Dairy Free Pizza Recipe That Actually Tastes Amazing

This dairy free pizza recipe combines our simple but incredible tomato sauce and dairy free pesto to make a pizza that both looks and tastes amazing! No more relying on disappointing vegan cheese, and no more missing out on pizza night!

It’s quick and easy to throw together, is great to make with the kids and an ideal dairy free family dinner idea.

Freshly baked dairy free pizza on a wooden board.

Real pizza is one of the hardest things to give up when you go dairy free, isn’t it?

Vegan cheese just doesn’t cut it.

Real cheese makes pizza more-ish, so take that away and the happy family experience of pizza night goes from delightful cheese-fest to dairy free subpar sadness.

While the rest of my family tucked into incredible gooey cheese, I always felt like my store -bought or take out vegan pizzas were a letdown.

That’s why I developed this recipe, which uses simple ingredients to make an incredibly flavoursome tomato pizza sauce, plus a topping that brings back the ‘umami’ (that is, the satisfying ‘yum!’ flavour!) we all want and love from pizza: pesto.

Traditional pesto contains parmesan, so we use our easy 5 minute homemade pesto recipe.

Now, my kids love tucking into my homemade dairy free pizza even more than take out!

This is a great family dinner idea: get the kids to add their own favourite toppings and get the pizza assembled and baked in less than 30 minutes.

Why You’ll Love This Dairy Free Pizza Recipe

  • Great flavour without using loads of vegan ‘fake’ cheese
  • No more dairy free sadness on pizza night!
  • Weeknight-friendly – quick and easy to throw together
  • Family food – get the whole family involved in the fun of making the pizza

Key Ingredients

For the Homemade Tomato Pizza Sauce

Ingredients for homemade tomato pizza sauce on a countertop.
  • Passata: An Italian staple, passata is a type of tomato purée that is rich, smooth and great for sauces. It is becoming more widely available in the US and is sold in boxes or jars, never in cans.
  • Garlic powder: Fresh minced garlic also works well.
  • Dried oregano and basil: Any blend of italian herbs work well here, and you can go for fresh if you prefer.
  • Salt: Add a couple of twists of black pepper too if you like.
  • Sugar: Tomato can sometimes be a bit of a tart flavour, so a little sugar can bring a bit balance and sweetness to the sauce.

For the Pizza

Ingredients for homemade dairy-free pizza on a countertop.
  • Pizza dough: Buy a ready made pizza base, or make your own. I use the dough setting on my bread maker which takes around 45 minutes plus 15-20 minutes proving time.
  • Tomato pizza sauce: You’ll need around ¼ cup per 10 inch pizza.
  • Dairy free cheese: I use Cathedral City plant-based grated cheese (shreds), but you can use your favourite cheese substitute product. We’re only using a little in this recipe, so getting this ‘right’ isn’t so important!
  • Homemade pesto: or buy a ready-made a vegan or dairy free jar.
  • Toppings of your choice: Pepperoni (check labels to ensure it’s dairy free), shredded chicken, bell peppers, rocket (arugula) or whatever your favourite is… just don’t skip the pesto and go easy on the ‘cheese’!

Variations and Substitutions

  • Pizza sauce garlic and herbs: If you choose to use fresh garlic and herbs in the tomato sauce, you’ll get a much richer and more developed flavour if you make it ahead of time and let it sit for an hour or two (or even better, a day!).
  • Toppings: Other than the tomato sauce and pesto, the toppings are totally customisable. Go with your favourites! I like:
    • Keeping it simple with a basic pizza (base, tomato sauce, vegan cheese and pesto) plus fresh rocket (arugula)
    • Red onion, mushrooms, and sweetcorn
    • Pepperoni, sliced ham and mushroom
  • Cheese: Use whichever cheese substitute you like best, either store bought or homemade (like our dairy free parmesan style cheese), or feel free to skip it completely.

How to Make Homemade Dairy Free Pizza with Pesto: Step by Step

Find the full ingredients list and instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.

Prepare the pizza dough: If using a store-bought base, skip this step and move onto makgin the tomato sauce. If making your own pizza dough, do this first. I use a breadmaker, which takes 45 minutes on the pizza dough setting. Once the dough is made, place on a lightly floured surface and use your hands to spread it into two 25cm / 10″ sized circles. Move the bases to a greased baking sheet or pizza pan, and leave to prove at 40°C/105°F for 15-20 minutes while you make the tomato sauce.

Preheat your oven for baking: Remove the pizza dough from the oven and increase the heat to 220°C/425°F.

Make the tomato sauce: In a small bowl, combine the tomato sauce ingredients and set aside.

The tomato pizza sauce being assembled and mixed in a bowl.

Spread the sauce: Spoon some of the tomato sauce onto the base and spread, leaving a ½ inch gap around the edge, which will become the crust.

Hands pressing homemade pizza dough on a baking tray and the tomato sauce being spread on the base.

Add toppings: Add your chosen pizza toppings, followed by a small amount of dairy free cheese. Drizzle 2-3 tablespoons dairy free pesto (more if desired) evenly across the top of the pizza. If you’d like fresh toppings, such as arugula (rocket), do not add these until the end.

Bake the pizza: Place in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until the toppings are baked and the crust is lightly browned and crisp.

Adding the toppings to the pizza and then baking until the crust is brown and slightly crisp.

Tips for Success

Make the sauce and pesto ahead of time

The homemade sauce and pesto will both develop flavour the longer it has been made, making the best pizza. So try making it a day or two ahead and keep in the fridge in an airtight container until you need it. You can also make a batch–use a whole box or jar of passata to make tomato sauce and freeze any excess in ice cube trays until your next pizza night.

Do not skip the pesto!

I know, I know–pesto might not be the first thing you think of for pizza. But trust me on this one.

Without dairy, the pizza is missing an ‘extra something’, and that’s where the pesto comes in. It brings a richness, freshness and flavour punch that means you won’t miss the cheese. The garlicky, herby goodness melts into the tomato sauce and toppings, making every bite delicious.

Go easy on the vegan cheese

Manufactured vegan cheese is often made using vegetable or coconut oils. Even with improvements to their recipes and the claims on the packaging, they still don’t act, taste or feel like real cheese. Instead of getting lovely, melted, gooey cheese on your pizza, you get (maybe) a bit of melt and usually a lot of oil, which separates as the pizza bakes.

Not great.

I go for a light sprinkling of grated ‘cheese’ to make the pizza feel and look authentic, but recommend either going lightly or skipping it altogether.

How to Store Homemade Pizza

Store Cool to room temperature, place in an airtight container, and keep in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.

Reheat in the oven at 180°C/350°F for 5-10 minutes until warmed through.


Frequently Asked Questions

Which dairy free cheese is best for pizza?

The top recommended dairy free cheeses, as voted by The Sunshine Pantry’s Dairy Free Facebook Group are:
UK: Cathedral City Mature grated cheese.
US: Follow Your Heart Mozzerella Shreads, Chao or Miyokos liquid mozzerella.

What’s the best dairy free pesto to use?

Homemade vegan pesto is great, because it tastes so fresh and it’s full of natural ingredients. For store bought, go for a brand that is dairy free, such as Italiamo Pesto by Lidl or a vegan brand like Sacla.
As traditional pesto is made using Parmesan cheese, be sure to always check the label.


Homemade Dairy Free Pizza Recipe

Freshly baked dairy free pizza on a wooden board.
Find out how to make your own amazing tasting dairy free pizza at home, using our special secret: our tomato pizza sauce and dairy free pesto.
Rebecca Tufnell
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Serving Size 2 pizzas

Equipment

  • Bread maker (optional)
  • pizza stone or oven tray

Ingredients

Pizza

  • 2 ready made pizza bases or enough pizza dough to make 2 10-inch pizzas (see notes below on how I make my pizza dough)
  • ½ cup homemade tomato pizza sauce
  • 3 tablespoons dairy free pesto
  • small handful dairy free cheese
  • choice of toppings

Tomato Pizza Sauce

  • 1 cup passata (250g)
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • Prepare the pizza dough: If making your own pizza dough, do this first. I use a breadmaker, which takes 45 minutes on the pizza dough setting. Once the dough is made, place it on a lightly floured surface and use your hands to spread it into two 25cm / 10" sized circles. Then place on a greased baking sheet (or lined with parchment paper), and leave it to prove at 40°C/105°F for 15-20 minutes while you make the tomato sauce. If using a store-bought base, skip this step.
  • Preheat your oven for baking: Remove the pizza dough from the oven and increase the heat to 220°C/425°F.
  • Make the tomato sauce: In a small bowl, combine the tomato sauce ingredients and set aside.
  • Spread the sauce: Spoon some of the tomato sauce onto the base and spread, leaving a ½ inch gap around the edge, which will become the crust.
  • Add toppings: Add your chosen toppings, followed by a small amount of dairy free cheese. Drizzle 2-3 tablespoons dairy free pesto (more if desired) evenly across the top of the pizza. If you’d like fresh toppings, such as arugula (rocket), do not add these until the end.
  • Bake the pizza: Place in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until the toppings are baked and the crust is lightly browned and crisp.

Notes

Pizza dough: I make mine using my bread maker* using the following recipe on the pizza dough setting (takes 45 minutes):
  • ½ teaspoon instant yeast
  • 300g (2 ½ cups) strong white bread flour
  • 1 tablespoon good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I like Filippo Berio*)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 170 ml (⅔ cup) water
Press out the pizza dough into 2 10” inch circles and prove on a greased baking tray in a 40C/105F oven for approx 20 mins or until doubled in size.
Passata: An Italian staple, passata is a type of tomato purée that is rich, smooth and great for sauces. It is becoming more widely available in the US and is sold in boxes or jars, never in cans. If you can’t get hold of passata, blend a can of diced tomatoes in a blender until smooth.
Store: Cool the pizza to room temperature, place in an airtight container, and keep in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. The tomato sauce can be kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 1 week, or frozen ina freezer safe container for up to 2 months.
Reheat: In the oven at 180°C/350°F for 5-10 minutes until warmed through.
Approx 620kcal per half pizza.

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