A pepperoni pizza on a pizza pan, cut into 8 slices.

Why you’ll love this dairy free pizza

I’m not going to lie. I had almost given up on dairy free pizza. The cheese was a big issue for me, and the thought of making pizza at home – from scratch – seemed kind of daunting to me. So we just didn’t have pizza for a long time.

But, a local pizza place started carrying vegan cheese, and we figured we’d give it a try. It was great, and they even had vegan cheesy sticks that were super yummy. Turns out, they were using Follow Your Heart mozzarella, so I thought I’d give it a try myself, and it was great.

Eventually, liquid mozzarella came out, and after tons of test drives, I decided that the combination of the two yielded the ultimate cheesy results.

Close up of a slice of dairy free pizza being picked up.

Let’s get real:

Dairy free cheese is a touchy subject. Normally, I recommend not even touching it until you’ve been dairy free for a few months, but if I had to choose a cheese, these are my recommendations in terms of best flavor and texture.

  • Follow Your Heart Mozzarella – Our local pizza place uses these shreds for their vegan pizza, and we order from there a lot. Even though I can taste the difference, there isn’t a funky taste.
  • Daiya Cheddar Shreds – These were recently reformulated and melted incredibly well, and we’ve been using it a lot. I would say it’s just as good as Follow Your Heart.
  • Miyoko’s Liquid Mozzarella – This comes in liquid form so it doesn’t need that extra time to melt. It definitely looks the best after cooking, but it does contain nuts, so it’s not for everyone.
A bag of Follow Your Heart dairy free mozzarella cheese and a bottle of Miyoko's Creamery liquid vegan pizza mozzarella.

How to make this dairy free pizza recipe

Prep your oven. Preheat your oven to 450˚F with a pizza stone already in it. You want the pizza stone to get nice and hot to help your crust get crispy and browned on the bottom.

Assemble the pizza. Spread a layer of cornstarch over your pizza peel (or cutting board) and stretch the pizza dough to your desired size. Top with sauce, dairy free cheese and your desired toppings.

Make sure not to over load your pizza with cheese. Dairy free cheese can end up being a little wet when melted, so it’s important to not over do it.

A dairy free pepperoni pizza on a pizza pan before being cut.

Bake the pizza. Transfer the pizza to the stone with the cutting board and let the pizza cook until the cheese is melted and your crust is golden brown.

This will vary depending on your crust so follow the directions on your package or the recommended time from the recipe you used. We needed about 15 minutes for ours, but adjust your timing accordingly.

Remove the pizza from the oven and allow it to rest for a few minutes before cutting it.

A slice of pepperoni pizza on a plate.

Frequently asked questions

What can I put on pizza instead of cheese?

If you don’t want to put cheese on your pizza, you can use dairy free cheese, or just go without cheese. Even though it might seem weird, pizza without cheese is actually pretty good, and definitely work trying if you want to remove dairy from your diet.

Does dairy-free cheese melt on pizza?

That depends. Dairy free cheeses all act differently when heated, so it depends on the product you choose, and how you’re cooking your pizza. I like to use a combination of shreds and liquid mozzarella to get the best results with dairy free cheese.

Which dairy-free cheese is best for pizza?

As of right now, we like to use a combination of vegan cheese for our pizza – Follow Your Heart mozzarella shreds and Miyoko’s liquid mozzarella. If we had to just use one, I would probably go with the Follow Your Heart shreds.

A pepperoni dairy free pizza sliced into triangles on a pizza pan.

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A slice of pizza being picked up.
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Dairy Free Pizza

By: Melissa Belanger
Whether you’ve just given up cheese or you’re a seasoned expert, dairy free pizza can be hard to get right. This foolproof recipe will teach you how to make the best pizza without cheese. Add your favorite toppings to make it your own, or serve it plain for a classic at-home pizza night.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 8
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Ingredients 

  • 1 prepared pizza dough
  • 1 cup pizza sauce
  • 1/2 cup dairy free mozzarella shreds
  • 1/4 cup liquid mozzarella
  • Cornmeal, for under the pizza crust
  • Desired pizza toppings: pepperoni, sausage, etc.

Instructions 

  • Preheat a pizza stone in the oven to 450˚F.*
  • Sprinkle cornmeal on a large cutting board or pizza peel to make it easy to transfer pizza to the oven.
  • Stretch pizza dough into about 1/4″ thick circle.
  • Spread sauce in a thin layer. Then top with dairy free cheese.
  • Add desired pizza toppings.
  • Transfer pizza to the oven and bake pizza according to pizza crust instructions, or until pizza crust is golden brown and cheese has melted – usually about 15 minutes.

Notes

  • If you don’t have a pizza stone, preheat a baking sheet without a rim (or an upside down baking sheet).
Nutrition is for cheese pizza without toppings. 

Nutrition

Calories: 174kcal, Carbohydrates: 28g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 5g, Sodium: 625mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin C: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this? Leave a comment below!

Hi! I'm Melissa.

I create easy, dairy free recipes because I know how hard living without milk can be. I believe you can live a completely satisfying life without dairy, and I want to teach you how.

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4 Comments

  1. Melissa Belanger says:

    This pizza is perfect. I’m not dairy free but I have some family members who are, made this last weekend for the Superbowl! Super cool pizza people!

  2. Marc Belanger says:

    I am dairy free and I’m always looking for a good non-dairy pizza option. This was delicious and I would definitely recommend for those looking for a non-dairy pizza recipe.

  3. Jen says:

    What non dairy cheese brands do you use for this?

    1. Melissa Belanger says:

      It is written in the post.