Vegan Party Pizza

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vegan pizza shaped like a giant paw print

This vegan pizza recipe shows you how to make pepperoni combo pizza in the shape of a giant paw print. This is a fun addition to any dog-themed party, potluck, or picnic. Doggo-loving kids (and grownups) will get excited for this pizza, and the recipe has shortcuts for making it quicker and easier.

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♫ Listening to ♫

Psycho by Maisie Peters

I used to have a backyard pizza oven, but it always burned the pizza in spots and was kind of a pain in the butt, so I just make all my pizzas in my standard home oven now, and they always come out good. There are certain things that make the pizzas better, like using bread flour instead of all-purpose flour and preheating the oven with the baking stone inside, but if you make this pizza using regular flour and don’t preheat the pizza stone, it’s still super delicious.

This recipe makes 1 large and 4 personal size vegan pizzas, to form one giant dog paw print. It serves 6-8 people.

Vegan Pizza Dough Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon (12g) active dry yeast
  • 2 cups (435g) warm water (around 110º)
  • 2 teaspoons (11-12g) raw, vegan, or organic sugar*
  • 5 cups (650g) flour (I’ve used unbleached all-purpose and bread flour, and both work well)
  • 2 teaspoons (14g) salt
  • 1 teaspoon (3g) garlic powder (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons (20g) nutritional yeast (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons (25g) olive oil (optional)
  • extra flour for dusting rolling surface

Vegan Pizza Dough Directions

prep time: 15 minutes | wait time: 45 minutes

Dollhouse Shortcut

Make the dough the night before to save time the day you want to make the pizza. I usually make overnight dough on workdays. For overnight dough, just whisk together the salt, 1 teaspoon of yeast, and 4 cups of the flour. Then mix in the 2 cups of water (any temp) and cover the bowl to leave on the counter overnight. The next day, when you're ready to make the pizza, knead the dough with the other cup and a half of flour (and optional ingredients) and then you can skip the rising step. You can also just buy 2 packs of pizza dough from Trader Joe’s and skip making it yourself.

Whisk 1 tablespoon (12g) yeast, 2 cups (435g) warm water, and 2 teaspoons (11-12g) sugar in a bowl or measuring cup. Set aside for a few minutes.

Measure 3 cups (390g) of the flour into another bowl.

Add 2 teaspoons (14g) pink sea salt and 1 teaspoon (3g) optional garlic powder to the bowl with the flour.

Combine the seasoned flour and the yeasted water together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook and turn onto low speed at first, followed by incremental increases in speed when you’re certain that none of the ingredients will fly out the top.

Scrape the sides and bottom (after stopping the mixer) of the mixing bowl using a silicone spatula if it seems like there is still flour not getting mixed in.

Add 2 tablespoons (20g) nutritional yeast (optional) and 2 tablespoons (25g) olive oil to the bowl of the stand mixer if you’re using them, and continue mixing.

Measure the last 2 cups (260g) of flour into the bowl you measured flour in last time if it’s still dirty.

Add the last of the flour while the stand mixer is stopped, and turn it back on the lowest speed so that the flour doesn’t try to have a raging party in your kitchen.

Increase the speed on your stand mixer to no more than speed 2, once you’re certain that no flour will fly out.

Mix for around 5 minutes, adding flour if it gets too sticky (I usually end up adding up to a half a cup of additional flour while it mixes, but I add it slowly, spoon by spoon).

Coat the inside of your largest bowl with olive or other vegetable oil. If you avoid oil completely, you can skip this step, but it’s gonna make it harder to get the dough out of the bowl later.

Transfer the dough from the stand mixer to the oiled bowl, once the dough stops sticking to the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl.

Form the dough into a ball in the bottom of your oiled bowl, with the seam on the bottom.

Cover the bowl with towel or a lid and set in a warm place for 45 minutes to an hour to rise. In the winter when my house is coldish (anything below 73 degrees is cold if you’re born in California), I set it on my stove and turn the oven to 200 degrees. You can also set it on top of your clothes dryer if you’re doing laundry.

Vegan Pizza Ingredients

Dollhouse Shortcut

To save time, use store-bought pizza sauce in place of the first 9 ingredients.

  • 1 (15 ounce) can organic tomato sauce*
  • 1 (6 ounce) can organic tomato paste*
  • 1 teaspoon basil
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • ½ teaspoon thyme
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • vegan mozzarella cheese (grated or crumbled - I used violife grated)
  • any other pizza ingredients you like, cut into very small pieces (I used vegan pepperoni, watermelon radishes, mushrooms, and broccoli)

How to Make a Vegan Pizza

prep time: 30 minutes | bake time: 20-26 minutes

Preheat the oven as high as it will go (anywhere between 475°and 550° is good).

Mix together all the sauce ingredients in a bowl: tomato sauce, tomato paste, 1 teaspoon basil, 1 teaspoon oregano, ½ teaspoon thyme, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon pepper, and ½ teaspoon pink sea salt (or any salt).

Roll half of the pizza dough into a round pizza crust.

Transfer the rolled out pizza dough to a baking stone.

Top with sauce, but don’t spread it too thick or it could make the crust soggy.

Add half your toppings, saving the other half for the smaller pizzas. I used vegan pepperoni, watermelon radishes, mushrooms, and broccoli. When I’m out of homemade pepperoni, I sometimes use Louiseville Pepperoni Jerky instead.

Bake for 10-13 minutes on the middle or lower rack, just until the toppings start to brown on the edges.

Divide the remaining dough into 4 equal sized pieces while the first pizza is baking.

Roll one of the pieces into a circle.

Set the circle on a baking stone.

Repeat with the other 3 balls of dough until the baking stone has all 4 circles.

4 small round circles of vegan pizza dough on a baking stone

Top lightly with sauce and divide the remaining toppings across all 4 pizzas.

4 small round vegan pizzas on a baking stone and ready to bake

Bake for 8-10 minutes on the middle or lower rack, just until the toppings start to brown on the edges.

4 vegan pizzas arranged in the shape of a large paw print

I made this adorable paw print shaped pizza on new year’s eve, because I make some sort of pizza every new year’s eve, and because I love dogs. I have a lot of other pizza recipes on this blog that you can check out if you’re interested, such as pizza donuts, pizza pockets, pizza rolls, and detroit pizza.

For other vegan picnic food ideas, check out my picnic food recipes.

For other dog themed party food, check out my dog cake.

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* I use mostly organic ingredients when I cook, but I realize that not everyone has the disposable income to purchase all organic ingredients. Therefore, I only specify organic on the ingredients that really matter - when buying the organic version is the only way to ensure that the item is vegan.

Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Give me a non Euclidean shaped please.
kittinlovesyou -⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Vegan pizza in the shape of a paw. Muahahahahaha. I bet you’re so much fun at pawties.
ppbuttpissboi -⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I thought it was a mutant 4-eared Mickey Mouse.
vengefultacos -⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Alright, so hear me out. Dinosaur pizza.
theforbidden_tum -⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

So a big pizza for you and four small pizzas for everyone else?
Maskedmarxist -⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐