Zucchini Pizza Crust: The Healthiest Pizza Option!
I love cooking with zucchini because it’s nutritious and versatile. I’ve made zucchini noodles, zucchini chips and even chocolate chip zucchini bread. Recently, my new favorite recipe made with zucchini is my zucchini pizza crust. It’s low-carb, gluten-free and gut-friendly; plus, it contains important nutrients like vitamin B2, vitamin E and manganese. If you are planning on making pizza this week, try this delicious and simple recipe — you’ll never go back to eating traditional, refined pizza crust again!
A Low-Carb Pizza Crust Alternative
I think of pizza as one of the most delicious meals, but I want to keep it healthy and nutritious, so I try new, gluten-free crusts all the time. I’ve made coconut flour pizza crust and cauliflower pizza crust, so it seems only natural to add my zucchini pizza crust into the mix.
This low-carb pizza crust is made with zucchini, which is low in calories, carbs and sugar and can even help to reduce inflammation and improve digestion. Plus, this zucchini pizza crust recipe calls for arrowroot starch (or tapioca flour) and a Paleo flour blend, which is a combination of healthy, nutrient-rich flours, like almond flour. This recipe proves that you don’t have to give in to eating white, refined carbs to enjoy a slice a pizza — you have plenty of healthier options!
Nutrition Facts
One serving of zucchini pizza crust made using this recipe contains roughly the following: (1, 2, 3)
- 127 calories
- 4 grams protein
- 5 grams fat
- 18 grams carbohydrate
- 1.4 grams fiber
- 0.3 grams sugar
- 0.14 milligrams vitamin B2 (13 percent DV)
- 2 miligrams vitamin E (11 percent DV)
- 0.3 milligrams vitamin B5 (7 percent DV)
- 0.2 micrograms vitamin B12 (6 percent DV)
- 116 IUs vitamin A (5 percent DV)
- 2 milligrams vitamin C (3 percent DV)
- 0.2 milligrams manganese (13 percent DV)
- 5 micrograms selenium (10 percent DV)
- 0.08 milligrams copper (10 percent DV)
- 67 milligrams phosphorus (10 percent DV)
- 0.5 milligrams zinc (6 percent DV)
- 20 milligrams magnesium (6 percent DV)
- 34 milligrams calcium (3 percent DV)
- 0.6 milligrams iron (3 percent DV)
- 94 milligrams potassium (2 percent DV)
- 24 milligrams sodium (2 percent DV)
Here’s a quick glance at some of the top health benefits associated with the ingredients in this zucchini pizza crust recipe:
- Zucchini: Zucchini is a favorite among low-carb dieters because it has a very low score on the glycemic index, it’s low in carbohydrates and sugars and its very low in calories. Plus, zucchini is high in nutrients and antioxidants like vitamin C and vitamin A.
- Arrowroot starch: Arrowroot starch is used as a thickener in this recipe, but it does a lot more than that. It contains important nutrients like B vitamins, iron and potassium; plus, it’s an excellent choice for people with sensitive digestive systems because it’s one of the easiest starches to digest. Another great option as your thickener is tapioca flour, which is gluten-free and completely free from sugar.
- Almond flour: Almond flour, which is made from ground almonds, is a nutrient powerhouse that helps to manage blood sugar levels and boost heart health.
How to Make Zucchini Pizza Crust
Before getting your ingredients together, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and get your pizza pan ready by lining it with parchment paper.
The next step is to prep your zucchini. You need 3 cups of grated zucchini, which is about 4 medium zucchinis. Wash and grate them and then squeeze the water out of the zucchini and place it in a medium bowl, discarding the juice.
Now add in 1 cup, plus 3 tablespoons of arrowroot flour or tapioca starch — whichever thickener you prefer or have on hand — and ½ cup of Paleo flour blend, which includes a combination of gluten-free flours like almond flour and coconut flour.
Crack in your eggs and mix all of your ingredients until they are well-combined.
The last step is to dump your batter onto the pizza pan that’s lined with parchment paper and using your fingers, press the batter until it’s thin and round. Bake your crust for 40–45 minutes, flipping the crust halfway through.
And just like that, your zucchini pizza crust is finished. Now, add your favorite toppings and bake the pizza for another 10–12 minutes so that it all comes together. A great topping option is my Florentine pizza that’s made with sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, basil, mushrooms and a delicious cheese blend. Enjoy!
Total Time
1 hour 10 minutes
Serves
8-10
Meal Type
Diet Type
Ingredients:
- 3 cups grated zucchini (takes 4 medium zucchini to make 3 cups)
- 1 cup + 3 tablespoons arrowroot flour or tapioca starch
- ½ cup Paleo flour
- 3 eggs
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Wash and grate zucchini.
- Squeeze the water out of the zucchini and place in a medium bowl, discarding the zucchini juice.
- Add in the arrowroot flour (or tapioca starch), Paleo flour blend and eggs.
- Mix until well combined.
- Line round pizza pan with parchment paper.
- Dump the batter onto the baking sheet, using your fingers to press the batter until it becomes a thin, round-shaped pizza crust.
- Bake for 40–45 minutes, flipping the crust halfway through.
- Remove and add your favorite pizza toppings.
- Bake for an additional 10–12 minutes.
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Why is there NO option to print these recipes???
Good recipe. I used a juicer to extract the zucchini pulp. It makes a bit less than 3 cups, but is a whole lot easier to manage than grating and squeezing. I also added a little bit of salt.
I am vegetarian and have celiac disease. Do not use eggs very often because I get reflex. I have psoriasis and eczema which is getting worse. How would you go about doing a paleo diet? I was looking up paleo flour recipe. Checking your article on Leaky Gut. Thank you. From Ontario Canada
I started eating low carb several years ago and I felt a lot better until I developed food sensitivities to eggs, milk/cheese, beef, shellfish, and tuna due to eating a lot of these foods (or consuming them in collagen and glucosamine supplements.) I’m now at a loss as to how to make a great low carb pizza crust. I can have goat milk and cheese (thank goodness!)
Any ideas?
what does dr. axe bake his pizza on? just curious as I’m tossing aluminum pans on your advice
Highlighted in chocolate chip cookie recipe. Hit the highlight and will take you to recipe
Agreed…
That’s a no brainier. Lots of typos on these phones. Need to get use to it!
THANK YOU! I don’t like a cauliflower pizza crust and needed an alternative
I was going to try the paleo pizza crust recipe but can’t eat almond flour. What could I use for a substitute.
I tried this and the crust never got as brown as is shown in the picture. Mine stayed green. I used potato starch instead of the arrowroot since I had that on hand and coconut flour instead of the paleo. Did that have anything to do with it?
Another question about the flour; if you used equal parts coconut and quinoa would you still add the tapioca starch or just measure the entire amount using coconut and quinoa flour?
I made this last night with a mixed outcome. There was no recipe for a paleo flour so the one that I chose had almond flour, tapioca starch and coconut flour. I think you need a paleo flour that does not contain tapioca starch since you are adding 1 cup plus 3 tbl. to the zucchini. The mixture was very watery even though I put a little more almond flour into it. Also added dried herbs to the flours. The taste was quite good, but the texture not so good.
Hi Dr Axe,
Is tapioca starch the same as tapioca flour? What is paleo blend flour? Thanks.
Oops I just read about it up there so sorry.
Another question I want to ask is, I know this crust is way better than those out there, but once the zucchini have been cooked, would there actually be any nutrients to it at all? Just probably just some plain fibre left? Thanks.
Hi Audrey, there are many healthy paleo flour blends available online or at your local health food store. Tapioca starch and Tapioca flour are the same thing. It’s definitely confusing as far as packaging is concerned but Tapioca starch/flour comes from the root of the cassava plant. I hope this helps!
Thanks so much xxx
I added 1 tbsp Himalayan salt, 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese and 1 tsp each garlic powder and oregano. I eat very healthy most days but I just had to bump this a bit!
Got a pic of our Pizza, the toppings are coconut cheese, and low fat soy cheese (the squares if you saw it, where…. coconut cheese with olive bits, baby (lettuce?) leaves, with mixed sprouts, mushrooms, and onions, olives….it was so tasty my kids licked their plates…
Hi all, my pizza dough came out a beauty and if I could’ve up loaded a pic (which I have) you would have seen it…everything (well almost everything) is generally vegan, my dough was made with one part coconut flour one part quinoa and tapioca starch instead of Arrowroot since here no one knows what that is. By the way for anyone interested my dough sat in our fridge in a zip lock bag until today (about two to three days) I sqished up the bag to re mix it as there was some liquid (probably from the zukini but who knows the bag was air tight) the Pizza crust came out great…you should mention for none US ovens that do Celsius instead that the 350 F is equal to 175C or if like me your oven has not got that (I use a toaster oven) it’s between 150 to 200C… Hope this info helps.
Can’t find a paleo blend here that doesn’t use rice or potatoes in it can it work (OK I am going to try to make it with coconut and quinoa flour and yes l believe it could work with almond flour because until recently most of the dough’s I made I combined with almond, quinoa, and occasionally coconut depending what I was making but be aware that almond is heavier and some flours are slightly sweet but that could be me) will let you know how my pizza crust comes out.
PS carbs are not necessarily bad for you it is all about balancing what u eat…I am a diabetic with a unknown thing (let’s not call it a growth) in my liver my diet is one third carbs but my fat mount per day is (on most good days) less then 16% of my days intake of food (total intake for the day) since my diet is best when I eat more protein then carbs, like most I try to keep the carbs down but I don’t sweat it simply because a pizza like this is something you share or you portion out and freeze, fridge, and eat for a separate meal. Dr Axe your shake with blueberries and coconut etc, does work wonders according to blood test I took, but financially I now make it only when I have the ready cash…eating healthy is not cheep…but all one can do is the best one can right?
Thanks again.
Here’s the paleo flour blend I found and used: http://www.bobsredmill.com/paleo-baking-flour.html
@Ayla Sadler can’t use this because it uses Almond flour I make my own flour or by quinoa and coconut flour it works just as good especially if you add tapioca starch. But thanks for the link.
I found Bob’s Red Mill Paleo Baking Flour and the ingredients are Almond Flour, Arrowroot starch, coconut flour and tapioca flour.
That’s great news, Nicole! Their paleo flour blend is good!
I’m curious about the 3 cups of grated zucchini as well. I grated 4 medium zucchini and after squeezing the water out I had less then a cup of zucchini. Can you let us know please. Can’t wait to try this recipe. Thank you so much.
Hi Nicole, you squeeze the water out after you measure out the three cups. I hope this helps!
Thank you so much for pizza recipes!!! I miss that more than any “regular” food!
You’re welcome, Jerrie! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe.
When I click on the link for the Paleo Blend flour, it just states a mixture of Almond and Coconut.
But comments refer to Paleo Flour blend as having Rice flour.
AND, Coconut flour affects rd, immensely,
so precise coconut flour is needed to get consistency of batter.
So, what is the real Paleo Flour blend you refer to?
Here’s the paleo flour blend I found and used: http://www.bobsredmill.com/paleo-baking-flour.html
Is that 3 cups of zucchini before the water is squeezed out?
After, water squeezed out, like my Cauliflower crust recipe, makes the volume a lot less.
I am not on a KETOGENIC eating plan, however I have been following Josh Axe for more than 18 months, and thanks to His recipe for Bone Broth, I regrew my own cartilage, and had NO OPS and love the recipes for so many foods.
I am going to try this recipe today, however I would look at making your own FLOUR BLEND also Maybe a suggestion as I often make Cauliflower and Broccoli based pizza I just dry fry for a few minutes the veggies, then add one egg (normally is enough) even my friend who thought they were and had been told they were ALLERGIC TO EGGS it turns out they are allergic to EGGS that are from BATTERY HENS and they now are able to eat FREE RANGE EGGS with not one side effect, same with my friends with LACTOSE intolerance they are only allergic to PROCESSED MILKS not ORGANIC GRASS FED milk, so just a little added into for anyone who has been told they are allergic, try the REAL FOOD rather than processed. I shall be making this recipe and adding I think just Fresh Grated Parmesan few herbs and salt and pepper and an egg to bind.
Agree with the JUICE part, save it and use in soups etc, I use all the veggies from Bone Broth and make soup also SAVE THE FAT FROM Bone Broth to cook with, I actually only throw the bones away because I have no animals to blend it into feed for,
Thank you Josh Axe for ALL your help. Also for your book EAT DIRT.
Hi Ali, you are welcome! I’m so glad to hear how far you’ve come in your journey. Best of luck as you continue on. Blessings!
Discard the zucchini juice? Never! Freeze for soups, use in smoothies, at least pour it on a plant. Don’t throw it out!
I agree since the vitamins are also in the water !
Agree. Not keto, but certainly better than take out pizza or a white wheat crust!
As a diabetic it may be high in carbs but it depends on your eating habits and just what you put on top…it doesn’t raise my blood sugar but has (probably since I don’t eat sugar almost at all) a sweetness … I am talking about. If this is your main meal of the day and you are mostly on a high protein low fat diet splurging on this is far better then some alternatives.
Better tasting then any take out pizza (and I meant the crust was slightly sweet…the coconut flour maybe?)
Hmmm, looks intriguing although 18 grams of carbs per serving does not sound keto-worthy. Might like to try it but, why no link to a paleo flour recipe?
Hi Cheri,
There are many varieties of paleo flour blends in your local health food store and online. I found my favorite at my local health food store! I hope this helps.
The recipe looks great, however, what if you have an egg allergy? What would be a healthy alternative for the eggs used in the crust? Thanks!
Hi Sarah,
You may try flax or chia eggs. Take 1 tablespoon of either flax or chia and add it to 3 tablespoons of water, allowing the mixture to sit for a few minutes. I hope this helps!
Sorry Dr Axe, flax/chia eggs don’t help to hold the crust together AT ALL :( I’m still trying to find an alternative…
Use psyllium husks and powder and flax seed meal, preferably home ground, as a substitute for eggs and gluten in alternative flour and ground seeds–pumpkin or sunflower recipes which I had to invent for myself since nothing available suited me. Experiment with quantities but I use 1 cup millet or teff flour to 1 1/4 cup ground sunflower or pumpkin seeds and 2 heaping tablespoons of psyllium and 3 heaping tablespoons of flax seed meal. I add herbs like caraway, or thyme, and garlic and onion powder to round out and improve the taste and I usually make a flat bread on a cookie sheet or individuals flat “rolls” since baking as a loaf never works quite right. Oh yeah, two cups water, 1 tablespoon of baking yeast about 1/2 teaspoon of blackstrap molasses for leavening.
I don’t use Paleo flour blend because so many of them have rice flour in them, which I don’t like….will doing a mixture of almond and coconut flour work or just almond flour?
Hi Meredith, you may try; however it may change the consistency. I have found a few paleo flour blends that omit rice flour and they work well. I would advise checking with your local health food store or searching online. I hope this helps!
Dr Axe has a flour blend in his chocolate chip cookie recipe that uses a blended mix of almond flour, coconut flour, arrowroot and tapioca. You can find the ratio if you tap then highlighted “paleo flour blend” listed in cookie recipe in this email.
Hi Dr Axe!
I’m reading your book and loving it! I’ve bought several copies for my family and friends and I’m only on page 100! Thank you for what you do.
This recipe calls for paleo flour, which says it’s a combination of flours. Is there a certain ratio of flours or do you choose what you like? Does it need to be different flours? Thanks!!
Hi Megan!
I’m so happy to hear that you are loving the book! There are so many types of paleo flours out there, it’s hard for me to choose a favorite. I would check your local health food store or look online to see which paleo flour blend works best for you. Blessings to you and yours!
You don’t need to use Paper flour I used equal parts coconut flour and quinoa with instead of Arrowroot, Tapioca starch….it came out great and my kids licked their plates.
Great flour combination! I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe.
You don’t need to use paleo flour, I used equal parts coconut flour, and quinoa and instead of Arrowroot, Tapioca starch….it came out great and my kids licked their plates.
Are all of your gut friendly recipes ok for type two diabetics
Hi Rick, I don’t recommend all of my gut friendly recipes for type two diabetics. I recommend consulting with your healthcare provider or nutritionist to better understand which recipes suit your needs.