Vegan pesto pizza is a flavour packed recipe that is simple to make! Take a classic vegan pesto, homemade pizza dough and balsamic mushrooms, and you can’t go wrong.
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Vegan Mushrooms for Pizza
Pesto and balsamic are a classic combination which is why I love to make balsamic mushrooms to top my pesto pizza!
I’ve selected Portobello mushrooms for this pizza recipe because they tend to have lower water content compared to white button or cremini mushrooms. Any of these mushroom types works so select whatever you have on hand!
Quickly marinating the mushrooms in the balsamic helps build the flavour.
If you don’t have time to quickly cook the balsamic mushrooms, another options is to top the pesto pizza with regular sliced mushrooms, then drizzle a balsamic glaze over the pizza after it’s cooked!
Using balsamic glaze is also a great option if you prefer a sweeter flavour.
Other Toppings for Vegan Pesto Pizza
Balsamic Portobello mushrooms on vegan pizza are a fantastic option, in my opinion. The other two toppings I’ve selected for this recipe are Roma tomatoes and red onion.
I love using tomatoes with pesto for two reasons:
- The flavours work well together. Especially on a pizza where we aren’t using tomato sauce, sliced tomatoes as a topping are a nice addition.
- Beautiful colour contrast. Different colours in a meal generally indicates a variety of nutrients which is a nice bonus!
Red onions were selected for their more pungent flavour and also that beautiful colour! Any type of onion works. For an extra tasty pesto pizza, try adding caramelized onions.
There’s plenty of other delicious pesto pizza topping options including:
- Crumbled feta cheese
- Shredded vegan mozzarella cheese
- Vegan “chicken”
- Cooked spinach
- Extra fresh basil leaves (add after the pizza is cooked)
- Grilled zucchini
- Grilled eggplant
- Extra olive oil drizzle
- Sun dried tomatoes
- Pepperoncini peppers for a bit of heat
How to Make Vegan Pesto Pizza at Home
This recipe is completely homemade/ from scratch. However, there’s always the option of using a store bought dough and/ or pesto. We don’t always have time for more elaborate home cooking and that’s perfectly okay.
You need to start by making the pizza dough. If you’ve never made a yeast dough before, it can seem intimidating but the more you practice, the easier it becomes. We make this pizza dough recipe at least every other week so I can assure you it’s a good one!
While you wait for the dough to rise a bit, make the pesto and balsamic mushrooms. Using a food processor is the easiest option for making pesto! Pesto is very simple to make and easy to adjust to your taste preferences (more or less garlic/ lemon juice etc.)
Whenever I have lots of fresh basil around, you can bet I’ll be making pesto.
When the dough, pesto and mushrooms are ready, roll out the dough, transfer to the baking tray and top with whatever you’re using.
Once it’s baked, slice and enjoy!
Overall, this recipe for vegan pesto pizza does take a bit of time to put together. It may be best as a weekend meal rather than a weekday option. I think the flavours of the final product are well worth the effort.
Please share pictures of your vegan pesto pizza and don’t forget to tag me @lettucevegout on social media when you do! I absolutely love to see your creations.
Vegan Pesto Pizza
Equipment
- Rolling Pin
- Baking tray
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Large pan
Ingredients
- 1 batch vegan pesto (or use store bought)
- 1 batch homemade pizza dough
- 2-3 medium portobello mushrooms
- 2-3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 3 medium Roma tomatoes
- 1 large red onion
- Cornmeal to lightly coat baking sheet
Instructions
- Slice the Portobello mushrooms and marinate them in the balsamic vinegar.
- Prepare a batch of pesto (unless using store bought). There will likely be extra pesto (Can be used for pasta or frozen).
- Make a batch of pizza dough.
- Preheat oven to 400 °F.
- Cook the Portobello mushrooms in a non-stick pan on medium heat, for about 5 minutes to remove some of their water.
- Thinly slice the tomato and red onion.
- Roll out the pizza dough and place onto a baking tray covered with a light sprinkle of corn meal. To make the crust edge, simple roll the outer edge of the dough inwards and lightly press down so it holds its shape.
- Spread a layer of pesto onto the crust and top with the mushrooms, tomato and onion.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the crust is golden brown along the edges and on the bottom.
Notes
Nutrition
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This is an updated post: Original post date July 2017.
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