Zucchini Pizza Crust {Low-Carb and Totally Amazing}
This zucchini pizza crust is low-carb, unbelievably simple and absolutely amazing. Move over traditional pizza! Zucchini crust might take over the world.
This low-carb zucchini pizza crust is totally and completely out of this world amazing.
Throw your skepticism aside and just believe me, ok? (For a million reasons, not the least of which is that it could make a super cute, Pinterest-worthy St. Patrick’s Day meal, you know, with the greenish crust and all, and then you’ll feel like a rock star which is never a bad thing).
And then after you believe…make it. And if you’re me, make it again and again and again and again.
My sister, Em, has made this pizza crust dozens of times and kept telling me about it – so often that I kind of started to ignore her (sorry, Em).
It’s just that I really, really hate wringing water out of zucchini. Maybe I’m old and pre-arthritic, but it hurts my hands and disturbs me the way it turns the kitchen towel all green and swampy.
Anyway, after Em realized I was avoiding the zucchini pizza crust issue, she finally told me she wouldn’t speak to me until I made it and since I’m really trying to convince her to run this half-marathon with me, I decided to just get it over with.
We have a very mature sisterly relationship.
So I made it. Totally cringing in anticipation of what Brian was going to say. That man loves his pizza and I hate to brag, but our homemade pizza kind of rocks.
So throwing a green zucchini pizza crust at him? Well, I wasn’t sure how it would go over.
But I forged ahead with the comfort knowing he will eat just about anything I put in front of him (good man that he is), whether or not it’s followed up with: “um, that may not necessarily be the most blog-worthy thing you’ve ever made.”
To say this crust was a complete home run is an understatement. My family is in love. I’ve made this four times or so, and each time, we polish it off entirely.
No leftovers. And Brian always raves, which is pretty remarkable for an old-fashioned guy who loves his BBQ chicken pizza on real, live pizza crust.
As you can see, you really need to give it a try. A few keys to success:
-Seriously, wring out as much liquid from the zucchini as your little hands can muster. This last time, a light bulb went off and I decided to use the same bag I’ve started using to strain my homemade yogurt (an updated post on that coming next week) and holy dry zucchini – it worked wonders and is absolutely the only way I’ll wring zucchini from now on.
-Preheat a baking stone or overturned baking sheet for at least 30 minutes. The crust needs to start out on that hot, hot stone in order to brown to perfection (otherwise you’ll end up with limpy, quiche-like crust, ew).
-Don’t expect the dough to be anything like regular (yeasty) pizza crust. It’s very soft and sticky and I know you’ll be wondering if there’s any way it will turn into a pizza you can actually pick up (I was nervous, too, the first time) but I promise it bakes perfectly in the oven, especially if you use the ingredient amounts in the recipe and follow tips #1 and #2 above.
As I mention in the notes of the recipe, I’ve also used part cauliflower when I didn’t have as many zucchinis in my refrigerator (wringing out the water from the cauli, too) and it was fantastic as well.
I’m definitely not giving up traditional pizza but I love how quickly this crust comes together and the fact it’s a little less carb-loaded (but still amazingly delicious).
I have a feeling once zucchini is proliferating like mad in our garden, we’ll be making this at least weekly.
One Year Ago: Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Stack
Two Years Ago: Slow Cooker Tomato Basil Soup
Three Years Ago: Overnight Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal
Zucchini Pizza Crust
Ingredients
- 3 medium zucchini, about 1 1/2 pounds or 3-4 cups finely shredded and packed
- 1 cup all-purpose or whole wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- Pizza sauce (see note)
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
- Pepperoni and/or other toppings
Instructions
- Preheat a baking stone or overturned rimmed baking sheet at 450 degrees F for 30 minutes.
- If you have time, sprinkle the zucchini with a teaspoon of coarse kosher salt (1/2 teaspoon if using table salt) and let it set for 15-20 minutes. Wring out the zucchini really, really well. And when you think it’s wrung out all the way, wring it out some more. You want it as dry as possible. You’ll end up with about a cup or so after it’s been wrung dry.
- In a large bowl, combine the zucchini, flour, garlic powder, oregano, basil, salt, eggs, and cheeses. Stir together (I usually abandon the spoon and dig in my hands to get it all combined).
- Grease a sheet of parchment paper (two pieces if you are making really thin pizzas).
- The dough is pretty soft and sticky so you may want to grease your hands as well. Press the dough into the desired shape and thickness on the greased parchment paper. You can get this dough pretty thin if you work at pressing it out evenly (I like it about 1/4-inch thick).
- Slide the parchment paper with the pizza crust onto the preheated baking stone (if you don’t have a pizza peel, you can use an overturned baking sheet to slide it on). Bake for about 10 minutes until the crust looks set and the bottom is starting to brown.
- Carefully remove the parchment and pizza crust from the oven and top with pizza sauce and toppings. Bake for another 3-5 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from a recipe sent to me by my sister, Em, originally from here
75 Comments on “Zucchini Pizza Crust {Low-Carb and Totally Amazing}”
I haven’t made this in a while – but frequently make a similar recipe for cauliflower crust pizza. I used an Italian cheese blend for the crust (in spite of the fact I complain about the fact I tell people not to use pre-shredded cheese all the time – it was on sale cheap). I had leftover over taco meat, beans and homemade enchilada sauce. I combined refried beans with enchilada sauce to get a thinner consistency and topped the crust with them and the meat (both preheated) and some Colby Jack cheese -cooked for about 5-7 more minutes. Topped with lettuce, tomato, salsa and sour cream! Also I cook on the pizza stone – but preheat for about 20-30 minutes. My husband commented that he likes the zucchini crust better than cauliflower (definitely milder flavor) – though I might combine the two sometime! And Aldi tends to have zucchini in stock year round!
This crust was delicious! I’m not worried about carbs, but I definitely have an abundance of zucchini right now. The crust turned out crispy and flavorful, like all your recipes. I didn’t use any sauce on top, just mozzarella cheese and pepperoni. I will definitely make this again! Thanks for your help with my bountiful zucchini harvest 🙂
Our family LOVES this pizza crust! Not sure if anyone else has suggested this cheat, but we freeze shredded zucchini in the Summer to use in the Winter, and it works really well in this recipe. When the frozen zucchini is thawed, much of the water separates out and there is much less wringing to be done.
Yum! That turned out well! I used yellow summer squash mixed in with the zucchini. My husband raved about it.
I love this recipe! I subbed almond flour because I am gluten free and my whole family loved the pizzas!! They even re-heat well!!! Thank you so much for sharing!
BEST. CRUST. EVER. I still can’t get over how much I loved this!!! I’m dying to make it again. I love how much flavor the crust has!
THIS is the homemade pizza my kids are going to grow up on! YUM!
I admit I was worried…this recipe seemed to have potential to fail big time! But thanks to Mel’s detailed instructions, it worked out great! I couldn’t believe I could pick it up like a real slice of pizza!
Glad it worked out, Kami!
Do you think you could grate the zucchini the night before & it would still be good?! Trying to think of saving time on prep for this recipe since wringing zucchini dry takes about ten days!!
Yes, it should still be fine if you grate it the night before.
I always always skip over healthy recipes because I prefer full fat and deliciousness in moderation. I came to your site like I always do when looking for a new recipe. I’m not sure what made me click on the link, or make this recipe, but I’m SO glad I did! The flavor is spot on and I love the texture. My family wasn’t crazy about it so I saved the rest for leftovers. I think it was even better the next day! Thanks for convincing me to branch out and try a recipe I normally would’ve passed by!
I know that I am kinda late to the party on this one…but WOW! This is delicious! I did half and half yellow squash and zucchini because that’s what I had at home, but I will try with all zucchini next time because that seemed to be easier to wring out. Two of the three kids loved it and my husband and I both decided that next time I make it…maybe we don’t want to share at all.
Incredibly delicious! Light, crispy, and less guilt. Thank you, Mel!
This is NOT low carb. 1 cup of flour??? No.
Please don’t rate the recipe if you haven’t made it. The rating system isn’t really meant for opinions based on the look and ingredients of the recipe – it is there for those who have gone to the effort of making a recipe so they can rate whether they loved it, hated it, or somewhere in between. This recipe may not be everyone’s definition of low-carb, but it certainly is lower-carb than traditional pizza dough. 🙂
This has less than half the carbs of traditional pizza crust, and it’s delicious! We’ve made it twice now, and will make it again soon 🙂
I calculated the approximate carbs as follows:
1 cup of all-purpose flour: 88g of carbs; cut into 8 slices, 11g of carbs per slice. Posted calories of a local fast-food pizza joint for a medium traditional crust (also 8 slices) is 25g of carbs per slice.
Thanks, Matthew!
Oh my goodness, this was AMAZING! My hesitant husband (who was eyeing the green in the crust) loved it along with my toddler daughter 🙂 You really can pick up the pieces, just like “real” pizza crust with an extra serving of veggies!. Thanks to this recipe (and others of yours), I am keeping on top of the garden squash and zucchini population BIG this year. Blessings to you and your family!
And pardon me….This is a wonderful recipie Mel, thank you.
Thanks, Cliff. 🙂
My wife’s idea for removing the moisture from the Zucchini is to use a mesh laundry bag. The kind you place delicates in for washing, it works very well. I use my juicer. I use some of the juice in my green smoothies and retrieve the Zucchini out of the jucier’s waste bin.
As for the sticky doe; it is sticky, very sticky. I use a fork as my tool. It leaves little ridges all over the crust that toast up to a lovely gold brown.
I had major issues with just greasing my hands when rolling out the dough (maybe I had slightly less zucchini so my dough was wetter?). I put a piece of plastic wrap on top of the dough and used my rolling pin to roll it out. It was so much easier for me! Thanks for another amazing recipe!
I wore my smug face at dinner after cooking this. My husband didn’t even want to try this pizza, but after eating the first bite he reluctantly admitted it was delicious. I think I might still be wearing my smug face.
Would a salad spinner be an option to get rid of the moisture in the zucchini?
Certainly with a try! I haven’t tried it so I’m not sure how much moisture it would get out.
Has anyone tried to freeze? Would love to bake a couple of the crust and freeze for later. Any thoughts?
You need to take the”low carb” off. Any type of wheat or brain is not allowed on low carb.
I think you are a bit confused. “Low” carb means a small amount, “no” carb means none. Her description of this recipe as “low carb” is exactly right.
One cup of flour is a TON of carbs. This is definitely not low carb.
To both of the negatively directed comments above: There are approximately 95g carbs in one cup of flour. This recipe can yield about 8-10 pieces of pizza, depending on how thinly it is rolled, etc. An eight piece pizza would have approximately 12 grams of carbs per serving from the flour; a ten piece pizza would have approximately 9.5 grams of carbs per slice. Of course, you have to take into account the carbs that come from the toppings, zucchini, etc., but all in all, less than 12 grams of carbs (or less than 10 for that matter) per slice is a pretty low carb serving for pizza dough, especially compared to other recipes (consider Mel’s “foolproof pizza dough” recipe that calls for 2-3 cups flour, which would be about 22-34 grams of carbs per slice, depending on how much flour is used). The average-sized adult should get an average of 130-150 grams of carbs per day with a regular diet, and this would include about 40-50 grams of carbs per meal (depending on snacks, etc.). In addition, a “low carb diet” by many dieticians in regards to diabetic persons who must watch their carbs is less than 75 grams of carbs per meal (which would allow for up to 6-7 slices of pizza with this recipe, again depending on the toppings!!!). All in all, less than 20 grams of carbs for a slice of pizza and all its toppings is a pretty phenomenal deal. Not sure what your definition of “low carb” is, but for the average diet, this recipe IS low carb. In addition, not sure what the above definition of “low carb” is regarding wheat or bran, but a food item CAN be low carb and still contain wheat. Again, low carb vs. no carb. Low carb does not have to be wheat-free in order to be low carb. There is not a standard that a food has to meet in order to be classified as “low carb.” (http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/fda-plans-to-weigh-in-on-low-carb-products#1). Please check your sources rather than spouting off your criticism toward someone we know does her research.
Great news! The crust still works if you’re over-tired and it’s late, and it’s been a long day, and you omit the eggs by accident! Another keeper!
That is awesome to know! My son is allergic to eggs but I really wanted to try this!
This is probably a dumb question, but do you peel the zucchini first?
No, you can leave the peels on.
FAIL!! I didn’t have parchment paper and so I foolishly used aluminum foil (lightly greased) and it totally stuck to the foil and wouldn’t come off. Ugh, so disappointing. The pizza I was able to salvage though tasted amazing and my 2 year old loved it. Next time I will definitely make it with the parchment paper and save myself a whole lotta headache.
Just amazing!!! Love the thin crust pizza.
Good recipe! I really like having low carbohydrate options. Flavorful and tasty, another great recipe. Next time, I think I’ll just leave out the salt.
this cauliflower salad is great
I have made so many zucchini pizzas ..just love them…speaking of cauliflower have you tried making potato salad recipe, using cauliflower instead of potatoes? (cook cauliflower before)
This exceeded my expectations. My family loved it. I used the nut milk bag you recommended to wring out the zucchini, and it worked great! Thanks so much.
Yum yum yum!! This was sooo good! I made it with only cheddar cheese in the crust cause I didn’t have Parmesan; no problem! I love zucchini, but hubby doesn’t, and we both agreed this was amazing and didn’t really taste like zucchini anyway. Thank you, Mel!!
Oh my this was sooooo good! My husband eats low carb during the week so I’ve been intrigued ever since you posted this because I’m a pizza lover! Finally tried is last night and we devoured it! Yummmm! I love that we were mostly eating vegetable and cheese crust instead of starch! Yet it didn’t taste like it! Husband really wants this weekly now so I need to find an easier way to wring out the zucchini! It really wasn’t too bad, though. I cut back the flour a little bit to make it extra low-carb and it worked beautifully. I bet I could cut back even more. I can’t thank you enough for such a wonderful blog!
I was skeptical but this pizza was wonderful! My family loved it!
This was SO Good, Mel!! Thank you for yet another wonderful recipe. I’ve shared this with several of my friends, and it’s been a hit with everyone!
THIS is how I can keep having pizza occasionally while still following the gestational diabetes diet. Please, God, can this baby just weigh 7 lbs. Thank you and Amen. Thanks for the recipe!!
I’ve made cauliflower crust before and it came out cripsy and delicious. This zucchini crust sounds good, but have you made it without the flour, like for a cauliflower crust? I want 100% no guilit!
I haven’t made it without flour.
This was amazing!!! We made it for dinner and it was a huge hit. We had it with the no-bake thin mint cheesecakes and both were so good. Thanks for another great recipe!
I made this last night and it was a huge hit! I used 3 small zucchinis and weighed them – they were a little under a pound so I added cauliflower to make up the difference. I followed the directions exactly and it was so delicious. I served this to my husband, and mother-in-law and brother-in-law who were visiting. Everyone loved it – will definitely be making this a regular at our house. Oh, and you can actually pick up a slice just like regular pizza! Thanks Mel – really love your blog 🙂
Wild Wild Wild pizza. I love it!!!!!!
I used to hate squeezing zucchini or spinach until I discovered that a ricer does the job beautifully! And you can pop it in the dishwasher when you’re done. Try it!
Oh my gosh, Dianna – I have a huge ricer sitting in my cupboard that I hardly use. Why didn’t I think of that?? Thank you!
I was expecting this to be a fail. But I wanted to try it because I trust you and your recipes. It was delicious. Old man and kid approved. We topped it with sauteed leek, bacon, and kale. Lip smacking delish. Thank you for yet another home run!!
Hi do you have a calorie/fat/fiber count on the pizza?
Thanks
Mel, you are the greatest!! We loved this recipe! … Even though drying the zucchini was the worst! Thank you for your hard work with this blog. I love having a place to go for recipes that I can 100% trust! With every new recipe my husband says “mels?” And I say “of course!”
I know, Brittany! Zucchini-wringing-haters unite!
My boyfriend says the same thing! This week it was Mel’s Lemon Blueberry cake, and Breaded Garlic Chicken in Lemon Butter Sauce. Like Mel, he’s a chocolate lover, and was hesitant of the cake. He loved it. Mel continues to get praise from him (and me): “Oh that’s annoying!!! She’s a dynamo!”
Do you think it’ll be okay without the cheeses in the crust? Also, coconut flour vs. regular flour? Doing a Whole30 now and have lactose intolerant kids so am always looking for new ideas. Thanks!
The cheese helps to bind (as it melts) but you could try without. I could be wrong, but I heard somewhere that cheddar cheese is lactose-free (at least the Cabot brand is, I know). Maybe that helps. Also, I think a flour substitute could be used quite well although I haven’t tried it myself.
Intriguing. I’ve made cauliflower pizza but wasn’t terribly impressed, though not disappointed either. I love your husband’s not most blog worthy comment. My husband praises or disapproves of new meals by suggesting how often we eat it…weekly, monthly, once a year!
So happy to see this beautiful crust on here today! No joke, my kids eat this better than “normal” pizza. Also Mel, I didn’t have it in me to run with Ryan home sick today so I guess I better not commit to the marathon…. 🙂
I’m intrigued… I think I’ll have to give this a try. What do you use to finely grate your zucchini? I’m thinking you want it finer than a normal cheese grater, correct?
I’ve used the fine holes on my box grater but if I feel like washing my food processor (worst job ever), I dig it out and use the fine shredding attachment.
While we’re on the subject of box graters, I’m looking to buy one and wondered if you could recommend a brand. I bought one to try, but the handle broke right away! I want a sturdy grater! Thanks!
Hey Sheree – the box grater I’ve had is about 8 years old and sadly I can’t even remember what brand it is! It’s in pretty good shape but it’s nothing special (other than the durability, I guess, since I use it daily!). Have you looked at amazon reviews? Bummer about the handle breaking on your new one.
You have definitely convinced me that I need to try this! I’ve tried and loved cauliflower versions, but this zucchini swap will be perfect this summer when I don’t know what to do with all the zucchini I get in our CSA box.
This looks delicious! I have been wanting to try the cauliflower pizza crust, but haven’t gotten around to making it yet. I’m going to try this recipe a.s.a.p!
Do you think coconut flour would work as a substitute to regular or wheat flour?
I can’t say yes for sure, Jackie – but I definitely think it’s worth a try. The flour helps (with the egg) to bind the dough together so I think a gluten-free substitute could be used with good results.
I am gluten free and have used quite a few different flours, but coconut flour is completely different than any other. It absorbs tons of liquid and doesn’t take much. If you try using it I would drastically reduce the amount of flour called for in this recipe and maybe add an extra egg. It may take some experimenting! But I think any other gf flour would work okay.
Only because I trust your recipes will I try this. My boys will be upset if I mess up their normal pizza lunch (which is your pizza crust recipe). I have tried a recipe for cauliflower crust and did not enjoy it, so fingers crossed for a St. Patrick’s Day surprise.
I might have to head to the store and buy zucchini today. I’ve tried cauliflower, but not zuchinni. St Patrick’s Day would be the perfect day for tricking my kids into trying it…genius!
Maybe I should be on a quilt trip today, but I am not. I spent a wonderful day after church making your French Bread rolls (we ate the last from the freezer) and delighting in your “quick and easy foolproof pizza”. THEN we put on our running shoes and went over hill and hill and hill . . . . What a great recipe pumped full of vegetables and seemingly flavored wonderfully with the spices! When I make this I will probably lose my motivation (soft, yeasty goodness) to put on my running shoes and get out there. Keep up the great work, Mel, both physically and blog wise!
I just can’t even imagine how this is going to taste. I guess it’s one of those things I just have to try myself. I am certainly intrigued. Thanks for all the tips to make this successful.
That is sheer genius! And zucchini is so versatile so for pizza crust…why not? I bet it is amazing indeed!
Pinned.
Happy Monday Mel!