Quinoa Crust for Pizza or Cheesy Garlic Bread – a gluten free crust made with using quinoa flavored with Italian herbs and parmesan cheese.
There is a misconception that gluten free = healthy. That simply isn’t true. Especially when it comes to processed, pre-packaged gluten free products. These products often contain other fillers to take the place of gluten. I only recommend following a gluten free diet if you have a medical condition that requires it. Having said that, there are many people who do need to avoid gluten, mostly due to allergies and intolerances.
Common foods like pizza and garlic bread are not allowed in a gluten free diet due to the wheat in the dough. So, I came up with a gluten free quinoa crust that could be used for pizza or cheesy garlic ‘bread’.
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To make this quinoa crust, start by rinsing the uncooked quinoa in a fine mesh strainer. This will wash away some of the powdery residue that often tastes a little bitter. Then, let the quinoa simmer in a little olive oil in a stock pot to develop a toasty flavor. Once toasted, add water to the pot, cover, and simmer until cooked.
Once the quinoa is cooked, remove the lid and continue to cook it over low heat for another five minutes. This will evaporate any excess moisture, preventing a soggy crust.
Transfer the quinoa to a large bowl and let it cool for 10 minutes.
In a separate bowl, whisk together some eggs, olive oil, garlic salt, dried oregano, dried basil, and baking powder. The baking powder will start to react as soon as it is added to this mixture. So, don’t mix these ingredients until you are prepared to make the dough.
Once the quinoa has cooled, stir in some shredded Italian-blend cheese. Then, add the egg mixture and stir to combine.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray it with cooking spray. Pour the dough onto the parchment.
Use your hands to spread the dough into an even, 1/4 inch layer. You could form it into a circle if you want to make pizza. I made garlic bread. So, I spread the dough into a 10 x 7 inch rectangle.
Put the dough into a preheated 425 degree oven for 18-20 minutes. The edges should turn golden brown. Add whatever toppings you like. Then, return it to the oven for 5 minutes.
To make cheesy garlic bread, I added 1/2 cup shredded Italian-blend cheese to the crust. Then, served it with pizza sauce for dipping.
You could also top the crust with pizza sauce, shredded cheese, and your favorite pizza toppings.
Let your pizza, or garlic bread, cool for at least five minutes before slicing.
Quinoa Crust for Pizza or Cheesy Garlic 'Bread' Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup quinoa
- 3 tsp. olive oil divided
- 1 cup water
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ tsp. garlic salt
- ½ tsp. dried oregano leaves
- ½ tsp. dried basil leaves
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ cup shredded Italian-blend cheese pizza-blend or mozzarella would be good too
- Optional - For cheesy garlic bread: 1/2 cup shredded Italian-blend cheese and pizza sauce for dipping
- Optional - For pizza: 1/3 cup pizza sauce ½ cup shredded Italian-blend cheese, and your favorite pizza toppings
Instructions
- Place the uncooked quinoa into a fine mesh strainer and run under cool water for about a minute until water runs clear. Shake off as much excess liquid as possible. Add the rinsed quinoa and 2 tsp. olive oil to a medium sauce pot. Turn the heat to medium high and stir occasionally for 6-7 minutes. The excess moisture will evaporate and the quinoa will begin to toast.
- Carefully add the water to the toasted quinoa and cover. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Let the quinoa cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid and turn the heat to low. Cook 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally (evaporating excess moisture). Transfer the cooked quinoa to a large bowl and let it cool for at least 10 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, add the eggs, 1 tsp. olive oil, garlic salt, oregano, basil, and baking powder. Whisk until well combined.
- Add the cheese to the quinoa. Stir to combine. Add the egg mixture to the quinoa. Stir until well combined.
- Spread the quinoa dough into a ¼ inch, even layer on the parchment paper. I made cheesy bread sticks so I made a 10 x 7 inch rectangle. Bake for 18-20 minutes, edges should begin to brown.
- Top with the pizza, or garlic bread, toppings and return to the oven for 5 minutes.
- Let the pizza, or garlic bread, cool for 5 minutes before slicing.
Nutrition
Kevin says
I have a quinoa and rice mixture that I got from Costco. Would that work the same way or does it have to be only quinoa. This recipe looks absolutely amazing and I can’t wait to make it!
Mira says
This is truly amazing I was trying to find out what to do with leftover quinoa. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Hannah says
This is by far the best pizza crust I have ever had in my life!! It is so easy and delicious, and I could probably eat this everyday!
Emily says
This is great! I use 2 cloves of garlic and salt instead of garlic salt. The kids (2&4) love it!!
Karolina says
This is simply amazing!
I kept it in the oven for 15 min after adding toppings, since mine had cheese, tuna, and polish pickles (may not sound good, but it really was). As sceptical as I was about this recipe I have to admit it was delicious. Tons better than I would ever expect. Definitely advise everyone to try. Quick, easy and healthy. Thank you very much for sharing dear!!!!
Aileen says
Mine unfortunately stuck to the parchment paper as well. I made sure to put a bit of olive oil down before as well. I flipped it over to peel it off and unfortunately it got baked into it and was near impossible to come off. the part I got to come off was so good! But I wonder why that happened?
Alicia says
Hi! so I made the crust and it came out watery when I poured it into the pan!? I’m not sure what I did wrong! 🙁
Christine says
Do you think it is possible to omit the cheese and have the crust stay together? I am unable to eat dairy but this looks delicious!
Shawn Plowman says
My whole family loved this dish. I will make it again?
Brooke says
Omg this tastes so much better than I expected!! It’s gonna become a staple in my house! I made half of the dough into the pizza version and the other half the bread sticks – just wanted to test out which I’d like best. And now that I’ve made it, I can’t decide! Both are amazing! A couple of changes: the dough was too runny, I added some left over cauliflower rice to solidify it more into a dough-like consistency. Didn’t have a few it mean on hand: I used garlic powder and fine sea salt instead of garlic salt; Italian Seasoning instead of Oregono and basil. While coming through Pinterest at 4 am, I got out of bed to make this! Sooooo good! Thank you!
Casey says
Tried this tonight and love it! I made the cheesy garlic bread and ate it without dipping sauce! I saw a similar recipe making “bread” out of quinoa where they blended the cooked quinoa for a more even texture. Would that work in this recipe? Thanks!
Sonia says
I made the following changes
Two cups cooked quinoa
3 eggs
2 cloves crushed garlic
Pinch real salt
4 slices earth island mozzarella style vegan cheese – chopped
Double everything else
Turned out fine. The texture certainly isn’t for everyone and I didn’t have any toppings except some vegan butter. (I’m not vegan just dairy and gluten free). I think it would be better as a pizza base than as garlic bread on its own like I tried.
Ann says
Could you use quinoa flour instead?
Tracy says
Made it, loved it, gonna do it again! I made this with mozzarella and parm just for a little snack. It’s such a great recipe to play around with! I can see topping it with fresh basil & garlic, or making it with cheddar, or maybe try some pesto, or make it even thinner so it’s more like a cracker… oh me! The possibilities!
THANKS SO MUCH!! This is a total keeper!
Tracy says
So then today, I made it again only this time, I used cheddar, some fresh garlic, red pepper flakes, and a dash of salt. I completely forgot the baking powder! DOH…. But it didn’t matter… still wonderful and delish!
Sharon says
This was amazing, both my sceptical husband and (weirdly) quinoa-loving eight-year old loved this! It was devoured in minutes. I had tricolor quinoa on hand – it gave it a very rustic look.
Jas says
I made this shortly after you posted it in 2014. Recently I moved and lost my written down copy.
Must say, this is delicious!
I was skeptical when placing the dough on the parchment paper as it was definitely slimy. After baking, however, I was sold!
10/10 would recommend. 🙂
Steph says
Would vegan cheese sub easily for the regular cheese?
Lisa says
Can this be frozen and made for later?
Jessica says
Can you make the dough ahead of time and freeze it to make later?