Mint Pesto Vegan Pizza

This Mint Pesto Vegan Pizza with crumbled tofu, crispy kale, olives and caramelized onions has a pesto base and the perfect pizza crust.

Pizza without cheese can actually be so tasty! In fact, this pesto pizza is one of my top favourite pizza flavours. After all, the traditional authentic Italian Pizza does not contain cheese! Mint pesto gives a lovely herbaceous base to this pizza that is so flavourful. You won’t miss the (vegan) cheese!

Caramelized Onions

Caramelized onions really give this Mint Pesto Vegan Pizza a depth of flavour. Onions that have been caramelized have a sweet and deeply complex taste. I highly suggest not skipping the caramelization step in this recipe. It is well worth it!

How caramelized onions get that depth of flavour is by being cooked for a longer length of time. In this caramelized onion recipe I slowly cook the onions for 30 – 40 minutes. This allows the natural sugar in the onions to brown and caramelize.

How dark should caramelized onions be, you may ask. Your onions should go past the golden soft stage until they are darker and slightly crispy. It’s okay if not all of your onions slices get uniformly dark in colour. If you don’t turn them enough during cooking you may get some slices that are lighter.

So, these onions are sweet, but are caramelized onions healthy?

Yes! The long cooking process simply brings out the natural sweetness in the onions. There’s no sugar added. So caramelized onions are a great way to bring some sweetness to a dish without adding any sugar.

Castelvetrano Olives

In this Mint Pesto Vegan Pizza I use Castelvetrano olives, which are  a Sicilian green olive. This variety of olive really adds something special to this pizza.

So, What is the difference between green olives and Castelvetrano?

Castelvetrano olives are renown for their beautiful green hue and in particular their buttery flavour. This creamy buttery flavour makes them quite different from your average olive which tends to be briny, salty and tangy. Whereas regular green olives are mushy, Castelvetrano green olives have a crisp, meaty texture.

Even people who dislike olives may actually love the mild, fruity and buttery flavour of Castelvetrano olives.

If you can’t get your hands on this lovely Italian olive variety, a Castelvetrano olive substitute I would suggest to use in this Mint Vegan Pesto Pizza is Kalamata Olives. Not to be confused with black olives (which are stronger and bitter in flavour), Kalamata Olives have that fruity aftertaste that Castelvetrano olives have.

Ingredients in This Recipe

Vegan Pizza Dough

• All purpose flour (or substitute with gluten free flour such as Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour)
• Cold water 
• Active dry yeast
• Salt

Caramelized Onions

• Onions
• Salt
• Olive oil

Mint Pesto

• Fresh mint
• Fresh cilantro
• Unsalted sunflower seeds (or unsalted nuts of choice)
• Garlic
• Fresh lemon juice
• Nutritional yeast
• Salt
• Olive oil
• Water

Assembling Vegan Pesto Pizza

• Kale
• Castelvetrano olives or olives of choice
• Tofu
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Fresh mint for garnish

How to Make This Recipe

Vegan Pizza Dough

1. Add the flour, yeast and salt to a large bowl and mix well.
2. Slowly add the ice cold water and mix until well combined.
3. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 7-10 minutes until the dough is smooth.
4. Add a drop of olive oil to your hands and form dough into a ball so it is coated in olive oil. Loosely wrap in plastic wrap and allow to sit at room temperature for 2 hours.

Caramelized Onions

1. Wash and thinly sliced half an onion.
2. Add onions to a heated pan with a generous drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle of salt.
3. Cook slowly on low for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until onions are darker in colour (but no burnt) and caramelized. Remove from heat and set aside.

Mint Pesto

1. Add all ingredients to a food processor or a mortar and pestle (or use a hand blender) to form a pesto sauce. Set aside.

Assembling Vegan Pesto Pizza

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Cut dough into 2 pieces (for large pizzas) or 4 pieces (for mini pizzas). Roll out each piece of dough on a lightly floured surface. Place dough on lightly oiled pizza pans.

3. Add a generous amount of pesto to each pizza.

4. Add crumbled tofu, then finely chopped kale, then olives and caramelized onions to each pizza. Add a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle of salt to each pizza (optional).

5. Place pizzas in oven for 15-20 minutes (checking at 12 minutes) or until crust is just golden brown.
6. Garnish with fresh mint (optional).

Common Questions

How long will these pizzas last in the fridge?

Generally leftover pizza will last in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, stored in an airtight container or tightly wrapped and refrigerated within 2-hours of cooking.

Can I freeze these pizzas?

Yes, you can freeze your cooked pizza leftover pizza for up to 2 months in the freezer in an air tight container.

Can I make the vegan pizza dough gluten free?

Yes! The easiest way to make this vegan pizza dough gluten free is to simply replace the same amount of all purpose flour with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour!

Looking for more pesto ideas? Try my Vegan Carrot Pesto!

Vegan Carrot Pesto