Before this recipe came to life, I hadn’t eaten pizza in a very long time. Once a member of Pizza Hut’s Book It! club (back in the day), I don’t remember the last time I had a Personal Pan. But why should gluten-free, veganites miss out on pizza? We shouldn’t! If you are yearning for a taste of your childhood (or possibly inebriated college days), read on…

Vegan, Gluten-Free Hawaiian Pizza! Too good to be true? Nope! Totally doable with a couple of yummy swaps… a cashew-based cheddar cheese sauce for mozzarella, a gluten-free quinoa crust for white flour, and lastly,  and the most creative swap, a smokey sweet potato concoction for the ham.  Stop missing out and start baking.

Side Note: Cashews must be soaked for at least 3 hours prior to use in the Cheddar Cheese Sauce. You can make the Cheddar Cheese Sauce one to two days before making the pizza to speed up prep time.

Vegan, Gluten-Free Hawaiian Pizza

serves 8

• 1 tsp coconut oil, melted
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 3/4 tsp salt (divided)
• dash of cayenne
• 2 cups gluten-free all purpose flour
• 1 cup quinoa flour
• 2 tbsp pure cane sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 packet yeast
• 1 1/4 cup warm water (divided)
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 15oz can diced tomatoes (no salt added) (alternatively, you can use 1-1.5 cups pizza sauce)
• 1/2 cup Vegan Cheddar Cheese Sauce (recipe below)
• 1/2 cup diced pineapple
• cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prep your pizza pan (or stone) with cooking spray and cover a 9×11 baking sheet with parchment paper (or cooking spray).
2. In a medium bowl, pour melted coconut oil over diced sweet potatoes, tossing to coat.
3. Spread potatoes evenly onto prepared 9×11 pan.
4. Pop sweet potatoes in the oven, roast for 20 minutes.
5. Combine liquid smoke, maple syrup, 1/2 tsp salt, and cayenne in a medium size bowl.
6. Add roasted sweet potato to smokey sauce, tossing to coat. Place potatoes in a small bowl, reserve extra smokey sauce for tomatoes.
7. Add the can of diced tomatoes to a blender. Pour in remaining smokey sauce, blend until liquefied.
8. In a large bowl, whisk together flours, 1 1/4 tsp salt, sugar, and baking powder. Using whisk, create a well in center of the mixture.
9. In a small bowl, combine 1 cup of lukewarm water with the packet of yeast. Stir to combine. Let rest for a few minutes while the yeast works its’ magic.
10. Add yeast to flour mixture, stirring to combine. Add oil and remaining 1/4 cup water to mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon to combine.
11. Press dough evenly into prepared pizza pan. Leave edges of pizza slightly thicker if desired.
12. Bake crust for 20 minutes, until golden.
13. While crust is baking, toss baked sweet potatoes in reserved sauce mixture once again. Let sit in sauce mix until you are ready to top the pizza.
14. To assemble pizza, top crust with tomato sauce first, leaving a one inch border from the edge of the crust.
15. Gently spread cheddar cheese sauce over pizza sauce.
16. Next, add smokey sweet potatoes on top of the cheddar cheese sauce.
17. Finish with chopped pineapple.
18. Bake for 25 minutes or until done. Slice immediately.

Vegan Cheddar Cheese Sauce

makes 10-12 servings

• 1 cup cashews (soaked in water for 3 hours and rinsed)
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup water
• juice of 1 lemon
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp salt
• dash cayenne
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp paprika

1. Combined all ingredients in a high-speed blender. Blend until completely pureed. (You can most likely use a food processor for this, although I would puree the cashews and water prior to adding the other ingredients.)