Garlic Butter Cherry Tomato Pizza

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We're still in tomato season, y'all!! Yes, the season for ripe, flavorful tomatoes is about to wrap up soon, but there's still time to squeeze in a recipe or two. Cherry tomatoes were on sale at my local Ralph's a few days ago, so I picked them up and made this vegan Garlic Butter Cherry Tomato Pizza that I adapted from Half Baked Harvest.

This pizza is simple and delicious: just spread homemade pizza dough with herbed garlic butter, top with ripe heirloom tomatoes and kale, bake, and add sweet cherry tomatoes on top. It's super easy to make and deliciously vegan. You won't even miss the cheese because every component here is super flavorful on its own.

I've made a few vegan pizza recipes already (check out my vegan kale + arugula pizza here), and every time I make a pizza at home I swear it gets better. I used to be realllllly nervous about making homemade pizza dough, but it's honestly so easy and tastes better than the bready, pre-made pizza crusts that you find in the tomato sauce aisle in grocery stores.

This vegan pizza also does not have any marinara sauce, and it's another ingredient that you won't even miss. This pizza recipe is loaded with tomatoes (obviously) which get all jammy and delicious all on their own.

The real differentiator though is the herbed garlic butter sauce that's slathered all over the pizza crust before baking. It's just room temperature butter that's loaded with fresh herbs and minced garlic, which then melts into the pizza crust as it bakes. You kinda get that garlic bread-taste in every bite, and I'm not mad at it.

Who said homemade vegan pizza couldn't taste good? 😉

Oh, just one more quick note before you start this recipe: do not overwork the dough! Your pizza dough should be slightly sticky. Definitely use less flour than you think, or else your dough will be tough and not soft and airy.

Recipe

Ingredients

Pizza Crust

  • 1 1/4 cups warm water

  • 2 TBS sugar

  • 1.5 teaspoons instant yeast

  • 2 TBS vegan butter, softened

  • 4 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1 teaspoons salt

  • Cornmeal

Garlic Butter

  • 3 tablespoons vegan butter

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

  • 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

  • 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

  • 1 pinch black pepper

Tomato Toppings

  • 1 cup kale, washed and dried with stems removed, lightly sautéed to soften

  • 1 heirloom tomato, sliced ¼" thick

  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

  • flaky sea salt

  • 2 tablespoons balsamic or white balsamic vinegar

Directions

Pizza Crust

  1. Pour the warm water into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough attachment. Sprinkle the yeast over the water. Then, sprinkle 1 tsp of sugar over the yeast. Stir lightly and let the mixture sit about 5 minutes, or until the dough becomes frothy.

  2. Turn on the stand mixer to the low setting and add in the butter, salt, and 1 cup of flour. Mix until well-incorporated. Gradually add in 2 more cups of flour and let knead for about 5 more minutes. Dough will still be slightly sticky, but that's ok! You don't want to overdo it.

  3. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a large bowl that has been coated lightly with olive oil. Turn dough over to coat all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about one hour. Cut the dough in half (feel free to freeze the other half and defrost the next time you're ready to make pizza).

  4. Let sit until you're ready to make your pizza!

Pizza

  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Sprinkle a large baking sheet with cornmeal.

  2. In a small bowl, combine the butter, oregano, 1 tablespoon thyme, basil, red pepper flakes, and a pinch of pepper.

  3. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 12 inch circle Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet.

  4. Using a spatula, spread the dough with the herb butter sauce. Add the kale, then layer the heirloom tomato slices on top. Season with salt and pepper.

  5. Transfer to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the crust is golden.

  6. Meanwhile, toss the fresh cherry tomatoes with the remaining thyme, basil, a pinch of sea salt, and the balsamic vinegar.

  7. Take the pizza out of the oven and top with the cherry tomato mixture. Add extra basil leaves to serve.

Adapted From: Half Baked Harvest

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