Enjoy this new vegetarian pizza recipe that’s packed with plant-based protein and infused with warming BBQ flavors. One of the greatest misconceptions surrounding vegetarian or plant-based diets is that they’re deficient in protein. I’ve got healthy pizza recipes that are super tasty AND still full of plant based protein, just like this veggie option.

vegetarian pizza

Well, this veggie pizza’s got 10 grams of protein per serving, and is super filling. This has turned into a personal, as well as family, favorite. It’s also gluten free, which helps leaves me bloat-free after indulging in pizza night.

BBQ Vegetarian Pizza recipe with chickpeas and sweet potatoes

3 Reasons to Love this Veggie Pizza Recipe

Three of my favorite things come together to create this bbq vegetarian pizza:

  • Quinoa pizza crust: full of protein, fiber, all the essential amino acids, etc.
  • Chickpeas…with BBQ sauce…not sure if I need to say anything else here. Ha! They add crunch as well as protein to this vegetarian pizza.
  • Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing: I could drink this stuff! It’s legit delicious and also works double duty to add incredible healthy fats + protein.
Freshly baked veggie pizza recipe with gluten free crust

How to Make a Healthy BBQ Pizza

To make a delicious veggie pizza recipe, each component should be seasoned or at least planned out in advance. Ideally, any toppings that cook for the same amount of time should go on the pizza together. It’s also important to make sure you leave plenty of time to prep the crust. While this vegetarian pizza recipe takes a bit of prep, I guarantee it will soon be a staple in your home too!

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is baked-quinoa-pizza-crust-8056.jpg

We love using a quinoa crust. It’s just dry, pre-soaked quinoa and water, along with a few seasonings. It has the same kind of heartiness and “chew” that traditional pizza dough has. But instead of mixing and kneading, you just soak the quinoa, drain it, blend it up, and bake it in a well-oiled pan.

If you make a double or triple batch at once, then it’s even easier because you can pop the baked quinoa crust (well-wrapped, of course) into the freezer and store it until veggie pizza night comes around again.

Follow our quinoa pizza crust recipe over here (and I suggest making extras so you can have leftovers!)

soaked quinoa ready to be blended for a gluten free, savory crust

Best Toppings on a Vegetarian Pizza

The toppings are the best part, naturally. They’re easy to throw together, which is a bonus for this vegetarian pizza recipe. Here’s how I’m topping this bbq pizza:

  • sweet potatoes
  • chickpeas
  • onions
  • corn
  • cilantro

I always end up with extra roasted sweet potatoes in my kitchen (on purpose!), so it’s nice to use them up in this way. The other ingredients are pretty much freezer or pantry staples. Since I want you to love this vegetarian pizza, use your favorite BBQ sauce. Here’s mine.

Other Veggie Pizza Sauces

Like the idea of a vegetarian pizza, yet not a fan of the BBQ flavors? There are lots of great sauce options when it comes to pizza, depending on the toppings:

More Vegetarian Pizza Options

Pizza is my love language, so I’ve got some other great recipes for you to try:

Leave a comment below letting me know which version you try, as well as how it turned out!

perfectly baked veggie pizza with cilantro lime drizzle
5 from 6 votes

BBQ Vegetarian Pizza

Enjoy the BBQ Vegetarian Pizza Recipe that's loaded with protein and flavor. This recipe is also gluten-free thanks to the homemade quinoa crust. A bit time consuming to make, yet no one ever regrets it. Bon appetite!
Prep: 1 hr 15 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Total: 1 hr 30 mins
Author: Jen Hansard
Course: Entree
Cuisine: Plant-Based, Vegan
Serves: 4

Equipment

  • oven

Ingredients  

For Pizza:

  • 2 quinoa pizza crust
  • 1 15-oz can chickpeas drained and rinsed
  • ½ cup BBQ sauce
  • 1 sweet potato diced and pre-roasted
  • ½ cup corn frozen or fresh
  • ¼ red onion cut into ¼-inch dice

Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing

  • ½ cup raw cashews
  • 2 tbsp hemp hearts
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 garlic cloves
  • 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
  • ½ cup water plus more for soaking
  • ¼ tsp cumin ground
  • ¼ teaspoons sea salt
  • â…› tsp black pepper ground

For garnish

  • green onions
  • cilantro fresh

Instructions 

For pizza:

  • Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place pre-baked pizza crust on prepared baking sheet.
  • Stir chickpeas with BBQ sauce and spoon onto the crust, spreading in an even layer over the entire crust and almost to the edges.
  • Top chickpeas with diced sweet potato, corn, and red onion. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until onions are tender and pizza is hot throughout. Remove from oven and keep warm until ready to serve.

Creamy Cilantro Lime Sauce:

  • While pizza is baking, prepare Creamy Cilantro Sauce. Place raw cashews and hemp hearts into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the chopping blade or into the jar of a blender.
  • Pulse to finely chop, but be careful not to overdo it or you’ll end up with cashew butter. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Stop and scrape down sides as needed. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use. (See recipe notes for a few helpful hints.)

To Serve:

  • To serve, cut hot pizza into 8 wedges, drizzle with Creamy Cilantro Sauce and top with a sprinkle of green onions and fresh cilantro.

Notes

  • Other fresh herbs can be substituted for the cilantro: parsley, mint, oregano and basil are all great substitutes.
  • Lemon juice or vinegar may be substituted for the lime juice.
  • In this recipe, the raw cashews aren’t soaked in water first. However, it can make the sauce a bit more creamy and easy to blend. To presoak the cashews, place them in a bowl of water and allow to sit for 30 minutes or up to overnight. Drain off soaking water and rinse well, then place in blender with remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.
  • You can control the spice and flavor of BBQ sauce, so pick your fav!

Nutrition

Calories: 750kcal, Carbohydrates: 130g, Protein: 23g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Sodium: 1963mg, Potassium: 468mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 29g, Vitamin A: 8461IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 55mg, Iron: 8mg
Tried this recipe? Show me!Mention @SimpleGreenSmoothies or tag #SimpleGreenSmoothies!

About the Author

Simple Green Smoothies

I went from exhausted mama to running across the Grand Canyon, riding & hiking to the top of the tallest waterfall in North America with my kids. How? I fell in love with the smoothies and plant-based meals you can find on my blog.

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Comments

    1. This pizza has such an awesome combo of flavors!

    1. Let us know what you think after you make it! 🙂

  1. 5 stars
    I’m making this tonight for our Friday night pizza & movie night. Excited to try it out!

  2. 5 stars
    Definitely a win! I usually put ranch on my pizza, so I can’t wait to top this next one with this cilantro lime sauce.

    1. I’m a huge fan of ranch on my pizza also and I love that the creamy cilantro lime sauce is a healthier alternative! 🙂

  3. 5 stars
    Duuuude- this was legit! I’ve been vegan for 4 years and pretty depressed with the pizza recipes out there. They’re either trying too hard to be cheese (yet fake) or they suck with the flavor. This recipe was out of this world when it comes to flavor, texture and happiness in my belly. Thanks rawkstars… can’t wait to make some other pizzas from ya’ll now!

    1. So glad you found us and this awesome pizza recipe, Ryann! You def have to make our other pizza recipes… they’re just as delicious! 🙂