Low carb cauliflower pizza tastes fantastic with delicious French onion sauce and Gruyere cheese on the top. It is a super yummy way of getting a lot of vegetables, nutrients and is still so light for a pizza.
Try this pizza with our popular low carb mustard greens and spinach soup and a delicious low carb treat - chocolate avocado truffles.
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Cauliflower Pizza with French Onion Sauce
My brother in law makes a fabulous French onion soup. His recipe involves many hours of slow cooking, but the remarkable result is well worth the effort. So, that French onion taste kept lingering in my thoughts.
Lately people have been asking me for low carb recipes. And what could be a better candidate to make a low carb pizza than good old cauliflower! While there are some cauliflower pizza recipes, many of them use the standard tomato base.
I wanted to try that French onion flavor twist for the pizza and satisfy my craving. Plus, the onion sauce is much thicker than the tomato sauce. So I felt it was more suitable for a Cauliflower pizza crust, which is more of a softer, knife and fork kind of pizza crust.
And what a great way to sneak in two veggies at the same time. Speaking of the French onion twist, reminds me of this comforting and Healthy Mac and Cheese made with caramelized onions and red lentil pasta. So Good!
How to Use Cauliflower for Pizza Crust
There are many different ways to do this. But the most important thing is to squeeze out the juices from the cauliflower as much as possible.
- You can process the cauliflower and then saute, bake, microwave or steam for about 10 minutes, such that the vegetable softens, making it easy to squeeze the juices.
- Steam, bake or saute (without browning) the cauliflower florets until softened and then grate in food processor.
- Easy method is to buy frozen chopped cauliflower, thaw, squeeze out the liquid, grate in food processor and again squeeze out the liquid. You don't have to pre-cook as the cauliflower is already softened.
- Easiest would be to simply buy the frozen riced cauliflower, thaw and squeeze the juices out.
Recipe Ingredients
- Cauliflower - in different forms as described above.
- Cheese - a melting cheese such as mozzarella or gouda. Combine that with parmesan, which has an intense cheese flavor and while it melts, it is also firmer.
- Egg - This serves as a binding agent. Here, I am using only the egg white as yolks can have a softening effect.
- Seasonings - salt, pepper, garlic, herbs such as basil, oregano, parsley or an Italian seasoning blend.
How to Make It
The following outlines the step by step process to make low carb cauliflower pizza. It includes three basic steps.
1. French Onion Sauce: Sauté sliced onions in olive oil until soft and caramelized, adding seasonings and herbs. 
2. Cauliflower Pizza Crust: Steam chopped cauliflower and grate in food processor. 
Squeeze out the moisture in a cheese cloth as well as you can. 
Mix cauliflower and all pizza crust ingredients. 
Shape the mixture into a circle. Bake at 450° F for about 20 minutes until brown. 
3. Assemble and Bake the Pizza: Cool the baked crust and spread onion sauce evenly. Sprinkle shredded cheese and bake until cheese is nicely melted. 
Pro Tips and Tricks
- Squeeze the cooled and processed cauliflower as best as you can to make sure it is very dry. You could also try placing a heavy weight for sometime over the cheese cloth bundle.
- Go light with the sauce, cheese and toppings on your cauliflower pizza to prevent it from becoming soggy.
- You could use a pizza stone for a more dry and better result. Use a pizza peel and/or parchment paper to transfer crust to the oven for baking.
- Other Toppings: You can try adding toppings such as sausage slices, thinly sliced bell peppers, mushrooms etc.
- Make Ahead: Double the recipe and make two pizza crusts and freeze one for later use.
- Freezer Friendly: Use a cling wrap or foil and freezer safe bags to freeze the crust without the toppings. Reheat the frozen pizza by baking for 5 minutes at 400 degrees F and then add toppings and bake it further.
- Better to enjoy the pizza when it is freshly baked. You would not want to keep leftovers anyway!
Is Low Carb Pizza Healthy?
Low carb pizza and recipes come in handy for managing a diabetic diet, weight loss approach and such. But a severely carbohydrate restricted diet in the long run is not a good idea. All nutrients are important and should be consumed in a balanced manner.
Is Cauliflower Crust Healthy?
Cauliflower pizza crust is lower in calories and carbs and is a great way to add more vegetables to your meal. However, it is important to note the other ingredients going into the crust. Some recipes use way too much cheese, making it too rich.
Ready made cauliflower pizza crusts often have starchy ingredients which make them less suitable for a low carb diet, but may be ok for a gluten free diet as most of them use gluten free starches. And the ingredients may not be non-GMO. Check the ingredient labels carefully.
Be sure to use wholesome toppings on the pizza crust.
Nutrition Facts
Onions and cauliflower are low in calories and carbs. Cauliflower, a nutrient dense cruciferous vegetable is well known for its antioxidant potential and cancer preventive phytochemical content. It is a good source of vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin B-6, folate, potassium and fiber.
Onions belong to the allium family of vegetables that include garlic, leeks, chives and green onions, which have shown promise in lowering the risk of certain cancers. They are a good source of vitamin C, vitamin B 6, fiber and powerful antioxidant phytochemicals.
Tools for Making this Pizza
- Food Processor
- Pizza Baking Pan
- Rolling Pin
- Pizza Stone
- Parchment Paper
- Pizza Peel
More Low Carb Recipes:
- Cauliflower Stuffed Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
- Moroccan Shakshuka
- Braised Lamb Shanks
- Tomato Curry with Eggs
- Mushroom Frittata with Spinach
- Moroccan Eggplant Salad
★ DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? PLEASE COMMENT AND GIVE IT A STAR RATING BELOW!
Low Carb Cauliflower Pizza
Ingredients
FRENCH ONION SAUCE
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1½ cups onions yellow or vidalia sweet, vertically sliced
- 1½ cups onions red, vertically sliced
- 2 pinches salt (adjust to taste)
- 2 pinches ground black pepper ground
- ⅓ teaspoon dried thyme fresh, chopped (or 2 pinches dried thyme)
- 1 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons butter grass fed, optional
CAULIFLOWER PIZZA CRUST
- ½ cauliflower head chopped (1½ pounds)
- ⅓ cup mozzarella cheese part-skim, shredded
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese grated
- 2 tablespoons parsley or basil, chopped or Italian herb blend
- 1 egg white large
- 1 clove garlic large, grated
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper ground
- 2 pinches salt (adjust as needed)
ASSEMBLY OF PIZZA
- ¼ cup Gruyere Cheese shredded
- 2 tablespoons mozzarella cheese part-skim, shredded
- 1 tablespoon basil or parsley, chopped
Instructions
FRENCH ONION SAUCE
- Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet at medium setting. Add sliced onions, stir and cook for few minutes. Lower heat to medium low and cook for about 15 minutes, making sure to stir and check on the onions.
- Add the seasonings, herbs and continue to cook for about 15 minutes until onions are golden brown and soft. Stir in the butter/olive oil. Tip: Butter adds the characteristic taste to French onion sauce, but you can choose to include or skip it.
- You may cook the onions at medium high for a further 5 minutes to make sure they are caramelized well.
CAULIFLOWER PIZZA CRUST
- Preheat oven to 450° F.
- Steam the chopped cauliflower for 10 minutes. Then, process it until it acquires a fine rice like texture.
- Place the processed cauliflower in a clean cheese cloth or kitchen towel and squeeze out the moisture as well as you can.
- The mixture should be very dry. It should be about 1½ cups in quantity.
- Mix the cauliflower and all other pizza crust ingredients together. Adjust seasoning to your taste.
- Transfer the cauliflower mixture on to a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Press and shape the mixture into a 8 inch circle that is about ¼th inch thick.
- Place the baking sheet in lower rack. Bake for about 20 minutes until brown. Flip and bake 5 to 10 minutes on the other side.
ASSEMBLE AND BAKE THE PIZZA
- Take baked crust from the oven and cool completely. Then carefully spread the onion mixture evenly.
- Sprinkle the shredded cheese - Gruyere with Mozzarella. Bake for about 7 to 10 minutes until the cheese is nicely melted.
- You may garnish this low carb cauliflower pizza with chopped basil or parsley.
Notes
- Squeeze processed cauliflower as best as you can until it is very dry. Try placing a heavy weight for sometime over the cheese cloth bundle.
- Go light with the sauce, cheese and toppings on your cauliflower pizza to prevent it from becoming soggy.
- Use a pizza stone for a more dry and better result. And use a pizza peel and/or parchment paper to transfer the crust to the oven.
- To make the French Onion sauce, there is no liquid added to the onions. All the juices are released from the slow sautéing process to prepare the sauce for this Low Carb French Onion Pizza.
- Make Ahead: Double the recipe and make two pizza crusts and freeze one for later use.
- Freezer Friendly: Use a cling wrap or foil and freezer safe bags to freeze the crust without the toppings. Reheat the frozen pizza by baking for 5 minutes at 400 degrees F and then add toppings and bake it further.
- Better to enjoy the pizza when it is freshly baked.
- NUTRITION FACTS: Not including any added salt; Net Carbs: 8 g per slice.
Nutrition
This post was first published on May 18th 2016 and has been updated with improvements in recipe, formatting, tips, and additional enhancements.
Mary Bostow
Please give me a piece of this appetizing pizza! Looks incredibly delicious! All I can say is BRAVO!
Roxana Begum
Thanks for your lovely feedback :)
Sapana
I love cauliflower crust pizza and absolutely love how you made this crust along with the french onion sauce - can't wait to try i!
Roxana Begum
It works great!
Noelle
Cauliflower crust is my favorite for a pizza alternative, thanks for this great recipe!
Roxana Begum
My pleasure.
Mikayla
That french onion sauce is to die for! Honestly I may never want to go back to tomato sauce after this!
Roxana Begum
Thanks so glad you like it :)
Dannii
That onion sauce sounds amazing. I definitely need to try that.
Roxana Begum
Yes it is so good with some thyme in it. My favorite sauce.