Cadry's Kitchen

A Vegan Adventure

  • Home
  • About
    • About Cadry
    • Contact
    • Work with me
    • Privacy Policy
  • Recipes
  • Travel
  • Vegan
    • Being Vegan
    • Vegan grocery list
  • Connect:

Vegan recipes from my kitchen

Vegan cheeseburger pizza with special sauce

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please see my Privacy Policy for more details.

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
Text overlay: Cheeseburger pizza. Quick & easy vegan dinner. Hand holding slice of pizza.

This vegan cheeseburger pizza recipe has all of the classic, All-American flavors of a burger but in pizza form. Plus, it’s ready in just 20 minutes. Don’t forget the pickles & special sauce!

Whole pizza pie on metal tray.

Every Monday at our house is pizza night. When the week is just getting started, I like to ease in to real life by making something that’s super easy & always sounds good.

We change up what kind of toppings we do. Sometimes it’s a vegan taco pizza. Other times it’s a chili dog pizza. Occasionally, I hearken back to childhood with air fryer bagel pizzas.

But lately, I’ve been making this cheeseburger pizza recipe.

Slices of pizza on plate.

Oh, my goodness.

I can’t even say exactly which aspect of this pizza is my favorite, because it all works so perfectly together. It’s harmony in action.

There’s a meaty, smoky veggie burger that has the grill flavor built right in.

There are two kinds of non-dairy cheeses melted on top – mozzarella and cheddar.

There are the classic burger toppings of lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and pickles.

Then there’s a drizzling of special sauce that takes it all the way home. It’s that nostalgic fast food burger flavor, but on a crispy crust.

Plus, the whole shebang is ready in only 20 minutes! By using some store-bought shortcuts of a frozen crust and prepared burger, a family-friendly dinner really couldn’t be much faster or more universally adored.

Real talk: After making this pizza to photograph on Monday, I was so excited that I got to eat the leftovers the next two days at lunch. I started looking forward to them each day at breakfast.

Now that I’m looking at these pics all over again, another pie may be in order!

Which kind of veggie burger should I use?

For this recipe, I used a Gardein beefless burger. They come frozen with four to a package. Since the whole pizza uses just one burger, you can really stretch out a bag of them this way.

But feel free to use any veggie burger you like. Toothsome, meaty burgers work particularly well at evoking the traditional flavors of this dish.

Other good options would be burgers from Herbivorous Butcher, Field Roast, Upton’s Naturals, or Beyond Meat. (You can read more about these burgers in my post on vegan grilling.) They’re also selling the Impossible Burger now at Trader Joe’s. That would be delicious too.

Or you can use beefless crumbles. Your call!

What kind of crust is best?

To make this a really simple & fast weeknight meal, I like to use a store-bought frozen crust. Trader Joe’s sells frozen crusts from Monteli, which come two to a package. They have a permanent spot on my Trader Joe’s grocery list.

They’re a freezer staple at our house, and one of my favorite vegan Trader Joe’s products. (<–You can see a picture of the package through that link.)

I do like to make one adjustment, though. The Monteli instructions say to cook the crust for 6 to 7 minutes. I don’t think it’s crisp enough at that point. I recommend cooking for 12 minutes instead.

If you’d rather make a crust from scratch, use store-bought dough, or a different frozen crust, by all means, go for it. Simply follow the oven temperature & cooking times on the package.

Keep in mind that the Monteli crust is 10 inches. Adjust accordingly with the amount of toppings you might need on a different sized crust.

What about the special sauce?

The special sauce is also known as vegan Thousand Island dressing. It’s made with a mixture of eggless mayo, ketchup, diced pickles, and lemon juice. It has a tanginess and slight sweetness that really finishes the experience beautifully. 

If you want to make a double batch, it’s also terrific on a jackfruit reuben or vegan crab cakes.

Short on time? Grab a bottle of prepared vegan Thousand Island dressing to use instead of homemade.

How to make this cheeseburger pizza recipe

Browned veggie burger crumbles in skillet.

Start by preheating the oven to 420 degrees.

Then break up & brown a veggie burger in a skillet.

Pizza crust topped with veggie burger and shredded non-dairy cheese.

Top a frozen crust with marinara or pizza sauce, veggie burger, non-dairy mozzarella, and cheddar.

Pop it into the oven right on the grill grates.

Cheeseburger pizza in oven on grate.

While the pizza cooks, chop the cold vegetables to go on top. And mix up the special sauce in a bowl with eggless mayo, ketchup, lemon juice, and diced pickle.

Finish your pizza with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, and special sauce.

Overhead vegan cheeseburger on metal tray.

Tips on reheating

If you have leftovers, I recommend removing the cold ingredients before reheating. Take off the lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles. (The onions can stay.) Warm pickles and lettuce may be standard on a conveyer belt burger, but no one wants to emulate that, right?

So take off the cold veggie toppings, and set them aside. After you’ve warmed the pizza, pop them back on the slices. If you have any special sauce left over, that’s a good time for another fresh drizzle.

By the way, my favorite way to reheat pizza these days is in the air fryer. While it would be tricky to cook a full-sized pizza that way, it works like a dream for reheating slices. You don’t have to preheat the air fryer. And it makes everything crisp & melty again, unlike the microwave, which doesn’t do a crust any favors.

Hand holding slice of vegan cheeseburger pizza.

Whole pizza pie on metal tray.

Vegan cheeseburger pizza with special sauce

This All-American favorite is topped with browned veggie burger, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions, and special sauce. By using short-cuts like a frozen pizza crust & store-bought veggie burger, this easy weeknight meal is ready in just 20 minutes. The whole family will love it!
The pizza serves 3 people with two slices per person.
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Vegan
Keyword: comfort food, semi-homemade, weeknight friendly
Prep Time: 3 minutes
Cook Time: 17 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 3 people
Calories: 163kcal
Author: Cadry Nelson

Ingredients

Vegan cheeseburger pizza

  • 1/2 teaspoon organic canola oil or other neutral-flavored, high heat oil
  • 1 veggie burger thawed if necessary
  • 1 10-inch frozen pizza crust I use frozen Monteli crust from Trader Joe's
  • 1/2 cup marinara or pizza sauce
  • 1/4 cup shredded non-dairy cheese I use a mixture of mozzarella & cheddar
  • 2 romaine leaves chopped
  • 1/4 cup chopped tomatoes or 6 sliced cherry tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup dill pickle slices
  • 1 Tablespoon minced onion

Special sauce (Vegan Thousand Island dressing)

  • 2 Tablespoons vegan mayonnaise I use Vegenaise
  • 1 Tablespoon ketchup
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 Tablespoon finely chopped dill pickles

Instructions

To make vegan cheeseburger pizza

  • Preheat oven to 420 degrees. (If you are using a different frozen or store-bought crust, follow the directions on the package for the correct temperature for pre-heating & cooking time.)
  • Bring a non-stick skillet to a medium heat along with oil. Crumble the veggie burger into the skillet. Saute a few minutes, until browned. Then remove from heat & set aside.
  • Use a spoon to cover the pizza crust in marinara. Top with browned veggie burger and shredded non-dairy cheese.
  • Put the pizza directly onto the oven grate & bake for 12 minutes. (The Monteli package recommends 6 to 7 minutes for baking, but I think the crust isn't crisp enough at that point.)
  • While the pizza is baking, chop the vegetable toppings for the pizza and make the special sauce.
  • When the pizza is done, remove it from the oven and cut it into 6 slices. Top it with chopped romaine, tomatoes, dill pickle slices, and minced onion. Finish with drizzles of special sauce across the pizza and serve.

To make special sauce (vegan Thousand Island dressing)

  • In a small bowl, combine vegan mayonnaise, ketchup, lemon juice, and dill pickles. Set aside.

Notes

I use a frozen Monteli brand pizza crust from Trader Joe's. They come two to a package. However, you can use the crust of your choice. Either make your own from scratch, or use store-bought crust or dough. Follow the directions specific to your crust for the oven temperature and cooking time.
For the veggie burger, I used a Gardein beefless burger. They come frozen. So I quickly thawed one in the microwave using the defrost function for 30 seconds to a minute. Then use your hands to crumble it into the pan.
Feel free to use your favorite veggie burger for the pizza. Other good veggie burger options for this pizza include Herbivorous Butcher, Field Roast, Upton's Naturals, or Beyond Meat. Or you can use beefless crumbles.
For the cheese, I like to do a half and half mixture of shredded non-dairy cheddar and mozzarella. 
If you have leftovers, I recommend removing the cold ingredients before reheating the pizza. It's not as good with warm romaine and pickles. You can put them back onto the slices once they are reheated.

Nutrition

Calories: 163kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 719mg | Potassium: 312mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1874IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Tag @cadryskitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #cadryskitchen!
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Posted On: June 10, 2020
Comment: Leave a Comment

About Cadry

Cadry Nelson is the writer, photographer, and recipe creator behind Cadry’s Kitchen, a vegan food & lifestyle blog started in 2009. Through approachable recipes, vegan travel guides, and down-to-earth discussions on the social aspects of being vegan, Cadry shows that living a vegan lifestyle is deliciously uncomplicated. Cadry has been featured on NBC News, Mashable, Today, Reader's Digest, Yahoo, Delish, Shape, and Huffington Post.

Comments

  1. Susan says

    June 10, 2020 at 7:54 pm

    Can you please deliver this to my house? I want it!!!
    Though, Cadry, reheating leftover pizza? What sort of blasphemy is this?
    One of the joys of pizza is saving some to eat cold the next day!

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      June 12, 2020 at 10:01 am

      I’m on my way! Australia is sounding pretty good about now.

      I’m sorry to say I’ve never been in to cold pizza! I don’t know if you ever watch 30 Rock, but I’ve got to go with Jack Donaghy on this one. Warm pizza always reigns supreme in my book.

      Reply
      • Susan says

        June 17, 2020 at 7:33 pm

        I love 30 Rock, I have seen it many times!

        Reply
  2. Shell says

    June 11, 2020 at 3:21 pm

    5 stars
    We have been having homemade pizza every Saturday at our house during quarantine. I like the idea of pizza Mondays, too! Also, love this combo of flavors!!!

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      June 12, 2020 at 3:31 pm

      Pizza Saturday is a great idea too. I’m also fond of Pizza Sunday through Friday. Haha!

      Reply
  3. Bianca Phillips says

    June 12, 2020 at 3:48 pm

    I love this!! It looks SO GOOD. And I love that y’all have pizza every Monday! I’ve been thinking about trying theme nights just for fun. When I was a kid, every Friday, was Takeout Friday, and I so looked forward to that!

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      June 23, 2020 at 11:36 am

      Of course, you should! You love a good theme.

      Reply
  4. Mandy says

    June 17, 2020 at 10:28 pm

    5 stars
    Cadry!! We made this for dinner tonight and it was sooooooo good!!! We used a frozen crust and Trader Joe’s meatless burgers (kinda like Beyond Meat), and a mix of Violife’s cheddar + mozzarella shreds. But the addition of dill pickle slices, lettuce, and your special sauce took it over the top 🙂 I love the mix of textures and flavors! Josh’s bday was a few days ago so we’ve been making all of his favorite foods this week (thought of you when we had potato salad) – this pizza was perfect. We will definitely add this into our pizza night rotation! I should also add that Willow uses your thousand island dressing on her salads all the time…it’s her favorite. Hope you’re having a great week so far!

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      June 23, 2020 at 11:38 am

      Yay!!! I’m so glad that you loved the pizza, and that just makes my day that my thousand island dressing is Willow’s favorite. Happy birthday to Josh!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Search

Welcome

Hi, I'm Cadry Nelson. I'm the recipe creator, writer, and photographer behind Cadry's Kitchen.

Cadry's Kitchen is a vegan food blog featuring comfort food classics. Most recipes are ready in about 30 minutes.

Contact me at cadryskitchen@gmail.com.

MORE ABOUT CADRY
Logos for sites where Cadry Nelson & Cadry's Kitchen have been featured.
Text overlay: vegan air fryer recipes. Hand dipping ravioli into marinara with air fryer ravioli on plate.

Subscribe via Email

Enter your email address to receive notifications of new posts.

© Cadry Nelson and Cadry's Kitchen, 2009-2021. The full content of this site, including recipes and photographs are copyrighted. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Cadry Nelson and Cadry's Kitchen with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

© 2021 · Cadry’s Kitchen