Dairy-Free White Pizza with Ricotta
A dairy-free white pizza with garlicky olive oil, dollops of dairy-free ricotta, and a crisp New York-style crust, no tomato sauce or dairy cheese needed.
Recipe by Andrew Tibbs, the Non Dairy Dude in Dairy-Free Dinner Recipes
Published
Dude Note
This is the pizza I want when I am not trying to imitate delivery cheese pizza. White pizza should feel a little more deliberate: good dough, garlic oil, creamy ricotta, restraint with the shreds, and enough heat to make the crust do the talking.
White pizza was the one I figured I'd never get back after cutting dairy. No sauce to hide behind, just oil, garlic, and cheese carrying the whole thing. Turns out dairy-free ricotta dolloped on dough does the job fine, especially once you hit it with lemon zest and black pepper so it tastes finished instead of like a stand-in.
The crust matters here more than on a saucy pie, so don't skip the cornmeal under the dough or the hot oven. I keep the dairy-free mozzarella-style shreds light, just enough for melt, and let the garlic oil and ricotta do the heavy lifting. If you want to make your own base instead of buying it, my cashew and tofu ricotta works here too and tastes a little brighter.
Serve it with arugula tossed on top after it comes out of the oven, or alongside dairy-free cheesy garlic bread if you're feeding people who think one pizza isn't dinner. A glass of something cold and you're set.
This recipe uses: Creamy Dairy-Free Ricotta (Cashew & Tofu)
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 lbPizza dough, store-bought or cold-fermented New York-style homemade dough
- 2 tbspAll-purpose flour, for dusting
- 2 tbspCornmeal or semolina, for the peel or pan
Garlic Oil
- 3 tbspExtra-virgin olive oil
- 3 clovesGarlic cloves, finely grated or minced
- ½ tspDried oregano
- ¼ tspRed pepper flakes, optional
Seasoning
- ¾ tspFine salt, divided
Topping
- ¾ cupDairy-free ricotta
- 1 tspLemon zest
- ½ tspFreshly ground black pepper
- 1 cupDairy-free mozzarella-style shreds
- 2 tspOlive oil, for drizzling over the toppings
Finish
- ¼ cupFresh basil leaves, optional
- 1 cupArugula, optional
- ¼ tspFlaky salt, optional
Instructions
- 1
If the dough is refrigerated, let it sit at room temperature for 90 minutes to 2 hours, until relaxed and easy to stretch.
- 2
Place a pizza stone or steel on the middle rack and heat the oven to 500 F for at least 30 minutes. If using a sheet pan, place the pan in the oven while it heats.
- 3
Make the garlic oil. Stir together the olive oil, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes if using, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Let it sit while the oven heats so the garlic can season the oil.
- 4
Season the dairy-free ricotta in a small bowl with the lemon zest, black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. If the ricotta is very thick, loosen it with 1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil or water so it dollops easily.
- 5
Divide the dough in half for two smaller pizzas, or keep it whole for one large sheet-pan pizza. On a lightly floured surface, stretch the dough gently from the center outward, leaving a slightly thicker rim.
- 6
Dust a pizza peel, inverted baking sheet, or hot sheet pan with cornmeal or semolina. Transfer the stretched dough to it and make sure it can slide before topping.
- 7
Brush the dough with a thin layer of garlic oil, leaving the rim mostly bare. Use just enough to coat the surface; too much oil can make the center heavy.
- 8
Scatter the dairy-free mozzarella-style shreds lightly over the dough. Add small spoonfuls of the seasoned dairy-free ricotta, leaving space between dollops so the pizza bakes instead of steaming. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.
- 9
Slide the pizza onto the hot stone or steel, or return the topped sheet pan to the oven. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes for small pizzas, or 13 to 16 minutes for one large sheet-pan pizza, until the crust is browned and the shreds are melted.
- 10
Let the pizza rest for 2 to 3 minutes. Finish with basil, arugula, flaky salt, or another light drizzle of olive oil if using, then slice and serve.
How we make it dairy-free
- Ricotta → Swapped for dairy-free ricotta, dolloped on instead of spread, with lemon zest and black pepper added so it doesn't taste flat.
- Mozzarella → Swapped for dairy-free mozzarella-style shreds, used sparingly so the pie isn't greasy.
- Parmesan → Left out entirely. Garlic-infused olive oil and flaky salt cover the savory note it used to bring.
Go easy on the dairy-free shreds here, this pizza is about the ricotta and oil, not a cheese pull.
Tips & Variations
Use a good dough: Store-bought dough works, but this pizza is especially good with a cold-fermented New York-style dough made with bread flour, water, salt, instant yeast, olive oil, and a little sugar.
Keep the ricotta in dollops: Spreading dairy-free ricotta across the whole pizza can make the center heavy. Small spoonfuls give creamy pockets while letting the crust crisp.
Use less mozzarella than a dairy pizza: Dairy-free shreds melt best in a lighter layer. The ricotta carries the creaminess here, so the shreds only need to add stretch and coverage.
Season the ricotta: Lemon zest, salt, and black pepper keep the white pizza from tasting flat. If your ricotta is already salty, reduce the added salt.
Garlic oil, not raw garlic piles: Stirring the garlic into oil distributes the flavor and helps prevent harsh pockets of raw garlic.
Watch moisture: If your dairy-free ricotta looks watery, drain it briefly in a fine-mesh strainer or blot it before using.
Finish after baking: Basil and arugula are best added after the pizza comes out of the oven so they stay fresh instead of wilting into the cheese.
Sheet pan option: Press the full pound of dough into an oiled half sheet pan, top lightly, and bake until the bottom is browned and crisp.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use store-bought dairy-free ricotta for this pizza?⌄
Yes. Most tofu-based or almond-based dairy-free ricottas hold up fine on pizza since they're not getting baked into a sauce. Just drain off any excess liquid before dolloping so the crust doesn't go soggy.
Why is my white pizza crust soggy in the middle?⌄
Usually too much ricotta or oil pooled in the center, or the oven wasn't hot enough. Spread the ricotta in small dollops rather than one thick layer, and bake on a preheated stone or steel if you have one.
Can I make this pizza without dairy-free mozzarella shreds?⌄
Yes, you can skip them and lean on the ricotta and garlic oil alone. The pizza will be less melty on top but still tastes finished, especially with the lemon zest and black pepper in the ricotta.
What's the best dough for a dairy-free white pizza?⌄
A cold-fermented New York-style dough gives you the crisp, chewy crust this pizza needs to hold up without sauce. Store-bought dough works too, just bring it to room temperature before stretching so it doesn't fight you.
Dairy-Free White Pizza with Ricotta · https://nondairydude.com/recipes/dairy-free-white-pizza-with-ricotta
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