This cauliflower crust paneer tikka pizza is an AMAZING fusion recipe combining classic paneer tikka masala with a pizza.. and not just any ordinary pizza! The base is a crispy and savory cauliflower crust that is gluten free and eggless. You will be amazed at how amazing this recipe turns out!
All about this cauliflower crust paneer tikka pizza
This cauliflower crust paneer tikka pizza is the perfect combination of savory and spicy. The crust gets super crunchy and holds together really well (check out the video below!). The makhani pizza sauce and the marinated paneer pieces are the perfect topping on this pizza.
I recipe tested this one quite a few times before I came up with these measurements for the perfect eggless cauliflower crust. I hope you can give it a try!
The perfect eggless cauliflower pizza crust!
The cauliflower pizza crust is inspired by the cauliflower crust pizza that you can find at Costco. I love those pizzas and I've always wanted to recreate it at home. This recipe comes quite close to the original and I managed to make it eggless for our vegetarian friends who would still like to enjoy this pizza.
This pizza crust is super versatile and packs in so much cauliflower! You can follow this recipe for the pizza crust and then top it with your favorite sauce and toppings. Just keep in mind that the pizza crust is quite delicate because it has no flour to hold it together. Keeping the sauce and toppings to a minimum will ensure that you have nice & firm pizza slices. It also tastes best when consumed right after it's baked. Leaving it for a while can make the crust a little soggy because of moisture from the sauce.
I've added some savory spices into the pizza base like dried fenugreek leaves and crushed red pepper to compliment the paneer tikka and makhani sauce but you can absolutely swap them out for other spices or even omit them, depending on what you want to top this pizza with.
The most delicious makhani pizza sauce
This pizza is topped with the most delicious, flavor packed and creamy makhani sauce. This is the same sauce I use in my Makhani Eggplant Rollatini Recipe and I've had readers tell me that this is the best Makhani sauce they have ever tasted/made!
The sauce turns out creamy from the cashews and so savory and beautifully orange from the Kashmiri red chilli powder. It uses only a few spices and they are all the right ones.
This sauce is super versatile too. I usually make a double batch of it and store it in the refrigerator so I can quickly cook up some paneer/chicken or vegetables and toss it in the sauce for a quick weekday dinner!
The perfect paneer tikka topping
My marinated paneer tikka recipe takes this paneer tikka pizza recipe over the top! It is perfectly savory and spicy and has a beautiful red color from both the Kashmiri red chilli powder and the optional beet powder that I use in this recipe. The beet powder gives it a ruby red color and you don't even taste it! I don't use any artificial colors in my cooking and I was so stoked when I discovered plant based alternatives like this beet powder. I highly recommend trying it out.
The marinade is super quick, simple to make and comes together in under 5 minutes. I always have a jar of ginger-garlic paste in my refrigerator and it comes in super handy for making Indian recipes like these. Here's my recipe for how I make ginger-garlic paste that lasts for months in the refrigerator.
Storage and reheating instructions for this pizza
This paneer tikka pizza tastes best when consumed right after it's baked. Leaving it for a while can make the crust a little soggy because of moisture from the sauce.
However, if you do have leftovers you can store them in the fridge and reheat them either on medium low heat in a covered frying pan for around 5-7 minutes or in an oven preheated at 350F/180C for around 10 minutes or until it is warmed through.
You can also freeze the pizza crust after it has been made in an airtight container or bag and then top it with the sauce and toppings and bake directly from frozen at 400F/200C for about 15-20 minutes.
Substitutions for this paneer tikka pizza recipe:
I've used rice flour and corn starch in my cauliflower pizza crust recipe to help with the crispy texture and absorb any excess water from the cauliflower. If you want to make a low carbohydrate version of this recipe, you could replace these flours with almond flour for a slightly softer version of the pizza crust.
The cheese is what melts and holds the crust together and can't be replaced in this recipe. I haven't tried this recipe with vegan cheese but maybe you can try it and let me know if it works in the comments below.
You can change my toppings for whatever veggies/cheese/meat you like and it will still turn out great!
More recipes to try out:
If you like this recipe, I highly recommend you also try out my Makhani Eggplant Rollatini and Creamy Cashew Egg Curry recipes.
Both these recipes have a similar flavor profile and a creamy, spicy and savory sauce that you will love!
I hope you like this recipe as. much as I do. Please leave a comment below to let me know what you think and subscribe to my social media if you would like to see more easy and delicious recipes.
Paneer Tikka Cauliflower Crust Pizza
Ingredients
For the cauliflower pizza crust:
- 3 cups grated/riced cauliflower ~1 lb (steamed for 7-8 minutes in the microwave)
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
- 3 tablespoons water
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves
- ¼ cup rice flour
- 2 tablespoons tapioca starch
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ½ cup grated mozzarella cheese
For the marinated paneer:
- ⅓ cup paneer (cut into ½" cubes, about 60 grams)
- 2 tablespoons greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon ginger-garlic paste (I use my homemade ginger garlic paste)
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves
- ¼ teaspoon avocado oil or ghee
- ¼ teaspoon lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon beet powder (optional for color,
Here's the one I used) - kosher salt (to taste)
For the makhani sauce:
- ½ large onion roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
- 5 cashews
- 2 medium tomatoes roughly chopped
- 1.5 teaspoons Kashmiri red chili powder (or unsmoked paprika)
- ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
- 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi)
- kosher salt to taste
- 1.5 teaspoons butter
- 1.5 teaspoons avocado oil
- ½ teaspoon honey
For the pizza toppings
- ½ cup grated mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup red onion sliced
- ¼ cup green bell pepper cut into ½" cubes
- ¼ cup red bell pepper cut into ½" cubes
- ¼ teaspoon chaat masala
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
Instructions
For the paneer tikka:
- Mix the yogurt with all the ingredients in the marinated paneer section (except the paneer) until you have a smooth marinade. Then add in the paneer cubes and gently mix together so that all the paneer cubes are coated well in the marinade. Refrigerate this mixture until you make the pizza crust and sauce.
For the makhani sauce:
- Heat a teaspoon of avocado oil in a pan. When it gets hot, add in the onions and season with salt. Cook them until they turn translucent. When the onions are soft and lightly browned, add in the ginger garlic paste and cook for 2 minutes (or until lightly browned).
- Next, add in the tomatoes and cashews and cook this mixture for about 10 minutes or until the tomatoes are super soft and mushy and most of the liquid has evaporated. Take it off the heat and let this mixture cool down.
- Puree the cooled mixture into a fine paste using a blender or food processor.
- Heat ½ teaspoon of avocado oil and ½ tablespoon of butter in the same pan. When it gets hot, add in the kasoori methi and kashmiri chilli powder and toast the spices for about a minute before adding in the puree from the blender. Rinse out the blender with about ¼ cup of water and add it into the pan.
- Simmer this curry mixture for about 5 minutes on medium low heat before adding in the honey and garam masala. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed and cook for 1 more minute before turning off the heat. The Pizza sauce is ready.
For the cauliflower crust:
- Mix together the water and ground flax seeds and set it aside to gel together for about 10 minutes.
- If you are using frozen riced cauliflower, thaw it until it comes up to room temperature. If you are using freshly grated/processed cauliflower, microwave or steam it for 6 minutes and then let it cool down to room temperature.
- Once the cauliflower is at room temperature, transfer it into either a nut milk bag or a cheesecloth and squeeze out ALL the water. It is VERY crucial that you squeeze out all the water otherwise the crust will fall apart. After squeezing a few times, move the cauliflower around and keep squeezing until there is no more water left in it.
- Reserve the cauliflower water for soups/curries/stews or as fertilizer for your plants and transfer the completely dried out cauliflower into a large bowl.
- Preheat your oven to 375F/190C.
- Add in the gelled flax mixture and all the other ingredients under the crust section into the same large bowl and first mix together with a spatula and then with your hands. Mix only until the mixture comes together and a rough dough ball is formed.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and transfer the dough ball onto the parchment paper. Pat down the dough with your hands until you form a circle roughly around 12" in diameter. Try to keep the center thinner than the sides and use your hands to shape the sides so you have a crack-free uniform edge.
- Bake in the preheated oven for around 2-25 minutes or until the top is lightly golden brown around the edges.
- Carefully take the pan out of the oven and use the parchment paper to help you flip the pizza crust onto the pan. Now peel off the parchment paper and bake for another 15 minutes.
Topping and finishing the pizza:
- Pull out the pizza crust from the oven and spread over the pizza sauce evenly over the top.
- Top the pizza sauce generously with shredded mozzarella cheese and then arrange the red onions, bell peppers and marinated paneer pieces all over the top.
- Bake the pizza for another 15 minutes or until the cheese has nicely melted and the paneer has browned on the top.
- Carefully pull out the pizza from the oven and sprinkle the chaat masala on top. Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves and serve immediately.
Clotty says
Wow! These colours are so soothing to your eyes! ❤.
Val says
Amazing recipe for gluten intolerant folks like me! On my to do list ! Thanks to you the list gets longer 🙂
Viola says
You're welcome! I hope you love it as much as we did ❤