Turn over a box of CAULIPOWER, the best-known cauliflower pizza crust in U.S. grocery freezers, and the ingredient list reads cauliflower, brown rice flour, rice flour, water, corn starch, tapioca starch. The vegetable comes first, but three starches follow right behind it, and egg holds the shell together. That one panel explains this whole category: the front of the box sells the vegetable, while the back tells you what you are really buying. Below, what these shells are made of, which brands are still on shelves, where to find them in stores, online, and in restaurants, and when making your own makes more sense.
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What Is Cauliflower Pizza Crust Made Of?
A cauliflower crust is a ready-to-top pizza base made from riced cauliflower plus a binder, sold frozen or refrigerated as a stand-in for wheat pizza dough. The binder is where brands split, and it decides whether a shell suits a celiac, dairy-free, vegan, or keto shopper.
| Formula style | Typical binder | Example on shelves | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starch-blended | Rice flour, corn and tapioca starch, egg | CAULIPOWER plain crust | Celiac and dairy-free shoppers |
| Cheese-and-egg | Eggs, parmesan or mozzarella cheese | Outer Aisle Plantpower | Low-carb buyers who eat dairy |
| Plant-bound | Flax, chickpea flour, nutritional yeast | Small brands, mostly online | Vegan and egg-free households |
Neither formula is wrong. A starch blend bakes up more like traditional pizza but carries more carbohydrate. An egg and cheese shell keeps carbs low and turns soft if overloaded. If you are shopping for a plant-bound shell, nutritional yeast is the ingredient that usually replaces the cheese.
Five label checks sort any box in under a minute:
- Ingredient order. Cauliflower should be first. When a flour or starch leads, the vegetable is closer to a seasoning.
- The allergen line. “Contains: Egg” or “Contains: Milk” settles the vegan question faster than any front-panel claim.
- The gluten claim. Under the FDA’s labeling rule, a food labeled gluten-free must contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten. “Made without wheat” is not the same claim.
- Serving size. Some panels count a quarter of a shell, others half, so compare carbs at the same fraction.
- Frozen or refrigerated. The storage line tells you which case to search and whether the base bakes straight from frozen.
That claim is voluntary but regulated, and the FDA labeling Q&A explains the 20 ppm limit. Buying for blood sugar reasons? Compare the carbohydrate line rather than the front-of-box wording, and read the general carbohydrate guidance from the American Diabetes Association, the nonprofit behind the U.S. standards of diabetes care. See the ADA guidance.
The same label-reading habit pays off on black bean pasta and chickpea pasta, where starch fillers show up just as often.
Which Brands Are Still Making These Shells
Several names that older guides recommend are gone or hard to find.
- CAULIPOWER. In November 2025, Urban Farmer, a dough manufacturer owned by private equity firm Paine Schwartz Partners, acquired the brand. Urban Farmer had already been producing its products, and CAULIPOWER kept its own name. The plain two-pack is labeled gluten-free and dairy-free and contains egg.
- Outer Aisle. The Plantpower Pizza Crusts list fresh cauliflower first, then eggs, parmesan, and nutritional yeast. They are certified gluten-free and contain milk and egg. Grocers usually stock them in the deli or refrigerated case, not the freezer.
- Trader Joe’s. The chain sells its own Cauliflower Pizza Crusts in the freezer, available only in its stores.
- Milton’s Craft Bakers. Sells topped cauliflower crust pizzas and, at some grocers, plain thin and crispy crusts.
- Cali’flour Foods. Its lender put the company’s assets up for auction in 2023, and the brand’s old web address now redirects to an unrelated supplement company. Treat any listing as leftover or third-party stock.
Where to Buy Cauliflower Pizza Crust in Stores
Start in the natural or specialty-diet freezer door. Larger stores split that set from the frozen pizza aisle, and the better-for-you brands travel together. CAULIPOWER’s own site names Walmart, Whole Foods Market, Wegmans, Publix, and Kroger among its grocery sellers.
Walmart
Walmart is on CAULIPOWER’s own list of grocery sellers. Supercenters carry far more frozen variety than Neighborhood Market locations, so check the app for your store before driving over.
Target
Look in Target’s frozen natural and organic set, where selection varies by store. Check store availability here before the trip.
Trader Joe’s
The Trader Joe’s own-label crusts are the simplest store-brand option, and they are not always shelved beside the frozen pizzas. Stock rotates by location, so ask a crew member if the freezer slot is empty.
Refrigerated and deli cases
If a store lists Outer Aisle but the freezer is bare, walk to the deli or the refrigerated wraps and tortillas. Shoppers miss this one constantly because they assume every cauliflower base is frozen.
Beyond those chains, ShopRite and H-E-B list the CAULIPOWER two-pack, and Wegmans and other regional grocers often carry more than one brand. Costco and Aldi rotate frozen items seasonally, so call ahead before counting on either.
Ordering Online Without a Thawed Box
Online is where vegan and small-batch shells live, since grocery chains rarely carry more than two or three brands. The catch is the cold chain: a frozen crust that thaws in a warm delivery van never regains its crisp.
Amazon #ad has the broadest catalog of any single seller, from national brands to producers with no store distribution. Read recent reviews for shipping complaints before ordering in summer, and check whether the listing ships frozen or thawed.
Instacart pulls from the local stores above and is the fastest way to get a frozen shell the same day. Thrive Market, a membership online grocer built around specialty diets, is worth a look only if specialty groceries are already a regular line item, since the membership fee eats the savings on a single order.
Restaurants That Offer a Cauliflower Base
If you would rather someone else bake it, CAULIPOWER supplies its base to restaurant chains. Its where-to-buy page shows Marco’s Pizza, Old Chicago, PizzaRev, Pizza Factory, 800 Degrees, 1000 Degrees Pizza, Farrelli’s Pizza, Rafferty’s, Sauce Pizza & Wine, and Alamo Drafthouse. Menus differ by location, and a restaurant base cooked in a shared kitchen is not the same as a sealed, labeled box, so people with celiac disease should ask about preparation.
Buy a Box or Make It at Home?
Buying wins on time. Making cauliflower crust at home wins on control: you pick the binder, skip the starches, and size the pizza base to your pan. Most cauliflower pizza crust recipe versions follow the same steps, and the store sells everything you need.
- Make cauliflower rice. Pulse fresh cauliflower florets in a food processor until they look like rice, or buy a bag of frozen cauliflower rice and skip the chopping.
- Cook and dry it. Steam or microwave the rice, let it cool, then wring it hard in a clean dish towel or cheesecloth. Moisture left behind is the reason a homemade base turns soggy.
- Bind it. In a large bowl, mix the drained cauliflower with egg and cheese, or flax and chickpea flour for a vegan cauliflower pizza crust.
- Bake the crust before topping. Press the mixture thin on parchment and bake it until golden and firm, then add sauce and toppings and return it until the cheese is melted.
Frozen cauliflower holds more water than fresh, so give it an extra squeeze. The drying step is the part that takes patience. Busy weeknights favor the box; a weekend pizza recipe project favors homemade.
Getting a Crispy Result From a Store-Bought Shell
Follow the box, not habits from wheat dough. CAULIPOWER’s directions call for 425°F, cooking straight from frozen without thawing, and placing the shell directly on the middle oven rack for 12 to 15 minutes. Refrigerated shells like Outer Aisle carry their own directions, so read the package rather than reusing the frozen timing.
Go light on topping weight. These bases cannot carry the load wheat dough can. A thin layer of pizza sauce, a moderate handful of mozzarella, and pre-cooked vegetables keep the middle firm. Wet toppings, like raw mushrooms or fresh tomato slices, release water during baking.
Use heat from below. A preheated pizza stone or a hot sheet pan crisps the bottom on any brand that does not specify rack baking. And skip soft or frosted boxes: ice crystals inside the wrap mean the shell thawed and refroze in transit.
Do not mistake topped pizzas for bare pizza crusts. Finished cauliflower crust pizza boxes sit in the same freezer door. Convenient, but you cannot build your own on them.
Comparing two boxes in the aisle takes three steps:
- Read ingredient one on both boxes. If the vegetable is not first, the decision is mostly made.
- Compare the carbohydrate line at the same serving size. Brands slice servings differently, so check whether the panel means a quarter of a shell or a half.
- Divide the price by the number of shells. A two-pack and a single rarely compare fairly on the shelf tag, so do the per-shell math yourself.
Picks by Shopper Type
These picks are based on published ingredient panels, how easy each brand is to find, and how well the style holds up under toppings. Prices move with promotions and region, so check the shelf tag or listing.
Best overall: CAULIPOWER Cauliflower Pizza Crust. The widest grocery distribution, bakes from frozen right on the rack, and carries gluten and dairy claims on the label. Con: rice flour and starches push carbohydrates above the cheese-bound brands, so it is not the keto pizza pick. Check price on Amazon
Best low-carb: Outer Aisle Plantpower. Cauliflower first, bound with eggs and parmesan, with no flour in the formula and third-party gluten certification. Con: personal size, and it contains milk and egg. Check price on Amazon
Best budget: Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Pizza Crusts. A store-brand option that is easy to grab with the weekly shop. Con: in-store only, and stock swings by region.
A brand to approach with care: Cali’flour Foods. Its cheese-bound crusts were popular with keto shoppers, but the company’s assets went to auction in 2023, so anything listed now may be old stock. Check the seller and the best-by date before ordering. Check price on Amazon
Start at the specialty freezer door of the largest grocery store near you, then check the deli case for refrigerated shells. Flip every promising box and buy the one whose first ingredient and allergen line match your reason for buying. If nothing local fits, order online in cooler months, or make your own from a bag of frozen riced cauliflower. The right cauliflower pizza crust is the one whose label matches your diet, not the one with the biggest vegetable photo. Our guides to Beyond Meat and naan bread cover neighboring aisles, and Daiya cheese is the usual dairy-free topping for a plant-bound shell.
Questions Shoppers Ask Before Buying
Is cauliflower pizza crust gluten free?
Most packaged versions carry the claim, but the category as a whole is not guaranteed. A labeled product must test under 20 ppm of gluten under FDA rules. If you have celiac disease, look for the claim or a third-party certification mark and read the allergen statement, and ask about shared prep at restaurants.
Is it keto friendly?
Only some brands. Shells bound with egg and cheese, like Outer Aisle, keep carbohydrates low, while starch-blended shells like CAULIPOWER use rice flour and starches and carry noticeably more. Check the carbohydrate line per serving rather than trusting the word cauliflower on the front.
Are there vegan versions?
Yes, but you will mostly find them online. CAULIPOWER and Outer Aisle both contain egg, and Outer Aisle also contains milk. A vegan shell swaps those binders for flax, chickpea flour, or nutritional yeast, so confirm the allergen line says neither egg nor milk.
About This Guide
Last reviewed October 2026. Ingredient, ownership, and retailer details come from manufacturer pages, grocery listings, and trade reporting. Formulas and distribution change often, so confirm the panel on the box and the current price on the retailer’s page before you buy.
Browse our complete Food Category for more guides on specialty ingredients and kitchen staples.