Cauliflower Pizza Bites
These vegan Cauliflower Pizza Bites will satisfy your pizza cravings, without all the carbs and dairy! Customize them with your favourite pizza toppings for an irresistible snack!
Oh friends, you’re in for a treat today. Ever since I made my Quinoa Pizza Bites, I’ve been thinking of other ways to put the flavours of pizza into convenient bite-sized snacks. These Cauliflower Pizza Bites fit the bill PERFECTLY. They’re low-carb, so delicious that even kids will devour them, and you can keep them in the freezer for whenever you need to satisfy a pizza craving.
You’ve got to try these.
Once you add the vegan cheese, sauce, and seasonings, the flavour of the cauliflower fades into the background, so even if you’re not usually a fan, you’ll still enjoy these Cauliflower Pizza Bites.
You can add any toppings you’d like to your bites. I like to just add cheese, but a plant-based pepperoni would be delicious (just chop it up so it mixes in well!), as would olives, diced onions and green peppers, or mushrooms. Even roasted garlic would be good in this recipe!
Notes on Ingredients
Please note that this is important information on the ingredients and instructions and the FULL recipe with amounts and details can be found DOWN BELOW (scroll to it) in the recipe card.
- Cauliflower – You’ll need a medium head of cauliflower for this recipe.
- Vegan shredded cheese
- Flax egg or egg replacement – This, along with the vegan cheese, will help hold the Cauliflower Pizza Bites together.
- Sea salt
- Ground pepper
- Marinara sauce – Use store-bought or homemade marinara.
- Garlic powder
- Italian seasoning
- Crushed red pepper flakes
Does Any Vegan Cheese Melt?
Daiya cheese is known for its melting abilities and it’s one of the most widely-available vegan cheese brands, but these days, there are a number of different varieties that melt well. Generally speaking, any vegan cheese that comes in shredded form will be formulated for melting, while blocks of cheese may or may not melt smoothly.
I used vegan mozzarella for these Cauliflower Pizza Bites, but you could also use a blend of plant-based mozzarella and Parmesan.
How to Make Vegan Cauliflower Pizza Bites
If you want to get a head start on this recipe without making the whole thing, you can prep the cauliflower rice a day or two ahead of time.
Prepare. Preheat your oven to 400°F and line a 12-cup mini muffin pan with parchment paper strips.
Make the cauliflower rice. Use a food processor or grater to rice the cauliflower, following the instructions in my tutorial on how to make cauliflower rice.
Cook the cauliflower rice. Place the cauliflower rice in a large bowl. Set a paper towel over it and microwave for 5 minutes. Let it cool enough to handle, then transfer the cauliflower rice to a clean, thin kitchen towel. Wrap it up and squeeze it over a sink to get the liquid out. The cauliflower should be light and fluffy.
Make the pizza bite mixture. Place the riced cauliflower in a bowl, along with the cheese, flax egg, salt, pepper, marinara sauce, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper. Set aside the extra 2 tablespoons of cheese for topping.
Form the pizza bites. Use a tablespoon to scoop the cauliflower mixture and divide it into the prepared cups. Press the mixture into the cups to compact it; this will help it stick together!
Bake. Bake your Cauliflower Pizza Bites for 12 to 15 minutes. Top them with the remaining cheese, then broil them for about a minute more.
Cool. Let the bites cool on a wire rack for about 15 minutes, then remove them from the pan by lifting the parchment paper.
How Do You Make Cauliflower Rice Not Soggy?
The answer is to cook it properly and to squeeze out as much liquid as possible before moving onto the next step of the recipe. The soggier your cauliflower rice, the harder it will be to get your Cauliflower Pizza Bites to stick together, and the more watered-down the flavour will be.
Tips for Success
Here are my best tips on how to make perfect vegan Cauliflower Pizza Bites:
- Don’t use frozen cauliflower rice. It has a tendency to be much “wetter” than fresh cauliflower rice, so it’s harder to get it to hold together.
- Cook any veggie add-ins first. If you decide to add other veggies to this recipe, sauté them to cook them through and remove any excess moisture.
- Season to taste. Feel free to add more spices or salt to the recipe. Since it’s made with vegan egg, you can taste it and adjust as needed!
Serving Suggestions
These Cauliflower Pizza Bites are perfect as a snack or appetizer. In addition to serving them with marinara, you could pair them with vegan ranch dressing (hey, some people love pizza and ranch together!), spicy arrabbiata sauce or sprinkle them with homemade vegan Parmesan.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Cauliflower Pizza Bites will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. To reheat, simply pop them in a 350ºF oven or the microwave until heated through.
Can This Recipe Be Frozen?
You can freeze these bites and reheat them from frozen. Simply place them in an airtight container or freezer bag and store them for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat them, simply reheat in the oven or microwave until warmed through.
Enjoy friends! If you make this vegan cauliflower pizza bites recipe, please snap a photo and tag #jessicainthekitchen on Instagram! We’d also love it if you would leave a comment below, and give the recipe a rating! Thanks so much!
Vegan Cauliflower Pizza Bites
Ingredients
- 1 medium head of cauliflower, 935 grams
- ½ cup vegan shredded cheese + 2 extra tablespoons of cheese
- 1 flax egg or vegan egg substitute
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt, to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 3 tablespoons of marinara sauce
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 teaspoons italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 ° F/ 205° C. Layer a 12 mini muffin tin pan with parchment paper strips – it makes it so easy to remove.
- Remove the cauliflower leaves. Using a mandolin/grater, shred the cauliflower to make a “cauliflower” rice. Place the cauliflower rice in a large bowl with a paper towel over it and microwave it for 5 minutes.
- Remove and allow it to cool down. Put the cauliflower in a thin kitchen towel, and over a bowl or the sink, and bundle and squeeze tightly. A lot of liquid will be released! Keep squeezing until you can’t get any liquid out. The cauliflower will look thick and fluffy and almost mealy.
- In a bowl, mix the cauliflower, cheese, flax egg, salt, pepper, marinara sauce, garlic powder, italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper, except the extra 2 tablespoons of cheese. Using a tablespoon measuring, scoop the mix and put one tablespoon into each cup, then distribute the rest evenly among the cups. press them down tightly together.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes. When finished, remove from over, top the cups with the remaining 2 tablespoons cheese, then broil for about 1 minute (please watch them, they burn easily).
- After broiling, allow to cool on a wire rack for about 15 minutes and then remove from pan by lifting the parchment paper edges out.
- Serve with extra marinara sauce – enjoy!!
Notes
Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
Just found this recipe and knew I had to try it! I’m a huge cauliflower fan and this recipe was delicious! Perfect for a healthy snack 🙂
We’re so happy that you enjoyed this recipe Lauren! Thank you so much for reading and leaving such a nice comment!
Hi I loved the dish but quick question. My bites tend to fall apart once I took them out of the parchment. Would you suggest I need to add anything more into them?
We’re so happy you loved the dish Payal. It sounds like you could benefit from squeezing more liquid from your cauliflower. If not maybe adding another flax egg to help bind it if it’s larger than a normal cauliflower head.
My husband and I love them!
Definitely be sure to squeeze the liquid from the cauliflower.
Thanks so much Andrea!!
If I’m using frozen cauliflower rice is it necessary to precook it or can I just thaw, squeeze out excess moisture and then mix all the ingredients together? I think I’ve seen it both ways but wasn’t sure. Can’t wait to try it though – looks delicious!
Removing extra liquid by putting it in the microwave is a good bet too, Kathy. I hope this helps and thank you so much for reading
I saw this shared on your Instagram story last night, had a head of cauliflower sitting in the fridge, and just knew I HAD to make this. It was easy and quick and so so delicious. And best of all even the pickiest kids were tricked and ate their veggies. Next time I’ll make a double batch because we were all left wanting more. Thank you!!
Thanks so much Nielle! We’re happy that you found it easy and delicious.
Your cauliflower pizza bites sound delish! For the newbies to your site, every single recipe posted by Jessica in the Kitchen is more than good – always delicious!
Thank you for so generously sharing your creativity and expertise – a cookbook in the works?
Thanks so much Rebecca! We’re so happy that you’re happy with our recipes. We have our concept and Jessica is working on execution right now.
Hi there! I don’t have a microwave. Is there an alternative or can that step be skipped? Appreciate you sharing this recipe!
Hi Suzanne,
Yes! You can lightly sauté it in a pan to remove excess liquid, then ring it out:
Certainly! If you don’t have a microwave or prefer not to use one, you can still prepare the cauliflower rice without it. Here’s an alternative method:
1. Remove the cauliflower leaves and cut the cauliflower into florets.
2. Use a food processor to pulse the cauliflower florets until they resemble rice-like grains. You may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your food processor.
3. Transfer the cauliflower rice to a large skillet or frying pan.
4. Cook the cauliflower rice over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 5-7 minutes or until it’s tender. You don’t need to add any oil or liquid to the pan.
5. Once the cauliflower rice is cooked, proceed with the recipe as instructed, skipping the microwaving step. Place the cooked cauliflower rice in a thin kitchen towel and squeeze out the excess moisture as directed.
By using this stovetop method, you can achieve similar results to microwaving the cauliflower rice. Just be sure not to overcook it; you want it to be tender but not mushy. Once you’ve prepared the cauliflower rice, continue with the recipe as usual.