Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Pizza Crust Recipe

Overall Rating = 🍕🍕🍕 (3/5)

First thing's first, I want to make one thing clear: I'm not gluten intolerant. But pizza crust alternatives are all the rage lately, so how can I not try them all, especially Trader Joe’s new cauliflower crust pizza?! I love experimenting with new pizza recipes (anything Trader Joe’s makes is usually pretty dang good) and trying to incorporate as many veggies as possible, so I can semi-justify that I'm eating healthy … along with a mound of cheese.

I've tried making homemade cauliflower pizza crust a handful of times, without much luck. It basically always turns out like a pile of tasteless cauliflower crumbles with melted cheese on top. Also, it was impossible to pick up. It. Was. A. Mess.

So, when I heard Trader Joe's made a frozen cauliflower pizza crust, I was intrigued. 

Trader Joe's Cauliflower Pizza Crust

I bought a few different toppings, thinking the more veggies and flavors, the better (since I knew the dough was probably not going to have as much ooey, gooey, goodness as normal). However, in hindsight, this may have not been the best decision. 

The more toppings the better, right?

Wrong.

To cook Trader Joe’s cauliflower pizza crust, the instructions advise to cook on 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes and then flip the crust, repeating the cooking time on the other side. Place on a baking sheet for 'regular' crust, or directly on the rack for a crispier crust. 

I usually go in the middle of the suggested cook time to be safe, but after tasting the pie, I would have cooked it longer, perhaps on the rack for a crispier crust.

Here's a play by play of the cooking action:

My Trader Joe’s cauliflower pizza recipe went a little something like this:

Ingredients:

• Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Pizza Crust

• Trader Joe’s marinara pizza sauce

• Mozzarella cheese

• Trader Joe’s salami

• Bell peppers (green and red), sliced

• Black olives, sliced

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees

2. Cook crust on one side for 10-12 minutes

3. Flip crust

4. Spread sauce over cauliflower crust

5. Sprinkle (or dump) cheese over pizza

6. Add toppings (bell pepper, olive, salami)

7. Cook an additional 10-12 minutes (possibly more)

8. Enjoy!

The verdict: I think the softness of the cauliflower pizza “dough,” in combination with too many toppings, led to an overall mediocre experience. I'm going to try the cauliflower crust again and only do cheese with at most one other topping to really be able to taste more of the crust. I'm also going to crank the heat up and crisp the heck out of it so it's not so mushy.

Trader Joe's has never failed me, so I think this may have been user error. I'll report back when a re-do has been conducted. Until then, I'm going to stick to real dough. Happy pizza eating! 

Have you tried Trader Joe’s cauliflower pizza crust? Let me know in the comments!