Pizza crust is slathered with creamy cashew Buffalo sauce then topped with smoky tempeh bacon, baked potato chunks, and dairy-free ranch to make this decadent vegan baked potato pizza.
Let me just say that I completely recognize how ridiculous this pizza is.
In fact, I really didn't even think I was going to post it. As I was making it, I became pretty sure I wasn't going to post it.
It's a bit of work for a pizza. And then it's got the whole carb on carb thing going on. So do we really need such a thing as a vegan baked potato pizza in our lives?
OMG, YES.
That was the final verdict after I actually sat down and ate a slice for dinner. My husband started digging into his slice before I even got to mine and his reaction tipped me off that maybe the whole super-carb pizza thing might just be worth it.
Guys, it was really, really good.
And the Super Bowl just happens to be a perfect occasion for indulging in not only pizza, not only Buffalo sauce, but way carbed out pizza with Buffalo sauce.
Let's talk about how this one is put together!
Instead of cheese or sour cream like you might find in a non-vegan baked potato pizza, I whipped up a batch of super simple cashew cream. Then I split it up. Most of the batch gets seasoned with Buffalo sauce and slathered on top of the crust. The rest is mixed with chives and parsley to make a dairy free ranch, which goes on top of everything.
In between there are chunks of baked potato and smoky tempeh bacon. With so many options for vegan bacon I was a little torn. You can absolutely make your favorite if you're not into tempeh (coconut bacon would be great), but I really love the texture the tempeh added.
The pizza is finished off with some scallions, and then of course we poured on the extra hot sauce as we ate it.
Vegan Buffalo Baked Potato Pizza
Pizza crust is slathered with creamy cashew Buffalo sauce then topped with smoky tempeh bacon, baked potato chunks, and dairy-free ranch to make this decadent vegan baked potato pizza.
Ingredients
- 1 large (1 pound) russet potato, scrubbed clean
For the Crust
- 1 pound pizza dough
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons cornmeal
For the Tempeh Bacon
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 1 (8 ounce) package tempeh, finely diced (½ inch or less)
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
For the Cashew Ranch/Buffalo Sauce
- 1 ½ cups raw cashews, soaked in water 4-8 hours and drained
- 1 ¼ cups unflavored soy or almond milk
- 1 garlic clove
- ¼ cup Franks hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ cup chopped fresh chives
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- Salt to taste
For Serving
- Additional Frank's hot sauce
- Chopped scallions
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 400°F. Poke a few holes in the potato and place it directly on the oven rack. Bake until easily pierced with a fork, about 1 hour.
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While the potato bakes, roll the crust out into a 12 to 14 inch circle and place it on a lightly oiled or parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush the top with olive oil and sprinkle with cornmeal.
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Once the potato is finished baking, remove it from the oven, and place the baking sheet with the dough into the oven. Bake until lightly browned, 18-20 minutes. Cut the potato in half and let it cool for a few minutes.
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To make the tempeh bacon, stir the soy sauce, maple syrup, liquid smoke and apple cider vinegar together in a small bowl. Add the tempeh cubes and toss to coat.
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Coat the bottom of a large skillet with oil and place it over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the tempeh, along with the soy sauce mixture. Cook for about 10 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until the liquid has dried up and the tempeh is browned in spots. Remove from heat and transfer the tempeh to a plate.
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To make the sauces, place the cashews in a food processor bowl with ¾ cup of milk and the garlic. Blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the side of the bowl as needed.
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To make the cashew Buffalo sauce, remove ⅔ of the cashew mixture from the food processor and transfer it to a bowl. Stir in the hot sauce and season with salt to taste.
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To make the ranch, add the remaining ½ cup of milk to the food processor (with the remaining cashew mixture), as well as the lemon juice, chives and parsley. Pulse until well blended, then season with salt to taste.
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When the potato has cooled enough to handle, cut it into ½-inch chunks.
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When the crust is finished baking, slather the top with the Buffalo cashew sauce. Cut the pizza into slices (it's easier before adding toppings). Sprinkle it with the tempeh bacon and potato chunks, then drizzle with the ranch. Sprinkle with scallions, and serve.
Recipe Notes
You can save time by microwaving the potato.
Omg, I need to make this.
If you cut up the potato in small bite size pieces first and bake or cook in a frying pan (either tossed in oil and seasoned first or left regular) it cooks way faster and cuts down on how time consuming this recipe is.
I acutally tried that - tossed some diced potatoes in olive oil and roasted them, but I wasn't a fan of the texture on a pizza. Also, baking a pototo takes a while, but it's all hands off, so I figured no big deal.
It was magical - thank you for this delicious recipe. I only had tofu in the house so I made tofu bacon, and I added some dollops of salsa because I like it on potato skins. I couldn’t see how to post a photo here, but I posted a photo to my twitter — @jackiemania
Yay!! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I love tofu bacon, so I bet that was great!
I love this recipe. Making it tonight for probably the tenth time!
I'm so happy to hear that! Thanks Cori!