Gluten Free Pizza

This Gluten Free Pizza Recipe is the Holy Grail of gluten free cooking and baking. A deliciously chewy and crisp gluten free pizza dough which tastes like the REAL DEAL. This is a proper yeasted gluten free pizza base which is simply delicious!

Gluten Free Pizza is my absolute favourite food and I spent years developing this gluten free pizza dough recipe until it was just *perfect*.

Because if there is one thing I truly believe in this life, it’s that being on a gluten free diet or having coeliac disease does not mean missing out on good pizza.

This is a proper, yeasted gluten free pizza crust recipe. All my gluten-eating friends have said it’s BETTER than a ‘normal’ pizza. High praise indeed.

This gluten free pizza base recipe is doughy and delicious with a crunchy crust and the BEST tomato sauce topping around.

If you want a quick version, try my gluten free, yeast free pizza recipe. Or my smaller, gluten free flatbread pizzas, using a simple yoghurt and flour dough.

I’ve also got a gluten free caputo flour pizza base recipe if you want to experiment with a new type of flour. Yes, that’s right, I do love gluten free pizzas!

And once you’ve tried my ultimate gluten free pizza recipe, you can give my Gluten Free Stuffed Crust Pizza and Gluten Free Mini Pizzas next!

Ingredients

There’s a printable recipe card below. But to make this gluten free pizza dough recipe here are the ingredients you will need:

• Milk: I find using milk in the pizza dough helps create a nice, chewy crust. You can use a dairy free milk or even water to make a vegan gluten free pizza crust.
• Sugar: Don’t skip the sugar – it helps to activate the yeast which is essential for the dough to rise.
• Instant Yeast: I always use either the Allinson’s Easy Bake Yeast or the Dove’s Farm Quick Yeast. You can also use the Allinson’s Time Saver Yeast, but you may not need to prove the dough for as long.
• FREEE Gluten Free White Bread Flour: I find gluten free bread flour is the best flour to make this pizza base with, though I have also made it with a gluten free plain flour blend and it’s worked just as well. If you like, you can sub 50g of the plain flour for tapioca starch, which will give the dough a chewier texture.
• Xanthan Gum: This is essential as it helps to provide some of the stretchy texture you’d normally get from the gluten. Add this even if your flour contains it already.
• Olive Oil: Extra virgin olive oil helps create a lovely, crisp pizza crust.
• Salt

There’s also a recipe for my homemade tomato sauce in the recipe card below. Alternatively, you can use my gluten free marinara sauce as a topping.

How to make gluten free pizza

There’s a printable recipe card below with the method. But here are some step-by-step photos to show you how easy this gluten free pizza dough is to make:

To make the gluten free pizza dough:

Measure out the milk into a jug and heat in the microwave in 30 second intervals until it hits around 40’C (104F). This should feel like skin temperature if you dip your finger in.

Stir the sugar into the warm milk and until dissolved, then add the yeast and stir again.

Cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm spot for 5-10 minutes for the yeast to activate. It should form a lovely froth on top when it’s ready (see above right photo).

Meanwhile add the gluten free flour, xanthan gum and salt to a large mixing bowl and stir well to combine thoroughly.

When the yeast has formed a frothy top , pour the mixture into the flour mix.

Use a wooden spoon to beat the mixture together – it should start to become quite sticky.

Once the mixture becomes a bit claggy, add the olive oil.

Continue to mix with the wooden spoon until it forms a smooth, slightly sticky dough. At this point I usually use my hands to bring the mixture together.

Cover the bowl with a piece of oiled clingfilm and then place in a warm spot for 40-60 minutes to prove.

The dough should become puffy and double in size. You may find if it’s a very warm day the dough will prove in less time. On a cold day it may take a little longer.

To make the tomato sauce (while the dough proves):

While the dough is proving, make the tomato sauce. Add the olive oil to a frying pan and place on a low heat. Add the basil, oregano and garlic to the oil and fry for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the garlic softens.

Pour in the passata and add the tomato puree then season with salt and pepper. Mix well with a wooden spoon until combined and then simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat until ready to use.

To construct the pizzas:

Once the dough has proved, preheat the oven to 220’C / Fan 200’C / Gas Mark 8. A nice, hot oven is essential!

Lay a piece of baking paper (parchment paper) on the worktop, slightly larger than the pizza you’ll be making, and dust it with a little gluten free flour.

For a more precise pizza shape, you can draw around a dinner plate onto the paper to use as a guide – or just freestyle it!

Dust your hands so that the dough doesn’t stick to them and then gently push the pizza dough into a circle shape, around 1-2cm thick. It should be approx 11-12 inches across.

Place a pizza mesh over the top of the pizza base, then carefully lift the baking paper and flip it over, so the pizza mesh is on the bottom.

Carefully peel off the baking paper so your base is sat on the mesh, ready to top.

Spread the sauce onto the pizza base, leaving around half-an-inch around the edges. Cover with mozzarella cheese and your toppings of choice.

Optionally, you cam finish by brushing the exposed crusts with a little olive oil so they crisp up nicely.

Carefully place the pizza in the oven and cook for 10-12 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the toppings are bubbling. Remove, slice up and serve hot.

Freezing and Storing

I don’t think leftover pizza even exists in our house(!) but here are my top tips for making this pizza ahead of time and storing any leftovers:

To make the pizza dough ahead of time:

You can make the dough up to 24 hours in advance. Simply prove the dough and then keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to shape and bake it into a pizza crust.

You can also shape the proved gluten free pizza dough and part-bake it. Bake without any toppings for 5-8 minutes, the leave to cool completely.

You can then freeze this and defrost, top and bake your pizza when you need it.

To keep and reheat pizza leftovers:

Any leftover slices of gluten free pizza can be kept in the fridge. I would say all gluten free pizza is best eaten hot, so I’d advise reheating before eating.

To reheat gluten free pizza I either pop the slices in the air fryer for a few minutes until the cheese has melted, or in a dry frying pan with a lid on a low heat.

The frying pan hack was a great trick I learnt online as it stops the pizza from drying out! You can reheat pizza in the microwave but it can go very soft.

Leftover slices can also be frozen – I’d recommend thoroughly reheating them before eating.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some FAQs about this easy gluten free pizza recipe. If you can’t find the answer to your question here or in the post above, please comment and I’ll try answer!

If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. You can also share your creations in my Facebook group! And please do leave a 5* review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me and really helps support my website.