2 Simple Tips for Making the Ultimate Vegan Pizza

Guys, it’s finally happened. I’ve finally figured out how to make amazing vegan pizza at home. And I am thrilled about it! Now, even being vegan, I’m just like any normal chick, I love a good slice of [vegan] pizza. What I don’t like at all is dairy, because it’s bad for our health, sad for animals and the dairy industry, where it comes from, is bad for the environment too. But lucky me, in NYC there are some fabulous restaurants, like 00+Co and Pala, that serve delicious vegan pizza. So up until recently I was able to get down on some amazing vegan pizza while out to eat at restaurants, but I still hadn’t mastered making vegan pizzas at home. I was able to make ok pizzas but nothing worth writing home about. One of the main reasons for subpar homemade vegan pizzas was, obviously, the vegan cheese options that existed. There were vegan cheeses that were fine but pretty processed and commercial tasting (think like a vegan version of Kraft shredded cheeses). But what I was looking for in my pizzas was real artisan vegan cheese that would taste fabulous and melt just like real cheese. So, since I couldn’t find that at my grocery store, I kind of gave up on making homemade vegan pizzas.

But last week that all changed and now I’m a vegan pizza making machine! Both my parents have birthdays around this time of the year (just nine days apart!) so my sister and I planned a private cooking class to celebrate their birthdays. We chose to do the cooking class at the Whole Foods in Minneapolis and oh my god not only was the food amazing, but the experience was something we will never forget. We had such a fantastic time as a family. Just some good ol’ wholesome, clean fun. And because Whole Foods wants to offer cooking classes to the community at affordable prices, our private cooking class, where we got to completely customize the menu, cost only $30/person! Chef Ani was our instructor and we can’t say enough good things about her. She taught us to make four fabulous dishes, with the pizzas as our entrée. And from what I learned in the class I’m sharing with you two simple tips for making the ultimate vegan pizza at home! Here they are:

1. Make your own pizza sauce from scratch. // This makes such a difference! It will take your pizza from ‘eh’ to so great. There’s just something to be said for sauce that’s made with fresh veggies on the day you’re planning on serving it. I’m sharing a simple recipe for homemade pizza sauce below. We also used celery in ours which I never would have thought to do before but it’s an excellent addition.
2. Use Miyoko’s Creamery Fresh VeganMozz. // This is the holy grail when it comes to vegan pizza making! Miyoko’s has perfected a nut-based cheese that tastes amazing, is totally vegan and melts just like normal mozzarella. This cheese is made from cashews and has a delicious creamy taste. It will up your vegan pizza game so much. From what I’ve heard Miyoko’s started on the West Coast and has been trickling across the US. It’s now in the Whole Foods in Minneapolis and in New York City, so keep an eye out for it at your health conscious grocery stores.

With those two tips just use your favorite crust recipe (most pizza crusts are naturally vegan) and choose your favorite toppings and voila, you’ve got the best damn homemade vegan pizza.

Homemade Pizza Sauce

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped (or a touch of garlic powder)
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 8 ounces tomato sauce
• 5 ounces tomato paste

Directions: Heat oil in pot. Add onion and celery. Sauté until soft, about five minutes. Add garlic and Italian herbs and sauté for another minute until fragrant. Add tomato sauce and tomato paste and cook on low heat for another 5 to 6 minutes. If desired, blend until smooth. (I like a lot of red sauce on my pizzas so this yields enough for about 2 to 3 personal size pizzas.)

This pizza sauce recipe comes from Chef Ani at Whole Foods and as I said she is fabulous so if you’re in the Twin Cities check out one of her classes for more of her awesome recipes!

xo,

Tedi

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