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!
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 unbelievably 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 lentil dishes
If you tried this recipe, please let me know about it in the comments below. I always love hearing from you! Don’t forget to Subscribe to This Healthy Kitchen to be among the first to get my new recipes! You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter to see more delicious food and get all the latest updates.
Buon appetito,
Rosa
📖 Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¾ cup dry SPLIT red lentils uncooked/unsoaked
- ¾ cup water
- 1.5 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¾ teaspoon 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 30-60 seconds, 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, using the parchment to help flip it over. Then peel off the parchment paper and return the crust to the oven for 5 more minutes until golden.
- Top your pizza as desired and bake for a 3-5 minutes to heat your toppings. Then remove from the oven and let rest for 1-2 minutes before slicing.
Video
Notes
Topping Ideas:
- Vegan mozzarella w/ sautéed onions, peppers, and mushrooms with steamed broccoli.
- Vegan mozzarella w/ 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.
Michelle
Wow. I was hopeful due the other reviews and the nice photos, but this pizza crust exceeded my expectations! It only took a couple of minutes to prepare, was easy to spread, and was seriously DELICIOUS. It’s shocking to me that these couple of ingredients could make a firm, yet slightly chewy crust. I topped with crushed tomatoes, a little very thinly sliced fresh mozzarella and roasted eggplant. My husband raved about it and was shocked when I told him the ingredients. He said, “Now we can eat pizza every day!” Oh – and I only had whole red lentils so I used those blended in the Vitamix. Thank you!
Rosa
Thanks so much for sharing Michelle. So happy you both enjoyed!
Rebecca
Does this not need soaking first or boiling water to soften lentils?
Rosa
No need to pre cook or soak the split red lentils. Enjoy!
M
Surprisingly good. Have you ever tried to freeze them? If so how is it done? Do you cook one half and then when you flip and add toppings you freeze it and then just take out at a later day and cook the uncooked half for the rest of the time?
I want to make a bunch and just have them frozen to use throughout the month. But wasn’t sure if it’d make it gross and soggy?
Thank you!
Rosa
Thrilled you enjoyed! I’d freeze the crusts fully cooked but cool to room temperature before freezing.
Cherri
I usually make a quinoa crust which is also delish but your Lentil Pizza crust is much more filling. We only needed half as much. I used fresh garlic cloves instead of garlic powder and added basil, pepper and thyme to the blender for kicks. For toppings we used red pepper, shiitake, garlic, onion, cheese and tomatoes. For one of the pizzas I cooked the shiitake, red pepper, onion and garlic. For the second one we topped it with uncooked veggies. Both were equally crispy so next time I won’t pre cook the veg. Thanks for another great recipe. Vegan Elote Salad is next up.
Rosa
Thanks so much for the review Cherri. 🙂 Thrilled you enjoyed this pizza crust, and thank you for sharing your process with us.
Aditishaligram
Tried it, it was very delicious
Rosa
So glad you enjoyed!
Christy
Seriously genius! I can’t believe that something this easy can be so delicious! Thanks for this amazing recipe. My go to pizza crust from now on 100%.
Rosa
Aww thanks so much for the review Christy. Thrilled you enjoyed!
Lara
Hello,
I tried to make this pizza base last night. I followed the instructions exactly, but once everything was blended, it was super liquidy. If I were to spread it onto a sheet, it would probably never cook. It was the consistency of water.
I added 5 tablespoons of brown rice flour and 3 tablespoons of ground flaxseeds. Then it was thick enough to pour into a lined tray. I put oil on one of the lined trays but not on the other. The one without oil stuck to the lined parchment paper badly.
Can you give any tips please?
Thank you 🙂
Rosa
Hi Lara, it sounds like too much water was used, or not enough lentils. The batter should not be the consistency of water, and this recipe has been tested numerous times with the measurements listed. There are process shots included that show the consistency, which might help. Some extra tips: make sure to use uncooked split red lentils (not canned) and do not soak them first. Place them in the blender dry with the water. Hope that helps! 🙂
Heather
This worked perfectly. I was skeptical because I used whole red lentils, but it worked. I didn’t tell my family what the crust was made of and when done I was told “This was good. That’s a keeper.” (Usually when I make something gluten free I get nothing but complaints.) It was just the perfect combination of crunch with a little bit of softness and so super simple to throw together. I will definitely make this again. Thank you.
Rosa
So happy to hear that Heather! Thanks so much for sharing. 🙂
Paulette
I have whole red lentils on hand. Since you’re grinding them, does it matter if they’re split first?
Rosa
Hi Paulette, split lentils are unique and act as a binder in this recipe. I have not personally tried with whole lentils, but if you’d like to experiment, you may give it a try. Let me know if you do.
Matthew
Wow. Loved it. I can’t believe the crust was so good and healthy. I doubled it up and am very happy to have more leftovers.
I sauteed red and green bell peppers, onions and garlic for toppings. Thin layer of mezzetas pizza sauce. Added sliced pepperoni’s and pizza cheese. Wish I could share a photo.
Any idea if lentil flour would work or other ways to reduce the crunch? TMJ in my household so we need a little less crunch.
Rosa
Thanks so much for the review Matthew. Thrilled you enjoyed. 🙂
To reduce the crunch, don’t spread the crust as thin. If you keep it a bit thicker it will be much softer. You may also cook in the center rack, instead of bottom rack to prevent the bottom from getting crispy.