Thai Curry Pizza is a handheld version of one of the most popular Thai restaurant menu items — and it just happens to be vegetarian and dairy-free!
I've received a handful of requests for dairy-free pizza since I started this blog. And because I don't believe in "fake" ingredients, it took me a while to develop a recipe that doesn't feel like a dietary restriction.
Cheeseless pesto with roasted red peppers and olives wasn't bad, but John and I agreed that there was a gaping flavor hole where the mozzarella should have been. I got a little warmer with pumpkin puree, toasted chestnuts, and sage. And that's when it hit me: The key isn't to take the dairy out of a beloved flavor combination, it's to pizza-fy a recipe that never contained dairy in the first place.
So, Vegetarian Thai Curry Pizza was born, in all its creamy, dairy-free glory. And oh man is it delicious.
The cubed tofu and butternut squash add satisfying texture (which will remind your mouth of cheese). And the coconut milk makes for a perfectly creamy sauce that holds it all together.
Note: To make this Dairy-Free Thai Curry Pizza vegan, substitute the fish sauce with a mixture of 1½ teaspoons soy sauce and 1½ teaspoons vegetable broth.
Vegetarian & Dairy-Free Thai Curry Pizza
Equipment
- Cutting board and knife
- Medium pot
- saucepan
- Rolling pin (optional)
- Large rimmed baking sheet or baking stone/steel
- Pizza peel (optional)
Ingredients
- 1½ cups cubed butternut squash (½-inch cubes)
- ⅓ cup plus 3 tablespoons canned full-fat coconut milk, divided
- 1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 teaspoon firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil or olive oil
- ½ small yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 large garlic clove, minced or pressed
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 Thai chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced
- 2 teaspoons red curry paste
- 1 cup cubed extra-firm tofu, patted dry
- 1 (14- to 16-ounce) ball pizza dough
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
- Sriracha sauce, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 500°F (if using a baking sheet) or as high as it will go (if using a baking stone/steel; place the stone/steel in the bottom third of the oven before you start preheating). Let the oven preheat for at least 30 minutes. Then, if you’re using a baking stone or steel, switch the oven to Broil on high.
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the butternut squash and cook for 8 minutes or until fork tender. Drain well.
- In a small bowl, whisk ⅓ cup of the coconut milk with the fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until it starts to shimmer. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes, then add the garlic, ginger, and Thai chile. Sauté for 30 seconds or until aromatic. Add the curry paste and 1 tablespoon of coconut milk to the pan and sauté for 2 minutes, then stir in the coconut milk–fish sauce mixture, butternut squash, and tofu. Cook the curry for 3 to 5 minutes to let the flavors blend and the sauce thicken. Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside to cool slightly.
- Stretch or roll out your dough to a 12- to 14-inch circle, then transfer it to an oiled or parchment-lined baking sheet or a lightly floured pizza peel (if using a baking stone/steel).
- Scoop the curry onto the dough and spread it out evenly, leaving a 1-inch border of dough all around. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the remaining coconut milk over top.
- Transfer the pizza to the oven and bake until the crust is golden and the tofu has browned in spots—8 to 10 minutes on the baking sheet, 6 to 8 minutes on the baking stone/steel. Remove the pizza from the oven.
- As soon as the pizza comes out of the oven, drizzle it with the remaining tablespoon of coconut milk and sprinkle on the chopped cilantro. Let it rest for 5 minutes, then slice and serve with sriracha on the side.
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