July 19, 2017

Crispy Kale White Vegan Pizza with Mushrooms

I usually make pizza to hold and quickly cook any vegetables I have that need to be used, but a couple days ago I made this crispy kale white vegan pizza, and it was so delicious and simple I decided to repeat it. The sauce is a rich, garlicky cashew cream that melts into a vegan cheese, making it stretchy and gooey. Mushrooms and onions add savory pops of flavor underneath a small salads worth of crispy, lemony kale. The textures and flavors contrast and compliment each other, making each bite interesting and dynamic. To top it all off, it is quick, simple and perfect for a week night dinner.

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The Art of Homemade Pizza

I’ve been making homemade pizza my entire life, and it is very much an art. Not an art with tons of rules and strict guidelines, more like an art project where markers, paints, stickers, shaped pasta, glitter, broken plates, chalk, clay, and more are spread out on a table, and only your imagination decides if you’re left with a small painting of a sunflower or a 3D model of a pasta and grain spaceship. Your pizza is whatever you decide it should be, and everyone else can just deal with it. This recipe for my white vegan pizza with crispy kale should be seen as a jumping off point, or an inspiration about the types of pizzas you could create.

Eat More Kale- It won’t kale you

Kale has such a bad wrap- sure, it’s a super nutritious, good for you health food, but that doesn’t mean it tastes bad! You don’t have to eat it raw with no seasonings, you can cook it in vegan butter, bake it into crispy chips, massage it into a soft salad, cook it down into an Indian saag dish, add it as a little texture to soup, and so on. For this white vegan pizza, we used a little olive oil, salt, and lemon to season the kale, and then placed it on top of the pizza. The crispy kale texture is amazing against the soft and garlicky, creamy and cheesy elements. So kale haters, watch out- not only is this kale palatable, it’s delicious and really brings your pizza game to the next level.

Try one of these other Kale recipes

White Vegan Pizza and Vegan Cheese

This white vegan pizza has two “white” components- the cashew cream, and the vegan mozzarella cheese. The cashew cheese could be thought of as bringing something similar to ricotta to the party. It’s soft and spreadable, and oh so delicious! In my house we are real garlic fans- you won’t catch a vampire within a square mile of the house. The cashew cream we made use four cloves, for about a cup and a half of cream. If you are not such a garlic fan (or maybe you ARE a vampire fan), you can reduce the garlic used in the cashew cream to a level you find more pleasant. The cheese I used the first few times was Trader Joe’s vegan mozzarella, which is admittedly not the best vegan cheese on the market. It melts to a very goopy texture, and doesn’t hold up well against strong heat. But in this recipe, since it’s shielded by the kale and melts into the cashew cream, it actually works! And it’s pretty cheap, so it’s not a bad choice- especially if you’re already going to TJ’s to get your crust. For my most recent bake of this pizza, I used Daiya mozzarella shreds, which are great and vastly improved from when this post was first published a couple years ago.

How to Make A White Vegan Pizza with Crispy Kale

One of the first choices you have to make when cooking this white vegan pizza, is if you’re going to make your own crust or not. I often buy mine at Trader Joe’s (it only costs about a dollar), but you can also make your own. I have a vegan buckwheat pizza dough you could try, or you can stick to your favorite recipe. Make your cashew cream in a blender- making sure to taste for salt/garlic levels- and spread over the crust. Next, a little cheese, the onions, and the mushrooms. The kale is treated to a quick massage, and placed on top. Add a few globs of the cashew cheese, and an extra sprinkle of cheese, and into the oven. In about 15 minutes you’ll be enjoying your crispy kale white vegan pizza!

Crispy Kale White Vegan Pizza

White Kale Pizza

Ingredients

One pizza dough, homemade or store bought
6-8 shiitake or crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 small onion, diced
1 cup of vegan mozzarella
2-3 cups of kale, cut into bite-sized pieces and tightly packed
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
Pinch of salt

For the Cashew Cream

1 cup of raw, unsalted cashews
Salt, to taste
2-4 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425˚F (220°C). Kneed and stretch the dough onto a pizza pan.
Put the cashews in a pot of water and boil for about 10 minutes before draining. Place them along with ½ cup of water and the other ingredients for the cashew cream in a blender. Blend on high until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
Remove the stems and chop the kale into bite sized pieces and toss in the olive oil, 1 tsp. lemon juice and pinch of salt, massaging it lightly until all the kale is coated.
Use a spoon to spread the cashew cream in an even layer on the pizza crust, making sure to leave a few tablespoons out for later use. Next evenly sprinkle the vegan cheese, also reserving a small amount for later use. Top with the onions and mushrooms. Lastly distribute the kale on top, and add the remaining cashew cream in large spoonfuls, and sprinkling the remaining vegan mozzarella on the kale.
Cook for about 15 minutes, making sure to check around 10 minutes in that nothing is burning. Remove when the bottom crust has just started to brown.