Zucchini Pizza Crust
Posted Aug 18, 2019, Updated May 10, 2024
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This Zucchini Pizza Crust Recipe is a great way to sneak some nutrition into homemade pizza night! It’s a fluffy, delicious homemade pizza dough that your whole family will love, and no one can even tell that there’s zucchini inside!
In our house, Sunday night is homemade pizza night! All the kids gather in the kitchen and we make dinner together. It’s a really fun tradition, and my husband has mastered how to make homemade pizza himself, so it even gives me a night off from cooking every now and then!
Since we eat pizza every week, I wanted to try to find a way to sneak a little nutrition into our family’s time in the kitchen, so I created this zucchini pizza crust recipe! I use my Vitamix blender to add zucchini to the pizza dough in a way that makes it completely undetectable.
I’ve tried getting on board with making pizza crusts out of only vegetables (mainly cauliflower), but I just can’t. I don’t like it, my family definitely doesn’t like it, and it isn’t as satisfying as a real pizza crust. So this zucchini pizza crust is the best of both worlds, a fluffy delicious homemade pizza dough that tastes amazing, is easy to make and contains added nutrition because of the of zucchini! Win win win!
How to Make Zucchini Pizza Crust
Much like my famous homemade pizza dough recipe and our whole wheat pizza dough, this zucchini pizza crust is easy to make! You don’t even have to let it rise if you are short on time (although it is the best when it rises once)! I’ll walk through this recipe with you step-by-step to ensure your zucchini pizza making success! Let’s get started!
The first step in making this zucchini pizza crust recipe is proofing the yeast. Please note, only combine half of the water with the yeast and sugar. The other half of the water needs to be blended with the zucchini.
Let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes to proof while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
While the yeast is proofing, blend the zucchini, remaining water and olive oil in the container of a Vitamix blender!
I like to blend it until it’s completely smooth for the best results, but if you would like some pretty flecks of green zucchini in your pizza dough, then blend for a shorter time!
Next, combine the blended zucchini mixture with the proofed yeast mixture and stir gently to combine until the mixture is homogenous (uniform throughout).
Next add the flour and sea salt to the wet mixture and stir until the mixture is loose but becoming firm.
Turn the mixture out onto a floured surface and knead until a smooth, but slightly tacky dough ball forms. You may need to add more flour as you knead, just be careful not to add too much.
Rise
Put the zucchini pizza dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover with a damp towel and let it rise. I recommend letting it rise for at least 10 minutes, and for the best results wait until it has doubled in size (about 1 hour).
The rise is actually optional, and you’ll get a delicious zucchini pizza crust if you don’t. However, I enjoy how light and fluffy the crust is after it has risen!
Roll the Dough
Next, it’s time to roll out the zucchini pizza crust! If you are going to be transferring it to a pre-heated pizza stone, I recommend rolling it on a piece of parchment paper.
If you’ll be baking it on a baking sheet then roll it on a well-floured surface and transfer it to the baking pan before adding the sauce and toppings.
Assemble the Pizza
This is where it gets fun! We usually double the recipe and make two pizzas! That way the kids can enjoy their favorite toppings (cheese and pepperoni) and mommy & daddy can enjoy some more grown-up flavors, like the classic margarita pizza!
We always use this homemade pizza sauce recipe on our zucchini pizza! It only takes 5 minutes to make and is worlds better than anything you can purchase in the store!
Bake
There are two ways to bake this zucchini pizza crust! On a pizza stone (preferred method) or on a baking sheet!
Pizza Stone
- Set dough on parchment paper. Add pizza sauce and toppings.
- Use a pizza paddle to transfer pizza onto the stove in the preheated oven.
- Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until crust is browned on the bottom and cheese is melted and slightly browned.
Baking Sheet
- Place rolled dough onto the baking pan.
- Pre-bake dough for 5 minutes in the preheated oven until it slightly sets. If any bubbles form, pop them with a fork.
- Remove from oven and add pizza sauce and toppings.
- Bake an additional 15-20 minutes until crust is browned on the bottom and cheese is melted and slightly browned.
Cool & Serve
Remove the zucchini pizza from the oven and transfer it to a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes. It’s best not to cut pizza straight from the oven. If you let it cool slightly it will be easier to cut!
Zucchini Pizza Crust: Ingredients & Substitutions
Let’s chat about the ingredients as well as possible substitutions in this recipe!
- Sugar. The sugar in this zucchini pizza crust recipe is used to help the yeast proof. Feel free to use honey, maple syrup, or your favorite granulated sugar. I do not recommend using sugar substitutes!
- All-purpose flour. Bread flour and pastry flour also work well in this recipe. You can substitute 1/2-1 cup of the flour with whole wheat or white whole wheat flour, just be aware you will likely need to use less flour overall if you make this substitution.
- Zucchini. There isn’t a substitution for zucchini in this recipe, except for maybe yellow squash since it’s so similar. You do not have to shred or finely chop the zucchini, since the Vitamix is powerful enough to blend it well. However I do recommend at least cutting it into large chunks for ease of blending and for measuring!
- Olive Oil. Any neutral oil works well in this recipe! I have used canola oil and avocado oil with great success! You can also used a flavor-infused olive oil (like garlic, herb, etc.) to add a special flare!
- Sea Salt. If you are using iodized table salt then you will likely need to decrease the amount of salt to 3/4 tsp. I always cook and bake with pure sea salt!
Zucchini Pizza Crust Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can double this recipe to make 2 or 3 pizzas.
yes, you can shred the zucchini. If that is your choice, proof the yeast with the sugar in the full amount of water (1 cup) and then just stir the shredded zucchini into the dough with the flour.
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Zucchini Pizza Crust
Ingredients
- 1 cup water (divided)
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar (or honey)
- 1 Tablespoon active dry yeast
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small zucchini (1 cup, cubed)
- 2 ½ to 2 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine ½ cup water, sugar, and yeast. Stir to combine. Let sit for 10 minutes until foamy (proofed).
- Place remaining ½ cup water, zucchini and olive oil into the container of a Vitamix blender.
- Blend, starting on low speed & increasing to high until the mixture is smooth and uniform throughout.
- Pour zucchini mixture into the proofed yeast mixture and stir to combine.
- Add 2 ¼ cups flour and 1 tsp sea salt and stir to combine.
- Dump dough mixture onto a floured surface and knead by hand for 2 minutes, form dough into a ball, adding more flour as needed to form a slightly tacky dough ball.
- Put dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with a warm, damp towel and let rise for 60 minutes (or until doubled in size). NOTE: This is optional, you can simply bake the dough without letting it rise and still get great results!
- After dough has risen, preheat oven to 450 degrees (If using a pizza stone, put stone in oven while it preheats).
- Place zucchini pizza dough on a well-floured surface and roll into your desired shape and size. (I recommend a 14” round pizza).
If baking on a pizza stone:
- Set dough on parchment paper. Add pizza sauce and toppings.
- Use a pizza paddle to transfer pizza onto the stove in the preheated oven.
- Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until crust is browned on the bottom and cheese is melted and slightly browned.
If baking on a baking pan:
- Place rolled dough onto the baking pan.
- Pre-bake dough for 5 minutes in the preheated oven until it slightly sets. If any bubbles form, pop them with a fork.
- Remove from oven and add pizza sauce and toppings.
- Bake an additional 15-20 minutes until crust is browned on the bottom and cheese is melted and slightly browned.
- Remove pizza from oven and let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
- Cut and eat!
Video
Notes
- Sugar. The sugar in this zucchini pizza crust recipe is used to help the yeast proof. Feel free to use honey, maple syrup, or your favorite granulated sugar. I do not recommend using sugar substitutes!
- All-purpose flour. Bread flour and pastry flour also work well in this recipe. You can substitute 1/2-1 cup of the flour with whole wheat or white whole wheat flour, just be aware you will likely need to use less flour overall if you make this substitution.
- Zucchini. There isn’t a substitution for zucchini in this recipe, except for maybe yellow squash since it’s so similar. You do not have to shred or finely chop the zucchini, since the Vitamix is powerful enough to blend it well. However I do recommend at least cutting it into large chunks for ease of blending and for measuring!
- Olive Oil. Any neutral oil works well in this recipe! I have used canola oil and avocado oil with great success! You can also used a flavor-infused olive oil (like garlic, herb, etc.) to add a special flare!
- Sea Salt. If you are using iodized table salt then you will likely need to decrease the amount of salt to 3/4 tsp. I always cook and bake with pure sea salt!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
And don’t forget about Vitamix!!
Would the recipe be compromised if the oil is left out? Thank you.
The pizza looks and sounds amazing! I’m definitely going to have to try it.
Have you tried freezing this dough? We made it tonight and it was excellent! I thought I might make some for my freezer while I’m inundated with end-of-season zucchini!!
What id
What is the recipe for pizza sauce?
Right here: https://joyfoodsunshine.com/easy-homemade-pizza-sauce-recipe/
Hi,can I use Quick Rise Instant Yeast?
Yes!
Looking forward to trying your recipes!
It’s right there in step 8! Preheat to 450 degrees F! 😉
i’m confused. what is the oven temperature? i don’t see it anywhere in the article or the recipe.
Can a gluten-free flour be used?
Yes! An all-purpose gluten-free flour can be used in place of regular flour, you may need to adjust the amount of water accordingly!