When you think of pizza, you most likely picture something dripping with melted cheese and, unless you're vegetarian, plenty of meat, too. For vegans, neither the meat nor the cheese is an option — unless you happen to have some vegan cheese substitute and mock meats handy, which is pretty uncommon. That doesn't mean a vegan can't still enjoy pizza night, even at a pizza restaurant. Pizza bases don't normally contain any dairy or other animal ingredients, making them suitable for people on a plant-based diet to eat. But how do you make a pizza delicious if you're ditching the cheese and some of the toppings?
Extra sauce
Without cheese, some people might find their pizza a bit on the dry side. It doesn't have to be the case, though. Just adding some extra tomato sauce can be a great way to replace the moisture lost when taking cheese out of the equation. Classic pizza sauce is rich and tasty, so you won't even miss cheese on the taste front. You could try different sauces, too, like barbecue or a spicy chilli sauce.
Avocado
Avocados are high in healthy fats. Slice one up or mash it roughly and it can create a surprisingly cheese-like sensation on top of a pizza. It's best to put it on after cooking, though, and mix in or sprinkle over a bit of lemon juice to stop it going an unappetising shade of muddy brown.
Artichokes
Popular in Mediterranean food, these strange-looking vegetables are actually a type of thistle. They're much tastier than the ones that catch on your clothes, though. When they're prepared, pieces of artichoke have a hearty, meaty texture that provides a pleasing bit of extra bite to a veggie-based pizza. If they're marinated and char-grilled before you use them, they're packed full of delicious flavour that can make them the star of the show.
Olives
A classic pizza topping, the popularity of olives is largely down to their flavour. They have the type of taste known as umami, which is a fairly strong, savoury kind of aspect that some people can't get enough of. They can really up the flavour stakes on your pizza and make up for the loss of cheese.
Nutritional yeast
This is one of those weird vegan ingredients, but there's a reason it's so popular. It's basically deactivated yeast that comes in the form of flakes and has a definite cheesy taste to it. You might have to take this with you if you're eating in a restaurant, but it's dry and can be put into a little bag. Sprinkle it over the top of your creation and you'll be in vegan pizza heaven.
Share24 February 2017
I have been trying to lose weight for decades and I hadn't much luck until I switched to a high fat, high protein diet. It means I can finally have bacon and eggs for breakfast and lose weight. I have been loving this diet and the freedom it gives me to eat some of my favourite foods. In order to switch to this style of eating I did need to find a lot of new recipes including high fat and protein snack options. This blog has some of my favourite recipes from a high protein, high fat diet and should be useful for anyone looking to reduce their carb intake.