Caramelized Onion & Mushroom Vegan Pizza with Cashew-Basil-Garlic Sauce
There’s nothing like a good pizza. It’s one of the things I miss the most after going vegan. And a good vegan pizza is even better! Although there are plenty of pizza joints in my area that offer vegetarian pizzas, I’ve yet to find one that caters to vegans. But being vegan, I also know I don’t have to go without. That’s why I created my Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Vegan Pizza with Cashew-Basil-Garlic Sauce. If you’re looking for a vegan pizza that’s to die for, you’ve definitely come to the right place.
But this vegan pizza wasn’t easy to come by. In fact, it took four tries for me to finally get it right. The first time I tried making a no-yeast version. My original recipe called for brown rice flour, which I had, and tapioca flour, which I did not have. But I did have coconut flour and I read somewhere that this could be used as a substitute. Bad idea. It turned out so bad, my dog wouldn’t even eat it.
My second attempt was a little better, but still didn’t cut the mustard. I cheated and used my Oster Bread Machine to make the dough which actually turned out really great. The only problem was, I didn’t roll the dough out thin enough and the pizza turned out more like focaccia bread instead of pizza, which wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t the kind of pizza I wanted to share with the world.
Whoever said the third time’s a charm didn’t meet my pizza. On my third attempt, I made the dough – ta-da – and it rose perfectly. But it was getting late so I figured I could put it in the refrigerator over night and finish it in the morning. Wrong again! When I woke this morning to start cooking, my pizza dough was so hard I could have used it as a baseball.
By this time I was out of ingredients, so I ran to the store and vowed to make this my last attempt to make this darn pizza. And boy was I right. I spread the pizza dough out very thin and it came out perfect. Just the right amount of chewy inside and crunchy outside. The toppings were well-paired and the caramelized onion was superb. It was so good, Michael and I ate the entire pizza for lunch today. Finally, I can rest and get out of the kitchen! I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Vegan PIzza with Cashew-Basil-Garlic Sauce
Ingredients
For the Pizza Crust
- 2 cups 100% whole wheat flour
- 1.5 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 tsp sugar in the raw or other vegan sugar
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 3/4 cup + 3 tbsp warm water
For the Sauce
- 2 cups cashews soaked overnight in water
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 3 large cloves garlic
- 2/3 cup vegetable broth
- 2 tbsp fresh basil coarsely chopped
Pizza Toppings
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1 cup mushrooms chopped
- 1/2 cup red onion chopped lengthwise
- 1 large clove garlic
- 1 tbsp sugar in the raw or other vegan sugar
- 1 cup vegan mozarella cheese shredded
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes for garnish
- 1 tsp dried basil for garnish
Instructions
For the PIzza Crust
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix together water, sugar and yeast. Let sit for 3 to 5 minutes until a foamy layer forms at the top. If this doesn't occur, your yeast is dead. Discard and start over with fresh yeast.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sea salt and sugar. Add the foamy water mixture and olive oil and mix thoroughly with a sturdy wooden spoon.
- Using your hands, knead dough for several minutes forming a large ball making sure no dough is stuck to the side of the bowl.
- Lightly oil the bowl Leave ball in bowl, cover with a clean dish towel or plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place for about an hour. Dough should rise to double it's original size.
- Once the dough has risen, remove from bowl and place on pizza stone or a lightly greased and floured 12" round pizza pan. Press dough with your fingers evenly across pan. Dough should be very thin as it will rise more during cooking. Pinch the edges to make a lip on the crust. Set aside.
For the Sauce
- Place all sauce ingredients except water in food processor. Pulse until well-blended. Add water 1/3 cup at a time, processing until sauce is a creamy consistency. Use a spatula to scrape the sides during processing.
For the Pizza
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Spread sauce evenly over top of pizza crust leaving a bit of an edge on the crust.
- Add 1 tbsp. olive oil to skillet. Add garlic and mushrooms and sauté mushrooms on medium heat until mushrooms "sweat". Place in small bowl making sure to scrape out all mushroom pieces and any gravy. Set aside.
- Add another tbsp. of olive oil to skillet. Turn heat to high and add onions. Sauté until browned, stirring frequently. Add 1 tbsp. sugar and cook until a syrupy paste forms. The onions should be nice and brown when your done.
- Spread Cashew Basil Garlic sauce evenly over pizza leaving an edge for the crust. Top with sautéed mushrooms and caramelized onions.
- Sprinkle top of pizza with vegan mozzarella cheese. Top with dried basil and red pepper flakes. Brush outer crust with a fine layer of olive oil.
- Cook for 20-25 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before slicing. Remove from pan and place on cutting board. Using sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut into 8 equal triangles. Serve piping hot with a vegan anti-pasta salad.