A healthy spin on a classic recipe, this vegan BBQ pizza recipe is super easy to make and packed with nutritious ingredients. It's gluten-free and made on our quinoa pizza crust as well!
![BBQ QUINOA PIZZA topped with shallots, cherry tomatoes and chickpeas! [vegetarian + gluten-free]](https://www.simplyquinoa.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/bbq-quinoa-pizza-chickpeas-3.webp)
It's a recipe you've all been asking for and I finally got my act together to give it to you. A vegan BBQ pizza, my friends. And it's got all the goods – chickpeas, caramelized shallots, cherry tomatoes, fresh herbs and it's all on top of my favorite quinoa pizza crust recipe. Hope you're pumped!
I'd guess for almost everyone, pizza is comfort food. It's greasy, cheesy and even if you load it up with veggies, it's still pretty unhealthy. That's why I initially created my classic quinoa pizza crust recipe. I wanted to give you a way to enjoy this fave food without feeling like you're “cheating”.
How to Make Quinoa Pizza Crust
My quinoa pizza crust is crazy simple to make. All you need is just 5 ingredients and a blender.
Here's what's inside:
- White quinoa: make sure that it's soaked for at least 30 minutes in boiling water so it gets soft enough to blend!
- Olive oil: adds some moisture – can be swapped with hummus or more water.
- Water: helps to blend everything together.
- Baking powder: just to add a little lightness!
- Sea salt: just for a little flavor! You can also add spices if you want.
And all you have to do is blend the ingredients together in a high powered blender!
It looks kind of like a thick pancake batter that is pourable but don't worry, it bakes up into a thin, crispy crust that can stand up to all sorts of your favorite toppings. My personal fave is usually pesto, but I have to say I'm leaning more and more towards this barbecue version right now!
Vegan BBQ Pizza Toppings
Once we have our crust made, it's time for the toppings! I personally think toppings are the best part of pizza – and I love how personalized they can be. I kept it pretty simple, but feel free to change it up based on what you have/love!
Here's my toppings choices:
- an organic BBQ sauce as my “sauce”
- thinly sliced shallots
- chopped cherry tomatoes
- chickpeas
- fresh herbs
I chose to make this a vegetarian pizza, but if you're a meat-eater you could totally swap out the chickpeas for grilled chicken or shrimp. Both would be delicious and still make this pizza filling, yet light at the same time.
Or if you have a meat-eater at home, divide the crust into two separate squares on your pan and make two small pizzas instead of one – vegan for you, meat for them!
Healthy Pizza That's Gluten-Free & Vegan
This recipe doesn't make a huge pizza, where you have to worry about eating everything or wasting leftovers. It's the perfect size for two people and is a dinner that Matt and I often split on the weekdays. It also makes great leftovers, so if you are cooking for one, you can make it for dinner and take the rest for lunch with you the next day!
Either way, it's a great weeknight meal that doesn't take long to put together and it tastes like “real” freaking pizza! Now you can enjoy pizza whenever you damn well please without feeling an ounce of guilt!
More GF & Vegan Pizza Recipes To Try
- Best Grain-Free Vegan Pizza with Caramelized Onions + Mushrooms
- Gluten-Free Quinoa Pizza with Cashew Ricotta
- Summer Tomato & Zucchini Quinoa Pizza
- Quinoa Flour Pizza Crust
- Almond Flour Pizza Crust
BBQ Quinoa Pizza with Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 1 batch Ultimate Quinoa Pizza Crust
- 1/2 cup BBQ sauce divided
- 1 small shallot sliced
- 1/2 container cherry tomatoes sliced or quartered
- 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas
- Nutritional yeast + fresh basil to garnish optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Prepare the pizza batter**, then pour it onto the baking sheet. Using a spatula, spread the batter into a large rectangle, about 12" x 6".
- Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then remove, flip and bake for another 5.
- While the crust is baking, stir the chickpeas with 2 tablespoons of BBQ sauce.
- After pizza has baked for 15 minutes (total), remove and top with remaining sauce. Scatter shallots, cherry tomatoes and chickpeas across the top and place it back in the oven for another 10 - 15 minutes. (you can also broil it for 2 - 3 minutes at the end to get everything super crispy, just watch it carefully!)
- Remove and slice into squares. Top with nutritional yeast and basil if using.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
