October 31, 2012

Vegan Hawaiian Pizza Recipe

Makes 2 x 30cm diameter pizzas

I have been asking Jerome which popular dishes he would like me to 'veganise'. One of his suggestions was the classic Hawaiian Pizza. Not only did I say yes but I made it that day! Now, I just have to say that this is one amazingly delicious pizza... with its yummy tomato base, juicy pineapple rings, salty tofu "ham" and melted vegan mozzarella cheese you CANNOT go wrong! I was trying to think of a way to mimic the saltiness and crunchiness of the ham that non-vegan Hawaiian pizzas have... so I experimented with tofu and it is a perfect substitute. Voila! Veggieful's own tofu "Ham"! 

Originally, we were going to eat one pizza between us and photograph the other but Jerome sneakily ate most of the other pizza while I was in the other room. Naughty Jerome! Oh well, you can't blame him... it really was crazily scrumptious. So we only had the two pieces shown in the above photo to photograph. I hope it portrays how delicious this is. Have a go and tell me what you think :)


Sauce:
   1 tablespoon olive oil
   2 garlic cloves, minced
   1 yellow onion, minced
   400g can crushed tomatoes
   ¼ teaspoon red chilli flakes
   1 ½ tablespoons sugar
   1 tablespoon corn starch
   1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
   1 teaspoon dried basil
   1 teaspoon oregano
   1/3 cup tomato ketchup (optional)
   good pinch of sea salt
   pinch of freshly cracked black pepper

Tofu “Ham”
   175g extra firm tofu, cut into thin ham-like pieces
   1 tablespoon soy sauce
   1 tablespoon maple syrup
   1 tablespoon olive oil 
   ½ teaspoon "smoked" paprika
   ½ teaspoon salt

Other:
   2 pizza bases (30cm diameter)
   1 large tomato, thinly sliced into rings
   400g can pineapple rings, drained
   1 ½ to 2 cups grated vegan mozzarella cheese*


  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius and oil two pizza trays or line with baking paper.
  2. Make the tofu "ham" – Add the tofu, soy sauce, maple syrup and oil to a bowl toss to coat the tofu. Add to a pan on high heat and fry until all sides are crispy. Put tofu back into the bowl and add the smoked paprika and salt. Toss to combine. Set aside.
  3. Make the tomato sauce – Add the oil and onion to a pan on medium heat. Sauté until onion is transparent. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute or so until the garlic is fragrant. Add the can of tomatoes and tomato ketchup and stir to combine. Add the red pepper flakes, sugar, nutritional yeast, corn flour, dried basil, oregano and salt and pepper. Stir until heated through. Taste and season with more sugar, salt and pepper until adjusted to your liking. Take off the heat.
  4. Divide the tomato sauce on the two pizza bases and evenly spread with a spoon.
  5. Add the tomato slices to the bases in a single layer. 
  6. Top with the pineapple rings and the tofu "ham".
  7. Finally, scatter a generous layer of the grated vegan mozzarella to both pizzas.
  8. Bake in the oven for about 25 to 30 minutes until the bases have browned and the cheese has slightly browned and melted on top. 
  9. Serve hot and enjoy!

  • *I use Tofutti Vegan Mozzarella that is available from most health food stores. Soon I will put up our own Mozzarella recipe that you can make yourself! But for now, check out your local health food stores.
  • The additional salt added to the tofu "ham" adds a nice salty touch to the overall pizza. You can make it even saltier if you desire.
  • You can add more tomato ketchup or even some tomato paste to the sauce if you want a richer base. 
  • For the tofu "ham", you need to buy "smoked" paprika... it is different to normal paprika as it has a very strong smokey taste. It is delicious!

25 comments :

  1. I did not know Tofutti had a Mozzarella. I must try this at once.

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    1. Hehehe I know! I found it the other day and was truly excited :)

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  2. I'd love if you put up a mozzarella recipe. The vegan cheese available in South Africa is very limited and usually very expensive if you find it.

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    1. Hi Natasha! I am working on a perfect one at the moment. I hope it will be up soon. Have you tried our vegan parmesan recipe? That has become a staple in our house :)

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    2. I haven't, I'm going to look it up now, thank you. :)

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  3. In the ingredients you mention 'cornstarch' and in the directions you refer to 'cornmeal' - is it 'cornstarch' because it helps to bind the sauce?
    And, here in the Netherlands we have 'passata': a bottle of crushed/pureed tomatoes - can I use this?
    I'm realy looking forward to making this; I'm especially curious how the tofy ham will taste!
    Thank you for your delicious recipes!

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    1. Hi Yvonne, in the ingredients I wrote "Corn Starch" and in the directions I wrote "Corn flour" ... is that what you mean? If so, they are exactly the same thing. I use it to add a bit of thickness to the sauce.

      If Passata is just crushed tomatoes then yes you can :)

      My pleasure! I really enjoy the tofu "ham" hehe :D

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    2. I felt the same way when I was making it. I have often told my employees and friends about the good old days when I had time to make my own pizza dough.Thanks for the ideas.

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    3. Hello! Oh I remember when I made my own pizza bases too! I need to do that again soon :)

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  4. Holy shit this look incredible. Some major splurging will be had at Flannery's for mozzarella and nutritional yeast. Major because I can't seem to go in there without spending about $40!

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    1. Hello! I know what you mean... it is so easy to spend heaps of money at Mrs. Flannery's. There are way too many fun and exciting things to look at hehe :)

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  5. wow, that looks like a lot of work, prep time alone is about an hour..lol.. sorry just being lazy ... it looks so worth it, will give it a try. thanks 4 the recipe :)

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    1. Hi Tom, Haha it doesn't take too long :) I hope you enjoy it!

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  6. I've recently started experimenting with a more vegan diet. Can't say I'm ready to fully cut out animal products, but I can't deny the health benefits associated with veganism. Your website has been a gold mine for new recipes to try. I bought tofu for the first time, but had no idea what to do with it. I tried this recipe and was amazed at how tasty it was! Can't say my pizza turned out as pretty as yours, but it sure was delicious! Thank you for a great site full of wonderful info for us newbies :)

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    1. Hello Carolyn,
      I am so glad that Veggieful is helping you. It is feedback like yours that keeps me going :) If you have any questions or concerns be sure to contact me... I would be happy to help! Also, it is great that you are so keen to try the vegan lifestyle and tofu. It can be a bit overwhelming at first but keep going with it :)

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  7. This comment is going to throw you all off because I *actually* made this pizza and it was delicious. Thank you!

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    1. Hi! Thanks for your comment. Yay! I am so glad that you enjoyed it. I love this pizza too :)

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  8. good veg pizza and definitely a perfect combination with tomato sauce.. Thanks for sharing this recipe

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  9. Love youuuuuu!
    Wow!
    And love all my vegan, animal and earth loving family

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  10. I have been making this recipe for years now. It is delish! I make the crust out of a Pinole Flat Bread recipe. The corn/wheat crust makes the recipe pop! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
    d7woods71@gmail.com

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  11. I am so impressed with how you can match flavors. I made a couple other of your recipes so far and they've been great too. The veggie ham on this is so easy and so spot on flavour wise, you really have a gift for this stuff. I personally don't like fakey, store-bought cheeses, so I made a vegan cashew mozzarella from gourmandelle.com and it paired beautifully with this. Thanks for these amazing recipes, they (and you) rock!

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