This red lentil pizza crust is delicious, crunchy and won’t flop over! This wholesome crust has a whopping 18g of protein per serving! PLUS it’s incredibly simple to make. Just blend the ingredients, pour and bake!
This recipe was originally published in July 2018. It has been updated for content and photos.
Pizza dough has never been easier to make, no rising time, no kneading your dough, no rolling and no stretching. You are going to LOVE this lentil pizza crust!
Here’s a few reasons why
- It’s SO easy to make! Like crazy easy. Just add everything to your blender, process till smooth, pour and spread onto your pizza tray and bake. So much faster than traditional pizza dough.
- This lentil pizza is truly HEALTHY! The crust is made using split red lentils, water and seasoning. That’s it!
- Diet friendly. Pizza and dieting don’t typically go hand in hand, but this crust is super low in calories, so go ahead and enjoy, without ANY of the guilt.
- Allergen friendly. This recipe is free from all common allergens. It’s not only gluten free, but also grain free. It’s dairy free, egg free, soy free, nut free and corn free.
Plus, can you ever have too many pizza options?
Nah, I didn’t think so.
Just like my polenta pizza crust and socca flatbread this lentil pizza crust comes together in no time!
How to make it
(This is a summary with step by step photos, full recipe measurements and instructions are in the recipe card below.)
Gather your ingredients and preheat your oven.
Then add all the ingredients to a high speed blender. Process on high until smooth and completely pureed. (photos 1-2)
Pour the batter onto a 12″ pizza tray that is lined with parchment paper. Pour the batter in the center of your tray, as you would a pancake. (photo 3)
Then carefully spread it towards the edges using a silicone spatula. Or lift the pan and tilt it side to side. (photos 4-5)
NOTE: Do your best to get your crust as evenly spread as possible. Be mindful of the center so that it is not too thick, in order to get the crispiest crust possible.
Bake in your preheated oven for about 12 minutes and then remove it and use the parchment paper to help flip the crust over. (photos 6-7)
Once flipped, gently peel the parchment paper off your dough. (photo 8)
Then return it to the oven for an additional 5 minutes, or until nicely golden. (photo 9)
Top your pizza as desired, making sure to use precooked veggies and return to the oven for 3-5 minutes. Enjoy.
How to top your pizza
Top your lentil pizza with your favourite pizza toppings.
Go easy on the tomato sauce (or pesto) and make sure to precook any veggies so you’re not adding too much moisture back into your dough.
Some topping ideas for you:
- Sautéed onions, peppers, and mushrooms with steamed broccoli.
- Jalapeno or hot banana peppers with red onion and pineapple.
- Grilled zucchini, roasted red pepper and caramelized onion.
- Very thinly sliced potato, sautéed onion and rosemary.
- Caramelized onion, roasted red peppers and black or green olives.
Or make it a Mexican style pizza, using salsa or enchilada sauce for your base sauce. Then top it with black or refried beans, corn, green onion and jalapeno. Serve it with guacamole or cashew cream for dipping.
Expert Tips
- Make sure it’s evenly spread! For the best tasting, crispiest crust possible, do your best not to leave thicker spots. Be extra mindful of the center when spreading your crust to the edges. Thicker spots won’t crisp up as well.
- Don’t spread TOO thin. Try not to fuss with the parchment paper when spreading your dough. Gently spread the batter across your tray without moving the parchment paper side to side or you may create gaps and lifted spots in your dough. The wet parchment will crease easily, so don’t use much force to spread the batter around.
- Use convection bake. Convection bake uses a fan to blow the hot air around your oven. By circulating the air, you’ll get a steady, dry temperature resulting in even cooking and a crispier crust. If you don’t have a convection bake oven, you may need to cook your crust for a couple of extra minutes. Just keep an eye on it until desired crispiness is reached.
- Use the bottom rack. Cook your lentil pizza crust on the bottom rack for best results. Again, this will help increase crispiness of your dough. Since individual ovens vary greatly, just make sure to keep an eye on it to prevent it from being overdone.
- Parchment paper is your friend. Use the parchment paper to help flip the dough with ease after the first step of baking. Then gently remove the paper and discard to bake the other side.
More delicious pizza recipes
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Buon appetito,
Rosa
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup dry SPLIT red lentils uncooked
- 3/4 cup water
- 1.5 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 3/4 tsp sea salt
Plus your choice of toppings
Instructions
- Line a 12" round pizza tray with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 450 degrees F convection bake.
- Add all the ingredients to a high speed blender and process on high for about 1 minute, or until completely pureed.
- Pour the mixture on your prepared pizza tray and spread it out as thinly and evenly as possible, using a silicone spatula.
- Bake for 12 minutes. Then carefully flip the dough, remove the parchment paper and return to the oven for 5 more minutes until the crust is nicely golden.
- Top your pizza as desired and bake for a 3-5 minutes longer. Then remove from the oven and let rest for 1-2 minutes before slicing.
So great! I’m literally going to make this for my pizzas EVERYTIME now. Thank you for awesome recipes.
Thrilled you loved the pizza Sandy, thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
I made this tonight and it was amazing! So easy, so much faster and simpler than a cauliflower crust, and nicer than a flaxseed crust. Will be making it again for sure. I also added some nooch and onion powder to the base, and increased the lentils and water to a cup each to make a bigger pizza.
Thanks so much for the wonderful review Jess. Thrilled you enjoyed the pizza! 🙂
This recipe worked out perfectly – exactly as the recipe method describes! So excited to find this. Didn’t go soggy with toppings and was really crispy and soft in the middle! This will be my new favourite weekly recipe.
Wonderful to hear. Thanks very much for the review Pheobe. Thrilled you enjoyed. 🙂
Haven’t tried this recipe yet but I am going to try tonight. Before I do could you tell me what you think about using Pardina Lentils (basically Spanish brown lentils)? I don’t have red lentils in the house and those are what I have. Typically they take longer to cook when doing soups or curries then red lentils but not sure if that will have an impact as this recipe uses them dry. I was thinking of putting them in the blender first before adding the water to grind them up better then adding the water after they are ground and seeing if that helps. Any Thoughts?
Hi Adriane, I haven’t tested this recipe with brown lentils, so I’m not sure. Split red lentils get sticky and bind together nicely. Not sure if brown lentils will do the same. If you do give it a try, we’d love to hear how it turns out.
Any idea if this can be made with whole green lentils instead of split red? Trying to use what I already have in the pantry. Thanks!
Hi Mary, I haven’t tried with green lentils so I cannot say for sure, sorry.
This looks great! Does the crust taste like lentils?
There’s a slight lentil flavour but mostly you’ll taste whatever you’re topping it with. Hope you like it!
Great! Thank you for your reply!
Did a half recipe and it was amazing! Tasted great. Nice and crispy. Didn’t fall apart with toppings and wasn’t soggy at all. Also super fast to make unlike cauliflower crust! Loved it!!
Thanks so much for your feedback Jo. Thrilled you loved this recipe. 🙂
Made this tonight and hubby was so impressed! Great recipe, thank you!
Thanks Gillian, glad you enjoyed!
OMG I loved this GF pizza dough. I made my pizza with my favorite toppings, red onions, peppers, pepperonis, and black olives. Thanks for the delicious recipe!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed this recipe Lisa, thanks for the feedback. 🙂
What a great recipe! We made it tonight (made1/2 a recipe). Our only comment: next time we’re going to try to make it more crispy. Maybe bake the crust on a lower rack? Or after the crust bakes, wait a while before adding sauce and veggies?
Hi Sheryl, I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe. To make the crust crispy, getting the “dough” as thin as possible is key. I try and spread my batter as close to the edges of the pan as possible, while keeping it evenly spread. If the center is thicker, it wont crisp up as much. But yes, definitely try the bottom rack, just watch carefully so the bottom doesn’t burn. Also, I don’t use a lot of sauce on this one, and precook my veggies until the moisture is evaporated to ensure no extra water/moisture is getting into my crust. Thanks so much for your feedback!
Wondering if you have a dairy and nut free cheese recipe to put on top.
I am going to try this. It looks so good and easy.
Hi Mini. Unfortunately I don’t have a nut free option (yet). However, I have sprinkled nutritional yeast on top which does give a delicious cheesy flavour. Hope you enjoy!
Tried this tonight. OH. MY. WORD. Absolutely fabulous!! As a soya free vegan I often rely on lentils as a source of protein. This is a new and fabulous way to eat them. I even made it for my hubby and he was blown away by it!! Thoroughly recommended! Thank you for sharing the recipe!!
Hi Natalie, thank you so much for your feedback. I’m so glad you and your hubby enjoyed this recipe!
Are the split red lentils in this cooked or uncooked?
Hi Natalie, the lentils are dry/uncooked split red lentils.