots of veggies… So yeah, it’s actually a pretty healthy “pizza casserole” because of all the veggies, right. And I want you all to try out healthy-ish recipes. Isn’t it amazing when you can say: “I just ate a healthy pizza with tons of veggies and it actually tasted amazing”.

Vegan Deep Dish Pizza | Gluten-Free Recipe - Elavegan (3)Filling For This Vegan Chicago Style Pizza

I chose spinach, peppers, mushrooms, corn, onion, tomato sauce, and vegan cheese as the filling. However, you can choose any toppings which you like for this deep dish pizza, for example, tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, chickpeas and so much more.

Vegan Deep Dish Pizza | Gluten-Free Recipe - Elavegan (4)Gluten-Free Pizza Dough

I created a new gluten-free pizza dough with chickpea flour, rice flour, and tapioca flour and actually like it A LOT! If you don’t already have a (store-bought) gluten-free flour mix at home, you should give this flour mix a try.

If you don’t care whether the pizza dough is gluten-free or not, then you can also make regular pizza dough with wheat flour or spelt flour. The deep dish pizza will be most likely thicker and fluffier.

Vegan Deep Dish Pizza | Gluten-Free Recipe - Elavegan (5)Additional Dough Layer

Please note that this vegan deep dish pizza won’t stay nicely in shape when you cut into it because there is a lot of filling. I have made this recipe once with an additional layer of dough in between and this fixed the problem.

To make this, simply divide the dough into 2 parts, one being 2/3 of the size of the other one. Spread the larger rolled out dough into the pan/springform and use the smaller rolled out dough as an additional layer in between the veggies!

Vegan Deep Dish Pizza | Gluten-Free Recipe - Elavegan (6)This Deep Dish Pizza Is:

  • Vegan (dairy-free, egg-free)
  • Gluten-free
  • Crispy
  • Gum-free
  • Healthy
  • Easy to make
  • Versatile

Vegan Deep Dish Pizza | Gluten-Free Recipe - Elavegan (7)Vegan Cheese Sauce

I used my easy vegan cheese sauce recipe, however, you can use any vegan cheese of choice, whether its vegan mozzarella or vegan cheddar cheese, it’s your choice.

Vegan Deep Dish Pizza | Gluten-Free Recipe - Elavegan (8)Crowd-Pleaser

I made this vegan deep dish pizza a couple of times for friends and everyone loved it! It’s so much fun to get creative and try out new things with simple pizza dough. The recipe is easy to make because you just need a pizza dough and your favorite veggies.

Should you recreate this Chicago Style Pizza, please leave a comment below and don’t forget to tag me in your Instagram or Facebook post with @elavegan and #elavegan because I love to see your recreations.

Vegan Deep Dish Pizza | Gluten-Free Recipe - Elavegan (10)

Vegan Deep Dish Pizza

Author: Michaela Vais

This easy to make vegan deep dish pizza is the perfect comfort food on weekends! The recipe is gluten-free and plant-based. You can use your favorite veggies for this yummy pizza pie!

5 from 6 votes

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Chill time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Course Main Course, Pizza

Cuisine American

Servings 4

Calories 402 kcal

Ingredients

Pizza dough:

Filling:

  • 5 oz (140 g) fresh baby spinach
  • 2 peppers (I used green ones), chopped
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 1 cup (75 g) mushrooms sliced
  • 2/3 cup (120 g) corn
  • 1/2 cup (120 g) tomato sauce
  • 1 batch vegan cheese (or vegan cheese of choice)
  • sea salt, black pepper, and Italian spice mix to taste
  • red pepper flakes (optional)

Instructions

Make the pizza dough

  • Heat the plant-based milk in a saucepan for a few seconds until it's lukewarm (not hot!) about 35-40 degrees C (95-104 degrees F). Add yeast, sugar, and olive oil and set aside for about 10 minutes to proof the yeast. If it starts to get frothy, then the yeast is still active and usable.

  • Combine all dry ingredients (flour, psyllium husk powder, sea salt) in a bowl and stir with a whisk.

  • Add the yeast mixture and stir with a wooden spoon. It might seem too wet in the first few seconds but that will change within a minute. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes with your hands (it will be sticky, that's ok), form a dough ball and set aside (preferably in a warm place) for about 60 minutes. It should almost double in size.

  • Once the dough has risen, place it on a floured surface, and roll it out with a rolling pin about 0.6-0.8 cm thick. It should have a diameter of about 30 cm (12 inches).

  • Preheat oven to 200 degrees C (390 degrees F).

  • Line an 8-inch springform with parchment paper or grease it with some oil. Carefully place the dough into the springform. It should look like this. Let it rest again for about 10 minutes.

    Vegan Deep Dish Pizza | Gluten-Free Recipe - Elavegan (11)

  • Pre-bake the dough for around 10 minutes. Meanwhile, you can chop the veggies.

Make the filling

  • Saute veggies and mushrooms in a skillet with a little oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add salt, pepper, and Italian spices to taste. You can also add red pepper flakes if you like it spicy.

  • Make a batch of my easy vegan cheese sauce and spread half of it onto the pre-baked pizza dough. You can use any other vegan cheese of choice instead.

    Vegan Deep Dish Pizza | Gluten-Free Recipe - Elavegan (12)

  • Then add a layer of the fried veggies.

    Vegan Deep Dish Pizza | Gluten-Free Recipe - Elavegan (13)

  • Add the tomato sauce.

    Vegan Deep Dish Pizza | Gluten-Free Recipe - Elavegan (14)

  • Also, add more vegan cheese (sauce). Place the pizza back in the oven for another 20 minutes.

    Vegan Deep Dish Pizza | Gluten-Free Recipe - Elavegan (15)

  • Enjoy with fresh herbs of choice. PS: Please note that this vegan deep dish pizza won't stay nicely in shape when you cut into it because it has a lot of filling. Read the recipe notes below for a solution.

Notes

  • You can use 1 1/2 tsp instant dry yeast instead of fresh yeast.
  • I have made this recipe once with an additional layer of dough in between. This will help the pizza to stay in shape when you cut into it. To make this, simply divide the dough into 2 parts, one being 2/3 of the size of the other one. Spread the larger rolled out dough into the pan/springform and use the smaller rolled out dough as an additional layer in between the veggies!
  • I had the BEST result with the following homemade gluten-free flour mix:
  • 120 g white rice flour (3/4 cup)
  • 60 g chickpea flour (1/2 cup)
  • 60 g tapioca flour (1/2 cup)
  • Recipe serves 4. Nutrition facts are for one serving.

Nutrition Facts

Vegan Deep Dish Pizza

Amount per Serving

Calories

402

% Daily Value*

Fat

14

g

22

%

Carbohydrates

65

g

22

%

Fiber

13

g

52

%

Sugar

11

g

12

%

Protein

13

g

26

%

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

Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically

Vegan Deep Dish Pizza | Gluten-Free Recipe - Elavegan (16) Simple and Delicious Vegan Cookbook by ElaVeganCLICK HERE to order!

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Vegan Deep Dish Pizza | Gluten-Free Recipe - Elavegan (17)

Vegan Deep Dish Pizza | Gluten-Free Recipe - Elavegan (2024)

FAQs

What makes a deep dish pizza a deep dish pizza? ›

Chicago-style pizza usually refers to deep-dish pizza, which is a thick pizza baked in a pan and layered with cheese, fillings like meat and vegetables, and sauce–in that order. The crust is usually two to three inches tall and gets slightly fried due to the oil in the pan.

What is vegan pizza crust made of? ›

All Purpose Flour: Just regular all purpose flour works great for this pizza dough. Active Dry Yeast: I don't recommend instant yeast for this recipe. Organic Cane Sugar: Mixed with the yeast and warm water to activate the yeast. Olive Oil: Extra virgin if possible.

Does deep dish pizza use a different dough? ›

It helps to have a particular kind of pizza dough to make deep dish pizza. You want the finished dough to be lightly crisp at the edges, but soft inside. My go-to dough for deep dish has a blend of all-purpose and semolina flour, the usual salt, yeast, and water, plus a healthy dose of olive oil.

What's the difference between vegan pizza and regular pizza? ›

Obviously if you want a vegan pizza you have to avoid cheeses, therefore mozzarella, but there are many vegetable ingredients that we use on pizza: mushrooms, onion, garlic, radicchio, rocket, zucchini, peppers, aubergines, etc. Pizza in no way has to have cheese or meat on it to be 'real'.

What's the difference between deep-dish and Chicago-style pizza? ›

Chicago style pizza has a deep, dense crust and is cooked in a high-sided pan. It's also known as "deep dish pizza" and takes longer to bake than other pizza types. The crust is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, and it's loaded with cheese, sauce, and toppings.

What's the difference between Chicago-style pizza and deep-dish pizza? ›

The identifying feature of a Chicago-style pizza is its high-edged pie crust, which provides plenty of room for copious amounts of cheese, a chunky tomato sauce and layers of toppings. The deep-dish pizza gets baked in a circular pan with tall enough walls for the dough to expand.

Is vegan pizza junk food? ›

Now, vegan pizza isn't perfect — vegan cheese and vegan meat are typically very high in fat and salt, after all — but in many cases, it's a healthier alternative to traditional pizza. Thanks to a vegan pie's lack of meat and dairy, you don't have to worry about consuming cholesterol or carcinogens.

Is Papa John's pizza dough vegan? ›

Start with Our Original Dough

Our original hand-tossed dough is tasty, plant-based and contains no animal products. Nope, not even honey. Note: Our other crust options contain milk and/or egg products.

Do vegans eat yeast? ›

Since eating yeast does not cause it to suffer and involves no animal exploitation or cruelty, yeast is typically considered a vegan food. Although, a very small minority of vegans may still avoid it, as it is a living organism.

What is the best flour for deep dish pizza? ›

Heckers and Ceresota Unbleached Flour has become synonymous with pizza flour. Ceresota is the #1 pizza flour in the Chicago land area with award-winning Chicago-style deep-dish and cracker-thin pizza dough. What makes Heckers and Ceresota Unbleached All-Purpose flour ideal for pizza?

Is it best to pre bake a deep dish pizza crust? ›

Bake the pizza in an oven preheated to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for about 30 minutes, depending on your oven. You can prebake the crust for 10-15 minutes before adding toppings if desired.

What makes a Chicago deep dish pizza? ›

The most unique and recognizable element of Chicago pizza, deep-dish crust is at least an inch deep, allowing room for extra sauce and toppings. With its even higher crust, stuffed pizza resembles a pot pie or casserole dish more than a New York-style thin-crust pie!

What replaces cheese on a vegan pizza? ›

Some popular options include:
  1. Vegan cheese: There are many brands of vegan cheese available in the market made from ingredients like nuts, soy, and coconut. ...
  2. Nutritional yeast: Also known as "nooch," nutritional yeast has a cheesy flavor and is often used as a topping on vegan pizzas.
Oct 28, 2019

Is vegan pizza anti inflammatory? ›

When you add roasted cauliflower to your homemade pizza, you ALSO add amazing health benefits. Here are a few great reasons to eat more cauliflower, especially on pizza night: It's anti-inflammatory and protects you from chronic disease.

What's the difference between a deep dish pizza and a regular pizza? ›

The main difference between deep dish pizza and traditional thin crust pizza is the thickness of the crust. Deep dish pizza has a thick, doughy crust that is formed into a deep, round pan, similar to a pie dish. The crust is then filled with cheese, sauce, and toppings, in that order.

Is deep dish pizza just thick crust? ›

In addition to the thicker crust, thick crust pizza has significantly more toppings on it compared to thin crust pizza. The extra toppings may be a big reason why so many people like thick crust pizza. Deep dish pizza, on the other hand, is the extreme version of thick crust pizza.

Is Detroit-style pizza deep-dish? ›

Detroit-style pizza is a deep-dish rectangular pizza topped with Wisconsin brick cheese and a cooked tomato-based sauce. The dough typically has a hydration level of 70 percent or higher, which creates an open, porous, chewy crust with a crisp exterior.

Why is the sauce on top of deep dish pizza? ›

It's okay that the sauce comes on top.

There's actually a specific reason for this unconventional order. Because deep dish is larger than most pizza, it requires more time in the oven. If the cheese and other toppings weren't placed under the sauce, they would burn, so it's a protective measure.

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