This white zucchini pizza is a beautiful composition of delicate goat cheese with summer's finest zucchini squash on America's favorite dish, pizza! Use a premade pizza dough to have it ready in 40 minutes or less.
It's easy and a delicious twist on traditional pizza, and who doesn't love pizza?! If you make the dough in advance it's a breeze to put together. Use a store-bought dough or my gluten-free pizza dough recipe, or try it on a cauliflower pizza crust.
Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 25 to 30 minutes at 400 degrees F
- ⏳ Total Time: 40 minutes (about 30 with a precooked crust)
- 🍽️ Serving: 6 slices
- ⚡ Calories: 87kcal per slice, per the recipe card
- 🥣 Ingredients: 9 (pizza dough, goat cheese, Parmesan, fresh thyme, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, zucchini)
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Creamy, tangy goat cheese with lemon and thyme under crisp, dry zucchini rounds
- ✋ Difficulty: Mix a spread and a dressing, layer, baste, bake
Quick Answer
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Mix 4 ounces of goat cheese with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, and in another bowl mix 3 tablespoons olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper and the remaining ½ teaspoon thyme. Roll the pizza dough about ¼ inch thick on a prepared pan, spread on the goat cheese, sprinkle with ⅓ cup shaved Parmesan, and layer 1 zucchini sliced ½ cm thin in circles without overlapping. Baste the top and crust with the dressing and bake 25 to 30 minutes until the crust is golden and the zucchini is dry. Baste again and garnish with thyme. It makes 6 slices.
Jump to:
Honestly, my husband is not a huge fan of zucchini because when cooked it can become soggy. But in this zucchini pizza recipe the zucchini turns out nice and dry, a beautiful topping accented with fresh thyme, lemon, salt and pepper.
Many people, especially nursing moms, can't have tomatoes because of an allergy or their acidity. This white pizza skips the tomato sauce entirely, which makes it perfect if tomatoes are not your thing these days.
Why This Zucchini Pizza Works
Click to see why it works
- Thin slices stay crisp. Zucchini sliced about ½ cm thin dries out in the oven instead of making the pizza soggy.
- No overlapping. Spreading the slices apart lets them cook evenly and lets the crust crisp.
- A goat cheese white sauce. Goat cheese with lemon and thyme gives a creamy, tangy base without tomatoes.
- Baste twice. The olive oil and thyme dressing goes on before and after baking for big flavor.
- A thin crust. Rolling the dough about ¼ inch thick helps it cook through under the toppings.
- Small zucchini fit best. Zucchinis about 2 inches in diameter make even rounds that fit neatly.
Why You'll Love This Zucchini Pizza
- Nightshade-free, with no tomatoes at all.
- A delicious way to use summer squash, zucchini or yellow or both.
- Ready in 40 minutes, or about 30 with a precooked crust.
- Vegetarian and easy to customize with mushrooms, red onion or bacon bits.
- Pretty enough for guests, especially with zucchini flowers on top.
Key Ingredients
- Zucchini and/or yellow summer squash - about 1 small zucchini, or mix yellow and green for color.
- Pizza dough - this gluten-free recipe, a precooked crust from the frozen section, or a store-bought dough.
- Cheese layer (white sauce) - goat cheese, lemon juice, thyme and Parmesan cheese.
- Basting dressing - olive oil, salt, black pepper and thyme, which brings the flavors together.
- Zucchini flowers (optional) - rinse them well inside first, since bugs can hide in there.
See recipe card for quantities.
Toppings and Truffles
This zucchini pizza is vegetarian, but you can beef it up a bit if you'd like! My boys' favorite topping is bacon bits added after it comes out of the oven for texture and hearty flavor. You can also add a few sliced mushrooms or slivers of red onion.
Another beautiful addition is a drizzle of truffle oil, or seasonal shaved summer truffles added after the pizza bakes.
How to Make Zucchini Goat Cheese Pizza
Before you start: preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (or as your dough says) and spray a pizza stone or pizza pan with cooking spray and a light dusting of flour.
1Make the white spread. Mix together the goat cheese, lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of thyme. If the goat cheese is tough to mix, microwave it for about 10 seconds.
2Make the basting dressing. Mix the olive oil, salt, pepper and remaining ½ teaspoon of thyme. It goes on before and after baking.
3Roll the dough. Roll the dough out about ¼ inch thick on a lightly floured surface for a thin crust, and transfer it to the prepared pan. Roll the edges for a thicker crust.
4Spread the cheese. With a spatula, spread the goat cheese mixture evenly over the dough.
5Add Parmesan. Sprinkle the top with shaved Parmesan cheese.
6Layer the zucchini. Arrange the zucchini slices in a circular pattern on top, not overlapping.
7Baste. Brush the top of the pizza, including the crust, with the dressing. You will have plenty left over.
8Bake and finish. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until the crust is slightly golden and the zucchini is dry but not burned. Baste lightly with more dressing and sprinkle with fresh thyme before serving.
As always, be sure to check out the full recipe details in the recipe card below.
Expert Tips
- Slice zucchini about ½ cm thin. Thicker slices make the pizza moist and keep the dough from crisping.
- Keep slices apart, not overlapping, for even cooking.
- Short on time? Use a precooked crust from the frozen section and bake about 20 minutes, until lightly browned and the zucchini is dry.
- Pick small zucchini, about 2 inches across, so the rounds fit evenly.
- Soften stiff goat cheese in the microwave for about 10 seconds.
More Ways to Enjoy Zucchini and Pizza
Pizza night favorites: Arugula Prosciutto Pizza, How To Make An Excellent Grilled Pizza and my spaghetti squash pizza casserole.
More with zucchini and goat cheese: Stuffed Squash with Quinoa, Cranberries and Goat Cheese, Skillet Goat Cheese Mac n Cheese, Zucchini Cookies and Banana Zucchini Muffins.
Need a crust without yeast? Try my AIP pizza crust.
Zucchini Pizza FAQs
About ½ cm thin. Thicker slices make the pizza moist, and the dough has trouble cooking and crisping.
Yes. Use a precooked pizza dough from the frozen section, add the toppings, and bake about 20 minutes until lightly browned and the zucchini is dry but not burned.
Smaller zucchinis, about 2 inches in diameter, fit more evenly on the pizza.
Slice the zucchini thin, keep the slices from overlapping, and bake until the zucchini looks dry.
This white pizza uses a goat cheese spread instead of tomato sauce, so there are no tomatoes on it.
Bacon bits added after baking, sliced mushrooms, slivers of red onion, zucchini flowers, or shaved truffles.
More Pizza Recipes
Keep pizza night going with Arugula Prosciutto Pizza, Grilled Pizza, Spaghetti Squash Pizza Casserole and Stuffed Squash With Goat Cheese. If you make this zucchini pizza recipe from DelightfulMomFood I would love to see your creations! Follow along with me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter for a feature and more recipe inspiration! And don't forget to leave a comment below!
Zucchini Pizza Recipe
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Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven 400 degrees F. or as prepared pizza dough says. Spray a pizza stone with cooking spray and lightly add flour, or spray a baking pan or pizza pan with cooking spray and lightly add flour to prevent sticking.
- In a small bowl mix together the goat cheese, lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme. If the goat cheese is tough to mix, microwave it for about 10 seconds to soften.
- In another bowl, add the olive oil, salt, pepper, and the remaining ½ teaspoon fresh thyme. Mix well and set aside.
- Make the pizza dough in advance or use a store bought. To make the pizza, roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface reaching about ¼ inch thick for thinner crust. Transfer to the prepared pizza pan.
- Using a spatula, spread the goat cheese spread onto the dough. evenly Top with Parmesan cheese. Layer the zucchini slices in a circular pattern, not overlapping. Using a basting brush, baste the top of the pizza, including the crust with the dressing saving the rest for the end.
- Bake 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes (or as dough instructions say) and the crust is slightly golden and zucchini is dry, not moist but not burned. When the pizza is done, baste it lightly with more dressing before serving and garnish with fresh thyme.
Katie Garrett says
This is delicious! I found it on foodgawker.com when I searched for something to make with the zucchini I had tonight. Thanks for sharing it! Hubby and kids and I all agreed that this is a recipe we want to make again! I just shared it on my facebook page. So easy - and so yummy! Thanks!
admin says
Katie I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you so much for taking the time to post a comment that the whole family enjoyed it! And I appreciate that you shared it via Facebook! Let me know if you like any others and tag me sometime on Instagram @delightfulmomfood with something you make!