This Pizza Dough Recipe is my absolute favorite and makes the best homemade pizza! It’s vegan, makes a thick and chewy crust with perfect edges and makes 2 pizza doughs. It only takes 1 hour to rise, can be made in advance, and can be easily frozen!

Risen dough in a bowl.

I can’t believe I’ve never shared this pizza dough recipe with you guys! Because of everything going on, I decided I wanted to get back to basics and start sharing some classics that I’ve been making forever, that I’ve never shared. That was the case with my vegan chocolate cake recipe, and now this pizza dough.
 
Flour, oil yeast and other pizza dough ingredients in a bowl with a spatula.
 
I’ve been making homemade pizza for about 5 years now with this crust. I think the first time I did, I made a crispy vegan eggplant pizza with this pizza crust. Neither of us were vegan at the time, and after one bite Gav said “if you sell that, you’d be rich”. 
 
While I hope to unearth that genius again soon and re-share that recipe, for now here’s the incredible crust that was behind it. This is my absolute favourite pizza crust because it’s super easy to make, has a perfect thick and chewy crust, and is crispy/crunchy in all the right places. It’s made up of only a few ingredients, which are pantry staples. 
 
A shaggy dough in a bowl.
 
You only have to let this pizza dough rise for one hour. Truthfully, for years of making this, I let it rise for 15 minutes. I know, insane right? If you’re in a pinch, that’ll work. But the crust after an hour is insanely delicious. Even better if you have two or three hours. I tend to let it rise, and preheat my oven about midway if I’m using the crust immediately.
 
Getting to 500°F takes a while, and for pizza, you want to have your oven preheated a nice long time to get that perfect crust. I’ll have a separate pizza recipe, so stay tuned for that on Wednesday! I’ll also share a tip on getting a beautiful crust from your home oven using what I like to call the steam method. 
 
Pizza dough in a bowl rising birds eye view.

The Steam Method – Producing the best texture

The steam method isn’t necessary. But, it’s brilliant. Basically, you’re increasing the temperature in your home oven similar to the Dutch oven bread method that I use to make my no knead bread. With the steam method, you place any pan like a loaf pan, with hot water in your oven after it’s at 500°F.
 
Let it sit for about 10-15 minutes on the rack below where you’re going to place your pizza. During that time, you can roll out your dough, lay on your toppings, snap a photo for Instagram and add that little extra bit of cheese you were wondering if you should add (always add more cheese). Then carefully, place your pizza in. There will be a lot of steam. Cook your pizza and remove. You’ll get the most beautiful bubbly crust. Bonus points if you add cornmeal or semolina flour on the bottom. That’s my favourite way to get my ideal crust. The regular way works incredibly too, so either way, everyone will love it. 
 
Dough in a bowl that has been risen at a side angle.

Expert Tips & FAQs

  • Ensure your yeast is fresh! I always run a quick test before, so I don’t end up wasting hours and ingredients.
  • Set a timer to knead your dough. Consider it your arm workout of the day, because it will improve the texture of your crust. You want it to look smooth and pretty like in the photos. At the same time, you don’t want to over-knead it. Just turn on your tv and the time will fly by.
  • Don’t be afraid to add more flour. The amount I list should work perfectly, but when it comes to yeast and baking, the temperature can sometimes make a significant difference. I live in a hot climate, but if yours is more humid than mine or less humid, you may need a little bit more of less flour. Go by feel. You want your dough to feel supple and easy to use. It shouldn’t feel wet or bone dry.

Rolled out pizza dough into a crust shape.

Related Recipes

Photo of finished vegan pizza.

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Risen dough in a bowl.

Pizza Dough Recipe (Vegan)

Servings: 16 slices (makes two pizzas)
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Resting Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
This Pizza Dough Recipe is my absolute favorite and makes the best homemade pizza! It's vegan, makes a thick and chewy crust with perfect edges and makes 2 pizza doughs. It only takes 1 hour to rise, can be made in advance, and can be easily frozen!
5 (from 19 ratings)
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Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast, (about 1 packet)
  • 1 cup warm water (between 100°F to 120°F) (not hot - warm to touch) 
  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour + extra ⅓ cup while kneading
  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar, maple syrup or agave
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder, (omit if for sweet pizza)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions 

  • In a bowl, the flour, sugar, yeast, garlic powder and salt. Whisk the ingredients together. 
  • Create a well in the centre of the flour. Slowly add the warm water and olive oil to the dry ingredients, and then mix together with a spatula until just incorporated. The dough should look shaggy. 
  • Flour a clean surface, and then pour/add the dough onto the surface. Flour your hands and fold the dough together. Knead the dough for about 8-10 minutes with your hands and knuckles. The dough will be sticky at first, but you add up to 1/3 cup flour while flouring and kneading to make it easier to manage. I usually add that entire extra ⅓ cup amount. You want the end dough ball to be smooth, with slight dimples. 
  • Lightly grease the ball of dough with some oil and place back into the bowl in a ball. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let it sit for at least 1 hour on the counter in a warm area. If your kitchen is too cold, you can place it in your OFF oven with the pilot light on which will provide enough residual heat for it to rise. The dough should rise and double in size. You can allow your dough to rise up to three hours or up to overnight in the fridge.
  • Punch down the dough and fold over. Divide the dough into two balls, they make two 10inch pizzas. You can make both or wrap one and place it in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze it. 
  • On your floured surface, shape your pizza dough into a circular shape.  I use a well floured rolling pin and roll it out in all directions to form a circle. It should measure about 10 inches diameter. Create a crust by lifting the edges to create a sort of heightened rim. 
  • Use it in your favourite pizza recipe, and enjoy!

Notes

Freezing and Thawing

Remember that this makes two pizzas, so if you want, you can wrap the other and place in the fridge for up to 3 days. Remember it'll continue to rise in the fridge. You can also freeze it for months instead. Place it in a ball and into a freezer safe bag.
To thaw, place in your fridge overnight to thaw.
Before using for a pizza, set out on the counter to remove the chill. I like to set it out, then preheat my oven, and let it come back to room temperature (after thawing in the fridge) while the oven is heating.

Pizza Stone vs Baking Sheet

If I had to choose, I would I always recommend a pizza stone because it produces the best results. That being said, using the back of your baking sheet works just as well. If you want, you can place the baking sheet in the oven while its preheating and then using a parchment paper, slide your pizza onto it. It'll begin to cook the pizza instantly, and provide an even better crust. Get a nice heavy duty baking sheet for this since many warp under high heat, but you can certainly use what you have. This is the pizza stone I recommend.

The Steam Method

The steam method isn’t necessary. But, it’s brilliant. Basically, you’re increasing the temperature in your home oven similar to the Dutch oven bread method that I use to make my no knead bread. With the steam method, you place any pan like a loaf pan, with hot water in your oven after it’s at 500F.
 
Let it sit for about 10-15 minutes on the rack below where you’re going to place your pizza. During that time, you can roll out your dough, lay on your toppings, snap a photo for Instagram and add that little extra bit of cheese you were wondering if you should add (always add more cheese). Then carefully, place your pizza in. There will be a lot of steam. Cook your pizza and remove. You’ll get the most beautiful bubbly crust. Bonus points if you add cornmeal or semolina flour on the bottom. That’s my favourite way to get my ideal crust. The regular way works incredibly too, so either way, everyone will love it. 
 

What yeast to use?

I recommend using the yeast that your recipe calls for. For instant, I use SAF Instant Yeast. For active dry yeast, I love Bob’s Red Mill. They are both very affordable, is affordable in large quantities and last very long. 
Calories: 90kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 2.5g, Fat: 2g, Sodium: 146.5mg, Fiber: 0.5g, Sugar: 0.5g

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.

Cuisine: American
Course: Breads
Author: Jessica Hylton

Recipe by: Jessica Hylton – Jessica in the Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats