Gluten-Free Vegan Pizza With a Cornmeal Crust

The Story Behind the Recipe

A gluten-free vegan pizza, with a little inspiration from my Romanian grandma.

As the perpetually hungry grandson of a wonderful cook who came all the way from Romania to Jaffa (a historic port city in Israel), I have a special place in my heart for mămăligă (Romanian cornmeal porridge). And for my late grandmother, of course.

If you haven’t tried it, mămăligă is a wonderfully simple, budget-friendly dish made from cornmeal and boiling water. Somehow, Romanian grandmothers manage to work a whole lot of warmth and love into those two ingredients.

I’m a fan of cornmeal because it’s inexpensive, tasty, gluten-free, easy to find at just about any supermarket, and, most importantly, nutritious.

Cornmeal provides minerals including calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium, along with beta-carotene, an antioxidant.

Its glycemic index varies with the type and preparation, and its fiber can help you feel full longer.

Unlike canned sweet corn, dried cornmeal is a concentrated ingredient: it can contain about 8–10% protein and about 4% fat by weight.

Beyond a Romanian grandma’s mămăligă—or a seriously indulgent polenta—you can use cornmeal to make breads, cakes, and, in this case, pizza.

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How does it fit into a meal?

2 slices of pizza, assuming you cut the whole pizza into 8 wedges, can make a nourishing, satisfying lunch. The carbohydrates provide fuel, while the fiber helps keep you satisfied—a useful combination if you’re planning a workout a few hours after lunch.

Spreading tomato sauce over the crust also adds lycopene, an important antioxidant.

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Ingredients

Makes one 24 cm (about 9½-inch) pizza

• A 24 cm (about 9½-inch) springform pan
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup unsweetened soy milk
• 2 cups cashews (for the cheese), soaked in 2 cups water for at least 5 hours; reserve the soaking water
• Canned pizza sauce with no added sugar
• A handful of olives
• A handful of basil leaves
• 3 white button mushrooms

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), using the top-heat or broiler setting if your oven allows temperature adjustment.
2. Pour the soy milk into a small saucepan with the turmeric, garlic, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Bring to a boil.
3. Once the liquid boils, slowly pour in the cornmeal, stirring constantly, until you have a thick, sticky porridge that pulls away from the sides of the pan. Remove from the heat.
4. Transfer the cornmeal mixture to the springform pan and spread it into an even layer across the bottom.
5. Place on the highest oven rack and cook for about 7 minutes.
6. Make the cashew cheese: Blend the cashews with their soaking water until completely smooth and pourable.
7. Transfer to a small saucepan.
8. At this point, you can boost the flavor with crushed garlic and a tablespoon of nutritional yeast, but they’re optional.
9. Bring to a boil while stirring, then reduce the heat.
10. Keep stirring until the mixture comes together and thickens.
11. Remove from the heat and let cool. The cheese will thicken more as it cools.
12. Back to the pizza: Spread the tomato sauce over the crust, add the cashew cheese and your favorite toppings, and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil.
13. Increase the oven temperature to 250°C (480°F) and cook the pizza for about 10–15 minutes, until browned.
14. Keep the pan in the upper part of the oven for a crisp, beautifully browned pizza. Watch it closely, especially if you’re using the broiler.
15. Carefully remove the pizza from the pan and dig in.

Honestly, what more do you need?

Want another gluten-free pizza option? How about a chickpea flour crust?