Dairy-free flatbread/pizza options

January 28, 2016 2:38 AM

I am looking for dairy-free toppings for flatbread/pizza crust. Meat suggestions welcome.

I am cooking pizza this weekend, but will need to accommodate my sister, who doesn't eat dairy, but does eat meat. I typically prepare an olive oil brushed flatbread with sauteed fennel and onions (on top a pizza crust), but I'd like to try other options.

She loves vegetables, and would greatly appreciate a flavourful combination of veggies.

Geographical details: I reside in southern Ontario, Canada. I have access to most fruits/vegetables you'd expect of Americans.

posted by kiki_s to Food & Drink (19 answers total)

Za'atar is a mixture of stuff that flatbread may be topped with in the Middle East (as well as being used for other purposes) which is available at specialty markets where I live in the North-eastern U.S., which you could probably make a fair approximation of with standard supermarket ingredients too.
posted by XMLicious at 3:24 AM on January 28, 2016 [3 favorites]

Caramelised onions and wild boar salami.
Pancetta and rosemary
Pesto, spinach, bell peppers, pine nuts and caramelised onions
Prosciutto and rocket/arugula (added after cooking)
posted by EndsOfInvention at 3:56 AM on January 28, 2016

Mushroom duxelles are so rich and delicious and umami that they do a good job of filling the cheese role in many situations. A layer of mushroom duxelles topped with goodies of your choice (for instance, sausage crumbles applied before baking and fresh arugula applied after baking) would be delicious. Just sub in olive oil for butter when cooking the duxelles.

Another good one: sundried tomatoes in oil, roasted red peppers, caramelized onions, olives, and very thin-sliced potatoes that have been sauteed briefly before putting 'em on the pizza.
posted by ourobouros at 4:13 AM on January 28, 2016 [1 favorite]

Experiment with aubergines/eggplant. Sliced and appropriately pre-fried they can approximate the creaminess of dairy products. Just about every cuisine has a variation on aubergine so you can go nuts with the herbs and spices and it should all be good.

Seconding mushrooms. Oyster mushrooms add a nice texture and don't need to be in duxelle form - of course, pre-cook them.

Many (most?) pizzas, certainly any with Italian or Mediterranean flavours, can be improved with a handful of rocket/ arugula added on top after cooking.
posted by tavegyl at 4:41 AM on January 28, 2016 [1 favorite]

Very thinly sliced potatoes (or sweet potatoes), a little bit of rosemary, drizzle of olive oil.
posted by Fig at 4:41 AM on January 28, 2016 [2 favorites]

We make "meatsa" with leftover bolognese sauce on top.
posted by Mchelly at 4:47 AM on January 28, 2016

When I couldn't eat cheese, I really enjoyed the richness of avocado on pizza.
posted by metasarah at 5:22 AM on January 28, 2016 [1 favorite]

Pizza Muffeletta, but without the cheese. Lots of neat flavors and textures.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 5:37 AM on January 28, 2016

Pumpkin, chickpeas, tahini?
posted by hawthorne at 5:55 AM on January 28, 2016

Lahm bi Ajeen is a classic Lebanese flat-bread with ground red meat seasoned with pomegranate that is a really good combination that holds together fairly well.

FWIW, I've often found that doing cheeseless pizza as a stuffed crust pizza/thin calzone works better than trying to keep toppings from escaping from the bread without the cheese to bind them there. Hawthorne's suggestion of hummus is something that can help hold toppings on, especially if it's a thick one.
posted by Candleman at 6:05 AM on January 28, 2016 [3 favorites]

I make a lot of pizza and I'm sort of the opposite of your restrictions because I eat dairy but not meat. That said, one of my absolute favourite pizzas to make is vegan.

I'll make a pizza crust, mixing a fair bit of fresh chopped basil into the dough as I'm making it, then I spread pesto as a base and top with arugula, marinated artichoke hearts, and sundried tomatoes. It is fantastic.
posted by 256 at 6:19 AM on January 28, 2016 [3 favorites]

Hummus! Lovely and creamy without the dairy. Top with olives, chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, some cilantro, and have yourself a delicious flatbread/pizza with tons of flavor and texture.
posted by PearlRose at 6:23 AM on January 28, 2016

I love jarred and preserved veggies from the Italian market: marinated mushrooms, olives, marinated artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil, salt-packed capers, hearts of palm. Also, potted fish can be very tasty too, like sardines, anchovies and the crazy-expensive oil-packed tuna that goes for $7 (USD) a tin. It's pricey but really worth it as an occasional treat.
posted by slogger at 6:24 AM on January 28, 2016

Take a peeler to some asparagus, and put the shavings straight on the pizza before cooking.
posted by katrielalex at 6:27 AM on January 28, 2016

Romesco sauce: a sort of pesto made from almonds and roasted peppers. Delicious.
Grape sciacchiata: halved black grapes, fennel and rosemary. Oh lord, this gets snapped off the appetizer platter faster than I can haul it out of the oven.
Muhammara: walnut, pomegranate, roasted pepper dip.
Fig jam and rosemary.
Roasted sweet potato.
posted by apparently at 6:59 AM on January 28, 2016 [1 favorite]

I just had a delicious pizza that used pureed butternut squash as the sauce. It had caramelized onions, bacon, portobello mushrooms, rosemary, and sunflower seeds as the toppings.
posted by galvanized unicorn at 7:01 AM on January 28, 2016 [1 favorite]

Obviously check with your sister first, but my husband who can't have dairy can do goat cheese, so we use that as our main pizza topper.
posted by rainbowbrite at 10:52 AM on January 28, 2016 [1 favorite]

I am a fan of pineapple, onion, green pepper and pepperoni pizza. The pineapple does weird things to cheese. I bet it would be great without the cheese.
posted by Michele in California at 12:43 PM on January 28, 2016

A version of this - the base is basically caramelized onions and then it's topped with roasted veggies. Quite delish.
posted by AppleTurnover at 4:45 PM on January 28, 2016