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Prepare to have your mind blown. The best gluten-free pizza comes from a classic Italian recipe. It’s a traditional recipe, called farinata (it’s called socca in france), that uses chickpea flour. Cook it in your cast-iron skillet and you’ll never make gluten free pizza any other way again.
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Cast-Iron Skillet Farinata—The Best Gluten-Free Pizza Crust Alternative
Farinata is a thick pancake made from chickpea flour (also called gram flour or besan). It’s a delicious, easy-to-make, gluten-free pizza crust alternative. Best of all, it is surprisingly easy to make.
The Italians cook farinata in copper pans in very hot wood-burning ovens. Your home oven probably doesn’t reach 900ºF, so a cast iron skillet comes in handy.
The skillet acts like a baking stone, getting very, very hot and retaining that heat. The result is a delightfully crisp crust that is a perfect base for all of your favorite pizza toppings.
Depending on what toppings you choose, it can easily be made vegetarian, vegan, or dairy-free.
Try these other great gluten-free recipes
- Gluten-Free Pizza in a Cast-Iron Skillet
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin and Black Bean Chili
- Brazilian Cheese Bread or Pao de Queijo
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie
- Gluten-Free Pecan Tartlets
- Chocolate Chickpea Muffins
- Gluten-Free Banana Muffins with Peanut Butter
Farinata with Oven Roasted Tomatoes, Onions, and Goat Cheese
Robin Donovan
Ingredients
- ¾ cup chickpea flour
- 1 cup water
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt plus a pinch
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus a pinch
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 small red onion thinly sliced
- 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 3 ounces fresh goat cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- In a medium bowl, combine the chickpea flour with the water, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, the rosemary, ½ teaspoon of the salt, and ¼ teaspoon of the black pepper and whisk until well combined. Set aside to rest for 30 minutes.
- While the batter is resting, combine the tomatoes, onion, crushed red pepper, garlic, 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet and toss to coat the vegetables with the oil. Spread the vegetables out in a single layer and roast for 20 minutes, stirring once. Transfer the mixture to a bowl or plate and wipe out the skillet.
- Increase the oven heat to 500ºF (or as hot as your oven goes). Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of the oil to the skillet and swirl to coat the bottom. Give the batter a stir and pour it into the skillet. Bake for 20 minutes. Top the chickpea cake with the onion and tomato mixture and crumble the goat cheese over the top. Bake for 12 more minutes, until the center of chickpea cake is set. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes before serving. To serve, cut into wedges.
This looks so bomb. I use chickpea flour regularly as well (but for making tofu). Will definitely try this.
I love that you made this in a cast iron skillet. Can’t wait to give it a try! Gluten free pizzas are so great to have in my cooking repetoire.
Thanks, Kristen! I really love this recipe. I think you will too!