Gluten-Free BBQ Chickpea Pizza with Ranch Dressing
Construction day is here! Or rather, repairing-the-water-damage day from the insane amount of snow Boston received this winter! We’ve been living with a big hole in our living room ceiling with a trash bag to funnel the melting ice into a trash bin. It looks awesome (no it doesn’t). For someone like me who tries to keep a very zen home, this has been annoying…like someone continually poking me whenever I’m downstairs and saying “I’m not touching you!” ← flashback to growing up with a brother. It’s still too cold to repair the outside of our building, but hopefully the inside will be more pleasant soon. Winter needs to get the memo that it’s Spring now.
In the meantime, I’m learning that water damage isn’t the end of the world (my thyroid health scare quickly put that in perspective) and insurance is a very good thing. It pays, quite literally, to be nice to the guy who comes out to determine how much insurance will cover. This winter was tough on a lot of levels, but it could have been much worse.
On the up side, my endeavors in the kitchen lately have been refreshingly easy and gratifying. Do you ever have those weeks where it just feels like you’re a pro at combining ingredients and flavors, like you just intuitively know what you’re doing? I know this won’t last forever and I may have just cursed my luck, but I’m enjoying every minute while it does. Aaron is happy to be reaping the rewards as I put my vegan and whole foods spin on his favorites.
This vegan and gluten-free pizza is one of those recipes. I combined some of my favorite ingredients to make a subtly sweet and spicy bbq pizza that’s a great source of protein and definitely high on the crave-worthy scale. The crust uses a gluten-free flour blend that’s tender and chewy in the center, but perfectly crispy around the edges. I used my baked bbq chickpeas recipe as the sauce and main topping (LOVE that simple recipe), and then sprinkled it with chopped red onions before baking. The onions get all sweet and caramelized, which plays really well with the chickpeas. And then more toppings: creamy avocado, fresh parsley, and the most insane vegan ranch dressing ever. This stuff…there are no words. I used the same spices from my cool ranch hummus, cool ranch roasted chickpeas, and cool ranch kale chips. Do you think I have a cool ranch problem?
So many layers of flavor and texture, all on an illusively delicious vegan and gluten-free crust (because vegan and gf and not cardboard can be a tall order). I’ve simplified each component to the essentials, which means if you’re looking to do a fancier but still very easy pizza night at home, this bbq chickpea number is sure to impress.
One more note: don’t be deterred by the longer than usual (for me) list of ingredients—many of them you probably have on hand already, and from there it really is as simple as mixing them in a bowl. You’ve got this.
Gluten-Free BBQ Chickpea Pizza with Ranch Dressing
Gluten-Free BBQ Chickpea Pizza with Ranch Dressing
Serves: two 12-inch pizzas
Prep Time: 1 hour 15 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Finally a vegan and gluten-free pizza that doesn't taste like cardboard! This easy bbq chickpea pizza is loaded with layers of flavor and topped with a simple vegan ranch dressing you'll want to put on everything. Three cheers for pizza night!
Cuisine: Gluten Free, Vegan Servings: two 12-inch pizzas
Prep Time: 1 hour 15 mins Cook Time: 15 mins
Finally a vegan and gluten-free pizza that doesn't taste like cardboard! This easy bbq chickpea pizza is loaded with layers of flavor and topped with a simple vegan ranch dressing you'll want to put on everything. Three cheers for pizza night!
Instructions
- Lightly oil a large mixing bowl with olive oil and set it aside. To make the crust, add the flour, yeast, and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. Mix until combined. Add the warm water and olive oil, then mix again on medium speed for 3-5 minutes. If the dough is too sticky (it should pull away from the sides of the bowl), you can add additional flour 1 tablespoon at a time. Transfer the dough to the oiled mixing bowl, brush the top with olive oil, cover it with a towel, and set it aside in a warm place for 1 hour to rise. Don't worry if the dough doesn't double in size.
- While the dough rises, make the ranch dressing and bbq chickpeas. Add all of the ranch dressing ingredients to your blender. Slowly increase the speed from low to medium-high and blend until smooth, scraping down the sides if necessary. Set aside. Add all of the bbq chickpea ingredients to a mixing bowl and stir until the chickpeas are evenly coated. Set aside to marinate.
- Line your counter with a piece of parchment paper and sprinkle it with flour. Once the dough has had 1 hour to rise, divide it in half and roll it into two 11-12-inch rounds.
- Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees F. Leaving a 1-inch border, top each round of dough with a thin layer of bbq sauce, half of the bbq chickpeas, and half of the chopped red onion. Brush the crust with olive oil, transfer the pizzas and parchment paper to a pizza stone (if you have one) or sheet pan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Remove the pizzas from the oven and top with freshly chopped avocado and parsley. Drizzle the pizzas with ranch dressing, then slice and serve immediately.
Notes [1]
The ranch dressing will thicken slightly as it sits. Feel free to thin it with a bit of water if necessary.
Copyright © 2020 Amanda Maguire for Pickles & Honey
Ohhhh myyyy this looks so incredible! I’ve been craving pizza so hard lately and that craving has now been intensified x10000000. Wishing you the best with your thyroid.
Thank you, Leah! I hope you get your pizza fix soon!
This is insane! I love homemade pizzas and you nailed it with the BBQ chickpeas!
Awww, thanks Rebecca! <3
i have never tried GF free crust, this looks so crispy and yummmmm
Most gluten-free crusts I’ve tried have been…not so good. This one is as close to traditional pizza crust as I’ve found so far!
I love pizzas on a thin and crispy base like this. I have to make this recipe!
Thin and crispy crust all the way!
Whoa! You had me at “BBQ” and “ranch.” (I, too, have a ranch problem. And I’m not planning on doing anything about it.)
It just dawned on me that this has the potential to make a pretty awesome salad for lunch or times that I don’t have time to make a crust. Have you ever tried a salad version?
Thanks for sharing! 🙂
A big YES to making a salad version! I haven’t tried that yet, but now it’s on my list! Great idea.
Haha yes! “I’m not touching youuuu!” Boy does that bring back memories. I have a younger brother who would drive me bananas with that one. And I totally get what you mean when you have those weeks when everything just comes out like glitter and unicorns – love love love those. Just gotta soak it up while it’s here! Although I have to say it always looks like you are having one of those weeks when it comes to what you share on here 😉
Glitter and unicorns. HA! Thank you for the super kind words, Jessie!
I made this for dinner tonight, and it was absolutely amazing! The ranch is incredible, the bbq chickpeas are delicious and get a creamy/nutty texture when baked, and the toppings are spot on. I added some chopped tomatoes and subbed with a gluten free/yeast free crust that turned out like a thick cracker. Thank you for giving me pizza back! I use to work at papa murphy’s, and this rivals their bbq chicken delite! I didn’t even miss the cheese :).
Wow, I am blushing! That is a huge compliment, Heather. I’m so happy you loved the pizza!! (that ranch dressing…I want to put it on ALL THE THINGS)
This was SOOOO delicious! My meat-eating husband loved it. He even said “beautiful” after his first bite! We subbed in some fresh cilantro and red pepper flakes as toppings with the avocado and red onion. The chickpeas are incredible and the ranch dressing is out of this world! Thank you!!
Oh that makes me SO happy, Beth! I’m pumped your husband loved the pizza too! That ranch dressing is kind of crazy, right? I want to put it on everything whenever I make it. 🙂
This looks delicious. Do you think the crust would work without the oil?
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