This vegan cast iron skillet pizza is bursting with color and flavor, and is incredibly versatile. You can truly use whatever vegetables you have on hand, and the process of making an upside-down pizza in a cast iron skillet is just so much fun! The best part is that the top AND bottom both get nice and crispy, so no soggy bottom here!
The pizza only takes an hour to make from start to finish. The true beauty of this recipe is that you can tailor it to fit your preferences, both with the toppings and with the thickness of the crust. My preference is a thinner, more New York-style pizza crust, so that’s what the recipe reflects. If you prefer a really thick crust, like a Chicago-style pizza would have, use 20-24 oz of pizza dough instead of 10. If you’d like to have something between the two, like a Detroit-style pizza, use 15 oz.
The cast iron skillet that I used to create this recipe can be purchased using the link below:
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Preheat the oven to 400°F. Pour the avocado oil into your cast iron skillet and heat up on medium-high heat until the oil is warmed through. Remove from the heat and add 2 Tbsp parmesan “cheese”.
Layer on the broccoli and tomatoes.
Layer on the scallions and peppers.
Next, layer on the mushroom slices.
Layer on the spinach.
Finally sprinkle the mozzarella “cheese” all over the top in an even layer.
Drop 3-4 dollops of pizza sauce onto the top of the cheese, and spread them together to make an even layer of sauce, leaving about a 1-2″ margin of uncovered cheese around the perimeter.
Roll your pizza dough out so that it’s flat. Carefully stretch out your pizza dough by draping it over your knuckles and letting gravity do the rest. Rotate the dough and repeat until the dough is stretched out enough to fit the 12″ pan, and use it to cover the contents of the pan. Brush the olive oil over the entire top of the dough
Put the skillet into the oven for 25 minutes, or until the dough has browned.
Remove the pan from the oven and place on a trivet or on a bare stovetop. Place a baking sheet on top of the skillet, and with oven mitts (!!), carefully and quickly flip both over, making sure to press the skillet firmly against the baking sheet the entire time. If the pizza doesn’t drop perfectly out of the skillet onto the baking sheet, use a spatula to gently coax the pizza out of the skillet.
Sprinkle the remaining Tbsp of parmesan “cheese” over the top of the pizza and return it to the oven for an additional 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven. Transfer the pizza onto a cutting board and let cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing. Serve hot.
Vegan Skillet Pizza
Equipment
- 12" cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- 10 oz pizza dough
- 3 Tbsp plant-based parmesan cheese (I like Follow Your Heart brand), shredded
- 2 tsp avocado oil
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 6 scallions, cut into 1" long pieces
- 1 bell pepper (or sweet mini peppers, like I used), sliced into strips
- 1 head broccoli, florets cut off and sliced in half
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1 cup baby spinach leaves
- 1 cup baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 1 cup plant-based mozzarella cheese (I like Parmela Creamery brand) shredded
- 3 Tbsp vegan pizza sauce (I like Rao's Homemade brand)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Pour the avocado oil into your cast iron skillet and heat up on medium-high heat until the oil is warmed through. Remove from the heat and add 2 Tbsp parmesan "cheese".
- Layer on the broccoli and tomatoes. Then layer on the scallions and peppers.
- Next, layer on the mushroom slices and then the spinach.
- Finally sprinkle the mozzarella "cheese" all over the top in an even layer.
- Drop 3-4 dollops of pizza sauce onto the top of the cheese, and spread them together to make an even layer of sauce, leaving about a 1-2" margin of uncovered cheese around the perimeter.
- Roll your pizza dough out so that it's flat. Carefully stretch out your pizza dough by draping it over your knuckles and letting gravity do the rest. Rotate the dough and repeat until the dough is stretched out enough to fit the 12" pan, and use it to cover the contents of the pan.
- Brush the olive oil over the entire top of the dough, and put the skillet into the oven for 25 minutes, or until the dough has browned.
- Remove the pan from the oven and place on a trivet or on a bare stovetop. Place a baking sheet on top of the skillet, and with oven mitts (!!), carefully and quickly flip both over, making sure to press the skillet firmly against the baking sheet the entire time. If the pizza doesn't drop perfectly out of the skillet onto the baking sheet, use a spatula to gently coax the pizza out of the skillet.
- Sprinkle the remaining Tbsp of parmesan "cheese" over the top of the pizza and return it to the oven for an additional 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven. Transfer the pizza onto a cutting board and let cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing. Serve hot.