Veggie pizza is definitely one of my favorite ways to eat fresh vegetables. While I’ve been known to nosh on raw carrot sticks, cauliflower and cucumbers, especially when paired with my favorite veggie dip. There’s something about using a crescent roll and cream cheese spread that makes them taste so much better. Here’s how to make a veggie pizza that will influence even the pickiest of eaters to get a little vegetable-curious.
Ingredients
- Crescent roll dough: Baked, golden crescent rolls make a buttery and flaky base for the veggie pizza.
- Cream cheese: Cream cheese is the star ingredient in the pizza “sauce.” Take the bricks out of the fridge 20 to 30 minutes ahead of time to let them soften, because softened cream cheese is easier to beat and results in fewer lumps.
- Ranch mix: A packet of ranch seasoning adds lots of flavor to the cream cheese. (After all, most raw veggies pair nicely with ranch dip!) If you don’t have a packet on hand, whip up some homemade ranch dip mix with spices like minced onion, parsley, garlic powder and more.
- Milk: A splash of milk helps thin the cream cheese mixture so it’s easily spreadable on top of the baked crescent roll crust.
- Fresh veggies: We chose an array of colorful raw vegetables, specifically broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, green pepper, red pepper and mushrooms, but you can mix and match to your liking.
Directions
Step 1: Roll out the crescent dough
Pop open those crescent roll cans, and unroll the dough into one long rectangle. Press it onto the bottom of a 13×9-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray. Seal the seams and perforations of the dough together with your finger.
Step 2: Bake the crescent roll pizza crust
Bake at 375°F for 11 to 13 minutes or until golden brown. Let the crust cool completely.
Step 3: Make the cream cheese mixture
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, ranch mix and milk until smooth. Then, spread over the cooled crust.
Step 4: Sprinkle the chopped vegetables on the pizza
Sprinkle the vegetables over the cream cheese mixture and the crust. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.
Step 5: Slice and serve
Cut the veggie pizza into 16 pieces and serve.
Veggie Pizza Variations
There are plenty of other ingredients you could add to veggie pizza to make it your own.
- Go crazy with your vegetables: Whatever finely chopped raw veggies you like best will do the trick on veggie pizza! Radishes, tomatoes, celery and green onions are a few other options to consider beyond the ones called for in the recipe.
- Use different types of cheese: Shredded cheddar cheese is a classic choice, but you could go for a different shredded cheese such as pepper jack or mozzarella.
- Sprinkle on some bacon: As long as the crowd you’re serving isn’t vegetarian or vegan, some bacon bits are almost always welcome additions.
- Add flavor to the cream cheese spread: Ranch isn’t the only flavoring that would work nicely in the cream cheese spread. Try stirring in a little pesto or a dash of hot sauce for some welcome color and kick. Add cooked spinach, garlic and chopped, canned artichokes to make a spinach artichoke dip-inspired spread. Otherwise, consider a Southwest-inspired variation by adding taco seasoning, or making something like our guacamole bacon crescent pizza by stirring in some guac.
Can you make veggie pizza in advance?
Since you need to let the crescent roll crust cool before spreading the cream cheese on top, you could bake the crust in the morning and finish preparing the pizza later in the day. But remember to account for the time the pizza needs to chill.
Just know that crescent roll appetizers are best served the same day they’re made, and the cream cheese mixture will make your pizza crust soft in the refrigerator. For the best results, prep the veggie pizza just an hour or so before you serve it.
How long will leftover veggie pizza last?
The leftovers taste OK the next day but aren’t as flaky and delicious as freshly made. It is better to plan the perfect amount to serve so there are no waste or unwanted leftovers.
Veggie Pizza Tips
How should you cut the vegetables for veggie pizza?
It’s important to chop all of the raw veggies into pieces roughly the same size so that each bite of veggie pizza has a balanced mix of vegetables. Nobody wants half a slice of veggie pizza covered entirely by cauliflower or broccoli!
Should you serve veggie pizza cold or at room temperature?
Veggie pizza is best served cold and that’s why the recipe calls for chilling it in the fridge for one hour before serving. However, should some of the slices of veggie pizza sit at room temperature for a while before they’re gobbled up, they’ll still be delicious!
