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Holy Cow Pizza Crust! Gluten-Free Pizza Worth Having Every Night

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Today’s recipe is gluten-free Holy Cow Pizza Crust, also known as gluten-free pizza worth having every night!

This rave-worthy gluten-free pizza crust comes from longtime gfe reader, former blogger, and friend Lisa Rickman. She’s also the originator of its name, Holy Cow Pizza Crust as well as its description, Gluten-Free Pizza Worth Having Every Night.

Holy Cow Gluten-Free Pizza Crust. Gluten-free pizza worth having every night! Learn the secret ingredient that makes this crust taste like the pizza crust you remember before going gluten free. [from GlutenFreeEasily.com]

Gluten-Free Pizza Worth Having Every Night (Photo and Recipe from Lisa Rickman)

That’s quite the description, right? Well, I’m going to cut to the chase and tell you what Mr. GFE said about this pizza the first time I made it and what he’s said every time I’ve made this pizza crust since.

The first time I made this gluten-free Holy Cow Pizza Crust recipe I told Mr. GFE absolutely nothing about it beforehand. I simply served him two slices of pizza for dinner.

Just like I normally would. Without commentary.

His unsolicited feedback? “This is the best pizza you’ve ever made!” Wow, huh?

Holy Cow Pizza! Gluten-Free Pizza Worth Having Every Night. Learn the secret ingredient that makes this gluten-free pizza crust taste so much like that gluten-full pizza crust from back in the day. [from GlutenFreeEasily.com]

I decided to make the gluten-free Holy Cow Pizza Crust again a few days later for lunch with my mom. She also loved it!

This recipe can be made as one thick pizza crust or two thinner crusts. I’d made the two thinner crusts before going to Mom’s.

Gluten-Free Holy Cow Pizza Crust! A slice of gluten-free pizza worth having every night. Really. Learn the secret ingredient that makes it so. [from GlutenFreeEasily.com]

I froze the second crust. I pulled it out of the freezer a few weeks later when I had gluten-free friends over for a potluck meal.

Once again it garnered high praise from all in attendance!

This pizza really is gluten-free pizza worth having every night! Or as Lisa nicknamed it, gluten-free Holy Cow Pizza Crust.

Here’s the really great thing about this gluten-free pizza crust recipe. It can be made using a variety of flours and the results are terrific each time.

Lisa likes making this recipe with teff flour and sorghum flour but said that she sometimes uses brown rice flour, even sprouted brown rice flour.

Personally, I don’t tolerate much sorghum flour and I’ve never used teff flour before. Therefore, I made the recipe using flours that work for me.

The first time I made this recipe, I used a combination of brown rice flour and oat flour (certified gluten-free purity protocol oat flour, of course). Another time I used a combination of my Two-Ingredient Gluten-Free Flour Mix and brown rice flour. And other times I’ve used my gluten-free flour mix only.

Every combination of flours (and/or starches) that I have used has worked great. Although I do prefer the whole-grain versions for their texture and flavor in this pizza crust recipe just a tiny bit more.

Gluten-Free Holy Cow Pizza Crust. Gluten-Free Pizza Crust Worth Having Every Night. One ready to eat, one ready to go in the oven. Learn the secret ingredient in this fantastic pizza crust! [from GlutenFreeEasily.com]

I think the key to the success of Lisa’s recipe no matter which flours you use is her secret ingredient. Beans.

Yes, beans! Lighter colored beans, like Great Northern beans and Navy beans, or even pinto beans.

Now if you’re not big on beans before you click away, please know that I have never been a big fan of bean flour in gluten-free recipes. I’m not a fan of that bean taste in baked goods.

However, this pizza crust does not taste like beans. (Believe me, if it did; Mr. GFE would have told me about it!) And the beans in combination with the gluten-free grain-based flours and yeast give this gluten-free pizza crust a wonderful texture!

Gluten-Free Holy Cow Pizza Crust. Gluten-free pizza crust worth having every night. Learn why and find out which every day "secret" ingredient makes the crust work so well. [from GlutenFreeEasiily.com]

Very much like a gluten-full pizza. I’m sure that’s why Mr. GFE proclaimed this pizza the best pizza that I’ve made to date, although he’s enjoyed many other gluten-free pizza recipes that I’ve made in the past.

Lisa shared with me what she called her “best review” of her Holy Cow Pizza Crust recipe:

“My oldest daughter was invited to a friend’s for pizza one night and they bought her a ready-made “cardboard” pizza, which we never buy. She was excited. We had pizza here that night. She came home so disappointed saying she was thinking about us eating our delicious pizza while she had some plastic-y chewy thing. 🙂 That has been my best review!”

I love and can relate to her daughter’s review as I think any of who has suffered through a store-bought, “plastic” gluten-free pizza can.

Lisa shared this recipe with me over 2 years ago and I can’t believe I waited this long to try it! My advice to you is do not wait on giving this Holy Cow Pizza Crust a try.

It really is gluten-free pizza crust you want to eat every night!

I want to add that having readers like Lisa and her family has been one of my greatest pleasures of blogging. She comments often and even sends me photos of gfe recipes that she’s made with her children or ones that she’s made from cookbooks that’s she’s won from giveaways on gfe.

Here are few of the photos she’s shared with me over the years.

Lisa's Children Looking at Their Prize Gluten-Free Cupcakes.

Lisa’s Children Looking at One of Their Giveaway Prizes (Elana Amsterdam’s Gluten-Free Cupcakes)

Remember these Santa pancakes when the holidays arrive.

Gluten-Free Santa Claus Pancakes. [featured on GlutenFreeEasily.com]

Lisa’s Son Is Thrilled About His Gluten-Free Santa Claus Pancake

Lisa says these pancakes are a much-loved family tradition and I can see why. What delicious fun!

And now back to that Gluten-Free Pizza Worth Having Every Night because I don’t know anyone who is gluten free who won’t want to add the recipe that earns that name to their recipe repertoire. Am I right? Thank you, Lisa Rickman!

Other Gluten-Free Pizza Recipes Worth Making

~ 6-Inch Gluten-Free Individual Pizza from gfe (Grain-Free)

 

~ Fathead Pizza from Wholesome Yum (Low Carb, Keto)

~ Flourless Gluten-Free Pizza from gfe (Low Carb, Keto Friendly)

 

~ Gluten-Free Pizza Bombs from gfe

~ Gluten-Free Pizza Crust from Real Food RN

~ Top 30 Gluten-Free Alternative Pizza Recipes on gfe

~ Top 30 Best Gluten-Free Pizza Crust Recipes on gfe

Gluten-Free Holy Cow Pizza Crust (Gluten-Free Pizza Worth Having Every Night) Recipe

Yield: 8 slices

Holy Cow Pizza Crust! Gluten-Free Pizza Worth Having Every Night

Holy Cow Pizza! Gluten-Free Pizza Worth Having Every Night. Learn the secret ingredient that makes this gluten-free pizza crust taste so much like that gluten-full pizza crust from back in the day. [from GlutenFreeEasily.com]

This Holy Cow Pizza Crust from reader Lisa Rickman really is gluten-free pizza worth having every night! Learn the secret ingredient that makes this crust taste like the pizza crust you remember enjoying before you went gluten free.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Inactive Time 5 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup light-colored beans, cooked and drained (e.g., Great Northern, pinto, Navy)
  • 1 tbsp water (or more, if needed)
  • 2 cups teff flour (see notes for substitution options)
  • 1 cup sorghum flour (see notes for substitution options)
  • 4 tbsp flaxseed meal
  • 2 tsp xanthan gum
  • 2 tsp yeast (regular] or [rapid rise; see notes)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 1/3 cup warm water
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp honey

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 450F degrees.
  2. Note that this recipe makes one really thick pizza crust or two thinner pizza crusts. Line pizza baking sheets with parchment paper or place directly on pizza stone(s).
  3. In your Magic Bullet, small blender, or mixer of some sort, mix 1 tablespoon of water with the beans until well blended. (Add a tablespoon of water at a time if your beans are a little dry.)
  4. Add the bean mixture and the rest of the ingredients to a large bowl and mix well.
  5. Sprinkle some of gluten-free flour on your counter and roll out like you would a regular pizza crust.
  6. Bake the pizza crust for about 15 minutes.
  7. Remove pizza crust from oven. Add sauce and toppings of choice and bake pizza for another 10 - 15 minutes.
  8. Cool a few minutes before slicing.

Notes

From Lisa:

Originally, I would let the dough rest between stirring and covering the dough to let it rise for an hour before baking (and it may rise some) but in my opinion doing so made no difference in the final results, so I stopped doing that. 

From Shirley:

I don’t use sorghum flour (it’s one of the gluten-free flours I don’t do well with) and I’ve never tried teff flour before. The first time I made this recipe, I used my Two-Ingredient Flour Mix made using brown rice flour in place of the sorghum flour and certified gluten-free purity protocol oat flour in place of the teff flour. The second time I made this recipe, I used my Two-Ingredient Flour Mix in place of both the sorghum flour and the teff flour. I've also used a combination of my flour mix and brown rice flour. All of these combinations have worked very well.

I didn’t roll out my pizza crust. I prefer to simply pat the dough into place on parchment paper on the pizza pan.

Lisa says that when she omitted the yeast in this recipe, her dough fell apart. However, the first time I made this recipe (using a combination of mostly my flour mix and some oat flour), I accidentally left out the yeast! I went with it and patted the dough out into a circle on two smaller pizza pans.

We still loved the results so if you’re one who doesn’t eat yeast, I definitely recommend that you give the yeast-free option a try if you’re using my flour mix. I’m guessing that there’s enough cornstarch in my flour mix to act as an additional binder.

I have blended the beans in my Vitamix and in my mini chopper. I like using the mini chopper best because of easier cleanup.

It would be easy to make this pizza crust recipe vegan. Simply substitute the same amount of another liquid sweetener (e.g., maple syrup, agave nectar) for the honey.

Once I reheated slices of this pizza on the grill. Doing so made the crust chewier and frankly, amazing! Heating leftover pizza slowly in a skillet also works pretty well.

Shirley here:

Readers who don't like beans have asked if they should make this pizza. Readers who have GI issues after consuming beans have asked if they should make this pizza. While this pizza crust does not have a bean-y taste and didn't cause me any GI issues, just to be safe, I don't recommend this pizza for anyone who fits into either of those categories.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

© Shirley Braden
Cuisine: American / Category: Entree, Main Dish
Originally published September 20, 2108; updated January 4, 2022.

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Comments

  1. Ina Gawne says

    Thanks for sharing Shirley! We do love pizza in our household so this is a must try. I am with you on the bean front…but this is definitely worth trying. Sounds like pizza heaven! 🙂

    Reply

    • Shirley Braden says

      Hi Ina–I do hope you find this pizza crust to provide pizza heaven! We all have different tastes and opinions when it comes to pizza so I really hope that everyone else finds this pizza crust to be as delicious as I, my family, and friends do. 🙂

      Shirley

      Reply

    • Shirley Braden says

      Jack–I sure hope this recipe surpasses the “epic blah” you’ve experienced with other crusts. I realize that we all have different preferences when it comes to pizza. This crust has definitely met with approval by many thus far. 🙂

      Shirley

      Reply

  5. Carol G. says

    Thanks for the recipe! Questions:
    1) Yeast–regular or rapid rise? But you don’t let it rise? I am not familiar with yeast other than reading about it for bread recipes.
    2) Flours–I see the substitution. I use Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free (without xanthan gum added) so will try that unless anyone thinks it won’t work.

    Reply

    • Shirley Braden says

      Hi Carol–Welcome to gfe! Lisa and I used regular yeast but I don’t know that it would make any difference whether you use regular or rapid rise yeast in this recipe. Lisa said that she originally would let the dough sit for bit to rise but really never felt that it provided a difference in the end results so she started skipping that step. So there is no need to let the dough rise. I will update the recipe to add those notes.

      I have no experience with Bob’s Red Mill flour mix (I don’t use their products) so I don’t know how it will work in this recipe.

      Shirley

      Reply

  6. Nancy says

    Shirley, Wow does this sound wonderful and easy! Sadly, I have no beans in the cupboard now, but they are going on my list for my next trip to the grocery store and this will surely be on next week’s menu. I’m really anxious to try this! Thanks for sharing! Nancy

    Reply

    • Shirley Braden says

      Hi Nancy–I didn’t know if you ever used grains or not. I will admit that I look forward to making a grain-free version in the future. Per usual, I have some ideas on that but don’t know when I’ll get to experimenting. In any regard, I’m happy to hear this recipe is going on your list! Hope you all enjoy it!

      Shirley

      Reply

      • Nancy says

        Shirley, Typically, I avoid grains/legumes but every now and then I do eat these items. Sometimes when we are traveling I do wind up eating beans or rice or corn–things I normally avoid because I don’t have any other options. In moderation, it doesn’t seem to cause a problem. Unfortunately, I seem to have developed a new issue (intense itching of arms and back) just the past few days, so I’m going to stop eating a few foods I think might be responsible until I figure it out. Tomatoes is one of the items I’m eliminating, so no pizza now or your yummy BBQ sauce I was planning to make (for now). Frustrating, but it could be worse, and I’m sure I’ll figure it out soon. I haven’t added any new foods, so it’s hard to know where to start!

        Reply

        • Shirley Braden says

          Hi Nancy–I hear you on all! It’s definitely easier to eat out and/or when on travel with fewer restrictions. I’m so sorry about the new issue you’re experiencing. It’s very challenging to figure out the cause of such issues. I’ve gone through the same situation too many times myself. I’ve even been considering the paleo autoimmune protocol (AIP). It’s daunting for sure but one doesn’t stay on it forever, just for a relatively short period before starting to reintroduce foods and see how one reacts. Removing all the inflammatory foods via AIP seems to offer a lot of clarity (as well as relief of symptoms and healing) for most folks. That part is what really appeals to me! The restrictions not so much. I’ve been reading this book from Eileen of Phoenix Helix.

          Good luck, Nancy. I do want you to be able to enjoy those recipes (and more) one day in the not-too-distant-future!
          Shirley

          Reply

          • Nancy says

            Shirley, I’ve been following Eileen’s informative blog since she first started writing it.
            As you suggest, I have rolled back to the AIP protocol for now, and then will start reintroducing foods. The Paleo diet has worked very well for me and has helped markedly reduce pain from degenerative disc disease and arthritis, and my asthma is also much improved, so it has definitely been a winner for me! I’d recommend maybe committing to a 30-day trial on the AIP, that is what I did initially and I noticed the changes fairly quickly. I was then able to start adding other foods in. Good luck if you decide to give it a try! Nancy

          • Shirley Braden says

            Thanks for the good wishes, Nancy, about my possible soon-to-be AIP trial. Any additional restrictions are daunting but I know that things get much easier after the first several days and that the benefits can be experienced pretty quickly.

            Now that I think about it, of course, you know about the AIP diet and Eileen’s site. I believe you’ve labeled some of your recipes AIP and linked to Eileen’s site before.

            I’m glad you’ve seen such success with the paleo diet. I know that I do much better with grain-free, dairy-free, sugar-free living … i.e, paleo, although I don’t do great with nut flours every day or coconut products in excess. Part of those issues have to do with my lack of a gall bladder (might have kept it i’d gone gluten free much earlier) and my inability to process a lot of fats and certain fats. (I’ve tried ox bile supplements to help with digestion of fats but those don’t agree with me either.)

            Thanks again, Nancy. Good luck to us both!
            Shirley

        • Kat says

          Realize this comment was a while ago but in case it’s helpful, I sometimes have to reduce or avoid tomatoes (heartburn and most sauces have garlic – nasty allergy), so I’ve experimented. While traditionally I have always believed to be pizza it Must have tomato sauce, and Lots of it!, (& hated when anyone just “painted” some sauce on, seriously? That is Not pizza! 😂), but having bad reactions to sauce I decided to try “other non pizza” versions of pizza. 😉
          After some time of having to go without I now find that sometimes just spraying or brushing the crust with olive oil before topping works well. (Although with non dairy cheese I have to spray it again after topping so it will melt. Weirdo cheese.) I have heard but yet to try using pesto instead, a homemade one to avoid allergens of course. By the way it can be frozen. I still have some from the previous growing season in the freezer 😉, so I let the basil flower for the bees this past year. I did not know that one single stem could grow nearly 3 feet across! The beds are small as I am short and it fell out of the bed! And kept going! Lol!
          If you can have limited tomatoes just adding some slices can work. Granted, takes getting use to these non pizzas as pizza.
          If any dairy can be used (I can have goat cheese limitedly), instead of or before putting on a thin layer of whatever you end up using for sauce, the pyramid shaped little tubs of goat cheese are spreadable and a little layer under the toppings is wonderful! Technically some will then not add cheese on top but I’ve done both ways and I’m usually going to do both if I get hat option. 😉 This also works under bbq sauce on a bbq pizza, mmm! I have tried using a dairy free cream cheese instead, but it just soaks into the crust and provides nothing. Waste of $ using it that way. I’m sure I tried more but haven’t really done pizza this past year, year before that it was all I was making lol. And of course I didn’t write anything down cause I was making it all the time and could just drop everything in a bowl and whip it up! Make bunches of crusts at a time to freeze, even used it for square hot sandwiches lol (easier with big batch to just use baking trays, so squares and rectangles, even though “real” pizza must be round lol! ) I think I’ve gone off topic, sorry. Short attention span, easily distracted, and very tired lol. Those things go great together, or terrible together lol!

          Reply

          • Nancy says

            Kat, I was blown away by your lengthy response to my issue. Of course, over the past 6+ years, my dietary issues have changed. I’ve found that the Paleo diet (and at times the AIP version) is no longer necessary. The eczema (that started out of nowhere) back in 2018 and continued for years has disappeared. While I was told and read that diet doesn’t cause eczema, it can be aggravated by certain foods. At times, it seemed like I was restricting everything, but I learned that nuts were the primary offender.
            Now my only restrictions are gluten and lactose. Luckily, tomatoes are not something I need to avoid.
            But I had totally forgotten about this recipe! I’ll need to round up the ingredients and give it a try.
            Thanks, Shirley, for sharing this comment with me. Nancy

  7. Linda Tanzini says

    Shirley, probably two silly questions but if using regular yeast should it be proofed and also apparently the beans replace the starches in this recipe? Can’t wait to try! Thanks, Linda

    Reply

    • Shirley Braden says

      Hi Linda–No questions are silly, of course. 😉 From Lisa’s info, the yeast in this recipe provides both some “flavor” and structure. While it might cause the crust to rise some (as shared in the Notes section of the recipe), that factor is not critical to the success of the recipe. So unless you’re concerned that your yeast is out of date, I wouldn’t be worried about proofing your yeast. I hope you’ll enjoy this recipe!

      By the way, I just saw that you commented months ago on a post and I never replied. 🙁 I don’t know what happened there that I didn’t get to reply but I want to sincerely welcome you to gfe and thank you for your kind words! 🙂
      Shirley

      Reply

  8. Nancy says

    Shirley, The gallbladder removal definitely creates an additional challenge! As with you, I’ve found I do better with limited use (or consumption) of recipes with almond flour. Coconut flour is difficult to work with though, especially if you have to limit the fat intake. I tend to stay away from baked goods most of the time, and luckily, I love veggies, so that is the focus of most of my meals. Wish I had some good suggestions for you. Thanks for the good wishes and the same to you! Nancy

    Reply

  9. Marilyn says

    Is there any substitute I can use for either flax or chia seeds? They both make me want to curl up & die for about three days. Thanks!

    Reply

    • Shirley Braden says

      Hi Marilyn–Welcome to gfe. 🙂 You could try replacing the flaxseed meal and all of the water except for one tablespoon with 4 large eggs. In other words, omit the flaxseed meal, reduce water to 1 tablespoon, and add 4 eggs. The texture of your pizza might be slightly different but those changes *should* work. Fingers crossed!

      Shirley

      Reply

      • Marilyn says

        Thank you Shirley. I like the idea of using eggs instead of flax or chia. I’ve been making your no-carb pizza for years &this sounds like a good change. BTW, baking the no-carb one on the grill gives outstanding results!

        Reply

        • Shirley Braden says

          You’re welcome, Marilyn! Oh, how I love your feedback on my flourless pizza, especially that it’s terrific when baked on the grill. I can actually imagine that to be true as it would make the crust crispier/firmer but have never tried it before. I will try that in the near future for sure. Thanks for sharing!

          Shirley

          Reply

  10. Jenya says

    I’m going to sub phylum husk for xanthium gum and hemp seeds for flax. Also lemon juice and baking soda for the yeast. Hope it comes out good!

    Reply

    • Shirley Braden says

      Hi Jenya–First, welcome to gfe. 🙂 Second, that’s a lot of subs at once and I’m particularly concerned about subbing hemp seeds for flax as hemp seeds don’t have a binding effect like flax seeds do. There are no eggs in this crust for binding so the flaxseed meal and the water do the job instead. I would really recommend using ingredients that bind ingredients together in place of the flax. A larger amount of psyllium husk might be helpful in that regard. Fingers crossed for your subs. Please report back.

      Shirley

      Reply

  11. Jenya says

    Hi Shirley,

    I made the pizza for dinner tonight and my husband is a happy man, he loved it. I did use extra psyllium and a little more water. It was delicious! I used a can of fire roasted tomatoes for topping. I put cheese and leftover salmon on mine and he put thick slices of tomato on his. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

    • Shirley Braden says

      Wow, Jenya!! I am so very, very happy to hear that the extra psyllium and a little more water did the trick! Thanks so very much for coming back to share the good news!! I like both your toppings. 🙂

      Shirley

      Reply

  12. Jenny says

    Is it 1 cup of dry beans measured before cooking or 1 cup of cooked beans? Maybe I’m tired, but I can’t think past this. Thanks

    Reply

    • Shirley Braden says

      Hi Jimi–As I advised another gfe reader, you could try replacing the flaxseed meal and all of the water except for one tablespoon with 4 large eggs. In other words, omit the flaxseed meal, reduce water to 1 tablespoon, and add 4 eggs. The texture of your pizza might be slightly different but those changes *should* work. Hope that info helps!

      Shirley

      Reply

    • Shirley Braden says

      You’re welcome of course. Almond flour? This pizza has a good amount of flexibility in using different grain-based flours but it is not grain-free and I’m not sure how you would successfully make it grain free.

      Reply

  15. Amanda says

    Nothing to do with the recipe bit I notice your pizza stone has handles. Mine did too and I threw them out because I would not be serving my pizza on it. No way I am leaving pizza on a pizza stone in the oven the additional time the oven cools down and the stone should not experience temperature shock. It warms up in the oven and it stays in the oven after I turn it off.

    Reply

    • Shirley Braden says

      Hi Amanda–If you read the post, you’ll see that this is not actually my recipe. The recipe came from one of my loyal and talented readers. The photo you mention is hers. I actually use a regular pizza pan, as is shown in the other photos. Thanks for the comment. 🙂

      Shirley

      Reply

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