Anyone else craving pizza this weekend? You should make this Avocado Pizza, topped with mozzarella cheese, zucchini, microgreens, and avocado. This crust is light, crispy, and is loaded with healthy greens. Not only will this pizza keep you feeling satisfied but full. It can be whipped up in 1 hour or less including rising time!Â
Have you ever tried Avocado on your pizza? I am a firm believer that avocado makes everything better! So I thought, why not add slices of creamy avocado to the top of my pizza? Not only does it taste amazing but is also packed with nutritional values. Avocados are filled with fiber, heart healthy fats, and even contain more potassium than bananas. Who would have known this bright green fruit was so amazing?
TIPS WHEN MAKING YOUR PIZZA DOUGH
- To make this pizza dough you only need 6 ingredients, flour, water, oil, yeast, salt and sugar. You can also add additional seasoning to flavor your dough. For this pizza I added dried herbs like oregano, basil, thyme and garlic powder.
- In a small bowl mix the warm water and yeast and set aside. The yeast should start to foam after 2-3 minutes. Be careful not to make your water too warm or you can damage (kill) the yeast. If your yeast doesn’t foam it might be bad. I recommend dumping it out and trying again.
- You do not need to use a stand mixer to make this dough. You just need your good ole hands to knead the dough into a ball. This dough does not require a ton of kneading but just enough to make sure the dough forms into a large ball around 3-5 minutes.
- After kneading the dough you will place it in an oiled bowl and cover it with a linen towel. Place the bowl in a dark and warm area for about 35-45 minutes. I usually place it in my microwave or pantry where there is minimal light. The yeast in the dough will rise, almost doubling in size of the dough. If you have additional time, you can let your dough rise for even longer.
- If for some reason your dough doesn’t rise, there was something wrong with your yeast. But no worries, the pizza will still taste wonderful. You just won’t have as much dough since it did not double in size.
- Rolling out your dough is so much fun! You can make one giant pizza, make two large pizzas, or make four mini pizzas. I just recommend placing parchment paper under the dough so it doesn’t stick to the surface.
- I rolled the dough thin since I wanted a light and crispy crust. You don’t need a rolling pin to roll the dough out but if you have one I recommend using it. If you want to use a rolling pin but don’t have one use a floured glass cup on its side instead.
- Make sure to leave the edges of your dough slightly thick and only roll or stretch the middle of the dough. It is up to you on how thick or thin you will want your pizza.
- To make sure your dough does not bubble gently, poke the middle of your pizza with a fork multiple times. Avoid poking the crust of the pizza.
Instead of using a typical red sauce I made a green pesto sauce. I usually make my pesto sauce with primarily fresh basil, but decided to switch it up by adding fresh spinach to the pesto. To make your pesto combine all of the ingredients in a high powered blender or food processor and pulse.
Spread the pesto on top of the pizza dough evenly. Then top it with an even layer of vegan mozzarella cheese. I used cashew cheese shreds from Trader Joes but any type of dairy-free cheese will work. Some of my other favorite dairy-free cheese brands include Violife Mozzarella Cheese Shreds, Follow Your Heart Mozzarella Shreds or Whole Foods brand of Mozzarella Cheese. Lastly, top your pizza with thinly sliced zucchini. It is really important to slice it really thin so it cooks all the way in the oven.
Bake pizza at 450 degrees Fahrenheit (232 C) 10-12 minutes. Take baked pizza out and top with additional microgreens, fresh basil, and sliced avocado. Season with cracked black pepper and salt. You can also sprinkle crushed red pepper on the pizza before eating (optional). Slice, eat, and enjoy!
You can get super creative with the toppings that you add on your Green Goddess Pizza. Some other great toppings I recommend:
- Artichoke heart
- Kale
- Arugula
- Spinach
- Asparagus
Unfortunately leftovers do not last long in the refrigerator because the avocado will brown over time. However, you can make the pizza and just top it with the avocado right before you eat it.
This Avocado Pizza is:Â
Simple
Healthy
Fresh
Crunchy
Flavorful
If you make this pizza I would love it if you would snap a photo of your Stuffed Bell Peppers and share it with me on Instagram @itsallgoodvegan.com. I can’t wait to see how you like it!
Avocado Pizza
This crust is light, crispy, and is loaded with healthy greens. Not only will it keep you feeling satisfied but full.
Dough
- 1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour substitute with whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp sugar, I used cane sugar
- 1 tsp of active dry yeast or 1/2 packet of yeast
- ½ cup of warm water 105° -110° Fahrenheit.
- ½ Tbsp of olive oil
- ½ tsp of salt
- 1 tsp of dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried garlic
- 1 Tbsp olive oil (for the dough) + 1 tsp (to grease bowl)
Pesto
- ½ cup fresh basil
- 1 cup fresh spinach
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 – 3 Tbsp of olive oil, add more if needed
Toppings
- 1- 2 cups of dairy-free mozzarella cheese
- 1 small zucchini, sliced thinly
- ¼ cup microgreens
- ½ large avocado, chopped thinly
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ¼ cup fresh basil
- 1 tsp of crushed red pepper (optional)
Directions
- In a small bowl mix the warm water and yeast and set aside. The yeast should start to foam after 2-3 minutes. Be careful not to make your water too warm or you can damage (kill) the yeast. If your yeast doesn’t foam it might not be bad. I recommend dumping it out and trying again.
- In a large bowl mix the flour, sugar, and salt together. Slowly pour the yeast water and 1 Tbsp olive oil with the dry ingredients and mix until a soft dough has formed.
- Add your dried herbs to the dough. Knead dough for 3-5 minutes forming it into a ball. You can add an additional tablespoon of water if your dough is too dry.
- Place the dough in an oiled glass bowl. Cover the dough with a kitchen linen and place in a dark and warm place for 35-45 minutes. Allowing the dough to rise almost doubling in size.
- Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F (232 C). Once the dough has risen, punch the dough. Prep your counter for rolling your dough. You can do this by cleaning it or laying a large piece of parchment paper down.
- Roll out the dough using a rolling pin. If you notice the dough sticking add 1 tsp of flour to the surface. You want to leave the edges of the dough thicker than the middle of the pizza. See the tip section for more details. Using a fork gently poke the middle of the dough. This will make sure the dough will not bubble.
- Place the rolled out dough with the parchment paper directly on a large baking pan. If you do not have parchment paper spray your pan with oil.
- In a food processor combine all the pesto ingredients together and pulse. Spread the pesto paste evenly on the pizza. Add the cheese, zucchini, salt, pepper, and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
- Take pizza out top it with the rest of the pizza toppings. Slice, eat and enjoy!
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- Substitute whole wheat flour for unbleached all-purpose flour .
- Don’t have a round pan? Make a rectangle size pizza, it still is pretty and taste as yummy as the round pizzas.
- Add additional veggies to your pizza, some of my favorites are artichoke hearts, spinach, and kale.
Any suggestions for making the crust grain-free?
Hi Lesa! Unfortunately, I don’t consider myself a pro at gluten-free baking. But I do recommend mixing a couple flours together instead of just using one type of GF flour. Some great flours I like are almond flour and bob’s red mill flour 1 to 1. Hope this helps 🙂
I don’t eat normal pizza so this is great for me! Fresh pizzas are always the best and I love green pesto!!
I cant wait to hear how you like it.
Avocados taste great on anything, why not pizza. Thanks for the recipe.