Spooky & Delicious: Wholesome Vegan Halloween Pizzas for a Frightfully Good Time!

Welcome to Vegan Pizza Post 13! As the crisp autumn air signals the arrival of Halloween, it’s time to conjure up some delightful treats. While I might not be one for truly “spooky” creations, my heart delights in crafting dishes that are both charming and delicious. This year, I’ve brewed up a batch of adorable, whole-grain pizzas perfect for little ghouls and goblins (or even grown-ups who prefer cute over creepy!). You’ll find playful mummy, ghostly figures, and even a grumpy pumpkin among these savory masterpieces. They might be a bit irregularly shaped (a consequence of my overly enthusiastic placement on the baking sheet!), but their flavor is absolutely supernatural.

These fun pizzas came to life during one of my recent vegan cheese experiments. What better way to test a new batch of melty, plant-based goodness than to transform it into festive Halloween shapes? I’m thrilled to share this recipe with you today, just in time for the holiday season. This week holds extra special significance for me, with my birthday tomorrow, followed by my dad’s, and then my husband’s – a true birthday month celebration! So before I go “Off the Interwebs” for some well-deserved family time, here’s a treat that promises to bring joy and deliciousness to your table.

The Magic Behind Our Vegan Halloween Pizzas

Creating themed food for holidays like Halloween is such a wonderful way to celebrate and engage everyone, especially children. These vegan pizzas offer a fantastic plant-based alternative to traditional party snacks, ensuring that everyone can enjoy the festivities without dietary worries. They are free from dairy, eggs, soy, nuts, and corn, making them incredibly inclusive. Beyond their delightful appearance, these pizzas are packed with wholesome ingredients, ensuring a nourishing treat that satisfies both taste buds and nutritional needs.

The star of our spooky pizza parade was undoubtedly the ghost mummy. My husband, ever the connoisseur of cute, declared it his favorite and saved it for last. These pizzas aren’t just about their fun shapes; they boast a uniquely flavorful and nutritious crust, a vibrant homemade marinara, and wonderfully melty vegan cheese.

The Wholesome Barley and Sesame Crust

The foundation of these fantastic pizzas is a special crust made with a blend of finely ground whole barley and coarsely ground sesame seeds. This combination isn’t just for texture; it’s a nutritional powerhouse, contributing extra protein and a boost of whole grains. The sesame seeds also lend a distinctive, slightly gritty appearance and a delightful nutty flavor that complements the other toppings beautifully. It’s a crust that feels hearty and satisfying, a perfect base for our Halloween creations.

Irresistible Sun-Dried Tomato Marinara

No pizza is complete without a rich, flavorful sauce, and our sun-dried tomato marinara truly elevates these Halloween pizzas. Made with ripe tomatoes, fragrant garlic, and the intensely sweet-tart flavor of sun-dried tomatoes, this sauce is incredibly easy to prepare yet delivers a depth of flavor that is simply unmatched. It provides the perfect savory backdrop for our creative cheese toppings.

Crafting Fun Halloween Shapes with Vegan Cheese

The real fun begins when we start shaping our vegan cheese! Using simple ghost or pumpkin cutters (or even a knife for freehand shapes), you can transform plain cheese slices into whimsical Halloween characters. Imagine a mummy pizza, adorned with strips of mozzarella, or a grumpy pumpkin with cheddar features. Paired with chopped Kalamata olives, which add a briny counterpoint, these toppings make each pizza a mini work of art. While I opted for more “cute” designs, feel free to unleash your inner mad scientist and create spooky rosemary tentacled olive spiders if you dare!

For a complete and comforting meal, we enjoyed bowlfuls of Missir Wot, an Ethiopian red lentil stew, alongside our pizzas. It’s a hearty and delicious pairing that truly rounds out the meal. So, what are your savory meal or snack plans for Halloween? Do you have any silly Halloween jokes? Share them in the comments below – I’d love to hear them!

Hello, ghost mummy, looking delightfully inverted in color! These pizzas are not just a feast for the eyes but a celebration of flavor and creativity. If you’re looking for alternative crusts, you can explore any of the amazing options I’ve shared this month, like this gluten-free Oat Crust or other varieties (wheat, white, semolina, and more) from the extensive pizza crust collection here. Rest assured, both the cheese and sauce in this recipe are gluten-free. Have a fantastic Friday, and I’ll connect with you all again soon!

Recipe: Mozzarella and Cheddar Ghosts and Mummies on Sesame Barley Crust

This recipe makes 4 small (approximately 4-5 inch) pizzas. It is dairy, egg, soy, nut, and corn-free, making it suitable for many dietary needs.

Ingredients:

For the Sesame Barley Pizza Crust:

1/2 cup warm water
1.5 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 teaspoons raw sugar
1/4 cup coarsely ground white sesame seeds
1/2 cup barley flour
1/2 cup bread flour (or all-purpose flour)
1/3 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
2-3 Tablespoons additional bread flour for dusting

For the Sun-Dried Tomato Marinara Sauce:

1 Tablespoon EVOO
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 bay leaf
2 ripe large tomatoes
3-4 garlic cloves
2 Tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil, drained)
1/2 teaspoon dried herbs (such as basil and parsley)
1/3 teaspoon salt

For the Vegan Mozzarella and Cheddar (Gluten, Soy, Nut, Corn, Dairy, Egg, Yeast Free):

I am continuously refining the “meltyness” of my homemade vegan cheeses. For this particular batch, I made a few delightful changes to my existing recipes. For a complete and detailed guide to the base recipes, please refer to my original Vegan Mozzarella recipe here and Vegan Cheddar recipe here. These recipes are already perfect in taste and almost spot-on in texture. Here are the specific adjustments I made for these Halloween pizzas:

Start with 1/2 cup full-fat canned coconut milk, 1/4 cup SoDelicious coconut creamer, 1.5 teaspoons agar powder, 1/3 teaspoon salt, a generous pinch of black salt, 3/4 teaspoon coconut vinegar, a pinch of garlic powder, and a pinch of mustard powder.
After the agar is fully mixed and dissolved, incorporate 1 teaspoon tapioca starch and 1 teaspoon potato starch.
Once all starches are mixed in, pour half of this mixture into a container to set as Mozzarella.
To the remaining half, add 1 tablespoon chickpea miso, 1/8 teaspoon mustard powder, 1.5 tablespoons nutritional yeast, and 1/8 teaspoon turmeric powder. Mix well, then cook on low heat for about 30 seconds until slightly thicker.
Pour the cheddar mixture into another container and allow both cheeses to set in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

This special blend ensures a truly delicious and wonderfully melty vegan cheese experience for your pizzas!

Instructions:

Part 1: Prepare the Sun-Dried Tomato Marinara Sauce

In a medium pan, add 1 Tablespoon EVOO and heat on low-medium.
Add the chopped onions, dried herbs, and bay leaf. Cook for 5-6 minutes until the onions are translucent and fragrant.

In a blender, combine the ripe tomatoes, garlic cloves, and sun-dried tomatoes. Blend until a smooth puree is formed.
Add the tomato puree to the cooked onions in the pan. Stir in the salt and additional dried herbs.
Continue to cook on low-medium heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens to your desired consistency. Remove the bay leaf before using.

Part 2: Prepare the Sesame Barley Pizza Crust

In a large mixing bowl, combine the warm water, active yeast, and raw sugar. Stir well and let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes, or until it becomes frothy, indicating the yeast is active.
Add the coarsely ground white sesame seeds, barley flour, bread flour, salt, dried basil, and extra virgin olive oil to the yeast mixture. Mix thoroughly for about 2 minutes until a shaggy dough forms.
Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let the dough rise in a warm place for approximately 1.5 hours, or until it has doubled in size.

Once risen, add 2 tablespoons of additional bread flour to the dough. Gather it and knead it on a lightly floured surface for 2-3 minutes until it forms a smooth, elastic dough.

Part 3: Assemble and Bake Your Halloween Pizzas

Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
Divide the kneaded dough into 4 equal portions. On a lightly floured surface, roll or press each portion into your desired Halloween shapes – ghosts, mummies, pumpkins, or even simple squares or rectangles. Be creative and have fun!

Carefully transfer the shaped pizza bases to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Spread a generous layer of the sun-dried tomato marinara sauce over each pizza base.
Top with strips or cut-out shapes of your vegan mozzarella and cheddar cheeses to create mummy bandages, ghost outlines, or pumpkin features. Add chopped Kalamata olives for eyes or other decorations. For instance, I used olive slices and small olive pieces to make the eyes on the ghost and mummy pizzas.
Bake in the preheated oven for 12-13 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the cheese is starting to melt.
For extra meltiness and a slightly golden finish, carefully broil on low for about half a minute, keeping a close eye on them to prevent burning. This step helps the vegan cheese achieve that desirable stretchy, gooey texture!
Remove the pizzas from the oven, let them cool for a minute, and then serve immediately to enjoy their warm, cheesy goodness.

Behold, the glorious Ghost Mummy! The vegan mozzarella on these pizzas truly does melt beautifully and gets wonderfully slightly stringy – a perfect texture for any pizza lover.

Tips for Success and Creative Variations:

Dough Shaping: Don’t worry if your shapes aren’t perfect – homemade charm is part of the fun! For cleaner edges, you can use cookie cutters or create stencils from parchment paper.
Crust Alternatives: While the barley and sesame crust offers unique flavor and nutrition, feel free to use your favorite pizza dough recipe. The gluten-free oat crust mentioned earlier is another fantastic option for those with sensitivities.
Topping Ideas: Beyond olives, consider other fun toppings. Bell pepper strips can be used to create pumpkin stems or witch hats. Thinly sliced jalapeños add a spicy kick, while a sprinkle of fresh herbs after baking brightens the flavors.
Batch Cooking: These pizzas are best enjoyed fresh, but you can prepare the dough and sauce in advance. Store the dough in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours and the sauce for up to 3-4 days.

Share Your Halloween Creations!

We hope you enjoy making these delightful vegan Halloween pizzas as much as we did! They are truly a joy to create and even more enjoyable to eat. Perfect for a festive family dinner, a spooky party snack, or just a fun afternoon project, these pizzas are sure to become a Halloween tradition in your home. These pizzas are proudly being shared at Ricki’s Wellness Weekend and Healthy Vegan Fridays. Don’t forget to tell us your Halloween plans and share your funniest Halloween jokes in the comments below!