Homemade Vegan Margherita Pizza Recipe. 20 Minute Pizza crust, 5 minute Pizza sauce and a creamy cashew mozzarella cheese sauce. Vegan Soy-free Recipe. Gluten-free and nut-free options. Jump to Recipe
Sometimes you just want a ridiculously good pizza and the pizza restaurants are too far away, have shut down, or offer sub par vegan experience. Then you just go to the kitchen and whip up a super fresh delicious margherita pizza with gooey cashew cheese, all made from scratch.
You can speed up the process by either making the components ahead of time or using store bought options. With a store bought pizza sauce, this pizza comes together in 20-30 mins and then you have to wait and fight over the fresh slices. The recipe is easily doubled!
The pizza dough (its my easy 20 minute pizza dough) doesn’t need much kneading. Just bring the dough together and let it rise for 15 mins, then shape it using some flour. This dough is shaped easily as it does not have much gluten development (which develops with longer kneading) and hence is not the stretchy traditional pizza dough, so no struggling to roll it out!
The pizza sauce is a few ingredients. The cashew mozzarella cheese sauce is the sauce from my Mushroom Quesadilla. Just blend, and simmer to thicken, and use. No chill time to let it set. The final result we want is a cheesy melty topping, So keep the state as thick saucy to begin with! problem solved.
This pizza and the mozzarella is adapted from my margherita from Everyday Kitchen book. The mozzarella recipe in the book can be set into slices, or balls or whatever and used wherever. Lets make this version for your pizza fix.
Ingredients for Vegan Margherita Pizza
- This easy Pizza sauce needs tomato paste, olive oil, minced garlic, italian herbs , onion powder, salt and pepper. Or use a store bought pizza sauce or marinara.
- Pizza dough needs just 5 ingredients: active yeast, water, flour, semolina, and salt. Or use a store bought dough
- Mozzarella Cashew cream uses cashews, garlic, onion powder, salt, miso, lemon juice, olive oil and flour or starch for thickening.
- Gluten-free: Use my Gluten-free pizza crust options(listed just above recipe), Use rice flour in the cashew cream for thickening.
- Nut-free: Use one of my nut-free alfredo sauce. Thicken the sauce with a few tsps flour if needed and then scoop spoonfuls on the pizza.
How to make Vegan Margherita Pizza from scratch
Preheat the oven. Soak the cashews for the mozzarella in hot water if you havent already. Mix the warm water with yeast and 1 tbsp flour. Mix well and let sit for 2 mins. Mix the salt and semolina into the rest of the flour. Add the flour and oil to the yeast mixture and mix.
Mix till just about combined. Let it sit for a minute.
Oil your hands and bring the dough together till just about smooth. Dont knead it more than a few seconds. Cover with a towel and let it sit near the preheating oven for 15 mins.
Drain the cashews. Blend all the ingredients under mozzarella cream until smooth. Add to a skillet over medium heat.Cook to thicken evenly. 3 to 5 mins. Stir occasionally to avoid sticking at the bottom and lumping.
Prep the pizza sauce: Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Taste and adjust salt and flavor. Add a pinch of sweetener if needed.
Oil your hands and transfer dough to parchment lined baking sheet. Using flour shape the dough, then spread using your hands. Keep spreading to make a large pizza or make 2 small pizzas.
Spread the pizza sauce all over. Add some fresh basil and place tomato slices over the basil. Add spoonfuls of the mozzarella cream.
Drizzle a tsp of extra virgin olive oil and bake for 13 to 14 mins. Remove from oven, Sprinkle pepper flakes and fresh basil, slice and serve.
Tips to make a fabulous Vegan Margherita Pizza
- Dough: Knead the dough for a minute after it has risen to help the mixture incorporate well. Adjust the flour or water if needed.
- Spread the dough out to make thin crusts. this dough makes bready crust if too thick.
- The mozzarella cream can be made ahead.
- Drizzle drops of olive oil all over on the pizza before baking.
Can I make the this without cashews or nuts?
You can use macadamia nuts instead of cashews in this mozzarella cream. Or use my nut-free alfredo sauce. Add 1-2 tsp flour in th sauce to thicken and then use.
How to Store or Freeze this Vegan Margherita Pizza?
Freeze: Freeze the pizza dough with the sauce and tomatoes or veggies if using, and without the cheese. Freeze on a tray, once fully frozen, store in an airtight ziplock with least amount of air around the pizza.
To cook frozen Pizza: Preheat the oven. Add cheese and other toppings on the frozen pizza in the oven and bake for 16 to 18 mins
More Pizza from the Blog
- Simple Veggie Pizza with 20 minute Crust with garlicky olive oil and no cheese.
- Pizza with chipotle red lentil tomato sauce and vegan ricotta , this pizza sauce also is amazing as pasta sauce
- Sriracha BBQ Tofu Pizza with almond milk pepperjack because Sriracha!
- Deep dish Black eyed pea Pizza
- Berbere Chickpea Pizza with tahini garlic dressing. All you want in a wrap, on a puffy pan crust pizza.
- Buffalo Chickpea Pizza with celery ranch dressing. Looks time intensive but really isnt.
- BBQ Sweet Potato Pizza – With bbq seasoning and bbq sauce!
Gluten-free Pizza Crusts
- Pan Pizza Crust. Thick Soft and airy! GF
- Yeast free Pizza Crust. GF
- Chickpea flour Socca GF
- Chickpea Naan Bread. GF
- Cauliflower Crust. GF
- Potato Crust GF
- Mung Bean Crust. GF
Can I make this margherita Pizza Gluten-free?
Yes, use one of the Gluten-free crusts listed above. The Pan Pizza crust and Socca will work well.
Recipe Card
Vegan Margherita Pizza with Cashew Mozzarella
Ingredients
Pizza Dough:
- 1 tsp active yeast
- 1/2 cup (118.29 ml) + 1 tbsp warm water
- 1 1/4 cup flour , divided, (unbleached all purpose or half of all purpose and half whole wheat pastry flour/spelt)
- 1 tbsp semolina flour or use wheat flour
- 1/3 tsp salt
- 2 tsp olive oil
Pizza Sauce:
- 1/4 cup (65.5 g) unsalted tomato paste
- 1/3 cup (78.86 ml) water
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove of garlic minced or 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp each dried oregano dried basil
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme or rosemary
- 1/8 tsp onion powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- dash of black pepper
Cashew Mozzarella cream:
- 1/2 cup (64.5 g) cashews soaked in hot water for 15 mins
- 1 cup (236.59 ml) water
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp flour , use rice flour or 2 tsp cornstarch for glutenfree
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp miso , use chickpea miso for soy-free, or use 1-2 tsp nutritional yeast
- Fresh basil extra virgim olive oil and pepper flakes for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 435 deg F (225 C). Soak the cashews in hot boiling water if you havent already.
- Pizza Base: Mix the warm water with yeast and 1 tbsp flour. Mix well and let sit for 2 mins.
- Mix the salt and semolina into the rest of the flour. Add the flour and oil to the yeast mixture and mix. Mix till just about combined. Let it sit for a minute.
- Oil your hands and bring the dough together till just about smooth. Use a tsp or so more flour(or water if you used wheat flours), if needed. Don't knead it longer than a few seconds. Cover with a towel and let it sit near the preheating oven for 15 mins.
- Cashew Mozzarella Cream: Drain the cashews. Add to a blender with the rest of the ingredient. Blend until smooth. Add to a skillet over medium heat. Cook to thicken evenly. 4 to 6 mins. Stir occasionally to avoid sticking at the bottom and lumping.
- Prep the pizza sauce: Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Taste and adjust salt and flavor. Add a pinch of sweetener if needed.
- Oil your hands and transfer Pizza dough to a parchment lined baking sheet. Using some flour shape the dough into a flat ball, then spread using your hands. Keep spreading to make a large pizza or make 2 small pizzas (see video). You want to spread the dough thin, as it will rise quite a bit during baking and make a bready crust if it was too thick to begin with.
- Spread the pizza sauce all over. Add some fresh basil and place tomato slices over the basil. Sprinkle a pinch of salt. (you can also add other thinly sliced veggies at this point). Add spoonfuls of the mozzarella cream on the pizza.
- Drizzle a tsp of extra virgin olive oil. Then Bake for 13 to 14 mins. (Broil for a minute if needed), Remove from the oven and add fresh basil and pepper flakes. Slice and serve, See Storage and Freezing instructions in notes.
Video
Notes
- Gluten-free: Use my Gluten-free pizza crust options(listed just above recipe), Use rice flour in the cashew cream for thickening.
- Nut-free: Use one of my nut-free alfredo sauce. Thicken the sauce with a few tsps flour if needed and then scoop spoonfuls on the pizza.
Nutrition
Binah
Thank you, it came out great!
My dairy-string BF lapped it up, too
Vegan Richa Support
yay!
Mun
The cashew cheese is great!!! I will be using this again.
Vegan Richa Support
Great to hear Mun.
Judy
Could I use all whole
wheat flour for the crust?
Vegan Richa Support
yep!
Lisa
My comment is the same as Marylou’s. 🙂 I have tried a couple other cashew cheese sauces and this one will be my new go-to! I used refrigerated dough and jarred sauce, and the pizza turned out very yummy. Thank you!
Vegan Richa Support
excellent!
Priya Govender
Can the cashew mozzarella be made ahead and refrigerated or stored in freezer?
Vegan Richa Support
you can freeze it, but the texture changes a bit
Marylou
I made the vegan mozzarella sauce and it was the first time I had made a cashew cream sauce I was satisfied with and enjoyed. I’ve tried many recipes in the past month to no avail. As it was cooking it smelled like cheese, I was wonderfully surprised. My husband really enjoyed the sauce as well It’s a keeper for certain. Next time I will be trying the dough and pizza sauce recipe as well. Thank you!
Vegan Richa Support
Fabulous
Yovanka
The cashew mozzarella is so so good! 🔥 I used it for the skillet lasagne. Next I’m going to use it on the pizza. The recipe is going to be my go-to recipe for cashew mozzarella from now on. Delicious!
Vegan Richa Support
sounds great Yovanka
Therese
Love, love, love! Best vegan pizza recipe! The flavors were amazing together and my husband is happy to have pizza back in his life! Thank you for this!
Therese
Forgot the 5 star rating!
Vegan Richa Support
welcome back
Vegan Richa Support
woohoo! pizza party
Jen
I only made the cashew cheese but it was amazing! Best cashew mozz ever and I’ve made a few.
Kristen
Can’t stop eating it. Thank you Richa – all your recipes are easy, quick, and turn out delicious!
Vegan Richa Support
yay! haha
Ashwini M Shetty
Hi Richa, I tried the cashew mozzarella cheese and was blown away by the taste!! It was so much like the dairy cheese!! I loved it.. I only wished the consistency was a bit firmer as on being sliced the cheese tends to stick to the pizza cutter… that’s just a small glitch,nevertheless thank you for this super easy and tasty recipe 😊.
Richa
Yes this one is a softer more cream like version. For sliceable version see the one in my everyday kitchen book. It uses potato starch and tapioca starch along with these ingredients to make a more set cheeese
Ashwini m shetty
Sure, thank you.
Rebecca
The cashew cheese sauce is absolutely easy and delicious and is now my go to recipe for cashew cheese sauce to use in other recipes. Thank you!
Rose
I only made the cashew mozzarella and omg it was so delicious I was eating spoons of it out of the pan.! Way better than any vegan packaged cheese I’ve ever had, and healthier too!
Vegan Richa Support
Awesome! SO glad you enjoyed this, thanks for the great review! 🙂
Rebecca
I was too!
Lauren
Can I make the cheese without oil?
Richa
Yes
Jackie
I made the vegan mozzarella in your recipe for my own pizza last night! My boyfriend always prefers cheeseless pizza over vegan cheese but that was not the case yesterday! He enjoyed the cheese as much as I did which definitely says a lot…it’s SO good! I’ll be making it again. Love. Thanks for sharing!
Richa
Yay
Jackie
I made the vegan mozzarella in your recipe for my own pizza last night! My boyfriend always prefers cheeseless pizza over vegan cheese but that was not the case yesterday! He enjoyed the cheese as much as I did which definitely says a lot…it’s SO good! I’ll be making it again. Love. Thanks for sharing!
Vegan Richa Support
great
Shannon
Hi Richa, I do not have lemon on hand. Is there a substitute I could use for the lemon in the cashew mozzarella? Maybe apple cider vineger? Or can I safely omit the lemon? Thank you!
Julia
I’m a regular from scratch pizza maker, but new to veganism. Every element of this pizza hit the spot. Thanks so much for this recipe, from my family and me! 🙂
Vegan Richa Support
music to my ears – many thanks
Claire Panella
Great pizza dough and so easy. Loved the cashew sauce. Made it a white pizza with caramelized onions, roasted peppers, Swiss chard and a few Kalimanta olives. Basil leaves and cashew mozzarella. Was sooooo good! Definitely my go to pizza dough.
Paloma
Hi there! I usually don’t comment but I felt compelled to share that this recipe turned out amazing!! Every aspect of the pizza was delicious and I was most impressed with the vegan cheese—which I feel is hard to get right!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
All the best!
Richa
Awesome
Melinda Muyargas
Thank you for this! The pizza sauce was great! I struggled with the dough, but I think that’s just because I don’t have much experience with yeast. As for the cashew “cheese” though, I found that it wasn’t very cheesy. Other recipes I’ve seen use a LOT more nutritional yeast to give it that flavor. Also, mine turned out much more liquidy than yours – not as blob-able.
Richa
Nutriotnal yeast is a cheesy profile but is not mozz like so I keep the flavor to be closer to mozarella. Adjust to preference. Add a tbsp of tapioca starch for extra thickening
Laura
This pizza was so good! The cashew cream was amazing!! Yum! My husband loved it as well. And is already suggesting other ways to use the cashew cream. This recipe is a keeper!
Vegan Richa Support
thank you so much!! great. – I love that sauce also – let me know some things you tried
Laura
We made a Vegan ‘Philly Cheese Steak’ Pizza. We used the cashew cream as the sauce with grilled seasoned Portobellos, onions and peppers and the remaining cashew cream on top. It was a hit! Thanks for all your great recipes!
Erica Morrow
Best cheese ever! So delicious! Thank you for the recipe.
Vegan Richa Support
So glad you enjoyed it!
Farwa
Just came back to say this was AMAZING!! Satisfied my pizza cravings and the cashew mozzarella was so creamy! It was a perfect meal, filling, delicious and thoroughly enjoyed by mum as well who is not vegan :D. We had some of the cashew sauce left so have refrigerated it for tomorrow. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
I didn’t have basil leaves so I used spinach leaves instead and it turned out just as good!
And, substituted 3 regular sized salad tomatoes in place of the tomato paste. Roughly chopped, blended, and heated them on the stove until they thickened into a sauce like consistency, then used it as per the instructions for the pizza sauce.
Will definitely be using this as a go-to pizza recipe!
Vegan Richa Support
Even impressed your mum, yes!
Angela
I made the cashew mozzarella for pizza tonight, so glad I came across this recipe! I thought it was more like a lovely soft ricotta. I ended up putting double the corn starch in but besides that followed the recipe exactly. I’ll make this for pizza again and I’m going to try lasagna and rolled eggplant with it too. Thank you!!
Erica M
Loved this receptor, so easy to do!
Vegan Richa Support
Thank you!
Sarah
What a delicious recipe! I made this pizza last night and will definitely make it again. The cashew mozzarella really made it special.
Vegan Richa Support
what’s pizza without the cashew mozz!
Amra
recipe was great! we didn’t have miso for the cheese but we added nutritional yeast instead and it was very tasty!
Jeni
WOW. After trying so many pizza crust disasters, I must say we were so so so happy to have found this. I do believe the semolina is crucial here and adds a lot of flavor. I subbed a tablespoon of whole wheat for a more flavor too. I think I may have over mixed the dough but it was still wonderful. Thank you so much for an awesome recipe! Cheers from Italy. 🙂
Leena
I used the cheese recipe for a cauliflower crust from Costco. Loved the recipe. My kids like miso more than adding nutritional yeast so thanks for that tip. Great cheese. Will use it for other recipes.
Richa
aweesome
Caitlin
I’ve made this recipe several times now and it’s my favourite vegan margherita! The cashew cheese is really easy to make and SO good. I’ve used it for a few other dishes too.
willewanka
(((( hugs )))) I share this on my FB first responders / anti inflammatory page (((( hugs again )))) ma’halo wille wanka
Eva
I’d love to show you a pic of my creation… it was great! I couldn’t believe how easily and quickly it came together. Thank you!
Richa
yay!
LeeAnn
We love this pizza crust! Very thin and crisp. It didn’t rise at all for me, so I’m wondering if the yeast is needed next time. Thanks for your help. We love your recipes and your cookbooks!
Richa
the yeast might be dead or it may have died if the water was too hot
S
This was super yummy!! I first made it a couple weeks ago and ate the entire pizza (none for my honey:) I’m making it again tonight!!
Richa
awesome!
Susan Birkett
Hi I’m making the mozzarella part to put on my sons pasta bake. Can the remaining mozzarella mix be frozen. Thanks Sue
Richa
you can freeze i but the texture changes a bit
Patrick Lamy
Very confusing instructions. Had to go back and forth between ingredients and instructions. Kept losing my mind.
Richa
hmm, I wrote them in the order I cook the mozzarella, sauce etc. Can you explain what you found confusing? I can reorder them and add more deetails
Samantha
I made this for dinner last night and it was amazing! It was the perfect size for the three of us. The dough is SO much easier than what I usually do when making pizza dough, which takes all afternoon and now I’ll never go back to my old way of doing it, haha. Thanks for the recipes, Richa!
Richa
yay!
Emily
Made the pizza for dinner the other day. I am still dreaming about it! All that delicious mozzarella gooeyness! used store bought pizza sauce. The crust came together so quickly.
Richa
yay!
Emmy Schneider-Green
So good! I never get why people assume going vegan = giving up their fave foods. Just no need!
Richa
right! love your blog title!
Nina
Looks fabulous…. in the sauce for mushroom quesadillas you have the option to add tapioca flour. Is this recipe best without the tapioca flour? Thanks
Richa
you can add it. it will make a slightly thicker sauce and it will gt a bit stringy after baking, more cheese like. i like the saucier version as the sauce is more saucy melted state on baking. Either works
Teresa
This looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it!
Richa
Thanks!
Irene Raymond
I haven’t tried this yet, but it looks sooo GOOD! Wondering if the oil in the cheese is absolutely needed… trying to eat without oil.
Richa
omit it. you can omit the oil in the crust as well.
Passade
Wow!! Can’t wait to try it & most importantly eat it! 😀
Richa
Thanks!
Jen
Thank you! I’ve been wanting to make my own pizza for a while. I don’t usually have miso on hand – do you think it’s absolutely necessary?
Richa
omit it. it adds cheesy umami flavor. You can use 1-2 tsp nutritional yeastinstead
Jocelyn Dietrich
Get outta here! This looks amazingly decadent. I am just learning how to veganize things so this is really helpful. I do love pizza. I made your vegan instant pot aloo gobi and my husband and I enjoyed it very much.
Richa
Thanks!