This easy vegan pizza comes together in a snap! Simple store-bought flatbread gets transformed with an easy vegan pesto sauce, roasted bell peppers, artichoke hearts, red onions, kale, and crunchy pomegranates.
This post is brought to you in collaboration with Daiya Foods. Our sponsors allow us to bring you beautiful free content every week!
There’s no denying it….it’s fall and I’m roasting all the things. But did you also know that October is National Pizza Month? This pizza is your new ultimate cozy weeknight dinner!
I know what you might be thinking? Vegan pizza?!? That’s exactly what my husband said too. Being married to a purist cheese addict I have to say I was a little skeptical myself if I could pull off this challenge on him and the kids. While I’m always game for swapping up my meals and getting in some vegetarian and vegan recipes (and we have SO many reader requests for more vegan recipes!)…my experiments aren’t always the highest “dude” or kid approved haha. But all 4 of the dudes in the house went to town on these pizzas and devoured them before I had a chance to sneak more than a single slice!
See those little hands below? Yeah, that slice didn’t come back to the tray after the obligatory “mom pause” for a photo.
Okay, let’s jump into my obsession here. First off it’s made on flatbread…which is my new pizza addiction. So easy to snag from the bakery and they taste far better than the pizza crusts you find in the aisles. Of course, if you want to get fancy and make pizza crust from scratch or snag the balls of pizza dough from the cheese case at your store that’s totally awesome too.
Pesto makes the base of the pizza which is amazing. You can snag a vegan jarred pesto from the store or make your own vegan pesto from scratch in literally like 5 minutes tops. If you are making your own from sauce be sure to leave it nice and thick for this application and don’t thin it with any water just olive oil.
We charred two gorgeous orange and yellow bell peppers to give that smoky sweet taste. Kale, artichoke hearts and thinly sliced red onions layer on the complexity. Roasted cloves of garlic would also be amazing if you have some of those or want to wait for them to roast. Pop all of that onto your pizza and then into the oven for just 5-7 minutes.
Once it’s out of the oven, crack open a sweet tangy pomegranate and go to town sprinkling them all over the pizza. Fresh zippy arugula adds a perfect peppery bite.
Oh and if you love spice as much as we do, adding some to this pizza is totally appropriate! Sprinkle on the crushed red pepper flakes, add jalapeño slices, brush on Sriracha to your crust, add copious amounts of hot sauce to your slice…look I’m not trying to tell you what to do, but if you love it this pizza loves it’s spice haha. How to make vegan pizza?
Now we have to talk about the elephant in the room….how the heck do you even make vegan pizza??
As someone who was lactose intolerant as a child, I can honestly tell you pizza and all things cheese laden were the things that I consider the most impossible to recreate. Just about everything else is replaceable but cheese?! Dairy-free cheese back when I was a kid was quite literally the worst thing I had ever put in my mouth.
Enter Daiya cheese. I too was a skeptic but in case you need proof…holy cheese pull. We’ve come to a long way folks.
I don’t entirely understand how they have done it but they have managed to create a plant-based mozzarella “cheese” that stretches, melts and tastes nearly identical to regular cheese!
Now if you are anything like me you probably want to know exactly what is happening here. Here’s what I learned:
All of Daiya’s foods contain no animal products, cholesterol, trans fats or preservatives.
These new Shreds are made with 100% plant-based and non-GMO ingredients.
This line is available in Cheddar Style, Mozzarella Style, and Pepperjack Style.
They are created using a proprietary signature blend of tapioca, pea protein, and vegetable oils.
Daiya Shreds are available in the dairy case in more than 22,000 grocery stores across the U.S., including Whole Foods, Kroger’s, and Safeway, as well as most natural food retailers.
Daiya also makes a line of frozen pizzas that are also completely plant-based that come in seven different varieties!
All in all, I’m very excited that there is finally a delicious plant-based cheese option available!
This easy vegan pizza comes together in a snap! Simple store-bought flatbread gets transformed with an easy vegan pesto sauce, roasted bell peppers, artichoke hearts, red onions, kale, and crunchy pomegranates.
1charred bell pepper sliced and seeds removed *see notes*
4-5artichoke hearts I like the water packed varieties
pomegranate seeds
arugula
Optional: crushed red pepper flakes jalapeños, hot sauce, etc.
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375. 2. Spread flatbread with pesto. Top with cheese, kale, roasted bell pepper, and artichoke hearts. Add jalapeños here if desired. 3. Cook 5-7 minutes until warmed through and flatbread is crispy. 4. Top with pomegranate seeds, fresh arugula and any spice addictions if desired. 5. Enjoy!
Notes
Char the bell peppers by holding them over the flames of a gas stove with metal tongs, rotating until skin is blackened in at least 50% of the surface. Or use the broiler of the oven to achieve the same result.
Disclosure: This post is brought to you in collaboration with Daiya Foods. We choose our sponsors with great care and they enable us to bring you beautiful free content every week!
Camp cooking just gotten taken to a whole new level. From family favorites to cocktails, The Stress Free Camping Cookbook has a recipe for your next trip or backyard fire!
Hi, I’m Dani! I’m most importantly mama to 3 wild little dudes. I spend my days cooking, photographing and exploring the Pacific Northwest. I'm a full time food blogger and online business coach.
