Buffalo Chickpea Pizza
A deliciously saucy Vegan Buffalo Chickpea Pizza made with layers of tomato sauce, buffalo sauce, and chickpeas with a cheesy sauce drizzled over top. Perfect as a party appetizer or for a fun new twist on pizza night!
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
- 1 pound pizza dough
- 2-4 ounces tomato sauce or pizza sauce
- Scallions
Buffalo Chickpeas
- ¼ cup vegan butter
- 8 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- ¼ cup hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon sriracha optional, omit for a milder pizza
- 2 teaspoons coconut sugar
- 15 ounces chickpeas drained and rinsed
Cheesy Sauce
- 2 cups cauliflower florets I use frozen
- ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
- ¼ cup hemp seeds
- 3 tablespoons soy milk or other dairy-free milk, unsweetened
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon salsa
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F. Let dough sit on floured surface for 20 minutes while preparing the buffalo chickpeas.
- Add cauliflower to a pot with enough water to cover. Boil until fork tender, about 10 minutes or so. When done, drain.
- Warm ¼ cup butter over medium heat in a medium skillet.
- Once melted, add minced garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper, and cook for 3-5 minutes.
- Add hot sauce, sriracha (if using), and coconut sugar. Whisk into a sauce, then add the drained and rinsed chickpeas. Let simmer on low heat while making the cheesy sauce.
- To a high speed blender, add all of the cheesy sauce ingredients, along with the cauliflower. Blend until smooth.
- Assemble the pizza. Roll out the dough into a large circle or rectangle. Spread out desired amount of tomato sauce, then spread the buffalo chickpeas over top. Drizzle some of the cheesy sauce over top, leaving some for after the pizza has baked in the oven. If you wish you can lightly brush the crust with olive oil or vegan butter. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the crust is golden.
- Let cool for a few minutes, then drizzle the desired amount of cheesy sauce over top. Garnish with sliced scallions.