Sweet Potato and Kale Pizza with Balsamic Drizzle
This sweet potato and kale pizza gives pizza night a different spin, with mashed sweet potato swapping in for sauce, crispy kale, and vegan mozzarella on top, and a sweet-and-tangy balsamic drizzle to bring it all together!
Pizza night is the best night of the week if you ask me, because I can pull out all my favourite Vegan Pizza recipes—Vegan Spicy BBQ Chickpea Pizza, Kale Pesto Pizza, and so many more. This sweet potato and kale pizza is an oldie but a goodie. It’s one of the first pizzas I posted on Jessica in the Kitchen! It’s a completely different pizza experience, with entirely new flavours served up on that fabulous crust.
What Makes This Sweet Potato and Kale Pizza Work
If you’re a traditionalist, you may wonder how this pizza compares to a standard tomato sauce and mozzarella pie. Here’s why I adore this recipe and think you will too!
- Crispy kale. I think kale is the perfect green to add to pizza because it crisps up from the high heat. It’s a lovely textural contrast to the rest of the pizza.
- Creamy sweet potato. Instead of tomato sauce, I spread mashed sweet potato onto the crust. For those who haven’t strayed from traditional tomato sauce, trust me, it’s time to break out! In addition to the creaminess, I love the sweet, earthy flavour this adds.
- Sticky, tangy balsamic drizzle. The generous drizzle of Balsamic Glaze at the end adds a welcoming flavour contrast to the sweet potato, vegan mozzarella, and kale. To me, it cannot be left out—it’s mandatory!
Notes on Ingredients
Here’s a closer look at the key ingredients for this sweet potato and kale pizza. Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
- Pizza crust – I used my own Pizza Dough Recipe, but store-bought would also work.
- Sweet potato – Peeled and cut into chunks.
- Salt and ground black pepper
- Non-dairy milk – Any kind you like, as long as it’s unflavoured and unsweetened.
- Kale – Strip the leaves from the stems; the stems are quite tough!
- Onion
- Vegan mozzarella cheese – If you’re not a fan of vegan cheeses, I have made this sweet potato and kale pizza without it and it still tastes amazing!
- Balsamic vinegar
- Brown sugar – Optional, if you’d like a sweeter glaze.
How to Make Sweet Potato and Kale Pizza
Here’s a step-by-step guide to making this delicious sweet potato and kale pizza!
- Prepare. Preheat your oven to 375ºF and boil the sweet potato until fork-tender, then drain.
- Make the sweet potato sauce. Mash the sweet potato in a bowl with the vegan milk, salt, and pepper.
- Assemble. Spread the sweet potato mixture onto the crust and add the kale, onions, and vegan mozzarella.
- Bake. Place the pizza in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, or until the kale gets crispy.
- Make the balsamic drizzle. While the pizza is in the oven, bring the vinegar and sugar to a boil in a pan on the stovetop over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes, until thickened.
- Serve. Drizzle the balsamic over the pizza and serve.
Tips for Success
- Par-bake the pizza crust. Because the sweet potato sauce is so thick and creamy, it’s important to partially bake the crust first to keep the pizza from being soggy in the middle. If you use a store-bought crust, you can buy one that’s already baked.
- Cut the potatoes to the same size. That way, they’ll all be tender at the same time and easy to mash!
- Keep a close eye on the glaze. It can burn quite quickly and burnt balsamic glaze is a disaster—it’s such a pain to clean out of the pan!
Variations
- Caramelize the onions. Jammy caramelized onions are delicious on this sweet potato and kale pizza! Learn more: How to Caramelize Onions.
- Add roasted garlic. Or omit the onion altogether and add cloves of Roasted Garlic (or Air Fryer Roasted Garlic) on top.
- Bacon it up. Add Tempeh Bacon or Tofu Bacon for some smoky flavour and extra protein.
Serving Suggestions
I think salad is the perfect pairing for pizza, and this Beet “Feta” Salad would be especially delicious with the earthy flavours in this recipe. My Vegan Apple, Pecan, and Feta Salad would also work well!
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Refrigerator: Store leftover sweet potato and kale pizza in an airtight container or wrapped in foil for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
- Freezer: To freeze, place the pizza slices in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for an hour, or until solid. Then transfer the slices to a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 2 months.
- To reheat: Reheat the pizza in a 425ºF oven until heated through, or in the microwave. Frozen pizza can be reheated directly from frozen, although it’ll warm up faster if it’s thawed in the fridge first.
More Vegan Pizza Recipes
Enjoy friends! If you make this sweet potato and kale pizza, 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!
Sweet Potato and Kale Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 pre-baked gluten free pizza crust, I made mine from a gluten free pizza crust mix or regular pizza crust. If using a homemade or fresh dough, pre-bake according to package instructions before assembling
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into large chunks
- ½ teaspoon salt, 3 grams
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 gram
- ¼ cup non-dairy milk, 60 grams
- 3 cups kale, washed, dried, stems removed and lightly massaged, 80 grams
- ½ medium onion, sliced thinly
- 1 ½ cups vegan mozzarella cheese, 160 grams
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar, 120 grams
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar, optional, 8 grams
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the sweet potato. Allow to boil for 12-15 minutes or until the sweet potato is fork soft. Remove from heat, drain well and mash with non-dairy milk, salt and pepper until spreadable.
- Spread onto the pizza and top with the kale, onions and cheese.
- Bake pizza for 10 minutes or until kale begins to crisp.
- While the pizza is baking, prepare balsamic drizzle. Heat the balsamic vinegar and sugar in a pot over high heat. When it becomes to bubble, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 2 minutes, stirring. The vinegar should get thicker. Remove from heat and watch carefully so it doesn’t get hardened.
- Remove pizza from oven and drizzle with balsamic drizzle. Enjoy!
Notes
- Refrigerator: Store leftover pizza in an airtight container or wrapped in foil for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
- Freezer: To freeze, place the pizza slices in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for an hour, or until solid. Then transfer the slices to a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 2 months.
- To reheat: Reheat the pizza in a 425ºF oven until heated through or in the microwave. Frozen pizza can be reheated directly from frozen, although it’ll warm up faster if it’s thawed in the fridge first.
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.
wow this looks incredible Jessica, I bet kale and sweet potato taste awesome together!
Thanks Manali it sure does!
Unique pizzas are the best, so much better than the usual tomato sauce ones. I love this combination of the sweet potato, kale, and balsamic! My kind of pizza!
Thanks Danae, totally agree!
Oh man now this is one healthy and delicious pizza LOOOOOVE all the veggies!
Thanks Sophia!
Absolutely in love with this awesome flavor combination!
Thanks Melanie!
Oh Jessica, this sounds delicious! My mouth is watering at the thought of that crispy kale and balsamic drizzle. Truely sounds like a perfect pizza!
Thanks Helen!
I am trying very hard not to have a foodgasm moment . I dont have sweet potato a the moment (shock horror I ran out) but I have butternut squash.
Haha! Thanks Bintu!
This pizza looks magical girl!
Thanks Jocelyn!
This is such a fun and special spin on pizza! This is totally making it to pizza night around here! Kale for life. Pinned!
Haha thanks Justine!
And thanks for pinning!
Jessica, this looks just to die for! I always think veggie pizzas are the tastiest pizzas. And everyone knows that sweet potatoes and kale are best friends–they somehow play off of each perfectly. Pinning! Making! And I agree with the commenter above–”Kale for life!”
Also, I had no idea is was Nt’l Kale Day on Oct 1. Very cool! That’s a holiday I can get behind 😉
Veggietastic pizza! I love it when people come up with delicious and creative pizza recipes like this.