This gluten-free pizza crust recipe is brown and crispy on the outside with the classic chewy pizza texture inside. Made from a few-ingredient cheesy tapioca flour dough inspired by Brazilian cheese bread, this gluten-free pizza dough recipe is fast and easy for pizza night at home! Update January 2021: I've removed the volume measurements for the flour and added more details on how to cook the milk and incorporate the eggs to help folks have success! Find full behind-the-scenes videos of each step here!
4.88 from 58 reviews
Ingredients
Gluten-Free Pizza Crust
1¼cupswhole milk
¼cup + 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as sunflower or canola oil
Preheat oven to 500°F with a pizza stone, 12-inch cast-iron skillet, or thick large baking sheet on the bottom rack.
In a small saucepan, bring the milk, oil, and 1 teaspoon of salt to boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Just when the milk begins to boil by puffing up with large bubbles, remove pan from heat. Updated note: don't undercook the milk because it needs to be hot enough to cook the tapioca. It should be a rapid boil, but keep an eye on it because as soon as it begins to rapidly boils, it will puff up quickly and threaten to overflow the pot.
Stirring constantly with a silicone spatula, slowly add the tapioca flour to the pan. Continue stirring to combine as much as possible (the mixture will be very sticky and the flour probably won't incorporate completely yet).
Use the spatula to transfer the sticky dough to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a food processor with the basic blade, using the spatula to get as much out of the pan as possible. Beat on medium speed until the dough is smooth and not hot and is cool enough to touch, about 5 minutes. Your dough may seem very thick at this point and stick to the beater in a lump. If using the food processor, making sure the dough is cool enough to touch before mixing is essential, as it's easy for the food processor to overheat.
One at a time, lightly whisk one of the eggs in a small bowl. With mixer on low speed, add the egg into the dough and beat until combined. This might take several minutes and might at first look like it won't incorporate into the thick dough with the egg sloshing around, but keep at it for several minutes and it will incorporate (it took me 5 minutes per egg). As the egg incorporates, slowly increase the speed on the mixer, keeping an eye on it that it doesn't slosh around too much and threaten to fly out. Mix until it's completely smooth. If the dough is stuck to the beaters in a thick clump, use the spatula to remove it and then repeat with the remaining egg.
With the mixer on low, slowly add cheese and beat on medium speed until fully incorporated, using the spatula to remove the dough from the beater once, if needed. If needed, knead the dough with tapioca flour-covered hands until fully incorporated. (Note: If you skip or minimize the cheese, your dough will be way too sticky/wet to press into a crust.)
Divide the dough into equal halves, covering your hands and the dough lightly in tapioca flour to keep it from sticking to your hands and the surface. The dough will be more sticky than traditional pizza dough, but dusting it with tapioca flour will do the trick.
Lay a piece of parchment paper down and dust it lightly with tapioca flour. Dusting the dough with more tapioca flour as you go, press half of the dough into a 12-inch round on the parchment paper, creating a thicker crust around the outside. Prick holes in the bottom of the crust with a fork. Repeat with the second half on a second sheet of parchment paper.
One at a time, place one pizza dough round on the baking stone or baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven and bake for 10-13 minutes *(See note).
Cover with toppings of your choice.
Bake for 7-10 more minutes.
Notes
Tapioca Flour: This recipe has only been tested using Bob's Red Mill tapioca flour. I do not recommend using a different brand because some are less finely ground than others and will incorporate moisture differently - your results will vary if you use a different brand. As of January 2021, I've removed the cup measurement because I recommend only measuring the tapioca flour by weight to ensure you have the right amount so your dough is not too wet.*Your crust will need 20 minutes total of baking time. The par-bake and final bake time will depend on your toppings. For example, if you're using fresh mozzarella as a topping, par-bake the crust for longer, but then bake the crust for only 7 minutes once you add the toppings because the cheese just needs to melt. If you're using other toppings like mushrooms or pepperoni, par-bake for just 10 minutes, then bake for 10 minutes longer once you add the toppings.
This nutritional information has been automatically calculated, and as such, may be incomplete or inaccurate. Please reference the specific ingredients you use for the most accurate nutritional information.