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    You are here: Home / Entrees / Vegan Pesto Caprese Pizza

    LAST UPDATED: February 15, 2022 • FIRST PUBLISHED: July 31, 2017

    Vegan Pesto Caprese Pizza

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Vegan Caprese Pizza

    This summery vegan Caprese pizza is made with garlicky pesto slathered crust topped with juicy cherry tomatoes, cashew ricotta, and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.

    Slices of Vegan Pesto Caprese Pizza on a Baking Sheet with Cherry Tomatoes and Fresh Basil

    This pizza started out as a sandwich! A grilled pesto Caprese panini to be precise, but it was really ugly and I couldn't manage to snap a half decent photograph. Yeah, it's true: I'll actually change a whole recipe around in an effort to make it prettier. But! I'll only do so if the updated version is as good or better than the original, which in this case, it was.

    Slice of Vegan Pesto Caprese Pizza on a Plate

    So you can make this as a vegan panini if you're so inclined. The panini version actually used avocado in place of vegan cheese, but it totally worked. I couldn't bring myself to put avocado on the pizza because all I could envision was a wide sea of green atop a pizza crust. Again, I'm focusing on aesthetics, but it's a good thing! I was brainstorming vegan cheese ideas when my husband reminded me that ricotta cheese is excellent on pizza. I'd just about forgotten about that, but it was perfect for a vegan Caprese pizza, and so here it is!

    Jar of Vegan Pesto with Spoon

    I'm just hitting the tipping point of having ripe cherry tomatoes come out of the garden daily (yay!) so I took the opportunity to put some on this pie. That was after I snapped the photo directly above, featuring great big tomatoes from the store. My photo is a lie but at least I admit it. I don't usually make this big of a fuss over my recipe pics (as indicated by the food all over my drinking glass in Friday's post. Opps.), but I guess this pizza is special.

    Spoon Drizzling Balsamic Vinegar over a Vegan Pesto Caprese Pizza

    No, I'm sure this pizza is special. It was delicious! And perfect for summer. Basil, tomatoes, and it's great hot or cold, which I guess all pizza is, but especially this one. If you feel like making a lazy version (which, hey, it's toasty out, so who isn't about being lazy?), feel free to use store-bought pesto (Amore is vegan), and swap out the ricotta with those avocado slices or even some store-bought vegan mozzarella, in which case I'd recommend popping it under the broiler to melt for a few minutes.

    Slices of Vegan Pesto Caprese Pizza on a Baking Sheet with Cherry Tomatoes and Fresh Basil
    5 from 1 vote
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    Vegan Pesto Caprese Pizza

    This summery vegan Caprese pizza is made with garlicky pesto slathered crust topped with juicy cherry tomatoes, cashew ricotta, and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.
    Course Entree
    Cuisine American, Italian
    Prep Time 25 minutes
    Cook Time 20 minutes
    Total Time 45 minutes
    Servings 6
    Calories 463 kcal
    Author Alissa

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound vegan pizza dough
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 2 tablespoons cornmeal, optional

    For the Balsamic Reduction

    • ½ cup good quality balsamic vinegar
    • 2 tablespoons vegan brown sugar

    For the Pesto

    • 1 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
    • ¼ cup chopped walnuts,
    • 3 garlic cloves, minced
    • ⅓ cup olive oil
    • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
    • ¼ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

    For the Vegan Ricotta

    • ½ cup raw cashews, soaked in water 4-8 hours and drained
    • ¼ cup unflavored soy or almond milk
    • 3 ½ ounces (¼ of a regular 14 ounce pack) extra firm tofu, drained
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • ¼ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

    For Topping the Pizza

    • 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes halved
    • A few fresh basil leaves
    • Red pepper flakes

    Instructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 400° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll the pizza dough into a 14-inch circle and place it onto the prepared baking sheet. Brush the edges with olive oil and sprinkle with cornmeal. Bake the crust until browned and puffy, about 20 minutes.
    2. While the crust bakes, place the ingredients for the balsamic reduction into a small saucepan and set over medium heat. Lower heat and allow to simmer until the mixture thickens and becomes syrupy, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
    3. Place the ingredients for the pesto into a food processor bowl and blend until mostly smooth, with just a bit of texture. Taste test and add more salt if needed. Scoop into a bowl.
    4. Wipe out the food processor bowl and then add the cashews and milk. Blend until relatively smooth (it doesn't have to be perfect). Add the tofu, lemon juice, and salt. Pulse until a chunky, ricotta-like texture is achieved. Taste-test and season with additional salt if needed.
    5. Spread the pesto in a smooth even layer over the pizza crust, then place dollops of the ricotta over top. Sprinkle with tomatoes, basil, and red pepper flakes. Drizzle with balsamic reduction. Slice and serve.
    Nutrition Facts
    Vegan Pesto Caprese Pizza
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 463 Calories from Fat 245
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 27.2g42%
    Saturated Fat 3.8g19%
    Sodium 556mg23%
    Potassium 253mg7%
    Carbohydrates 45.5g15%
    Fiber 2.9g12%
    Sugar 5.1g6%
    Protein 12.1g24%
    Calcium 50mg5%
    Iron 3.4mg19%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    « Creamy Coconut Milk Vegan Korma
    Spaghetti in Spicy (Vegan!) Tomato Cream Sauce »

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    About Alissa Saenz

    Hi, I'm Alissa! I'm a former attorney turned professional food blogger. I love creating vegan recipes with bold flavors! You can read more about me here.

    I'd love to connect with you on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Ivy says

      August 01, 2017 at 10:56 am

      Made this last night, yum! Super easy too. I used a Trader Joe's pizza crust. My (non-vegan) husband raved about it, particularly the cashew ricotta. He couldn't believe it was vegan. I need to make another batch of pesto, but the recipe made enough ricotta and balsamic glaze for a whole other pizza.

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        August 01, 2017 at 9:57 pm

        Yay! I'm glad you enjoyed it! I did go pretty generous with the toppings on this one. :)

        Reply
    2. Marcia says

      August 01, 2017 at 5:41 pm

      I had so hoped there wasn't any tofu in this recipe because it looks yummy, but, alas, I was wrong. It seems you are making a lot of recipes using tofu lately, any particular reason? My system has a difficult time digesting soy so I avoid it as much as possible. In small doses, like using some soy sauce, I can sort of handle it but not tofu. Bummer

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        August 01, 2017 at 9:59 pm

        Sorry about that! I always tend to cook with lots of tofu, but in this case you could probably get away with leaving out the tofu and using extra cashews. I like the texture that the tofu gives the ricotta, but it would still be delicious without it. You could also skip the ricotta and go with some avocado slices instead.

        Reply
    3. Dennis says

      August 08, 2017 at 7:34 pm

      This is probably one of the best vegan pizza recipes that I have found online. It works with the vegan cheese too. I will have to translate a document so that my Uncle can read the recipe. However, once I pick up the vegan dough, he should be able to figure out the rest. What a perfect meal for Indains who are vegan.

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        August 13, 2017 at 9:15 pm

        I'm glad you enjoyed it!!

        Reply
    4. Andrea says

      September 07, 2017 at 4:22 pm

      This pizza was superb! I ended up adding a whole block of tofu rather than the cashews for the cheese, and it worked perfectly. Thanks for another great recipe!

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        September 10, 2017 at 5:50 pm

        I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! Thanks Andrea!

        Reply
    5. Cathy says

      January 12, 2018 at 9:44 pm

      Made this tonight. Just amazing! What a delicious Friday night dinner! Thanks Alissa!

      Reply
    6. Shirley Elbaz says

      May 19, 2018 at 3:49 pm

      Can I freeze the pest?

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        May 20, 2018 at 5:44 pm

        Absolutely!

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Alissa! I'm a former attorney turned professional food blogger. I love creating vegan recipes with bold flavors!

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