Paleo Yuca Pizza with Vegan Cheese (Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Dairy-Free)
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Do you want delicious pizza with a crispy crust and gooey cheese, but it just doesn’t fit into your healthy eating plan? Maybe you follow a gluten, grain, and /or dairy-free diet and have felt deprived of your beloved pizza! 🍕Perhaps you want a gut supporting alternative to inflammatory wheat crusts and dairy, but don’t want to compromise on taste? Maybe you’re a fellow yuca lover and enjoy making EVERYTHING out of it since it’s SO YUMMY!!! Whatever your reason for finding this recipe today, I’m glad you’re here because you’re going to LOVE this Paleo Yuca Pizza with Vegan Cheese!!! ❤️
It all starts off with the perfect yuca crust, made from fresh or frozen yuca (a.k.a cassava.) Yuca can be purchased at certain supermarkets (some carry it fresh, while others carry it frozen, so be sure to ask customer service if you don’t find it easily.) If you can’t find it at your local supermarket, try a small specialty Latin, Asian, or African market, or a local organic grocer.
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Let’s make Paleo Yuca Pizza with Vegan Cheese!!!
*Full printable recipe at bottom of post*
Makes 4 individual pizzas
Ingredients for yuca crust:
– 4 cups boiled fresh or frozen yuca, cut into chunks (A 1 1/2 pound bag of frozen yuca or 2 medium sized fresh, peeled yuca)
– 3 tablespoons avocado oil – divided (I use this brand.)
– 1 teaspoon organic garlic powder
– 1/2 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt (chosen for its high level of purity and mineral content)
– parchment paper (needed to manage sticky yuca dough easily)
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Should I use fresh or frozen yuca?
The result will be exactly the same whether fresh or frozen yuca is used. *Note: If using fresh yuca it must first be peeled before boiling. For step by step instructions on how to peel yuca click here: About Yuca: How to Peel Fresh Yuca (Cassava).
If using frozen yuca, it’s already peeled, cut, and ready to be boiled. There’s no need to even defrost it before boiling. Many find frozen yuca to be more convenient. I’ve been able to find Goya, La Fe, and Big Banana frozen yuca in various supermarkets.
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Ingredients for Vegan “Cheese”
-2 cups cashews – soaked in filtered water, covered overnight in refrigerator
-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (juice of 1 large lemon)
-3 heaping tablespoons nutritional yeast (makes it taste “cheesy”)
-2 tablespoons avocado oil
-1 teaspoon organic garlic powder
-1 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
-a crack or 2 of fresh black pepper
-2-3 tablespoons filtered water (to help cheese achieve correct texture)
Ingredients for Pizza
-Baked yuca pizza crusts (Recipe included in this post)
-Vegan cheese (Recipe included in this post)
-1 jar of your favorite tomato sauce with no sugar added (I love either Organic Paesana Pasta Sauce or RAOs Homemade Tomato sauce!)
-1 large organic onion – chopped
-6 oz organic spinach – chopped
-organic tomatoes – sliced
-Optional toppings: Any other desired vegetables or meat can be added.
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Summary of steps
- Make and bake the paleo yuca crust.
- While the crust is baking, the vegan cheese and sautéed vegetables can be made.
- Once the crust is ready, cover with sauce, add “cheese,” vegetables and any other desired toppings.
- Place the whole pizza back into the oven for 5-10 minutes until all ingredients are evenly heated.
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Instructions for Yuca Crust:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
If using fresh yuca – peel, cut into 3 or 4 pieces and place into pot of boiling water. For step by step instructions on how to peel fresh yuca click here: About Yuca: How to Peel Fresh Yuca (Cassava).
If using frozen yuca – place directly into boiling water.
Ensure that yuca is fully covered by water. Return to a boil, then cook for 15 minutes, until just fork tender. Drain in colander.
*Do not overcook yuca or it will become extremely mushy, sticky, and difficult to work with!
Once cool enough to handle, place boiled yuca on cutting board and cut each piece in half lengthwise (top to bottom) and remove the stick-like stem that runs through the center.
Cut boiled yuca into small chunks before placing into food processor. *Pulverize yuca in small batches (about 1 cup at a time) to avoid overheating machine.
Yuca chunks literally transform into dough in under a minute in the food processor! (maybe a bit longer if a Vitamix isn’t being used.) It’s truly exciting to witness! Check out my little video below!
Once all dough is pulverized, place onto parchment paper and divide into 4 equal pieces and form into balls. *Beware – yuca dough can be very sticky! Parchment paper is a non-stick surface which is needed to easily work with this dough.
If dough is too sticky to work with there are tricks that will help.
1.Try not to touch the dough directly with your hands. I spoon it from the food processor right onto parchment paper. I then place a second piece of parchment on top in order to easily roll it out.
2. Placing dough into the refrigerator or freezer for just a few minutes will help to greatly reduce stickiness. (The hotter the dough, the stickier it will be!)
For more tips see About Yuca: Tips For Handling Sticky Dough.
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Using a rolling pin, roll out each dough ball between 2 pieces of parchment paper to create the 4 yuca crusts. Decide how thick or thin to make them. Thinner dough will come out crispier. I like to aim for about 1/4 inch thick.
Remove top piece of parchment and place yuca crust (along with bottom piece of parchment) on a cookie sheet. (If top parchment sticks to the dough, place the whole thing into the refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes. The top parchment will then easily be removed.)
Brush top of pizza crust with a little avocado oil. Sprinkle with a pinch of pink Himalayan salt and garlic powder (according to taste.) This will create a crispy, tasty crust!
Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes, depending on thickness. Once edges start to brown and a spatula easily slides between pizza crust and parchment, it’s ready to be flipped. Cook on second side for an additional 5-10 minutes – until reaching desired doneness. Remove from oven.
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Instructions for Vegan “Cheese”
This scrumptious “cheese” will look like hummus, yet will have the consistency of creamy ricotta cheese when biting into this pizza. Trust me, it’s AWESOME!!! 😍
For best results, soak cashews overnight, covered in a bowl of filtered water in the refrigerator.
The next day, drain water and place into food processor along with lemon juice, nutritional yeast, avocado oil, garlic powder, pink Himalayan salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon of filtered water (add additional water as needed to create desired creamy consistency.) Blend until the consistency of hummus (smooth, thick, and creamy! 😃)
Instructions for Sautéed Vegetables
Heat a frying pan along with 1-2 tablespoons avocado oil.
Chop onions and place into heated pan. Cook 2-3 minutes until translucent.
Add tomatoes, spinach, and any other desired vegetable. Cover for 2-3 minutes.
Instructions for Assembling Paleo Yuca Pizza
Pizza night is always fun at our house! We each like to top our pizzas according to our own unique preferences.
Take each baked yuca crust and spread some tomato sauce on top.
Take spoonfuls of Vegan Cheese and place desired amount on top of tomato sauce, spreading it slightly with the back of the spoon. (My hubby likes to swirl the tomato sauce and vegan cheese together to create an “a la vodka” type of sauce. 😃)
Top with cooked vegetables, such as sautéed onions, spinach and tomatoes.
Optional: Add cooked organic chicken or grass-fed ground beef for added protein. (See pic below which has my Chile Lime Crockpot Chicken added.)
Place back into heated oven for 5-10 minutes until everything is evenly heated.
Remove from oven, cut into slices, and enjoy every bite!!!
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Do you want delicious pizza with a crispy crust and gooey cheese, but it just doesn't fit into your healthy eating plan? Maybe you follow a gluten, grain, and /or dairy-free diet and have felt deprived of your beloved pizza! 🍕Perhaps you want a gut supporting alternative to inflammatory wheat crusts and dairy, but don't want to compromise on taste? Maybe you're a fellow yuca lover and enjoy making EVERYTHING out of it since it's SO YUMMY!!! Whatever your reason for finding this recipe today, I'm glad you're here because you're going to LOVE this Paleo Yuca Pizza with Vegan Cheese!!! ❤️
- 4 cups fresh or frozen yuca peeled, boiled and cut into chunks (A 1 1/2 pound bag of frozen yuca or 2 medium sized fresh yuca)
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil – divided
- 1 teaspoon organic garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt chosen for its high level of purity and mineral content
- parchment paper
- 2 cups cashews – soaked in filtered water, covered overnight in refrigerator
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (Juice of 1 large lemon)
- 3 heaping tablespoons nutritional yeast (makes it taste "cheesy")
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon organic garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
- a crack or 2 of fresh black pepper
- 2-3 tablespoons filtered water (to help create appropriate smooth texture)
- Baked Paleo Yuca Pizza crusts
- Vegan "cheese"
- 1 jar of your favorite tomato sauce (with no sugar added) – I love either Organic Paesana Roasted Garlic Pasta Sauce or RAOs Homemade Tomato sauce!
- 1 large organic onion – chopped
- 6 oz organic baby spinach
- organic tomatoes – sliced
- Optional: Any other desired vegetables or cooked organic meat can be added.
Instructions for Yuca Crust:
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Bring a large pot of water to boil.
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If using fresh yuca, peel, cut into 3 or 4 pieces and place into pot of boiling water.
If using frozen yuca, place directly into boiling water.
-
Ensure that yuca is fully covered by water. Return to a boil, then cook for 15 minutes, until just fork tender. Drain in colander. *Do not overcook yuca or it will become extremely mushy, sticky, and difficult to work with!
-
Once cool enough to handle, place boiled yuca on cutting board, slice in half lengthwize (top to bottom) and remove stick-like stem that runs through the center.
-
Cut boiled yuca into small chunks before placing into food processor. *Pulverize yuca in small batches (about 1 cup at a time) to avoid overheating machine.
-
Once all dough is pulverized, place onto parchment paper (a non-stick surface that will help manage very sticky yuca dough.) *If dough seems too sticky to work with place into refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes. (The hotter the dough, the stickier it will be!)
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Divide yuca dough into 4 equal pieces and form into balls.
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Using a rolling pin, roll out each dough ball between 2 pieces of parchment paper to create the 4 yuca crusts. Decide how thick or thin to make them. Thinner dough will come out crispier. I like to aim for about 1/4 inch.
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Remove top piece of parchment and place yuca crusts (along with bottom piece of parchment) on cookie sheets.
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Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes, depending on thickness. Once edges start to brown and a spatula easily slides between pizza crust and parchment, it's ready to be flipped. Cook on second side for an additional 5-10 minutes until reaching desired doneness. Remove from oven.
-
For best results, soak cashews overnight, covered, in a bowl of filtered water in the refrigerator.
-
The next day, drain water and place into food processor along with lemon juice, nutritional yeast, avocado oil, garlic powder, pink Himalayan salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon of filtered water (add additional water as needed to create proper creamy consistency.) Blend until the consistency of hummus (smooth, thick, and creamy.)
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Heat a frying pan along with 1-2 tablespoons avocado oil.
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Chop onions and place into heated pan. Cook 2-3 minutes until translucent.
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Add tomatoes, spinach, and any other desired vegetable. Cover for 2-3 minutes.
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Spread tomato sauce on top of each yuca crust.
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Place spoonfuls of Vegan "Cheese" on top of tomato sauce, spreading slightly with the back of the spoon.
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Top with cooked vegetables..
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Optional: Add cooked orgnaic chicken or grass-fed ground beef for added protein.
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Place back into heated oven for 5-10 minutes until everything is evenly heated.
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Remove from oven, cut into slices, and enjoy every bite!!!
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Disclaimer– In Crazy for Yuca I write about my own personal health and diet journey. My experience and recipes are not to be considered expert advice or suggestive that anyone follow any particular diet protocol. Each person’s body and medical issues are individual and need to be evaluated by a medical professional. If you have any concerns due to your specific diagnoses, please consult your doctor before eating yuca.
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Is yuca a night shade?
No! 😃 Yuca is not a nightshade vegetable! It’s actually recommended for those following an autoimmune protocol! Just one of the MANY awesome reasons to incorporate it into one’s diet! Thanks for your question – it was a really great one!!!
No, yuca is not a night shade
WOW!! If I could give this more than 5 stars, I would! I was so intimidated by this recipe because of the “cheese”, but I tried it! It did take long to make since this was my first time, but it was SO WORTH IT!! Every bite was better than the last! I added fresh garlic and broccoli to mine. I cant wait to make this again!! So fresh! So delicious! and so good for you!! AMAZING recipe!!
Hi Joanne! I’m so glad you gave it a try and enjoyed it! It’s a true favorite in my house! I promise, it gets quicker to make every time. If you know you’ll make it within the next few days, boil the yuca ahead of time (while you’re cooking dinner the night before) so it’s there ready for you. You can also throw the cashews into a bowl of water the day before too. That makes it super time efficient when you’re ready to make the pizza. Hope that helps!
So glad you like it! Ive been making extra yuca crusts and keeping them in the freezer to pull out any time to be able to make this a quick weeknight meal.
Do you freeze it after baking or can you freeze the dough balls/discs before rolling and baking?
That’s a great question! You can make the dough, roll it out into “pizza crusts” then place in a zip lock bag to freeze. If I’m freezing more than one crust in the same bag, I put parchment paper in between crusts (otherwise they will fuse together.)