Kale Pesto Pizza (Garlicky & Ridiculously Delicious)
This Kale Pesto Pizza offers double the kale with a garlicky kale-pecan pesto and crispy kale chips on top. It’s the best way to get your daily dose of greens!
I can never say no to pizza. Pizza bites, gluten free pizza, raw vegan pizza, pizza with fruit, grilled pizza… give it to me and I will gladly eat it! While pizza isn’t exactly known for its health benefits, this Kale Pesto Pizza packs in double the greens, so it’s practically like eating a salad, right? The combination of garlicky kale pesto, crispy kale, vegan cheese, farm-fresh tomatoes and homemade dough is a real show stopper.
Of course, you have total flexibility when it comes to this Kale Pesto Pizza. Add more kale, or less tomatoes. Amp up the garlic and scatter whole roasted garlic cloves over the top, layer on sliced portobello mushrooms for some meatiness, or swap the tomatoes for roasted red peppers. You can’t go wrong!
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.
For the kale pesto:
- Kale – You can use any variety you like.
- Pecans – Pistachios, walnuts, or pine nuts will all work, too.
- Olive oil
- Garlic cloves – These could be raw or you can use roasted garlic.
- Fine sea salt
- Ground black pepper
For the kale pizza:
- Pizza dough – Use store-bought or make your own pizza dough.
- Vegan mozzarella shreds
- Tomato – Use tomato slices or swap in halved grape tomatoes.
- Kale
- Olive oil
Optional
- Extra toppings, like crispy chickpeas, vegan Parmesan, olives, mushrooms, roasted red peppers, etc.
- Crushed red pepper to add a little heat
How to Make Kale Pizza
If you’re in need of a quick weeknight dinner, you can make the pesto on the weekend when you have more time! It will keep all week in the fridge.
For the kale pesto:
Pulse the kale and nuts. Add the kale and the nuts to a food processor or high speed blender. Pulse for about 2 minutes, or until combined, scraping down the sides as needed.
Add remaining ingredients. Add the olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Process for about 2-3 more minutes, stopping when the pesto reaches your desired texture. (You might have extra pesto after assembling the pizza. This can be frozen for later!)
For the kale pesto pizza:
Prepare. Preheat your oven to 500°F/260°C and place the prepared pizza crust on a pizza stone or baking sheet with a silicone liner or parchment paper.
Assemble. Spread the kale pesto over the dough, then top with the mozzarella cheese, tomato, and chopped kale. Drizzle olive oil over the top to help the kale crisp up in the oven.
Bake. Place the pizza in the oven and bake for 8-12 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling, the kale is crisp, and the dough is baked through. Cool slightly, season to taste, then serve.
Tips for Success
Here are some of my best hints and tips for making kale pesto pizza:
- No vegan cheese? Try making cashew cream and drizzling it over the pizza after it’s done baking.
- Customizing the pesto. You can use more nuts for a thicker pesto, or add more oil for a smoother consistency. Just don’t add too much oil, or your pizza will end up super oily!
- Watch the pizza closely. The kale chips can go from crispy to burnt quickly! Keep an eye on the pizza as it bakes.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container or wrapped in foil. Kale pizza will last for 3 to 4 days in the fridge. I do recommend reheating it in the oven rather than the microwave, which will help re-crisp the kale. A temperature of 400ºF is high enough to get the kale crispy without burning the crust.
Can This Be Frozen?
I don’t recommend freezing this pizza because it will ruin the crispy texture of the kale.
Enjoy friends! If you make this kale pesto pizza 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!
Garlicky Kale Pesto Pizza
Ingredients
Kale Pesto Pizza (Garlicky & Ridiculously Delicious)
- 2 cups kale, washed and de-stemmed
- 1/2 cup pecans , OR de-shelled pistachios or walnuts or pine nuts (if you can't find de-shelled you can do them yourself)
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves roasted garlic or regular garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Kale Pizza
- 1 pizza dough, gluten free or otherwise
- 1 1/2 – 2 cups vegan mozzarella cheese shreds
- 1 large tomato, sliced
- 1 cup of roughly chopped kale, washed and stems removed
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
Optional
- Extra toppings
- crushed red peppers
Instructions
Kale Pesto
- Add kale and nuts to a food processor or high speed blender and pulse until combined, scraping down the sides after a each pulses, for about 2 minutes.
- Add the olive oil, roasted garlic, salt and pepper next and continue to pulse until combined, for about 2-3 more minutes. Feel free to add more olive oil if you want a more runny consistency, or more nuts if you want a thicker pesto.
Kale Pizza
- Preheat oven to 500°F/260°C.
- Place the pizza on a pizza stone (preferred) or baking sheet with a silicone mat.
- On the pizza dough, spread the kale pesto over the pizza. You may have extra, which you can put on anything from sandwiches, to flatbreads to pastas.
- Top with the mozzarella cheese, the tomato slices, and then the chopped kale. They can overlap the edges of the crust if you’d like, or you can leave it bare for a solid crust edge.
- Drizzle olive oil over the top.
- Place in the oven and bake for 8-12 minutes, until cheese is bubbling, kale is crisp, and the dough is ready. Check to ensure it isn’t burning after the 8 minute mark.
- Remove, let cool slightly, and enjoy! I like to sprinkle a little salt on top sometimes too on the finished product!
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.
Such a wholesome pizza! I love that kale pesto, Jessica. What are the vegan shreds?
Thanks Angie!! Vegan mozzarella shreds, like from daiya or other vegan companies!
Made this today! I had to replace the kale with spinach (totally thought I had kale). Nonetheless, I enjoyed it!! Thanks!
I’m SO glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for your feedback O! 🙂
Made this – it was great! I used walnuts because that’s all I had, and needed more oil to make my pesto a good texture. I also used roasted tomatoes instead of fresh, because my kids like them better. I topped it with the kale and also roasted red pepper, and regular mozzarella. It was so delicious!! I’ll definitely make this again, it’s one of the few veggie filled meals my kids actually ate!
I made this pizza last night, and boy, was it delicious! I did do a few things differently to use what I had on hand. Namely, I roasted a head of garlic and mashed it up and mixed with some premade basil pesto that I had leftover. I also added some pine nuts towards the end of the cooking time to roast a little bit. I cooked the pizza on a pizza screen for about 12 minutes. I will probably take a minute or two off next time. I will definitely be making this again, and next time I will be sure to make the kale pesto!