A delicious gluten free pizza margherita with homemade sauce, fresh mozzarella and basil. All the flavors of Italy from the comfort of your own kitchen!
Ah, pizza. Truly a classic and comfort dish to many around the globe. Who knew bread, tomatoes, and cheese could make such a delicious meal. It’s so simple, yet perfect. My favorite type of meal!
I’ve always preferred a plain cheese pizza over all the variety, but ever since eating margherita pizza (aka pizza Margherita) several years ago, I’ve found a new favorite!
So just how did this pizza acquire its name? Well, in the late 1800s, after the unification of Italy, King Umberto I and his wife, Queen Margherita, visited the city of Naples. It is said they feasted on the local Neapolitan fare and the queen took a liking to a particular pizza which was topped with soft white cheese, red tomatoes and green basil—the colors of the Italian flag. Soon after the pie was named pizza Margherita, in honor of the queen.
A couple of years ago, my husband, Rafael, and I took a trip to Italy to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We visited Venice, Florence, Rome, and the Amalfi coast. It was such a beautiful country, each city having something wonderfully charming to offer. We ate pasta, paninis, and pizza all day, everyday. Although it was some of the best food I had ever eaten, midway through our trip my stomach began to rebel against me and I had to take a break from all of the gluten-laden bread and pasta.
We ended up eating at a Chinese restaurant for dinner one night while in Rome. Who thinks to eat anything other than Italian food while vacationing in Italy? Apparently just us. We were the only tourists in the restaurant full of Italians..and Chinese people, of course. The funny thing was, the restaurant staff couldn’t speak any English, just Italian and Chinese, and can you guess what language the menu was in? Yep, Italian..Shocking, right? We pretty much pointed aimlessly at the menu and hoped for the best.
Of all the food we ate during those couple of weeks, a pizza we had on the coast of Italy was hands down the best pizza I have EVER had! You could tell the ingredients were fresh and the dough was soft and had a slight chew to it. I don’t know what their secret was, but now when I make homemade pizza, I like to use the freshest ingredients possible.
I’ve started making the tomato sauce homemade, which has such a great flavor plus you also know exactly what’s in it. I start with a can of San Marzano peeled whole tomatoes, instead of tomato paste or sauce. These tomatoes are grown in Italy, in the rich volcanic soil found at the base of Mount Vesuvius, an active volcano. They say these are some of the best tasting tomatoes one can find. If you can’t get San Marzano tomatoes, just get the best you can find. Getting them whole means that they are minimally processed and allows for some texture in the sauce.
I sauté onions, garlic, and shredded carrots (for extra sweetness) along with the spices to release their flavors. I then add the tomatoes and break them up with my wooden spoon. You can also add a splash of red wine, for depth of flavor, but it’s totally optional. Cover the pot and simmer the sauce to deepen the flavors.
This makes 2-3 cups of sauce, which is more than enough for these pizzas. You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for several days or use as a marinara sauce on top of spaghetti. You could probably freeze it too, although I have not tested it.
I have to admit that my favorite part of a pizza is the crust. This gluten-free dough that I modified from this recipe on Epicurious.com, is the best gluten-free pizza dough I have ever had. Seriously. I prefer to make the crust more thick and roll up the edges, but you can make thin crust pizzas, leave off the edge, or make it rectangular, the choice is up to you.
It has the chew that I love, is soft, bready, and taste so much like regular crust. I seriously doubt your gluten-eating friends and family would be able to tell the difference.
After you let the dough rise, no need to pre-bake. Just top it with your sauce, cheese, and whatever other toppings you want. Sometimes I like to add fresh chopped tomatoes, but it’s your choice.
Bake in a 450 degree Fahrenheit oven for about 15 minutes, give or take, depending on how thin/thick your crust is and your oven. Just keep an eye on it after 10 minutes or so and take it out when the crust is golden and the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Garnish the top with fresh basil leaves *a must* slice and serve. This makes 1 large or 2 smaller pizzas and should be enough to serve 2-4 people, again depending on how big you made them.
I hope you enjoy this recipe, friends! May it take your tastebuds to the coast of Italy. Buon Appetito!
- pizza Dough, recipe below
- pizza sauce, recipe below
- 8oz. ball fresh mozzarella, drained and sliced thin
- handful fresh basil leaves
- extra olive oil for drizzling, optional
- 1.5 cups tapioca flour
- 1 cup white rice flour
- ½ cup coconut flour
- 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup water or plain milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 envelopes rapid rise yeast (.25oz per envelope = .5oz or 4½ teaspoons altogether)
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons butter/ghee or olive oil
- ½ onion, finely chopped
- ¼ cup finely grated carrot
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 (28 oz) can peeled whole tomatoes, I like San Marzano Tomatoes
- salt and pepper, to taste
- splash of red wine, optional
- 1-2 teaspoons of honey, optional
- In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, garlic, and seasonings, and sauté until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add whole tomatoes and begin to break up with a wooden spoon. Season with salt, pepper, to taste, and if you're adding the splash of wine, add it now. Let tomato sauce come to a boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer. The flavor takes time to develop, so let it cook on low for 20-25 minutes. Sauce should have reduced by now. Depending on your tomatoes, a little honey may be needed if sauce hasn't sweetened up. Taste and adjust seasonings, as needed. Remove from heat and let cool.
- *QUICK TIP: When measuring flours, never pack flour into the measuring cups, which results in too much flour added to the recipe and dry, tough baked goods. Instead, pour or scoop flour into the cup and level the top off with the back of a knife.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flours, xanthan gum, and salt. In a small saucepan, heat milk/water, honey, and oil until mixture is very warm, between 105-115 degrees F. Stir yeast into warm milk and then pour mixture into the flour, slowly, while mixing. Add eggs, and continue to mix for 2-3 minutes, until dough is smooth and thoroughly combined.
- This dough makes two smaller or 1 large pizza. The size will upon how thin or thick you roll the dough. I prefer a thicker crust, so I spread it into a ½-inch circle and roll up the edges to make a rim around the pizza. The dough will be sticky, but should still hold together when pressed. I prefer to use oiled hands rather than more flour to work with the dough. However, if dough is too sticky (won't hold its shape) you can use a little extra rice flour to form a soft dough. Be careful not to add too much extra or the dough will be tough.
- With well oiled hands, spread dough onto a greased or parchment paper lined pizza pan or jelly roll pan. Cover dough with a clean kitchen towel and place into a warm, draft-free area to rise. Let rise for 20-30 minutes, until almost doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 450F. Uncover dough and top with pizza sauce, a few torn basil leaves, and fresh mozzarella. Bake in oven for 15-18 minutes, just until cheese is melted, bubbly, and crust is golden brown. It may take more or less time depending on your oven and how thin/thick your crust is. Keep an eye on it after 10 minutes and take it out when the crust is lightly brown and the cheese is bubbly.
- Remove from the oven and top with more fresh basil leaves. You can also add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil before cutting into slices. Serves 2-4 people.
Hi there! This looks delicious! We are grain free, as much as possible, and was wondering if cassava flour might be a doable replacement for the white rice flour in the pizza dough? I am trying to get better at understanding all of the flours. 🙂 Learning curve! Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Bethany! I actually haven’t tried this with cassava flour, so I’m not sure how it would work. It’s tricky to swap gf flours out with other flours because they each have different properties and work uniquely in recipes. I’d hate for you to waste ingredients trying it and it not work out. It’s a great idea though, so I’ll have to test some recipes and get a grain-free version added here soon! In the meantime, it might be better to look for a cassava flour pizza crust recipe online, just to be sure. 🙂
Yay, I’d love to see your grain free option when you get around to it! Thank you! It’s so true, gf flours are tricky. So thank you for the recommendation! I really appreciate your response. 🙂
Thanks for the mini history lesson Joscelyn! So funny, I went out for late night pizza with my friend from Naples, Italy and she was almost offended by our American, doughy, packed with toppings pizza! I’ve never made my own pizza dough, will have to try your GF version!
♥ Lisa
Strum Simmer Sip
I’m sure she’s a pizza snob, and rightly so since Naples has the best pizza in the world! I’ve always loved to make homemade pizza but have only recently started making gf dough. It’s honestly not that hard and tastes really good. You’ll have to try it for yourself sometime 🙂 Thanks for stopping by, Lisa!
I so wished I was visiting when you made this! I love pizza made with fresh ingredients like this one! I also learned about the Margherita pizza being named after Queen Margherita, but I was in the Pantheon in Rome listening to a Rick Steve’s podcast, haha! Where should I buy all the flours to make the dough, and what is an okay price to pay? Thanks, Joscelyn!
Haha, that’s funny that they would be talking about the history of pizza in the Pantheon! For the dough, you could honestly use regular pizza crust and just use these toppings since you’re not gluten-free. Let me know if you get a chance to try it! 😉
I had no idea about the origins of this pizza’s name, I just knew I loved Margherita pizza, so thank you for sharing that fun fact! This looks divine, I need this pizza in my life and am excited to try out this recipe!
Thanks, Sam! It’s fun to see the history behind things 🙂 I really hope you like the pizza! Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks for the recipe! Dough based gluten free pizza recipes are hard to come by. Followed you on bloglovin, your blog is great 🙂
http://www.chloecake.blogspot.com
Aw, thanks so much, Chloe! I’ll look for you on there too! You’re right, gluten free dough is hard to come by. I really hope you like it! 🙂
This pizza looks yummy and that crust looks perfect.
Your Italy pictures are awesome, one day all make my way there!
Thanks, Ana! Italy was amazing! I really hope you get a chance to visit and I really hope I get a chance to go back, lol! 🙂
Just a quick question – how much yeast is in each envelope – live in Scotland so don’t get the same things here – just getting to grips with cups (we are used to weighing everything)
Thanks
Paula
Hi Paula! Thank you so much for asking that question. Each envelope has .25 oz which makes a total of .5 oz of yeast. I updated the recipe to show the proper measurements, but please let me know if you have any further questions!
Thank you so much for that I love the blog can’t wait to give the recipe a go xx
Aw, I really appreciate it, Paula! I hope you like it! 🙂
This looks delicious and it’s a healthier option! Wow!
Thanks, Raj! It really was delicious, I hope you get a chance to try it!
This looks incredible, Joscelyn! Nothing beats a homemade pizza, and yours sounds so delicious. The images are completely mouth-watering. The flavours in the pizza sauce are absolute perfection – I always love to add in a splash of red wine too!!
Thank you, Harriet! I agree, homemade is best 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
This looks AMAZING! So much good food on your blog. I can’t believe it. And that crust: SO yummy.
I love your Italy pictures. You look stunning. And I enjoyed the story of how you ended up in a Chinese 🙂
Thanks so so much for sharing.
Aww, thank you, Kimberly! My family was excited to get pizza after pizza while I tested and tweaked the recipe 😉 We had such a wonderful time in Italy, it’s nice to recall some of the happy memories from our trip. I appreciate all of your kind words and encouragement!
Wow! This looks a.ma.zi.ng! I love that it’s homemade! I will definitely be trying this recipe, very, soon!
Thanks, Kait! Please let me know how you like it!