Everyone loves pumpkin spice flavored foods, especially in Autumn. Whether it’s coffee, scones, or pies they seem to be popping up everywhere you look.
But what about pumpkin pizza? In celebration of fall, we decided to create a sweet and savory pumpkin spice pizza that is sure to hit the spot. With beets, sunflower seeds, pesto leaves, and vegan ricotta cheese dollops, it’s a complete plant-based meal that you don’t have to feel guilty about eating.
Ingredients:
- 1 – Block of Tofu
- 1 – Lemon
- Handful Basil Leaves
- 1 – #10 Can of Pureed Pumpkin
- 1/2 Cup of Raw Cashews
- Pumpkin Pie Spice Seasoning
- 2-3 tbps – Maple Syrup (optional)
- 1 – 16oz Can of Beets
- 1 Can of Cannellini Beans
- Handful of Raw Hulled Sunflower Seeds
- Raw Spinach (optional)
- 1 Store Bought or Homemade Vegan Pizza Dough
- Onion Powder
- Garlic Powder
- 1/4 Cup Nutritional Yeast
- Salt
- Pepper
Directions:
- Getting the pizza dough is going to be the first step of this recipe. You can either buy a vegan store-bought dough or make one yourself. If you opt to go the second route, try this easy pizza dough recipe.
- The second step is making the vegan ricotta cheese dollops. This is a two-step process that involves a high-powered blender and a food processor. You can use just a blender if it has variable speeds.
- Add 1 can of cannellini beans, ¼ cup nutritional yeast, juice of half a lemon, and ½ cup of cashews to the blender. You can use around half of the liquid that’s already in the canned beans. Blend on high until everything becomes a smooth slurry. If you don’t have a powerful blender, soak cashews for 1 hour beforehand.
- Add the block of tofu to the food processor then pour the blender slurry over it. Process it on a low setting. The final product will be light and chunky like ricotta cheese.
- Season the cheese with salt, pepper, and onion powder to taste. To make it more tangy, you can add a bit more lemon or nutritional yeast. It will probably taste somewhat bland until seasoned, so don’t worry about it.
- Take the pumpkin out of the can and season it to be sweet and savory. Use around 2-3 tbsp of maple syrup, pumpkin spice seasoning, and a little bit of onion and garlic powder. You don’t need to blend it, simply mixing it with a spoon or fork in a bowl works just fine. Once done, spread it on top of your pizza dough.
- Take the vegan ricotta cheese that you made earlier and dollop it on top of the pumpkin like in the photo. This is the fun part!
- Add the beets throughout the pizza to your liking. Make it look pretty!
- Sprinkle some sunflower seeds and pesto leaves on the top. There’s no exact amount, you can just do as much or as little as you think you’d like.
- The sunflower seeds will get toasted a bit in the oven, but you can also lightly toast them before putting them on if you want a deeper flavor.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes on 350F degrees, ideally on a pizza stone, but you can also do a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Enjoy this pizza as a complete meal! It’s got beans, tofu, seeds, and herbs! Feel free to top with a bit of raw spinach or arugula to add even more nutrients. You can add them before or after baking.
Joey Bruno is the co-owner of ThriveCuisine.com with his brother Mike. He’s passionate about vegan education and super passionate about vegan food! In his spare time, he loves hanging out with his dog and practicing Jiu Jitsu.