Quinoa Crust for Pizza or Cheesy Garlic Bread – a gluten free crust made with using quinoa flavored with Italian herbs and parmesan cheese.
Common foods like pizza and garlic bread are not allowed in a gluten free diet due to the wheat in the dough. So, I came up with a gluten free quinoa crust that could be used for pizza or cheesy garlic ‘bread’.
To make this quinoa crust, start by rinsing the uncooked quinoa in a fine mesh strainer. This will wash away some of the powdery residue that often tastes a little bitter. Then, let the quinoa simmer in a little olive oil in a stock pot to develop a toasty flavor. Once toasted, add water to the pot, cover, and simmer until cooked.
Once the quinoa is cooked, remove the lid and continue to cook it over low heat for another five minutes. This will evaporate any excess moisture, preventing a soggy crust.
Transfer the quinoa to a large bowl and let it cool for 10 minutes.
In a separate bowl, whisk together some eggs, olive oil, garlic salt, dried oregano, dried basil, and baking powder. The baking powder will start to react as soon as it is added to this mixture. So, don’t mix these ingredients until you are prepared to make the dough.
Once the quinoa has cooled, stir in some shredded Italian-blend cheese. Then, add the egg mixture and stir to combine.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray it with cooking spray. Pour the dough onto the parchment.
Use your hands to spread the dough into an even, ¼ inch layer. You could form it into a circle if you want to make pizza. I made garlic bread. So, I spread the dough into a 10 x 7 inch rectangle.
Put the dough into a preheated 425 degree oven for 18-20 minutes. The edges should turn golden brown.  Add whatever toppings you like. Then, return it to the oven for 5 minutes.
To make cheesy garlic bread, I added ½ cup shredded Italian-blend cheese to the crust. Then, served it with pizza sauce for dipping.
You could also top the crust with pizza sauce, shredded cheese, and your favorite pizza toppings.
Let your pizza, or garlic bread, cool for at least five minutes before slicing.
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Quinoa Crust for Pizza or Cheesy Garlic 'Bread' Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup quinoa
- 3 tsp. olive oil divided
- 1 cup water
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ tsp. garlic salt
- ½ tsp. dried oregano leaves
- ½ tsp. dried basil leaves
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ cup shredded Italian-blend cheese pizza-blend or mozzarella would be good too
- Optional - For cheesy garlic bread: ½ cup shredded Italian-blend cheese and pizza sauce for dipping
- Optional - For pizza: ⅓ cup pizza sauce ½ cup shredded Italian-blend cheese, and your favorite pizza toppings
Instructions
- Place the uncooked quinoa into a fine mesh strainer and run under cool water for about a minute until water runs clear. Shake off as much excess liquid as possible. Add the rinsed quinoa and 2 tsp. olive oil to a medium sauce pot. Turn the heat to medium high and stir occasionally for 6-7 minutes. The excess moisture will evaporate and the quinoa will begin to toast.
- Carefully add the water to the toasted quinoa and cover. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Let the quinoa cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid and turn the heat to low. Cook 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally (evaporating excess moisture). Transfer the cooked quinoa to a large bowl and let it cool for at least 10 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, add the eggs, 1 tsp. olive oil, garlic salt, oregano, basil, and baking powder. Whisk until well combined.
- Add the cheese to the quinoa. Stir to combine. Add the egg mixture to the quinoa. Stir until well combined.
- Spread the quinoa dough into a ¼ inch, even layer on the parchment paper. I made cheesy bread sticks so I made a 10 x 7 inch rectangle. Bake for 18-20 minutes, edges should begin to brown.
- Top with the pizza, or garlic bread, toppings and return to the oven for 5 minutes.
- Let the pizza, or garlic bread, cool for 5 minutes before slicing.
Nutrition
I just made this Crust and made it into a Pizza. It was a full size 12″ Pizza and it held together very well. It was also easy to spread with a spoon (no sticky mess on fingers). I enjoyed it very well and I will use this recipe for a Gluten Free crust from now on! YUM!
Yes, I was wondering about the eggs also. I am a vegan. Could I use flax instead of the eggs?
This is so awesome I am gonna try this. Just curious any alternate for eggs because it is a no no for my kids
This looks delish! Pinning it and sharing it with my GF clients. Thanks for sharing!
I made this tonight and it is amazing! I made the pizza version and it is so
delicious!!! My daughter who is super picky loved it! I will definitely be making this again and again!!!!
Wondering if you can make the crust ahead of time and refrigerate for a couple hours prior to baking?
I was wondering get the same but thinking about freezing them after the firstbake and topping them and doing final bake another day.
This looks delicious! And each serving is only 4 Weight Watchers points!
I had to go gluten free about 2 or 3 months ago because of severe intolerance or sensitivity. I have not confirmed that I am celiac but it is bad enough that even cross contamination has become a bit of an issue. With that said, I am relatively new to the gluten free diet. My boyfriend wanted to see if we could make a homemade pizza (he made me margaritas while I cooked, which admittedly was welcomed) so I tried my hand at a pizza with this quinoa crust for dinner tonight. I never had parchment paper on hand so the crust seemed to stick to the baking sheet more than I had hoped but other than that it turned out perfectly and was absolutely delicious. I will definitely be trying this again soon!!
Thanks for the great recipe. Special thanks for including the nutrition info! As a type 1 diabetic (and RDN myself) I need the nutrition info when bolusing. True, I can calculate myself, but it’s so much easier when it’s provided.
I made the garlic bread for my daughter-in-law law who is gluten intolerant. I had suggested that she use quinoa but she said she didn’t like the texture. I served this at a family dinner and she loved it and asked for the recipe. She was surprised that quinoa could taste so good. Thank you so much.
I love the sound of this! Especially as it is a great way to use up leftover quinoa!
Thanks Kathy! Hope you like it!
I’m pretty stoked to try this over the weekend!
Thanks Liz! Hope you like it!
I’m trying this recipe tonight with my boyfriend. I’m super excited I haven’t had pizza since before I was diagnosed with Celiac’s in June of this year. 🙂
Stephanie,
I’m so glad you get to try pizza again! Hope you like it!
I made this today with left over quinoa. It was SO GOOD. I ate one “bread” without anything on it after the first bake and fell in love. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I can see adding some shredded sprouts, etc. <3
Thanks SuzyQ! I’m so glad you liked it!
Love all the helpful HOW-TO photos!
Thanks Serena!
This looks amazing! I am going to try tomorrow – if I can get my ducks in a row- my son has a dairy, as well as gluten…and many more allergies. I am going to split the recipe in 2 and try half with the dayia cheese. I hope it turns out! We love pizza over here. I love how this is healthy!!!
Thank you!
Thanks Annie! I hope the dayia cheese works for you. I would love to hear how it turns out.
Hello! I was wondering if the crust will turn out well without the cheese incorporated? (or is it needed to help bind the other ingredients together) Thanks!
Kelly,
The cheese in the crust was intended to be both a binder and a flavor enhancer.
I haven’t tried this recipe without the cheese. But, I do think that the recipe would still work without it.
If you try it, let me know how it turns out. Thanks!
I accidentally left the cheese out just now so I will let you know
it is so nice to read a blog written by an educated woman.
Thanks Christina!
I made this the other night with my boyfriend. You don’t even know how excited he was when I told him I found this recipe. It turned out amazing! We thought it was better than regular pizza! Needless to say we’ll be making it again very soon. Thank you.
Deanna,
I’m so happy that you and your boyfriend like the quinoa crust! I haven’t got much feedback on this recipe yet. So, I’m thrilled to hear that people are enjoying it.
Thanks!
I saw this on instagram, and I basically stopped everything I was doing. It’s so nice to connect with a registered dietitian! You’re so right. So many people think gluten-free is synonymous with healthy, but that simply isn’t true. This quinoa crust sounds amazing! I’m def going to give this recipe a try! Thank you for sharing ;). Pinning!
Thanks for the love Min! I hope you like it!
I just made this. It is yummy but I will use half the garlic salt. 1 and 1/2 tsp was way too much!! Is that amount correct or was it a typo?
Agreed! Eccessive. Must be a typo.
Is this recipe with 1/2 cup cooked or uncooked?
I have pre-cooked quinoa and I don’t know how much to use?
I’m in the same boat. Wonder how to calculate it out