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
This is the best thing i have ever came across on the internet!!! i have made this about 10 times in the last 2 months iv switched the recipe up each time experimenting with different spices. thank you for this i’m in love!!!!!!!!!!
Wonderful recipe. I have been looking for easy quinoa crust for a while and i think finally i got an impressive recipe.
Can u make crust ahead of time and add topping later ??
,,, I take trip to family and would like to make crust at home and add topping when I get there
i m sorry i could not understand.
what is the fan oven for 425 degrees F…. as i m in UK, and google said 220’c that is way so hot n my oven maximum 200’c fan oven.
i can put garlic powder in a mixture.
can i put the cheddar cheese, it is not gluten free, so which cheese are gluten free in uk, that i put cheese on the corner of crust and put tomato puree on the middle and put some veggie whole over, then pop to oven? i cant see any example there?
First, I am not sure what you mean that your oven will not go to 220c? I live part time in the UK and bake a great deal and my partner’s oven goes well over 220c for regular setting (not convection). That said, if it truly only goes to 200c, that should be fine to bake at that temp, just bake it a little longer.
The cheese listed in the recipe is meant to go straight into the dough mixture as a binder. If you want to make a “pizza” after baking the crust initially, then you can add additional “pizza” toppings (sauce, cheese, veggies, etc) and then bake for an additional 5 minutes (perhaps 8 min if you are using a lower heat..i.e. 200c). I believe Cathedral brand cheese should be gluten-free especially the block type of cheese that you would shred yourself.
This Baby is in the oven right now, since is Summer time here (I’m Chilean) I used fresh ingredients like fresh basil, and fresh garlic instead of garlic salt, and the mixture turned out to be a little bit more runny than expected, so I put it into a oven pan and I’m
Waiting for this bad boy to cook
Delicious! Great texture and flavor. I used garlic powder instead of garlic salt because of the reviews that said it was too salty, but I forgot to add salt itself. Obviously you need some so next time I’ll use half a teaspoon, maybe more. Also, used cheddar because that’s what I had on hand. All-in-all, excellent and will make again!
This looks so delicious! I’ve been looking for alternative pizza ideas and this looks way more satisfying than a cauliflower crust.
Love this! Just made it.omg so yummy
Can flaxseed meal be used in place of eggs? How much should you use?
Yes! I have used flaxseed meal instead of eggs in this recipe. For each egg being replaced, mix one tablespoon of flax seed with three tablespoons of water and let the mixture sit for a few minutes.
This looks amazing! I have made my quiche with a quinoa crust but this is a great idea. Pinned! Thanks for the recipe :
SOO GOOD!!!
I was skeptical at first but woooowww was I ever speechless throughout the whole process.
Watching the quinoa toast, mixing in the egg mixture and the quinoa and spreading it out over the pan…mmmm. So quick and easy to make to! I’m so happy I chose to make this. Thank you so much!!
😀
the recepie and the response sounds very exciting- is it possible to make this without using eggs? Please reply-so can make it soon.thanks for sharig the recipe anyways.
You can use flax seeds instead of the eggs! For each egg being replaced, mix one tablespoon of flax seeds with 3 tablespoons of water and let it sit for a few minutes. 🙂
i just made this and it turned out great. I used garlic powder, no salt. I also used egg whites and it turned out delicious! Thanks!
This recipe looks delicious and fun! My husband has trouble with baking powder. Could I substitute with baking soda?
I had some Quinoa in the pantry and wanted to make something for supper. I found your recipe on Pinterest and thought “I have everything on hand except the parchment paper. I’m going to give it a shot.”
It turned out really tasty – I did adjust the recipe a bit – I used pink salt + garlic powder instead of garlic salt. I applied some olive oil on the pan instead of the parchment paper.
Other than that, it turned out really well – not so much sticks, but long pieces that were great with a fork. I heated some marinara and supper was done! Very filling, healthy and a keeper, for sure. Thanks for sharing this with us!
Thanks for this. I have tried so many gf pizza dough recipes with mixed results. This was easy and good.
I made this today. I added sundried tomatoes to the dough and also used a combination of parmigiano reggiano and aged white cheddar. Very tasty.
Can you make this recipe using an egg substitute? My daughter has an egg allergy as well as Celiac. Has anyone had luck using an egg replacer? Thanks!
You can substitute flax seeds for eggs in most recipes! To replace one egg in a recipe, mix one Tablespoon of flax seeds with 3 Tablespoons with water and let it sit for a few minutes! 🙂
Totally agree with the 1 1/2 tsp of garlic salt being wayyy wayy too much made my pizza super salty..i may reduce it to 1 tsp or 1/2 tsp.
This was absolutely wonderful! Love quinoa instead of traditional GF flours. Better than the almond flour recipe I tried last month! I also think I might be toasting my regular quinoa from here on out. The flavor and texture was wonderful. Thanks for the great recipe!