Grilled pizza is the best pizza! The crust cooks up puffy and tender with lightly charred edges, a pleasantly chewy bite, and lots of smoky flavor. This vegan grilled pizza is topped with a super simple sauce, vegan mozzarella, and tender grilled veggies. You're going to want to make it nonstop all summer long.
Don't get mad at me, but I have a confession: vegan grilled pizza has been my favorite thing about summer for years. It's my go-to barbecue main dish when I'm having company, and the summer dinner my husband and I always get the most excited about, year after year. I haven't shared a recipe until today because (1) I didn't have one. In the past I would always just wing it. And (2) it tends not to look great in photographs. Those are my reasons, and remember that you promised not to get mad.
Jump to:
I'm making up for it today with the ultimate vegan grilled pizza recipe. The pizza cooks on the grill, the toppings cook on the grill, and once you add sauce and vegan mozzarella, you've got a pizza pie that's perfectly chewy, saucy, and full of smoky flavor.
The process is pretty simple, too, and while I think this recipe makes the best grilled pizza ever, it's totally customizable, so go ahead and make it your own. In fact, you can grill pretty much any of my vegan pizza recipes — try my vegan Greek pizza, vegan caramelized onion pizza, vegan taco pizza, or vegan margherita pizza. They will all grill up beautifully!
Ingredients You'll Need
Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Crushed tomatoes. These are the base for your pizza sauce. Tomato puree will also work.
- Garlic.
- Sugar. Use organic granulated sugar, since conventional sugar is often processed using animal bone char.
- Dried oregano.
- Salt.
- Crushed red pepper flakes. These will add a touch of heat. Skip them if you prefer.
- Vegetables. You'll be using zucchini, yellow summer squash, red bell pepper, and red onion for topping. But feel free to get creative and swap these out with your favorites.
- Olive oil.
- Salt and pepper.
- Pizza dough. You can keep things easy and use store-bought dough, or try my whole wheat pizza dough recipe.
- Cornmeal.
- Shredded vegan mozzarella cheese. I haven't tried this recipe with the pourable vegan mozzarella, but I bet it would be great.
- Fresh basil.
- Vegan Parmesan.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Step 1: Make the sauce. Combine your crushed tomatoes, minced garlic, sugar, oregano, salt, and crushed red pepper flakes in a small saucepan, then simmer it for about 10 minutes. It'll thicken up just a bit.
Step 2: Preheat the grill. Oil the grates and heat it to medium while the sauce simmers.
Step 3: Grill the vegetables. Make sure to slice them pretty thick, then brush them with olive oil and grill them until they're just a bit charred. Remove them from the grill and move them to a plate when they're done. Sprinkle them with some salt and pepper.
Step 4: Prepare the dough. Roll or stretch it out, then brush it with olive oil and arrange it on a cornmeal-coated pizza peel or large baking sheet. The cornmeal is really important — it prevents sticking.
Steps 5 and 6: Grill the crust. Transfer it to the grill and cook it for a few minutes, until it gets nice and puffy.
Tip: Your dough will inevitably get a bit misshapen when you move it to the grill. It's part of the charm of grilled pizza. Own it.
Step 7: Flip and top. Flip your crust over, then cover it with the sauce, vegan mozzarella, and grilled veggies. Grill it for a few minutes longer to finish the crust and soften up the cheese.
Step 8: Finish and serve. Take your pizza off the grill and optionally top it with a sprinkle of vegan Parm and fresh basil. Slice it up and devour!
Variations
- Veggie swaps. Replace the vegetables with your favorite grilling veggies. Try sliced eggplant, portobello mushrooms, asparagus, or even tomatoes. Get creative and have fun.
- Add protein toppings. Tempeh bacon, vegan pepperoni, and smoked tofu are all great on grilled pizza.
- Skip the cheese. I love a good no-cheese pizza, and this one is killer with just sauce and grilled veggies.
- Get creative. Once you've got the grilled pizza process down, do what you like. Try different sauces, vegan cheeses, or add toppings like olives, roasted red peppers, or even pineapple (I don't judge).
More Vegan Grilled Main Dishes
Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
📖 Recipe
Vegan Grilled Pizza
Equipment
- 1 Barbecue grill
- 1 Pizza Peel or a large rimless baking sheet
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- 1 (14 ounce/397 gram) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon organic granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
For the Grilled Vegetable Topping
- 1 small zucchini, sliced at least ¼ inch thick
- 1 small yellow summer squash, sliced at least ¼ inch thick
- 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1 to 2 inch chunks
- ½ red onion, sliced into rings
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
For the Crust
- 1 pound pizza dough
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup cornmeal, or as needed
For Topping (Optional)
- 8 ounces shredded vegan mozzarella cheese
- Fresh basil leaves
- Vegan Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Stir the sauce ingredients together in a small saucepan and set it over medium heat. Bring the sauce to a simmer, then reduce the heat and let it cook at a low simmer for about 10 minutes.
- While the sauce simmers, preheat your grill to medium and oil the grates well.
- Once the grill is hot, brush the vegetables with the oil and arrange them directly on the grill. Cook them for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until lightly charred and slightly tender. Remove them from the grill and sprinkle them with salt and pepper to taste.
- While the vegetables grill, roll or stretch your dough to an approximately 14-inch round. Brush both sides generously with oil. Generously sprinkle a pizza peel or a large rimless baking sheet with cornmeal, then arrange the dough on it.
- When the vegetables are finished grilling, carefully transfer the dough to the grill. This is the trickiest part, and it will probably not keep its round shape. Just do your best to slide the dough onto the grill. Alternatively, you can quickly invert the pizza peel or baking sheet onto the grill to transfer the dough.
- Cook the crust for about 5 minutes, or until it becomes very puffy and is lightly charred on the bottom.
- Flip the crust. You can use your pizza peel to scrape it off of the grill, or if you don't have a pizza peel, use a spatula to place it back on the baking sheet. Once you've flipped the crust, spread the sauce over the top, then top it with your vegan mozzarella and your grilled veggies. Grill the pizza for about 5 minutes more, or until the cheese has softened (Note 1).
- Remove the pizza from the grill and optionally sprinkle it with fresh basil and/or vegan Parmesan cheese. Slice and serve.
Notes
- Vegan cheese is notoriously difficult to melt, so you may not get all the way there. Spritzing the cheese with a bit of oil can help, and you can also finish it under the broiler for a few minutes if you'd like.
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