I know, I totally know. Vegan pizza?! How is that even possible?!!
It’s a question I asked myself a lot when I dropped dairy from my diet earlier this year. Friday night is pizza night around here – every. Friday. Night. And darn if I was going to let a little lack of cheese get in the way of that.
Except, well, what’s pizza without hot and melty cheese? Good question.
The past several months, I’ve tried a lot of dairy-free pizzas. A few were good; way more than a few were stinkers. But this vegan pizza with corn, tomatoes, and fresh basil, my friends. This cheeseless pizza recipe is a winner. And it’s so, so super easy.
In experimenting, I found that for me, a vegan pizza really needs to have three things going for it:
- A darn good crust
- Fresh, flavorful toppings and
- A component of creamy
The first two are doable, but #3 is a little harder – without cheese or other dairy, creaminess can be hard to come by. But not with this pizza! Because, my friends, we have the sauce. And oh. The sauce.
The creamy base of this pizza – the very base that makes it so the lack of cheese doesn’t cross your mind even once – is garlicky, creamy, and corny. Corny in a good way. Not a silly way. So what’s the secret? Coconut milk! And garlic! And fresh corn right off the cob! Whip it all together and there’s your sauce. It’s seriously good stuff.
Then we top it with a few slices of onion, juicy cherry tomatoes (a tomato right off the vine, sliced thin, would be divine too), and a few extra kernels of sweet corn. Bake until golden and bubbly; inhale the garlicky scent that fills your kitchen. That last step is mandatory. Sprinkle some basil over your fresh-out-of-the-oven pie, and you’re good to go.
Who needs cheese, man?!
Summer Corn & Tomato Vegan Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 pound 16 ounces homemade or store-bought pizza dough (I'm on a Trader Joe's whole wheat kick)
- 1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from 2 medium ears of corn, divided)
- 2 medium cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil + more for brushing pan and crust
- 1/4 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 small white onion (sliced and rings separated)
- 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes or 2 medium ripe tomatoes (sliced thin)
- 1/2 cup fresh basil (torn or cut chiffonade-style)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Brush a large cookie sheet lightly with olive oil or prepare a pizza stone. Roll or pull the dough into an approximately 14-inch diameter circle. Brush entire crust with olive oil.
- Place 1 cup corn, 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, coconut milk, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and pepper in the pitcher of a blender or in a food processor fitted with the S-blade. Blend until nearly smooth but with a bit of remaining texture from the corn.
- Pour sauce on pizza dough and spread in an even layer, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Layer on the onions, then the tomatoes, and then sprinkle on the remaining corn. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the toppings are bubbly, 8-12 minutes. Remove from oven and top with basil and a couple of pinches of kosher salt, if desired. Slice and serve.
I love this recipe! I’ve been looking for creamy components to use for pizza and haven’t found one I’m completely happy with so far – but I’ve never thought to blend coconut milk and corn! That’s genius. Thank you for sharing this!
Due to massive new dietary restrictions I am desperately seeking new recipes. Corn is now out, but I am staring at this recipe trying to figure out what I could use instead since it sounds yummy… Suggestion? I already have a ton of cauliflower recipes for the crust since I have to be low carb plus gluten free. I don’t care for the fake cheese subs they have in the store so always looking for something new. Thanks!!!!!
We love homemade pizza in our house! I cannot wait to try this fresh, lightened up version soon 🙂
Vegan Summer Pizza with Sweet Corn, Tomatoes, & Basil…. OMG. I love it, it looks so delicious and amazing. I want to taste it. awwww :3
the pizza looks so colorful, and tastes as yumm, good one, thanks for sharing the recipe.
“Hi,
It’s so interesting and helpful as well! At first, I cannot imagine how pizza without cheese can be a pizza. But your recipe proves it. It’s great! It makes pizza more healthier and help a pizza lover like me can eat more without worrying about weight. Thank you so much!”
I was out with a friend and my husband made this tonight at our oldest son’s request. Delicious and easy!
This is a special pizza. I’ll try this healthy pizza for my 2 boys in the next weekend. The colors are amazing. Thanks
I’m going to make this sometime in the coming week and I cannot wait to try it! Looks so delicious! It’s already summer here where I live.
Really this pizza is pretty bland. It is significantly improved by adding balsamic vinegar and oregano or italian seasoning. I also suggest carmelizing the onions first.
Made this pizza with my 2 year old daughter. She ate about 60% of the ingredients before they even made it to the pizza, but we managed to get it in the oven in the end.
Very tasty, and a nice ‘light’ creamy feeling. Would definitely recommend drizzling a little bit of olive oil on top when it’s finished, and don’t use a super thin/crispy base or it ends up too dry and crunchy. Would definitely make this again!
I’m so glad you liked it! Sounds like the assembly was fun. I love cooking with my daughter. 🙂
Looks fresh and wonderfully tasty!
hi! i’m planning on making this for dinner tonight and have a bit of a silly question.
should i cook the fresh corn before cutting it and adding it to the pizza?
thanks!