Chocolate Dessert Pizza (Gluten-Free, Vegan)

Pizza For Dessert, Why Not?

Ever since we moved to Italy, pizza has become a weekly staple (of course!).

And heading out for a thin crust pizza at a pizza joint in our favorite Monti neighborhood has become our weekly routine.

However, while we tend to eat savory pizzas, I’ve been toying with the idea of dessert pizzas lately, and this delicious gluten-free dessert pizza was born!

A thin, crispy crust is spread with chocolate ganache and topped with fresh strawberries and chopped hazelnuts.

Yum….what’s not to love about this perfect dessert?

Why This Recipe Works:

• Simple Ingredients: The ingredients required for making this gluten-free chocolate dessert pizza are easily accessible at the local grocery stores.
• Easy to Make: The homemade pizza crust recipe that is included can be easily made (even by novice chefs), but you can even use a store-bought pizza crust if you want something more convenient! Once the crust is baked, assembling the ingredients for this easy dessert recipe is really a matter of minutes!
• Totally Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free and Vegan: The best part is that this easy chocolate dessert pizza is 100% gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan, which means that even those with Celiac disease or gluten or lactose intolerances can enjoy it without worries.

Ingredients You’ll Need:

Here’s a visual overview of the ingredients required for this gluten-free chocolate dessert pizza recipe.

(For exact measurements and quantities, please scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.)

Recipe Notes + Substitutions

• Buckwheat Flour: I prefer to use light buckwheat flour so the crust is lighter in color, but feel free to use dark buckwheat flour if you prefer. You can either buy store-bought buckwheat flour, or grind your own homemade buckwheat flour.
• Chocolate Ganache Spread: I used vegan dark chocolate (you can use semisweet chocolate chips too) and dairy-free heavy cream to keep this recipe dairy-free and vegan. However, if you are not lactose-intolerant, feel free to use normal dark chocolate and heavy cream instead.
• Berries: Feel free to use other types of your favorite fruits or berries (or a mix of different types of berries instead of just strawberries).
• Hazelnuts: I like how the taste of chopped unsalted hazelnuts goes with the chocolate ganache spread. However, feel free to use other types of unsalted nuts (such as almonds, walnuts, peanuts, pistachios or even macadamia nuts).

How to Make Chocolate Dessert Pizza (Step by Step)

1. Preheat and Grease:

Preheat the oven to 350F and arrange the oven rack to the middle position. Line a large round pizza pan with parchment paper.

2. Prepare Pizza Dough

In a large bowl, combine the pizza dough ingredients (buckwheat flour, salt, and water) and mix well with a wooden spoon until you get a homogeneous dough. Use gluten-free floured hands to knead until you get a round ball.

3. Roll Out Dough

Divide the dough into 2 equal portions and then use a gluten-free floured rolling pin to roll each portion of dough out to a ¼ inch-thick circle (or any shape you like).

4. Bake Pizza Crusts

Place each rolled pizza crust onto the previously-greased pizza pan and bake for approximately 8 minutes until it is golden brown on the outside and crispy to the touch.

If the pizza crust is still soft, place it back into the oven for an extra 5 minutes or until it becomes crunchy and hardens a bit.

(Note: Be careful not to bake it too long, or the crust will dry out).

5. Prepare Chocolate Ganache Spread

While the crusts are baking, chop the dark chocolate into small pieces. In a small pot, heat up the dairy-free cream and bring it to a near boil (remove the pot from the heat once the cream starts bubbling at the surface).

Add the chopped chocolate bits to the hot cream in the pot and stir with a whisk until you get a smooth and spreadable creamy chocolate mixture.

6. Assemble the Chocolate Dessert Pizzas

Use a rubber spatula to gently spread half of the chocolate ganache mixture on each of the two pizza crusts.

Top each pizza with half of the sliced strawberries and sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts. Serve and enjoy this chocolate strawberry pizza immediately!

Dish by Dish Tips/Tricks:

• Gluten-Free Pizza Crust: If you want to or prefer not to your own pizza dough, you may also use a store-bought gluten-free pizza crust for convenience (and make this amazing dessert in less time!). Alternatively, if you are not Celiac or gluten-intolerant, feel free to use a normal pizza crust instead.
• Chocolate Ganache Spread: You may also use a dairy-free chocolate-hazelnut spread for convenience if you don’t care for making your own.
• Prefer Peanut Butter? If you’re a peanut butter fan, go ahead and spread peanut butter over the pizza instead of the chocolate spread.
• Serve with Ice Cream: For a more indulgent treat, go ahead and serve this gluten-free dessert pizza with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
• Make an Easy S’mores Dessert Pizza: If you want to make a sleepover dessert that feels like a campfire dessert, leave out the strawberries and hazelnuts and place mini marshmallows on top of the pizza, then toast the pizza in the oven for a few minutes until the marshmallows start to melt!

Recipe FAQs:

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