Gluten free cottage cheese pizza is truly magical. Made with protein-rich cottage cheese, it offers a delightful chewy texture, all without the need for yeast and its required rising time. That means you can enjoy pizza faster!
Pizza nights happen weekly at our house. While we love preparing a variety of dinner recipes during the week, Friday night is pizza night. Some Fridays, we make a low FODMAP pizza crust, waffle pizza fries, pizza soup, and sometimes we pop in a frozen gluten free pizza. Both options work well! And for dessert, we will make gluten-free fruit pizza!
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- No waiting, pizza on the table faster!
- It doesn't taste gluten free, yes really.
- Protein Pizza Crust, do I need to say more?
What You'll Need
- Cottage Cheese - I used 4% milkfat for the best result.
- Gluten Free Flour - Our favorite, Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten free flour works great! Make sure whatever flour you use has xantham gum to hold it together.
- Baking Powder - Helps give the crust a rise. Use a gluten-free brand if there is an allergy or someone with celiac disease.
- Kosher Salt - Just a bit of salt adds flavor to the crust.
See the recipe card for the exact measurements and complete instructions.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: In a large food processor, add the well-stirred cottage cheese, gluten free flour, baking powder, and salt.
Step 2: Blend until the crust forms a ball on the side.
Step 3: Turn out the crust onto a piece of parchment paper. Be sure to scrape the sides of the food processor bowl. The dough will be sticky.
Cover the pizza crust dough ball with a large piece of plastic wrap. This will prevent the sticky dough from sticking to the rolling pin. It is my favorite trick for rolling out gluten free pie crust too.
Step 4: Roll the dough to an even thickness as much as possible. It's going to be a rustic-style pizza. If the edges become too thin, they will become crunchy - which isn't awful either. Carefully transfer the parchment paper to a baking sheet. Discard the plastic wrap.
Bake in a preheated 425 degree F oven for 20 minutes or until the edges turn a golden brown.
Step 5: Remove the crust from the oven. Spread pizza sauce evenly up to the edges. Add toppings and freshly shredded mozzarella cheese. It just melts better than the bagged cheese that is coated to prevent clumping.
Step 6: Bake again for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden brown. If needed, pop it under the broiler for 2-3 minutes.
Remove and cut into pieces. Top with grated parmesan cheese.
Tips and Tricks
No Food Processor? Use an immersion blender or high powered blender to whip the cottage cheese into a smooth consistency. Then add the gluten free flour, baking powder, and salt and mix by hand until the dough comes together.
Want a crispy crust? Bake the pizza crust on a pizza stone. Use a pizza peel to make it easy to put in and remove the pizza crust.
Use pepperoni freshly cut from the deli counter. It has such great flavor and tastes better than the non-refrigerated packaged pepperoni.
Ingredient Swaps
- Cottage Cheese Options: For a lower-fat option, use 2% or 1% cottage cheese. If lactose-free cottage cheese is needed, use that!
- Plain Greek Yogurt - Swap the cottage cheese for plain Greek yogurt. Still a great protein option and adds a bit of a different flavor.
Pizza Toppings
The perfect pizza has a great crust-to-toppings ratio! Do not overload the cottage cheese pizza crust. Start with a homemade pizza sauce!
- Classic Pizza: Pepperoni and Homemade Italian Sausage
- Hawaiian Pizza: Canadian Bacon and Fresh Pineapple
- Veggie: Green Peppers, Mushrooms, Olives
For more pizza toppings and combination ideas, check out our pizza toppings guide!
FAQs
For best results, blend the cottage cheese into a smooth consistency. However, if you want to skip it, it will still work; it will just get black specks on the crust from the cottage cheese curds, and the texture will be a bit gummy.
The dark specks are the cottage cheese curds that were not fully blended. It still tastes great; it just doesn't look pretty.
Nope! Adding an egg to the pizza crust doesn't alter the outcome, making it a great egg-free pizza crust option.
Make it up to two days in advance and store it covered in the refrigerator.
My favorite tip is to par-bake the pizza crust, let it cool, wrap it in plastic wrap, and store it in the freezer. Defrost in the refrigerator the night before. Add the sauce and toppings. Bake in a 425 degree F oven until cheese is golden brown.
Storing and Reheating
Store: Keep leftover pizza covered and in the refrigerator for up to four days.
Reheat: Heat the leftovers in a 350 degree F oven for 10-15 minutes for best results. Otherwise, a microwave will work, too. My favorite is to eat it cold for breakfast!
Freeze: Freeze the chilled, par-baked pizza crust for easier pizza nights! Just wrap it well in plastic wrap. Defrost overnight for best results.
What To Serve With Cottage Cheese Pizza
Add a crunchy coleslaw with tangy dressing or a simple lettuce salad with homemade ranch dressing. The pizza is also great dipped in the ranch dressing, yes really! Minnesotans love ranch dressing on everything!
More Loveable Cottage Cheese Recipes
Use up the carton of cottage cheese with these recipes:
Love This Recipe?
Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating + comment. It helps so much, and we love hearing from everyone! Thank You -Venessa
Recipe
Gluten Free Cottage Cheese Pizza Crust
Equipment
- Rolling Pin
- Plastic Wrap
Ingredients
Pizza Crust Ingredients:
- 1 cup cottage cheese stirred well (Note 1)
- 1 cup gluten free flour (Note 2)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Pizza Toppings:
- ⅓ cup pizza sauce
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- Additional Toppings: Pepperoni, Salami, Green Peppers, Olives, Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- In a large food processor, add the cottage cheese, gluten free flour, baking powder, and kosher salt. Blend until the dough comes together and forms a ball. The dough will be sticky, but it is okay.
- Using a spatula, place the pizza dough onto a piece of parchment paper or a silicone mat. Scrape the sides of the bowl, too!
- Cover the pizza dough with a large sheet of plastic wrap. This will keep the dough from sticking to the rolling pin.
- Carefully roll out the dough using a rolling pin. Try to roll it out as evenly as possible.
- Once the dough is rolled out, gently lift the parchment paper onto a baking sheet. Discard the plastic wrap.
- Bake in a preheated 425 degree F oven for 20 minutes.
- Once the edges are golden brown, remove from the oven.
- Spoon pizza sauce over the crust, coming out the edges.
- Next, add shredded mozzarella cheese. Freshly grated mozzarella cheese will melt the best.
- Add pepperoni and any other toppings.
- Bake for another 10-12 minutes in a 425 degree F oven or until cheese is golden brown. Pop under the broiler for 2-3 minutes to get a deep golden brown color.
- Remove the pan and cut into pieces with a pizza cutter. Sprinkle grated parmesan cheese and enjoy.
Venessa Mandelkow says
We love making this pizza crust for quick lunches too! Everyone loves it and nobody is sad about the extra protein.
Jules says
Wow! I had to come on here to give my feedback on this recipe. I have tried dozens of recipes looking for a GF pizza crust that I love. So far, no luck. I tried this one with little hope that it would be any better than the rest. Boy, was I wrong! Simple to make, crispy, yet soft. I will definately be making this again! Thank you! Jules
Venessa Mandelkow says
Hi Jules! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment. I am so glad this gluten free pizza crust worked for you. I love it because I don't have to wait for the pizza dough to rise and it's delicious. Enjoy! - Venessa