Vegan cheese pizza is can be a healthy and delicious alternative to traditional pizza. So whether you’re on a vegan diet or not it’s a recipe you should most definitely try. lt’s typically lower in saturated fat, with some vegan cheeses containing vitamin B12 and coconut oil. Experts say that B12 plays a role in the metabolism of every cell in our bodies. Coconut oil can increase your energy expenditure, helping you burn more fat. This homemade vegan cheese pizza recipe is a bit of a cheats recipe. It’s super quick and easy to make and fun for all the family to create together for a healthy nutritious lunch or pizza night.
What is vegan cheese and does it taste like cheese?
Vegan cheese is a dairy-free, plant-based alternative to cheese made from nuts, seeds, vegetables, soy milk, coconut oil and nutritional yeast. Vegan cheeses are made without any animal products or byproducts. It has been around for a while but it has only recently been introduced into mainstream supermarkets in the UK and is now happily easily accessible for all to enjoy.
There are many different types of vegan cheeses that vary in taste from mild to savoury depending on the ingredients used in the recipe.
Vegan Cheese Pizza Recipe
This is a very simple recipe but it makes the best pizza! Using the best vegan cheese it tastes incredible!
Vegan Pizza Dough
You can make your own homemade pizza dough and there’s a whole lot amazing recipes here: vegan recipes
You could make your own vegan pizza dough but if like me you’re pushed for time, why not use the Jus-Rol Sourdough Pizza Base or another vegan pizza dough alternative? They make the perfect pizza crust and are really tasty too.
The Vegan Cheese
I was sent some Violife cheese to review and create a recipe with. The Violife mature cheddar flavour grated cheese is perfect to top your vegan pizza with. In fact it was voted the winner of the best vegan cheddar (grated) cheese by BBC Good Food. Their verdict was that it melted quickly and easily (so perfect for my pizza recipe), and that it had a slightly smoky taste and salty flavour. I have to say I think it tastes amazing and it the perfect vegan pizza cheese.
The Ingredients in the cheese are: Water, Coconut Oil (24%), Modified Starch*, Starch, Sea Salt, Sunflower Kernel Grounded, Mature Cheddar Flavour, Acidity Regulator: Lactic Acid, Olive Extract, Colour: B- Carotene, Vitamin B12.
*Not to be confused with GMO (Genetically Modified) ingredients.
Vegan Pizza Sauce
You can cheat with this too and buy a Vegan Pizza Sauce from the supermarket if you’re in a rush. But if you want to make your own sauce it is quick and easy to do and I’ve included in the recipe below a simple tomato sauce.
Method and Ingredients for Vegan Cheese Pizza Recipe:
INGREDIENTS
- 500 g Vegan Pizza Dough
- 150 g Violife Epic Mature Grated Vegan Cheese
Pizza Sauce
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Diced Onion
- 1 Crushed Garlic Clove
- 2 tbsp Tomato Puree
- 200 g Tin of Chopped Tomatoes
- 1 tsp Dried Organic Oregano
- Salt and Pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- To make the sauce heat the oil in a saucepan at medium heat, sauté the onion in olive oil for approximately 10 minutes. Add the tomato puree and garlic and sauté for 1 more minute.
- Then add the tinned tomatoes, Organic Oregano and season well. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- For a smooth sauce you can either add the mixture to a food processor or use a stick blender, but if you prefer you can leave the sauce as is.
- Roll out your dough and place in either a pizza stone or even better, a perforated pizza pan.
- Top with tomato sauce and Violife Epic Mature Grated Vegan Cheese.
- Add any toppings of your choice i.e. sliced mushrooms, peppers, etc.
- Bake in a preheated pizza oven fan 180C for 8-10 minutes (or as per your ready dough instructions). Remove and garnish with the toppings of your choice i.e. spinach and basil.
The Pizza Toppings
Here’s where you can get creative and add your favourite pizza toppings. I used sliced red peppers, spinach, fresh basil and a sprinkling of oregano. Once the pizza sauce has been spread, and the vegan cheddar cheese sprinkled on top, I added my toppings. You could use whatever you love, anything from tomatoes and onions, to mushrooms, jalepeneos, sweetcorn or pineapple. I added more toppings after the pizza was cooked. Some fresh spinach and basil leaves from the basil plants I had grown and viola – a delicious pizza!
Next time I make this recipe I will look at adding some vegan mozzarella cheese too. Feel free to experiment as much as you like to add your own favourites to the pizza.
