You'll love this dairy-free version of a classic! This vegan margherita pizza is made with crusty homemade dough, zippy sauce, and cashew-based mozzarella cheese.
- 1 (14 ounce or 400 ml) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon organic granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons cornmeal, divided
- ½ batch whole wheat pizza dough (or your favorite pizza dough - you'll need about 1 pound or 0.45 kg)
- 1 batch vegan mozzarella cheese, sliced
- ½ cup sliced fresh basil leaves
- Vegan Parmesan cheese, optional
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Early in the day or a day ahead: prepare the cashew mozzarella and pizza dough according to their respective recipes.
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Preheat the oven to 450°F.
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Stir the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.
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Lightly coat the top of a large baking sheet with a tablespoon of olive oil, then evenly sprinkle it with a tablespoon of cornstarch.
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Roll the pizza dough into a large circle, about 14-inches in diameter.
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Carefully transfer the dough to the baking sheet.
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Ladle the sauce evenly over the dough, leaving about an ½ to 1 inch border all the edges.
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Arrange the mozzarella slices over the sauce.
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Brush the outer edge of the crust with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, then sprinkle it with the remaining cornmeal.
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Place the baking sheet into the oven and bake the pizza until the crust is fluffy and browned around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes.
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Sprinkle the pizza with fresh basil and optionally with vegan Parmesan cheese.
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Slice and serve the pizza.