Lately, I have been experimenting with cooking alternative pizza crusts by using cauliflower and spaghetti squash. I enjoyed eating both types of crusts, but I must admit that they are a pain to cook. First, I needed to cook the vegetables. Then, I needed to wring out all the liquid from the vegetables before manipulating the pulp into a crust. As you can imagine, these kitchen experiments quickly turned laborious. Don’t get me started about the spaghetti squash.
I had an itch for pizza again this week, but I wasn’t ready to roll up my sleeves for a long cooking session. The ripe plantains sitting on my kitchen counter suddenly caught my eye, and that was when the inspiration hit me.
Seriously, these were delicious! They are not doughy like conventional pizza dough, but they packed great flavor. Start with these pizza crusts if you are looking to change up your pizza routine!
Plantain Pizza Crust
Ingredients
- 2 ripe plantains, with plenty of black spots, mashed
- 2 large eggs
- 3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
- 1/4 cup almond meal
- 3 TBS nutritional yeast
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375º F. Line two baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix the mashed plantains and eggs together. Stir in all the dry ingredients until well incorporated.
- If you are making mini-pizzas (like the ones in the photo), scoop out 2 to 3 tablespoons of the plantain mixture onto the lined baking sheets. Spread the mixture into a small circular shape, and repeat for the remaining mixture. If you are making larger pizzas, divide the mixture in half and spread it on top of each baking sheet.
- Bake the plantain crusts for about 10 to 11 minutes, or until the crusts are firm to touch.
- Take the crusts out of the oven and add your favorite toppings.
- Bake at 400º F for about another 10 minutes, or until the toppings are cooked through.
Notes
With the mini-pizzas, I was able to play around with various pizza topping combinations. Cooking for picky eaters? Encourage them to join the cooking fun by having them add their favorite toppings to these mini pizzas!
For inspiration, here’s what I used for my toppings:
- 1/3 cup pizza sauce
- 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup mozzarella cheese
- 2 small cluster tomatoes, sliced
- 1/3 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
- 2 TBS diced red onions
- 2 TBS white corn kernels
- 2 TBS fresh basil, chopped
Enjoy!
Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table says
This is such a cool idea! I will definitely try it out. Perfect for #strangebutgood Friday! 😉
Lisa says
Thanks, Laura! I hope you enjoy them!
puree juice bar says
oh my gosh I LOVE THIS!!! pizza is my most missed since going gluten free 8 years ago now. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Lisa says
Thanks, I’m so glad you like this! Feel free to personalize the recipe by playing around with different spices. Hope you enjoy this!
Fairytalesandfitness says
I have got to get me some platains! Thanks for linking up!
Lisa says
Please do, and let me know what you think!
Bob says
Would it be OK to sub the yeast with ground golden flax seed?
Lisa says
Absolutely, Bob. The nutritional yeast merely gives the crust cheesy flavor. The ground flax will give the crust a great nutritional boost!
Liz says
Thanks for the recipe! Plantains are delicious, and I never would have thought to use them for a pizza crust.
Lisa says
Thanks, Liz!! If you like plantains, you’ll definitely enjoy this!
Pam says
I really want to try these for my daughter who has Celiac. Do you think they could be frozen after being baked (without the toppings)?
Lisa says
Pam, I’m pretty sure they freeze well without the toppings, but I have to be honest and say that I haven’t tried it myself. I don’t see a reason why it would go bad in the freezer, but I wouldn’t leave in there for longer than a month. The flavor will likely go away by then. Hope this helps and let me know if you try this!
Gayle Thorn says
I freeze my plantain waffles all the time. Keeps them fresher longer. They only take a couple of minutes to thaw. Taste & texture are still awesome! Freezing this pizza crust should work equally well. 🙂
Lisa Lin says
Thanks for the tip, Gayle!
Gayle Thorn says
You’re welcome. 🙂
Melanie says
Do you know what the Fat/Protein/Carb grams would be for just the crust? I can’t tell how much of the crust would be for one serving (with mini pizzas or an individual pizza or pieces of a larger pizza. Thanks.
Lisa says
Hi Melanie, I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to respond to your comment! I don’t have the nutritional breakdown, but MyFitnessPal has a great recipe tool. Just input my ingredients, and it should be able to break down the info you need for these pizzas. Have a great rest of your day!
Jeff says
Can you use unriped plantains for this recipe?
Lisa Lin says
Hi, Jeff. No, you’ll need ripened plantains. Green or unripened plantains are too difficult to mash.
Moriah says
Do you think these could be pan fried? I’ve had issues with the oven not really firming up the plantain crust correctly. I think I’ll do half of the batch in the oven and fry half of them in my cast iron skillet.
Lisa Lin says
Hi, Moriah! I think you can pan fry them, too. I would probably use a non-stick skillet (to be safe) let it cook for 3 to 4 minutes on one side before flipping over.
Scott says
I am a plantain addict and have never thought of eating them this. These were seriously mouthwatering and I will start making them on a regular basis. Thanks for sharing !
Lisa Lin says
Scott, I’m so happy that you tried the recipe. Glad you enjoyed it!
Wanda says
Oh my goodness!!! Thank you for this recipe. I, too, have been tired of the laborious cauliflower crust. Just finished making this and it is YUMMY and super fast to make! I’ve got my ‘go to’ gluten free crust now. No need to look any further.
Rossane says
Ugh, I had one of those days this week! I needed to have this recipe! These look great!
jay says
could you tell me the texture of the crust… i wanted to do just mash the plaintens themself and bake. as I want crunchy and flexible. what do you reccommend
Lisa Lin says
Hi, Jay. The crust is flexible but not very crunchy. If you want extra crunch, I would pan fry them for a few minutes (until they’re lightly golden brown) before putting the toppings on. I’ve never tried it before, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.
Jessica A says
I tried this recipe but there were so many details lacking. My dough ended up being a soupy batter, which I couldn’t tell if this was normal or not. I added 3x the amount of almond flour. Since the plantains were ripe, it gave a sweetness to the pizza – which would be fine for a dessert pizza, but not a garlic cheese pizza.
I would never make this again.