I can’t believe it, school is almost back in session! My daughter starts middle school this year and I want to send her back with a bang. This vegan school lunch pan pizza is not just for her though. It is for your kids and for you and me as well. This easy vegan pan pizza packs super well in any container or lunch box and can be taken to work and reheated or eaten cold. So, in an effort to continue my deep dive into veganizing nostalgic favorites, this one is for all the adults out there too. The ones who loved that thick, crusty, bready school pizza that was square. Somehow it always made my heart flutter when I knew it was pizza day at school.
What You Need For This Vegan Pizza Bread:
- Flour, Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Along with salt, these are the dry ingredients that start the base for the pan pizza.
- Flax Meal: Mixed with water to create an egg replacer.
- Non-Dairy Milk and Olive Oil: These are the rest of the wet ingredients for the base dough.
- Pizza Sauce, Vegan Cheese and Vegan Pepperoni: Or whatever toppings you want to use for you pizza.
So this vegan school lunch pan pizza is more of a pizza bread. Which I think is sometimes exactly what I want. there is no yeast in the dough, so you can just bake it immediately, without having to let the dough rise and all that. Then you just bake it with the toppings already on the uncooked dough. Since everything is done all at once, you can just sit back, relax and get ready for the tastiest, fluffiest, pizza bread ever. Cut it into squares and eat immediately. Or save for packing lunches!
Why Should You Make This Pan Pizza?
- It is comically easy to make.
- This thick and fluffy pizza bread is so dang good!
- Kids will love it and so will you.
- You can put any toppings on it that you want.
- The last bit of baking, you top with another pan so the top gets all brown and melty.
Vegan School Lunch Pan Pizza
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Flax meal(ground flax seeds)
- 3 Tablespoons Water
- 1 1/4 Cups Non-dairy milk, unsweetened I used oat milk
- 3 Tablespoons Olive oil
- 2 Cups All purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons Baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 Cup Pizza sauce
- 4 ounces Vegan mozzarella, I used Miyokos
- 1/4 Cup Vegan pepperoni, I used Field Roast
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees(F).
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flax meal and water. Let it sit for 3 to 5 minutes or until it thickens. This creates a flax egg.
- Pour the non-dairy milk and olive oil into the bowl. Whisk together with the flax egg until fully combined.
- Put a sifter over the bowl with the wet ingredients, then add the flour, baking powder and baking soda into the sifter and sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
- Pour the salt into the bowl. Then stir everything together until fully combined and there are no dry spots of flour left.
- Drizzle a little olive oil into a 9×9 inch square baking dish and then spread it out evenly to coat the bottom and sides of the pan using a brush or paper towel.
- Then scoop the dough into the pan. It will be very sticky. I like to just wet my fingers with water or a little olive oil, then spread the dough out evenly into the pan.
- Top the dough with the pizza sauce, spreading it out evenly. Then spread the vegan cheese and vegan pepperoni on top evenly.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Then take another pan, preferably one that will fit inside the pan with the pizza. Spray or brush the bottom of that pan with oil. Then place it on top of the pizza. This is optional, but I love how much it helps brown the top.
- Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the top is brown and melty and the bread is cooked through.
- Let cool for a few minutes and then cut into squares.
Video
Nutrition
Hey great recipe! Would love to try it. Could I please ask why you placed a pan on top of the pizza and how that helped in browning the top? From my understanding was the pizza and cheese get stuck to the bottom of the pan on top?
Hi, I have had a few questions about this, sorry I made it confusing. I just do it to help brown the pepperoni and melt the cheese. I spray the bottom of the pan that you put on top with non-stick spray and that has always worked for me without anything sticking. However, you can skip this step altogether if you prefer! I hope that helps.
I’m going to try this tonight! Can you explain the second part of cooking where you place the pan inside the pan? I didn’t see it in the video. Thanks!
Hey! Sorry that part is confusing. I just place another pan on top to help brown the top and melt the cheese. You can either just put a sheet pan over it to just cover it, or place a pan that will fit inside the other pan so that is is touching the pizza. I like to spray the bottom of that pan with non-stick spray so the pizza toppings won’t stick to that pan. That is my preferred method, it makes the top nice and brown and melty. You can of course skip this step altogether, it just might not look as brown and melty. I hope that makes sense.
That does make sense. One more question…does the pan you actually cook the pizza in need to be metal? I wanted to double the recipe, but only have one metal and one glass pan that size.
Thank you so much!
I think to get the crispy brown crust, the pan needs to be metal. It may work okay in a glass pan, it will just be more soft bread-like.
This was perfect! Thank you for the recipe!
Nice post
Made this for my husband last weekend. It was epic! The pan on top really did a great job of browning the pizza making it extra tasty. It’s also something that could easily be for a week night dinner. It reheats perfectly in the air fryer (wrapped in foil). Thanks so much Lauren!
Hi! This looks amazing! Would foil work in place of a separate pan on top to brown the top? Also, if we want to add veggies (bell peppers, onions, etc.) should they also be added when the pepperoni is added? Thanks!
Hey! Yes, foil on top should work too. And yes, I would just put the veggies on at the same time as the pepperoni.
I made this and it was delicious and fluffy. I only had a glass pan so it didn’t get super crispy. But it was delicous. I will definitely make again. I used Myokos liquid mozz which I added during the last 10 minutes of cooking time.