Toppings for a cheeseless pizza.

February 7, 2009 5:03 PM

What do you like to put on your cheeseless pizza?

I'm not too creative when it comes to cooking and I usually eat my pizzas with tomato sauce, tomato, pineapple, and spinach...sometimes with basil. It seems to be a really good combination. What other unique combinations are good on a pizza without cheese?

Please do not include anything with meat, dairy, butter, mushrooms, onions or peppers. I'm not really a big fan of vegan cheeses since they usually wreak havoc on my stomach. I'm pretty open-minded otherwise.

posted by MaryDellamorte to food & drink (29 comments total)

Hummus!
posted by meerkatty at 5:07 PM on February 7

Cheeseless pesto and artichoke hearts is yummy.

Have you tried sprinkling with a tiny bit of nutritional yeast and olive oil?

You might also try Vicolo cornmeal crusts; they're dairy-free and a DELICIOUS alternative to plain o' pizza dough.
posted by mynameisluka at 5:07 PM on February 7

peanut sauce*
sauteed cabbage, carrots
bean sprouts
few crushed peanuts


*(2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1-2 cloves garlic, minced or chopped; 1/4 cup water, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, juice from half a lemon-can be less, depending on your tastes. In a non-stick pan, combine all ingredients, stirring constatntly over medium heat until peanut butter has melted.)
posted by agentwills at 5:15 PM on February 7 [1 favorite has favorites]

second olive oil and/or nutritional yeast or pesto (vegan pesto made w/nutritional yeast). This sounds weird but kale cooked until translucent with a little bit of no-chicken stock, on a pizza brushed with olive oil and chopped roasted garlic (I don't do tomato sauce) and with tomatoes (kinda a soggy pizza -- the crust should be baked enough retain its crunch).
posted by theefixedstars at 5:18 PM on February 7

* Olive oil that has garlic and chopped herbs that are in season then smeared on the crust and finished with larger crystal sized salt, like kosher, to provide a little "bite";

** again olive oil flavored to preference and thinly sliced new or fingerling potato that has been sauteed with herbs or spices of choice. Cooks quickly and warmed completely by pizza cooking process
posted by jadepearl at 5:21 PM on February 7

Do a curry-inspired pizza. Purchase or make a vegan curry sauce as your base, then pile up with veggies of your choice (zucchini, eggplant, broccoli... whatever you might like). Pineapple also works nicely with the curry flavour.
posted by nyxie at 5:34 PM on February 7 [1 favorite has favorites]

Small pieces of broccoli or broccolini

Olives - usually prefer black (cerignola), but green is good too.

Artichoke hearts - you can find these in little jars; they're kind of expensive, but a jar will do at least two or three pizzas.

Fresh or dried oregano. I really like sprinkling dried oregano (maybe some basil too) on the pizza.

Sun-dried tomato pieces. Especially good with other, moister ingredients accompanying (e.g. the broccoli).
posted by amtho at 5:35 PM on February 7

Tomato paste, squashed roast pumpkin, baby spinach leaves, pine nuts and sun-dried tomatoes. And lots of olive oil and rock salt on top.
posted by embrangled at 5:35 PM on February 7

Pesto + tomatoes (you can make pesto with no cheese: basil + oil + water + garlic + pine nuts or walnuts)
posted by pseudostrabismus at 5:36 PM on February 7

Tomato sauce with slices of roasted eggplant, sliced and blanched zucchini and yellow squash, and slices of tomato.

Rosemary, black or kalamata olives, and diced tomatoes with diced garlic (if you like that) on a crust brushed with olive oil.

Potato pizza! (just skip the onions in the recipe). I bet it would be great with some roasted broccolini on top, or broccoli. Or roast the potatoes with some spices first before you put them on the pizza and make roasted potato pizza.

Tomato sauce and a lot of spinach. You can add slices of tomato too.
posted by k8lin at 5:40 PM on February 7 [2 favorites has favorites]

I haven't thought about this in years, but there used to be a deep-dish place called Bel Canto in MA that had an amazing broccoli and walnut pizza. Of course, it had cheese, but I bet the combo would be good without.

Also, you specified no onions, but if that's for digestive reasons, have you considered really, really caramelized onions? I'm thinking specifically of a cheeseless frozen pizza Amy's makes--the onions are so caramelized into something more resembling a sauce, and I don't find it "oniony" at all.
posted by staggernation at 5:55 PM on February 7

Definitely potatoes! I've also heard of people making artichoke pesto, which might also be delicious (the first part in the link it the artichoke pesto and it looks like it's vegan). If you can find broccolini where you live, definitely choose that instead of regular broccoli. You could even probably use kale (especially with the potatoes) as long as it you cook it down a little in advance and add a bit of olive oil so the leafy parts don't get burnt in the baking process.
posted by belau at 5:57 PM on February 7

One more idea: roasted red peppers. You can even puree with some olive oil to make a sauce base.
posted by belau at 6:02 PM on February 7

it sounds gross, but the best thing on a white pie is bacon and peanut butter. a restaurant in town makes one just like this and it's called Skippy's Dare. best. thing. ever.
posted by potatopeople at 6:22 PM on February 7

oops, just noticed the meatless requirement. in that case, fake bacon!
posted by potatopeople at 6:23 PM on February 7

Refried beans and avocado.
posted by narrativium at 6:39 PM on February 7

Tossed salad.

Cook the pizza dough with some sauce on it. When you take it out, load it up with a classic house salad - lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, cucumbers, and an oil & vinegar salad dressing.

It's the bee's knees.
posted by paperzach at 6:39 PM on February 7

I had a fantastic pizza in Vancouver once that had carmelized onions, leeks, and sliced pears on top.
posted by np312 at 6:54 PM on February 7

Okra, tempeh bacon and tomatoes. Yum!
posted by hecho de la basura at 7:15 PM on February 7

I love "beanza"-pizza topped with a well-drained fabulous, flavorful marinated bean salad-like a three bean salad-top when the dough is raw then bake as normal. It's flavorful, lots of interesting textures, and good for you. And for those of you who do eat dairy-it's insanely good with grated sharp cheddar on it. i need to make some tomorrow, I think.
posted by purenitrous at 7:18 PM on February 7

Taco pizza, minus cheese!

Refried bean base
Salsa or tomatoes or both
shredded lettuce
olives
posted by peep at 7:38 PM on February 7

Here are some ideas (some cheeseless, some not, but mario battali knows what he's doing!)
posted by lalochezia at 8:04 PM on February 7

Pesto+roasted aubergine+roasted garlic. Holy mother of god.

Banana+capers+artichoke hearts. Strange, but true.
posted by hot soup girl at 11:39 PM on February 7

My current favorite is pineapple, olives, and jalapenos. Sugar, salt, spice.

My second fav is artichoke hearts, basil, and sundried tomatoes.

/ works at a pizza shop.
posted by salvia at 12:02 AM on February 8

My second fav is artichoke hearts, basil, and sundried tomatoes.

Was going to say this was a friends favorite pizza that made me go 'ehhhhh".
posted by zengargoyle at 7:22 AM on February 8

2nd-ing the CARAMELIZED onions thing; I generally pass on onions, too. But caramelizing them is a whole new thing. Actually, I came in to recommend them, after having fallen in love with this off-the-shelf cheese-less frozen pizza which features them, only to be momentarily stymied by the OP's skip list, but decided to press on anyway; ya'll really must try it! We add various sliced vegies, some cheeses and meats to vary the basic yumminess…

I don't like most mushrooms much either, fwiw, but not a problem here…
posted by dpcoffin at 10:10 AM on February 8

Another thought is to add some sliced, raw, cold veggies to whatever pizza you're enjoying, just before serving. Cucumber slices are a favorite here; lotsa other possibilities…
posted by dpcoffin at 10:15 AM on February 8

Oops! Guess I'm 2nd-ing staggernation, too; well, it's worth it; good stuff! Maybe for other readers, of not the OP.
posted by dpcoffin at 10:20 AM on February 8

HOT SAUCE! (frank's red hot is my fave)
posted by brevator at 2:13 PM on February 8