Vegan Caprese Pizza

This vegan caprese pizza is a dream come true. Crisp and bubbly pizza crust is topped with zesty garlic, tomatoes, homemade cashew mozzarella, balsamic reduction, and lots of fresh basil. This pizza comes together in a little over 30 minutes and makes for a satisfyingly quick vegan weeknight meal. I love how the freshness of the tomatoes, basil, and garlic pop off the savoriness of the cashew mozzarella and the sweetness of the balsamic reduction. 

This post is sponsored by Alessi. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Crisp, bubbly pizza crust.

Zesty scatterings of minced garlic.

Mounds of gooey cashew mozzarella.

Thinly sliced vine-ripened tomatoes.

Drizzles of tangy balsamic reduction.

Threads of fresh and lively basil.

Put it all together, and you’ve got yourself one fine vegan caprese pizza.

This vegan caprese pizza comes together in a little over 30 minutes and requires just a small handful of ingredients.

To make it, you’ll start by rolling one pound of pizza dough (homemade or store-bought works great) into a thin, 15-inch circle. Slide it onto a lined pizza pan and bake for about 7 minutes, or until the bottom of the crust just begins to set.

While the crust bakes, you’ll get to work on the homemade cashew mozzarella.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. Homemade cheese?! 

But before you go running the other direction, hear me out. This vegan cashew mozzarella requires just six ingredients (and that’s including water and sea salt). You may have seen it before (either in my cookbook, here, or here).

To make it, you’ll simply blend together filtered water, raw cashews, nutritional yeast, arrowroot starch/powder/flour (all the same), apple cider vinegar, and sea salt. Then, pour the mixture into a saucepan and whisk over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, or until it begins to thicken.

That’s it. It takes all of 10 minutes to make and serves as a tasty, approachable homemade stand-in for dairy-based mozzarella.

Next, remove the par-baked pizza crust from the oven and slather it with a bit of olive oil. Then, sprinkle with minced garlic, dot with the cashew mozzarella, and top with sliced Roma tomatoes.

Pop the topped pizza back in the oven for another 12 minutes or so.

Once the crust is baked to desired doneness, remove the pizza and allow it to cool for a few minutes.

Then, drizzle to taste with Alessi Balsamic Reduction and top with lots of fresh basil.

For the photos, I used Alessi’s traditional balsamic reduction, but their white balsamic reduction also works great on this pizza.

Both lend a subtle tang and caramelized sweetness to the pizza, enhancing its depth of flavor and complementing the acidity of the tomatoes and zippiness of the garlic.

Once you’ve finished topping, drizzling, etc., slice the pizza however you please and serve.

I love how the freshness of the tomatoes, basil, and garlic pop off the savoriness of the cashew mozzarella and the sweetness of the balsamic reduction. Add to that the fact that this pizza comes together in about 35 minutes flat, and you’ve got yourself the makings of an approachable, flavor-packed weeknight meal.

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4.5 from 2 votes

VEGAN CAPRESE PIZZA

Crisp and bubbly pizza crust is topped with zesty garlic, tomatoes, homemade cashew mozzarella, Alessi Balsamic Reduction, and lots of fresh basil. This pizza comes together in a little over 30 minutes and makes for a satisfyingly quick vegan weeknight meal. I love how the freshness of the tomatoes, basil, and garlic pop off the savoriness of the cashew mozzarella and the sweetness of the balsamic reduction. 

Course Bigger Bites, Pizza

Cuisine plant-based, Vegan

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 3

Ingredients

• 1 pound multigrain pizza dough (allow it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling)
• ⅔ cup filtered water
• ½ cup raw cashews*
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• ½ teaspoon sea salt, plus more for seasoning
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced (to taste)
• 2 to 3 ripe Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
• Alessi Balsamic Reduction or Alessi White Balsamic Reduction
• Handful fresh basil leaves, very thinly sliced
• Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400F. Line a round, vented pizza pan with parchment paper.
• Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour, and roll the pizza dough out into a 15-inch circle. Transfer to the lined pizza pan and bake for 7 minutes, or until the bottom is just beginning to set.
• While the pizza bakes, prepare the cashew mozzarella by adding the filtered water, cashews, nutritional yeast, arrowroot powder, apple cider vinegar, and sea salt to a high-speed blender. Blend on high for 2 minutes, or until completely smooth. Pour the mixture into a saucepan. Turn the heat on medium and whisk constantly for 3 to 5 minutes, or until it just begins to thicken. Do not overheat. Set aside to cool slightly.
• Brush the top of the par-baked pizza dough with the olive oil and sprinkle with the garlic. Use a tablespoon to drop spoonfuls of the cashew mozzarella across the surface of the pizza. Top with the sliced tomatoes.
• Return the pizza to the oven and bake for another 8 to 14 minutes, or until desired doneness is reached.
• Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Generously drizzle with the Alessi Balsamic Reduction and sprinkle with the fresh basil. If desired, season with sea salt and crushed red pepper flakes.
• Serve immediately.

Notes

*If you're not using a high-speed blender (e.g., Vitamix, Blendtec), soak cashews in water for 2 hours or boil for 10 minutes to soften.