Vegan White Sauce Pizza
Why save the vegan white sauce for pasta when you can make a vegan white pizza? This delicious pizza puts a twist on the traditional tomato sauce and cheese pizza and uses a creamy cashew-based alfredo-style sauce in its place. It takes only 35 minutes to make, making it the perfect answer to a quick weeknight meal or a fun weekend pizza night.
One of the biggest misconceptions about pizza is that they need cheese to taste good. That could not be further from the truth! White pizza is just one example of how cheese is just a topping, not a necessity. For more delicious vegan pizza recipes that do not require cheese, try our veggie-loaded cheeseless pizza, pesto pizza, vegan pepperoni pizza, and Mediterranean hummus pizza.
What to expect?
In this vegan white pizza recipe, we replace the traditional tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese with a creamy yet light alfredo sauce-inspired sauce similar to a vegan bechamel sauce.
Our cashew-based sauce has a unique nutty flavor that pairs great with green vegetables and mushrooms. It requires no cooking and takes less than 15 minutes to make.
Once the cashew nuts are blended with the dairy-free milk, nutritional yeast, flour, and spices into a smooth and creamy consistency, it is then spread on top of our tender and crunchy Neapolitan vegan pizza crust.
We then top it with crunchy zucchini, asparagus, and broccoli before baking it to perfection. The best part is that it is versatile and easy to customize with different toppings and substitutes. The whole family will love it!
Ingredients
For this vegan white sauce for pizza, you will need a few base ingredients for the sauce and fresh green vegetables for toppings. See the Variations and Serving Ideas sections for more topping ideas, substitutes, and ways to dress up your pizza.
Vegan White Sauce
- Cashew nuts – Cashews are the star of the recipe and give the sauce its flavor and creaminess.
- Dairy-free milk – We recommend using unsweetened nut milk (such as almond milk), oat milk, or soy milk to eliminate the sweetness. You can also use our homemade cashew milk recipe.
- Nutritional yeast – Since this is a vegan recipe, the nutritional yeast serves as a cheese replacement. You can also use vegan mozzarella cheese.
- All-purpose flour – or rice flour if you want it to be gluten-free.
- Nutmeg
- Salt and white pepper – Avoid using black pepper, as it will change the color of the white sauce.
Vegan White Pizza
- Pizza dough – You can use store-bought dough, but nothing beats homemade. Try our easy Neapolitan pizza dough recipe or our best-ever gluten-free pizza crust.
- White sauce
- Zucchini
- Asparagus
- Broccoli
- Salt, black pepper, and garlic powder
- Semolina flour – You will use this for dusting the dough.
? You can find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Instructions
Making the vegan white pizza sauce
- Add water to a kettle and bring to a rolling boil. Then, soak the cashew nuts in piping hot water for 5-10 minutes. You can also soak the nuts overnight if you are not short on time.
- Add the soaked cashews, dairy-free milk, all-purpose flour, nutritional yeast, nutmeg, salt, and pepper to a blender.
- Blend until smooth.
Preparing the toppings
- Wash and slice the zucchini. Wash and cut the asparagus into 3-inch long sticks. Wash broccoli and cut them into florets. Then cut all florets in half. It is easier to place them on the pizza if one side is flat.
- Season the zucchini and asparagus as desired, then pan-fry it. We usually opt for a dash of salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
- Blanche the broccoli. It means boiling water in a stockpot and dropping the florets in it for 5 minutes. Then set them aside.
Making vegan white pizza
- If you use our homemade pizza dough recipe, make the dough and proof it according to the instructions there. Then continue from here.
- Place the dough on a flat, lightly floured surface and lightly dust it with semolina or cornmeal. Sprinkle the top with flour, if needed (or turn the dough upside-down).
- Use your fingertips to gently depress the dough ball while stretching and pulling to create a 10-inch circle (approximate). If you prefer a bubbly outer crust, do not depress the edges.
- Preheat the oven to 390 Fahrenheit (ca. 200 °C).
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper and transfer the pizza crust dough to the tray by hand. Gently arrange it back to a circle shape.
- Spread the white sauce across the dough evenly. Spread the zucchini, asparagus, and broccoli on top of the white sauce.
- Place it on the oven rack and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the outer crust turns golden brown—perfect airy, fluffy crust.
Cooking tips
- Use a pizza stone! – We recommend using a pizza stone in the highest position of the oven since you will have the best pizza if you can manage to bake it on the highest heat possible. The pizza stone is already hot when you place the pizza dough on top resulting in a perfect crispy bottom crust. Read our pizza dough recipe for more details on how to bake a pizza with a pizza stone.
- Use a high-speed blender such as a Vitamix for the best results and creamy, non-grainy sauce.
- If you prefer not to have a bubbly outer crust, poke small holes in the crust with a fork before putting it in the oven.
- Once baked, move it to a wire rack or wooden board to cool down while preserving the crust’s crispiness.
Variations
White sauce pizza is just as versatile as your traditional tomato sauce pizza. You can customize and kick up the flavor of your pizza by trying one of these several variations:
- With protein: Add vegan sausage, meatballs, or chicken to the top for protein and umami flavor. You can also top it with white beans or vegan bacon bits.
- With different veggies: Try it with other fresh and flavorful veggies such as sliced tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach leaves, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, caramelized onions, corn kernels, green peppers, black olives, or butternut squash.
- Fresh herbs and spices: Sprinkle on fresh basil, oregano, or thyme. You can also use dried herbs.
- With heat: Sprinkle on black pepper, cayenne, red pepper flakes, or sliced jalapenos to spice things up.
Serving ideas
- Before serving, sprinkle the pizza with lemon juice or freshly grated lemon zest just before serving for a zesty kick of flavor! Or, drizzle it with extra virgin olive oil or balsamic vinegar.
- Brush the crust with melted garlic butter while it is hot.
- Serve it alongside a leafy green side salad or light soup, such as our lemony white bean soup or cold cucumber soup.
Equipment
- Iron pizza stone – A pizza stone will give your pizza a crispy, crunchy bottom.
- Pizza oven – If you do not have a pizza oven, you can use a regular oven as we do in this recipe. While Ooni pizza ovens are quite popular, we have a cheaper brand. And it gives us delicious pizzas effortlessly.
- Baker’s peel – Using a pizza peel makes transporting the pizza to the pizza stone easier.
- Blender – We recommend a high-powered blender such as a Vitamix. You can also use an immersion or regular blender, but the sauce may turn out a bit more grainy.
Storing tips
White pizza is best when you enjoy it fresh and hot out of the oven. However, in the case that you have leftovers, it is easy to store and enjoy them at a later time. For food safety, you should not attempt to keep any pizza that has been left out at room temperature for more than two hours.
In the refrigerator – Wrap leftovers in tin foil or store in an airtight container and place in the fridge for up to three days.
In the freezer – White pizza does not freeze well, as the crust will become soggy from the sauce and moisture from the toppings.
Reheating cold pizza – For the best quality, reheat cold pizza in a regular oven or toaster oven to maintain a crispy crust. Avoid reheating it in the microwave, as the crust becomes soggy.
FAQs
We do not recommend replacing the cashew nuts with other nuts for this recipe. Not only are they essential for providing the creamy texture needed for the sauce, but no other nuts or seeds can give the same texture. Cashew nuts also have a milder nutty flavor than other nuts do.
You can make the vegan white pizza sauce in advance and store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to three days. You can also freeze the sauce for up to six months. Thaw the sauce in the fridge before adding it to the pizza.
More vegan pizza recipes
Check out these delicious vegan pizza recipes:
Vegan White Sauce Pizza
Equipment
Ingredients
Vegan White Pizza Sauce
- ½ cup Cashew nuts
- ½ cup Dairy-free milk
- 1 Tbsp Nutritional yeast
- 1 Tbsp All-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp Nutmeg
- ½ tsp Salt
- ⅛ tsp White pepper
Vegan White Pizza
- 2 Pizza dough homemade classic or gluten-free
- 1 Zucchini
- 5 oz Asparagus
- 5 oz Broccoli
- Semolina flour for dusting
Instructions
Making the vegan white pizza sauce
- Soak cashew nuts in piping hot water for 5-10 minutes. You can do overnight soaking, but if you are in a hurry, boil water in a kettle and soak the cashew nuts for only 5-10 minutes.
- Add soaked cashews, dairy-free milk, all-purpose flour, nutritional yeast, nutmeg, salt, and white pepper to a high-power blender, and blend them until smooth.
Preparing the toppings
- Wash and slice zucchini thinly (with a mandolin if you have). Wash and cut asparagus into 3-inch long sticks. Wash broccoli and cut into florets. Then cut the florets in half since. It will be easier to place them on the pizza if they have one smooth side.
- Pan-fry zucchini and asparagus with your chosen seasonings. We usually only use a dash of salt and pepper, and a bit of garlic powder.
- Blanche broccoli. Boil water in a stockpot and cook broccoli for 5 minutes. Set aside.
Making vegan white pizza
- If you use our homemade pizza dough recipe, make the dough and proof it according to the instructions there. Then continue from here.
- Transfer one ball of dough to a flat surface dusted with semolina or cornmeal. Sprinkle the top with flour if needed (or simply just turn the dough upside-down). Use your fingertips to gently depress the round, stretching and pulling the dough gently into a circle. For a bubbly outer crust, don't depress the outer circumference.
- Preheat the oven to 390 Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius).
- Add parchment paper to a baking tray, and transfer the pizza crust with your hand to the tray. Gently arrange the crust back to a circle shape.
- Spread white sauce evenly on the crust. Top it with zucchini, asparagus, and broccoli.
- Bake it for 10-15 minutes or until the outer crust gets some color.
