We call this easy homemade vegan gluten-free pizza crust “easy cheaty” because it’s made from a packaged mix. However, it’s not a packaged pizza crust mix, it’s a ‘repurposed’ packaged artisan bread mix! And it’s truly super-easy to make, and super yummy!

You see, one day we realized that we had a couple of packages of Simple Mills artisan bread mix in the pantry. We actually never had much success with it in terms of making bread; perhaps it’s because we’re at altitude, perhaps not. Or perhaps it’s because it generally requires eggs, and it just doesn’t work as well with a vegan egg substitute, such as a flax egg. Fortunately we created our own “works every time” super-easy, super-yummy, “works for sandwiches” bread recipe (which you can find here). So we kind of forgot about the two boxes of Simple Mills bread mix that we had in the pantry.

Then we stumbled across them, and we happened to be really in the mood for pizza, and so we thought “Hrmmm….”, and then we did it, and then… holy cow!!!

Now, you may be thinking “But Chef, if we don’t already have it, why would we want to get the Simple Mills bread mix to make pizza, when Simple Mills already has their own pizza crust mix?”

There are a few reasons, mainly to do with the ingredients. The Simple Mills bread mix has only 6 ingredients: almond flour, arrowroot, flax, tapioca starch, salt, and baking soda. By contrast, the Simple Mills pizza crust mix also has cauliflower, cream of tartar, oregano, and garlic. Now, some people can’t process cauliflower, and garlic is just plain out for many people as it is a FODMAP. As John Hopkins Medical Center explains, “FODMAP stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols, which are short-chain carbohydrates (sugars) that the small intestine absorbs poorly. Some people experience digestive distress after eating them.” Onion and garlic are among some of the most common FODMAPs which give people digestive problems.

Also, the bread mix makes a slightly thicker, and slightly larger, crust.

Looks amazing, right? Because it is!

And if you’re thinking “But Chef, what about the cost? There are already a few gluten-free vegan ready-made crusts, and mixes, isn’t this a more expensive way to go?”

Short answer, not really. First, there aren’t really that many ready-made pizza crusts that are both gluten-free and vegan. Same for mixes. Second, the ones that are out there usually are of the “feels and tastes like cardboard” variety, and third, they aren’t cheap, and they are usually pretty small, making them actually more expensive per serving. By contrast, you can get a 3-pack of the yummy Simple Mills bread mix for a little over $7.00 per package ($22 for 3) on Amazon, and in some areas you can get them individually right at the grocery store.

Bottom line? Try it, you’ll like it! :~)

Super Easy Cheaty Gluten-Free Vegan Pizza Crust