Are you craving the flavors of pizza but not sure how to make it vegan? This vegan deep dish pizza makes a hearty pizza option that's both vegan and filling! Using a homemade pizza sauce and crust, the results are a delicious deep dish pizza you will love!
This from-scratch pizza recipe is sure to be a family favorite in no time. If you simply don't enjoy vegan pizza from most restaurants, making it at home is a great option. Everyone always tells me this is one of their favorite deep dish pizza recipes!
This recipe uses a homemade cornmeal and flour crust that cooks up delightfully crisp and an easy pizza sauce using canned tomatoes that cooks up thick and won't make your crust end up soggy.
If you love this pizza recipe, then you might also enjoy this buffalo cauliflower pizza or vegan calzones recipe.
What You'll Need to Make Vegan Deep Dish Pizza
You may find the ingredient list for making homemade vegan deep dish pizza a bit long but it's worth it, I promise! Here's a look at the highlights but be sure to check the full list and their quantities in the recipe card.
- Pizza crust: All-purpose flour and cornmeal combine to create a deep dish pizza crust with the perfect texture.
- Flavor: Salt adds flavor while a bit of sugar is added to feed the yeast.
- Yeast: I am using instant yeast to save a bit of time. It will help the dough rise more quickly than active yeast.
- Vegan butter: The cooking fat added to the crust. You can also swap it with oil but I find the vegan butter to be a bit more flavorful.
- Olive oil: Just a bit for cooking the onion and garlic.
- Aromatics: Onion and garlic add more depth of flavor to the pizza sauce.
- Tomatoes: Use crushed tomatoes plus some tomato paste to intensify the tomato flavor in the sauce.
- Spices: I am using dried oregano and basil to flavor the sauce to keep things simple and easy! These are spices I always have in my pantry.
- Cheese: We will be using vegan mozzarella cheese slices and grated vegan cheese placed between the crust and tomato sauce to keep it from becoming soggy. Grated vegan parmesan is the finishing touch. I used Vio-LIfe cheese but other brands will work as well though I highly recommend choosing one that melts well.
- Spinach: Totally optional! But I love sneaking in some veggies whenever I can.
Deep Dish Pizza Variations
- Vegetables: Lots of vegetables work in pizza. Consider using roasted red peppers, sliced red bell pepper, sauteed mushrooms, arugula, sliced onion, and any others you enjoy on your pizza. Just be sure to cook any veggies that contain a lot of water and drain them well before adding them to your pie. This will keep the crust from becoming soggy.
- Vegan Meat: Consider adding some sliced vegan pepperoni, sausage, or flavored tofu crumbles.
- Make it Spicy: If you prefer your tomato sauce to have a bit of heat, add a pinch or two of red pepper flakes to the sauce along with the dried herbs.
How to Make Vegan Deep Dish Pizza
Are you ready to dive into making this homemade vegan pizza recipe? Here's a look at the main steps!
Make the Pizza Crust
- Whisk together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer to make the cornmeal crust. This includes the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and instant yeast.
- Add the warm water and melted butter to the dry ingredients and mix until everything is combined.
PRO TIP: It's very important that the water and butter are not too warm. Between 120°F-130°F. is ideal so they don't kill the yeast.
- Knead it just enough to form it into a dough ball and place it in a bowl brushed with olive oil to keep it from sticking.
- Add olive oil to a glass bowl (so that the dough doesn't stick to the bowl) and transfer the dough to it. Cover the bowl with a towel and place it in a warm spot for an hour and a half to rise.
Make the Pizza Sauce
- Cook the grated onion and minced garlic in olive oil over medium heat just long enough to soften and release their flavors.
PRO TIP: Grate the onion instead of chopping it so you don't end up with any chunky pieces in the sauce.
- Add the tomato paste, spices, and the can of tomato sauce. Cook the sauce on low heat for about 30 minutes, until it has thickened.
Shape Your Pizza
- Once the dough has doubled in size, grease the bottom of the springform pan with vegan butter.
- Place the dough in the springform pan. Flatten the bottom so that's even. Use your fingers to shape the dough up to the sides of the pan, almost the top of the pan, creating a high edge.
- Place the cheese slices on top of the dough, covering it completely.
- Add a generous layer of grated cheese and top with the spinach if you're using it.
- Top with the sauce and use a spatula to ensure an even layer.
- Grate a layer of vegan parmesan on top.
- Bake your pizza.
How to Store
Enjoy your deep dish pizza fresh from the oven for the best results! However, that doesn't mean your leftovers need to go to waste.
Store them in the fridge for up to four days or in the freezer for up to a month.
When you're ready to eat, place a slice or two on a baking pan and heat in a 350° F oven for 10-15 minutes or until it's heated through.
Recipe Tips
- Add some fresh basil. Either to your layers or at the end. It's the finishing touch that really adds a splash of flavor.
- Don't overstuff your pizza. While I am all for lots of pizza toppings it's not such a great idea when making deep dish pizza. Keep it light so your pizza can cook in plenty of time.
- Cook the tomato sauce until it's thick. If it's too watery your crust will not be able to cook well. If you skip the homemade sauce make sure you use a thick pizza sauce for best results.
- Use the right cornmeal. Cornmeal is ground-up yellow corn. It's not the same as cornstarch and different from cornflour (what cornstarch is called in the UK).
- Bake your pizza on a pan. Just in case things cook over or drip it will make cleanup much easier.
Video
Frequently Asked Questions
I prefer to use a springform pan because it has nice high edges and you can easily release the sides after baking to cut and serve your pizza. If you don't have one, a cast iron skillet, deep dish pizza pan, deep dish pie pan, or deep cake pan will work as well. Just make sure to grease the sides and bottom of whatever pan you choose to use.
A deep dish pizza is made by pressing the dough into a pan and then working it up the edges of the pan to create higher walls of dough. The thick crust bakes up nice and crisp on the outside with a deep layer of cheese, sauce, and toppings. Deep dish pizza is also made with cheese under the sauce and a light sprinkling on top. Chicago style pizza is a form of deep dish pizza.
There are a few tips I recommend. First, make sure you top your dough with cheese. This acts as a protective layer between the dough and toppings. Make sure to use a thick tomato sauce that doesn't contain a lot of water. Last, don't get carried away with toppings, and watch out for veggies that release a lot of water when cooked.
More Italian-Inspired Vegan Dinner Recipes
Vegan Deep Dish Pizza
Equipment
- 9-inch pan (I used a springform pan)
Ingredients
Dough Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour 217 g
- ¼ cup cornmeal 30 g
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast (half a packet), 3.5 g
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoon warm water 150 ml
- ¼ cup vegan butter 29 g, melted
Tomato Sauce Ingredients
- drizzle of olive oil
- ½ medium onion grated, Grating the onion instead of chopping it helps to make sure there aren't any chunky pieces in the sauce.
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 can crushed tomatoes 500 g / 17.6 oz
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon basil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
Toppings
- vegan cheese slices
- grated vegan cheese
- spinach
- vegan parmesan
Instructions
Mix the Dough
- Add all of the dry ingredients to a stand mixer or a large bowl and whisk them together.
- Add the warm water and melted butter to the dry ingredients and mix until everything is combined. It's very important that the water and butter are not too warm, so they don't kill the yeast. They should be 120*F-130*F.
- Once it has formed a soft dough, knead it just enough to form it into a ball.
- Add olive oil to a glass bowl (so that the dough doesn't stick to the bowl) and transfer the dough to it.
- Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and place it in a warm place for 1.5 hours.
Make the Sauce
- To make the filling, drizzle a generous amount of olive oil into a pan over medium heat.
- Add the grated onion and minced garlic to the pan and cook them for several minutes, until they start to release their flavors.
- Once the onion and garlic have started to release their flavors, add the tomato paste, spices, and can of tomato sauce.
- Cook the sauce on low heat for about 30 minutes, until it has thickened.
Assemble the Pizza
- Once the dough has doubled in size, grease the bottom of the springform pan with vegan butter. Place the dough in the springform pan and shape it.
- Flatten the bottom to create an even layer, then use your fingers to shape the dough up to the edges of the pan. The edges of the dough should reach almost the top of the pan.
- Start layering the toppings. Start with the cheese slices and cover the bottom of the pizza with a layer of cheese slices.
- Next, add a generous layer of grated cheese. Then add the spinach. The spinach is optional, but super delicious and a great way to add some greens to the meal.
- Finally, top with the sauce and use a spatula to ensure an even layer.
- Grate a layer of vegan parmesan on top.
- Bake the pizza at 425*F/ 225*C for 25 minutes. Place the pizza on a baking sheet in case anything spills over.
- Bake the pizza uncovered for the first 15 minutes, then cover the top of the pizza with a layer of foil so the crust doesn't burn. Cook this way for another 10 minutes.
- Once the pizza has baked, let it chill for at least 15 before removing it from the pan.
- Top the pizza more parm, and fresh basil, slice, and enjoy!
Notes
- Add some fresh basil. Either to your layers or at the end. It's the finishing touch that really adds a splash of flavor.
- Don't overstuff your pizza. While I am all for lots of pizza toppings it's not such a great idea when making deep dish pizza. Keep it light so your pizza can cook in plenty of time.
- Cook the tomato sauce until it's thick. If it's too watery your crust will not be able to cook well. If you skip the homemade sauce make sure you use a thick pizza sauce for best results.
- Use the right cornmeal. Cornmeal is ground-up yellow corn. It's not the same as cornstarch and different from cornflour (what cornstarch is called in the UK).
- Bake your pizza on a pan. Just in case things cook over or drip it will make cleanup much easier.
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