This NY-style stretchy gluten free pizza crust is a real thin crust pizza that actually folds in half when you grab a slice, and has that famous chew!
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What makes this gluten free stretchy pizza crust different
This pizza crust is “NY style” because it has a thin, chewy crust that folds in half on the horizontal when you grab a slice. It's only slightly crispy on the very, very outside, like in darker spots underneath the pie and on the edges.
Almost no matter how thin you make it, you're not going to have a cracker-like crust. A super crispy crust is not a bad thing. But it's just not the texture we're going for here.
They say the price of a slice of pizza in New York City tracks the price of a subway ride (or what used to be a subway token (I might be a bit older than you think!). When I lived in Manhattan and then Brooklyn, I don't remember ever ordering a whole pie except for delivery.
You generally buy pizza by the slice, and then you eat it walking down the street. And if you're going to eat it walking down the street (which is admittedly kind of gross, but I was in my 20s and had no clue), you're going to want to fold it in half. You end up finishing it way too fast, but again, you don't know that's bad because you're 20.
Why this is the best stretchy pizza crust recipe
I've made plenty of gluten free pizza crusts, but I think this one might be my favorite. It's fresher than any prepackaged crust you'll buy at the store, and it offers that authentic New York City-style flavor and texture, despite not having a trace of gluten.
On top of that, this New York-style pizza crust recipe doesn't take long to put together. If you're making it from scratch, you can have a homemade pizza on the table in less than an hour, with little of that being active time.
Of course, you can also make the raw crust ahead of time and store it in the fridge for up to three days. Just imagine it: Fresh, New York-style pizza, on the table within 25 minutes. If that doesn't make you a hero in the eyes of the hungry family on pizza night, I don't know what will.
Stretchy gluten free pizza crust ingredients
Is this the best New York pizza crust? I'm going to say yes, for all the reasons above, but also because it only takes a few ingredients to recreate the classic taste of an NYC pie.
- All purpose gluten free flour blend – I often recommend Better Batter in my gluten free recipes, but I'm serious this time — it really is the best for the job. This gluten free flour blend is the only one that's given me that firm, chewy texture for which New York-style pizza is known.
- Tapioca starch/flour – Tapioca flour plays a huge role in giving our New York-style pizza crust its chewy texture
- Instant yeast – I prefer instant yeast as it's easier to work with, but you can prepare active dry yeast for this recipe too. You'll need 25% more yeast, by weight, if you use active dry yeast, and you'll have to hydrate it first in some liquid from the recipe. Then, add it to the raw crust mixture when you add the rest of the water, and proceed as directed.
- Sugar – The sugar serves as the “food” for the yeast to feed.
- Warm water – Warm (not hot) water activates the yeast without killing it.
- Salt – Salt actually plays many roles: it offers the NY pizza crust more flavor, and regulates the yeast so it doesn't overproof.
Equipment you'll need to make stretchy gluten free pizza crust
You don't need a lot of ingredients for this New York-style pizza crust recipe, and you don't need a lot of equipment either.
- Stand-up mixer with paddle attachment or food processor – I prefer my stand mixer since it's always on the counter, but you can prepare this pizza crust recipe with a food processor — just make sure it's large enough to accommodate all the ingredients and don't overprocess the mixture or it may turn to almost a liquid.
- Rolling pin – A rolling pin can help you roll out your stretchy pizza crust recipe; though, I find that using my hands (after making sure they're oiled!) is super helpful
- Pizza stone or baking sheet – A hot pizza stone will give you the best pizza crust, but if you don't have one, you can just flip over a baking sheet and use that.
Tips for nailing this gluten free stretchy pizza crust recipe
Give your raw stretchy gf pizza crust time to chill
Though I say in the NY style pizza crust recipe below that you can use your raw crust mixture after just an hour in the fridge, I highly recommend that you leave it there longer. Like, overnight or longer, longer.
This is because the longer you let the pizza raw mixture sit, the more it will ferment and the flour will absorb more of the liquid, making the dough a bit easier to handle. Fermentation is just a fancy way of saying that the yeast eats up all the sugar (its fuel). Why does this matter? As yeast ferments, it changes the aroma, flavor, and texture of the raw crust.
If you want a gluten free pizza crust that really tastes what you'd find in NYC, let your raw crust mixture sit in a sealed proofing bucket in the refrigerator for at least a few hours.
How to handle the raw gluten free pizza crust
To get this pizza crust to be chewy and foldable, you need what's called a high hydration ratio. That just means how the amount of water compares to the amount of flour. Here, the hydration ratio is nearly 85%.
In our most lovely basic gluten free pizza dough recipe, the hydration ratio is only 60%. That's actually low for a conventional pizza recipe, but I think we know by now that gluten free baking is just different in so many ways.
An 85% hydration ratio means that this is a wet dough, and we need to keep it that way if we want a chewy, foldable crust. When you're handling the dough, you don't add any more flour at all. You shape it with wet or oiled hands. It's not fun, but it works.
You'll notice that, even after shaping, the raw gluten free pizza dough isn't smooth. It's kind of dimply.
Try not to judge it like I am. I'm judging it pretty hard, since I've been avoiding this sort of sad-looking gluten free bread dough for years, but here, it works like no other.
Don't forget the pizza stone (or pan) for baking
You know how some prepackaged pizzas say that you can cook directly on the rack rather than on a pizza stone or pizza pan? Yeah, that's not going to fly with this NY style pizza crust.
The reason is simple: the crusts of prepacked pizzas are typically parbaked. That means they've got the rigidity to hold it together without the help of a pizza pan.
Since we're cooking our New York pizza crust raw, it will just fall through the gaps if you put it directly on the rack. And that's no good!
Why I don't like to parbake this thin stretchy gluten free pizza crust
I've tried making this pizza by parbaking the crust, which usually involves baking the crust alone, without any toppings until it's just set. You can then remove it from the parchment paper, add your toppings, and bake again until everything is bubbling and set. But your crust may not be truly foldable if you do that.
To make sure that we have exactly the right chew and texture (I know, stop saying those words, but I can't!), I prefer to top the crust when it's raw but shaped. Then, we bake it in a very hot oven for no more than 10 minutes. In fact, I usually bake it for less.
If you're baking it on a pizza stone, you should consider pulling out the crust after just 8 minutes. The edges may not be perfectly browned and gorgeous, but the bottom should be just right.
How to store GF stretchy pizza crust
One of my favorite things about this gluten free stretchy pizza crust recipe is that you can mix the dough and then pop it in the fridge for later use. And when I mean later, I mean up to three days later.
After mixing the gluten free dough using your mixer, transfer it to a container with a tight-fitting lid that's been well-oiled. I usually use a light coating of extra virgin olive oil, but also use non-stick spray.
From there, just make sure it's covered tightly. Use the cover that came with your container or tightly cover the bowl with cling film. It's important that the container stay tightly covered so that the fridge doesn't dry out your dough.
When you're ready to make pizza, divide out enough for your pie, and put the rest back in the fridge for another day.
Can I make this stretchy gf pizza crust and freeze it?
Since this question is getting asked a lot, I'm adding this right to the text. I don't ever recommend freezing raw yeasted dough. It may kill the yeast.
If you aren't satisfied with keeping the raw dough in a sealed proofing bucket in the refrigerator, and just baking it right before you serve it, you can try parbaking but only the classic sense of the technique. That means baking it just until set at a low temperature.
Here, that would mean to bake the shaped crust, plain, at 300°F for less than 10 minutes, until just set. Then let it cool, wrap it tightly, and freeze it. When you're ready to serve, defrost the crust mostly (at room temp), top, and bake at 450°F as directed.
But I really really recommend not parbaking it at all, just making the dough and storing it in the refrigerator until you're ready to bake and serve it. It really comes together in minutes that way.
Since everything is measured by weight, you can also cut the recipe in half and just make one pizza. It's sooooo good cold!
A better way to save a little time
I get it — even though it doesn't take a ton of time to make this gluten free pizza dough from scratch, if you can find a way to shave off even a few minutes, you're going to take it.
What I recommend you do instead is create your own New York-style pizza crust mix by mixing all the dry ingredients in this recipe — except for the yeast. Once you've got those ingredients tossed together, store the mix in a zip-top bag, mason jar, or other airtight container.
When you're ready for pizza, all you have to do is add the yeast and wet ingredients, and continue with the recipe.
Stretchy Gluten Free Pizza Crust: substitutions and alterations
Choosing a gluten free flour blend
I try to develop recipes that can be relatively agnostic about which of my recommended all purpose gluten free flour blends you choose, since I know not everyone has access to the same ingredients. But this recipe is designed to create an especially specific texture.
For that reason, I highly recommend using either Better Batter or my mock Better Batter in this otherwise very simple recipe. It's a sturdy flour that is best for creating a chewy crust that doesn't puff up too much like a blend like Cup4Cup would.
Using the proper flour blend here also helps us avoid using any other enrichments or stabilizers, like Expandex modified tapioca starch or eggs.
Tapioca starch/flour substitute?
First off, if you're at all unfamiliar, tapioca starch is the same as tapioca flour. It's like flammable and inflammable having the same exact meaning. Why, universe, why??
Tapioca starch, the starch from the cassava root (not the same as cassava flour, which is actually the whole root), has unique stretchy properties when used in baking. That's why we can use it alone to make things like Against The Grain-style tapioca rolls.
It has no substitute, I'm afraid. And some brands, like Bob's Red Mill, are of inconsistent quality. I buy tapioca starch from nuts.com. It's not expensive, and seems to have a shelf life of approximately forever.
Gluten free dairy free NY-style gluten free pizza crust
The only dairy in this recipe would be in the cheese that you select for your topping. If you're dairy-free, my favorite shredded cheese brand is Violife, but Follow Your Heart is also quite good. Even Daiya has gotten a lot better in recent years.
For a more flavorful crust
If you'd like to add a little more oomph to your NY pizza crust, I've got a couple of ideas:
- Add dried herbs — just mix in a tablespoon of Italian seasoning when making your gluten free pizza dough. The longer you let the dough sit, the more flavor the herbs will impart.
- Baste the crust — create a simple baste using butter, vegan butter, or olive oil with garlic and dried herbs. When you pull the pizza out of the oven, give the crust a quick brush.
FAQs
What is New York-style pizza crust?
New-York style pizza crust is thin and stretchy, but it's not cracker crisp. Instead, the crust is super flexible and chewy, allowing you to fold it up for big bites. Pretend you're walking down the street on your way to the subway. :)
I'm not going to go so far as to say it's going to feel like you've caught a flight to the Big Apple when you prepare my gluten free pizza thin crust recipe — but I guarantee you won't soon forget it!
What's the best flour for gluten free New York-style pizza crust?
I highly recommend that you use Better Batter (or my recipe for mock Better Batter) for this gluten free pizza recipe. Its blend of sturdy gluten free flours is perfect. And even though Better Batter has tapioca starch in the blend, you still need that extra amount of the starch in your pizza dough.
What's the best yeast for a stretchy gf pizza crust?
I reach for instant yeast because it's ready to go straight from the container. It has a very thin inactive coating on the yeast, so it doesn't have to be proofed like active dry yeast does.
If you use active dry yeast, you must use 25% more yeast, by weight (here, that would be 7.5 grams active dry yeast; just let your digital scale reach 7 grams, then add more very slowly and stop before it reads 8). Plus, you'll need to make a yeast mixture with warm water to break down the yeast's outer shell.
Why is my stretchy pizza crust so sticky?
To give this New-York style pizza crust that chewy, foldable texture we crave, the dough has to be wet. And unfortunately, a wet dough is going to be a sticky dough.
Resist the urge to add more gluten free flour when preparing this recipe. Instead, coat your hands in oil to make it easier to work the pizza. I promise, the effort will be worth it.
What's a good pizza sauce recipe for this gluten free pizza crust?
There are several prepackaged tomato sauce mixes that will go wonderfully with this gluten free pizza. But if you'd like to make your own, I've got a tomato sauce recipe that will provide the perfect base.
Personally, I think the tomato sauce comes out perfectly as-is for pizza, but you may want to add more garlic or dried herbs to your liking.
Can I freeze a prepared stretchy gluten free pizza crust?
Absolutely! After allowing your gluten free pizza to cool completely, pop it into a zip-top bag or wrap it tightly with cling film.
If you have an old box sitting around (Amazon boxes work perfectly!), cut out a round to place under the pizza before you slide it into the freezer. This will ensure that the pizza holds it shape as it freezes.
When you're ready to eat your frozen pizza, take it straight from the freezer to a preheated 300°F oven or toaster oven. Heat the pizza for about 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the crust is softened.
Stretchy Gluten Free Pizza Crust Recipe
Equipment
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment or food processor
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
- 2 cups (280 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend (Better Batter highly recommended)
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
- ¼ cup (36 g) tapioca starch/flour
- 2 teaspoons (6 g) instant yeast
- 1 ½ teaspoons (6 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 9.5 ounces warm water (about 95°F)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Cooking oil spray
- Your favorite pizza toppings
Instructions
To make the pizza crust.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or your food processor fitted with the metal blade, place the flour, xanthan gum, tapioca starch, yeast, and sugar. Whisk to combine with a separate, handheld whisk. Add the salt, and whisk again to combine well.
- Add the water and olive oil, and mix on medium speed in your stand mixer or pulse in your food processor until the dough begins to come together.
- Turn the mixer to high speed or your food processor on and process for about 2 minutes.
- Transfer the dough to an oiled container with a tight-fitting lid or a greased bowl and cover tightly.
- Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour and up to 3 days.
To make pizza.
- When you’re ready to make the pizza, place a pizza stone or overturned rimmed baking sheet in the oven and preheat it to 450°F.
- Divide the dough into two equal portions, and work with one at a time (place the other back in the container and back in the refrigerator). The dough will be super soft, and should only be handled once you’ve either wet your hands with water or coated them in cooking oil spray (or just olive oil).
- Place the first piece of dough on a clean sheet of parchment paper. Working from the center of the dough out to the edges, begin to press it into a round about 12-inches in diameter.
- Grease or wet your hands as necessary to help prevent sticking. If it’s useful, oil your rolling pin and use it to help roll out the dough.
- Create a smooth, slightly raised edge around the perimeter of the dough by pressing the edges with one hand toward the palm of your other.
- Spray the shaped dough with cooking oil spray, concentrating it on the edges. Top the dough with sauce, cheese, and any other toppings you like best.
- Transfer the shaped and topped dough, still on the parchment paper, to a pizza peel or other flat surface like a cutting board, and transfer it to the hot oven.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the crust has begun to crisp on the underside, brown on the edges, and the cheese is brown and bubbling. Do not overbake.
- Remove from the oven, allow to set for just a few minutes, then slice and serve hot.
Notes
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Thanks for stopping by!
Hi, I’m Nicole. I create gluten free recipes that really work and taste as good as you remember. No more making separate meals when someone is GF, or buying packaged foods that aren’t good enough to justify the price. At Gluten Free on a Shoestring, “good, for gluten free” just isn’t good enough! Come visit my bio!
Josephine says
HI there. I’ve been working with a gluten free sourdough starter. How can I use my starter instead of the yeast?
Nicole Hunn says
You cannot substitute a wild yeast starter for yeast, Josephine. You must use a recipe for developed for use with the starter.
Holly says
This was outstanding Nicole! I’m not surprised though. When I make your recipes I don’t feel like I’m having something that tastes ‘good for being gluten-free’, I feel like I’m eating the best pizza, cake, pie, treats that I’ve ever eaten, period. Gluten or no gluten.
Nicole Hunn says
That means so much to me, Holly! That’s the whole point, I think. I hate the thought of anyone making do with something sub-par. I saw something the other day in a gluten free Facebook group where someone said “eventually, you forget what good food tastes like and the gluten free stuff just tastes normal to you,” and it took all of my self-control not to respond like a crazy recipe-developing person!
Gail Cretcher says
Hi Nicole,
This is a great recipe, thanks. Just wanted to share that last night I used all of the dough at once for one larger pizza. It was still delish!
Thanks again,
Nicole Hunn says
Good to know, Gail! My concern has been more that my pizza stone isn’t quite large enough for a true full-sized pizza parlor sized pie. But especially since this is a very wet dough so you can’t really handle it the “normal” way, it’s easier to make larger.
Holly says
I forgot to ask this but I’ve been wanting to, do you have a store? I don’t see it in your banner at the top of the page. I’d like to look at buying the whisk that you use in the video here for the dry ingredients in the pizza dough and also the round thing you use with the measurements on it. Thanks in advance.
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Holly, I do! Thanks for asking. It’s in the links at the very bottom of the page under “Shopping Guide.” It’s not exactly prominent on the site! The whisk isn’t linked in there yet (I haven’t updated that recently, but will since I get asked about that whisk quite a lot), but it’s a Danish dough whisk. It’s awesome—and so is the round thing with the measurements on it—which is linked in this shopping guide. ?
Holly says
Nicole, I know I’ve asked this before and you’ve answered it but I can’t remember where I asked it on your site and I keep looking around but I can’t find it! Can active dry yeast be substituted for instant yeast and if so what do I need to do differently? Thank you so much!
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Holly, to replace instant yeast with active dry yeast, multiply the amount of instant yeast (by weight) by 125% (so, for example, 4 grams instant yeast would become 5 grams active dry yeast since 4 x 1.25 = 5). Then, dissolve the active dry yeast in some of the liquid called for in the recipe, and add it when you add the remaining liquid as called for in the recipe instructions. Hope that helps!
GF Mum says
We made this tonight and it was delicious! The crust was nice and chewy. We’ll definitely make it again. Thank you, Nicole, for another fantastic recipe!
Abigail says
Making for a second time in two weeks! This is going to be my new go-to!
Jen Abouzeid says
Nicole, I just want to thank you so much for what you do. As a mom with celiac who loves to eat and feed my family delicious foods, GF can be so challenging sometimes. I do have a question, if I’m using better better, do I not need xanthan gum in my pantry? All of your recipes that I’ve read omit the xanthan if it’s in the flour. Is there any instance where I would need better batter and/or xanthan gum? Thank you so much
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Jen, thank you so much for the kind words, and I’m thrilled to be able to help out a mom for herself, and not just for her kids. You are correct that you’ll never need to add xanthan gum in a recipe in which you use Better Batter. But there are instances where you’ll need xanthan gum separately, for when we’re limiting the amount of xanthan gum in a recipe like pancakes, or when we’re adding it to a non-traditional recipe like our low carb almond flour tortillas. A little goes a long way, though, and it lasts forever in the pantry. It’s worth buying some and just letting it hang around. :)
Meri Schroeder says
Thank you for such intricate instructions. I was not only able to make my first pizza dough from scratch, but GF pizza dough.and it turned out great! I didn’t have instant yeast, and used the active dry yeast by just using some of the warm water in the recipe. The dough was easy to “roll” out with my hands. Next time I’ll make it a bit thinner. I’m going to look on your site for this, but the one thing I’m missing, is a good pizza sauce recipe. I tried one I found on-line but it was a bit much for my taste.
Nicole Hunn says
I do have a recipe for my favorite tomato sauce, Meri, but for pizza I like it a bit thicker. I recommend using this recipe, and just adding some tomato paste to thicken it.
Jovana says
This recipe is just perfect! I made my own blend of flour (mixed universal one and added a bit of bread mix), turned out fantastic, just like on the photos. It is by far the tastiest pizza I have ever made :) Thank you for the detailed recipe and instructions, helped a lot with the “wet” dough :)
Nicole Hunn says
The wet dough kind of kills me, since I’ve worked so hard to get away from that, but it’s worth it for this result. So glad you agree, Jovana!
Jennifer F. says
I made this last night for my very picky 7yo, who has hated every other GF pizza I have ever put in front of him, and he LOVED it. Thank you so much!
Nicole Hunn says
Wow, Jennifer. Finding something that a picky 7 year old will eat happily is a Very Big Deal. I’ve been there. Congrats!
Alli says
A GF pizza with actual chew! Your Basic GF Pizza Dough has been our go-to for our weekly pizza night for a couple of years now. My husband was wary of trying this new one, but I strong armed him into it tonight. I’m in love! We’ll need to double the recipe next time, though, as my toddler ate half of mine. Thank you for bringing proper chewy, foldy pizza back into my life :)
Nicole Hunn says
Yay, Alli!! That’s so awesome to hear. Yes, I highly recommend doubling the recipe, since it tastes great cold, even, in case you have anything left over. A pizza dream!!
Jill says
Sadly, this didn’t work for me. My dough was the consistency of frosting; there was no way I could touch it with my hands or form a ball (it sat in the fridge for several hours). I just poured the dough on parchment and spread it into a circle shape using a spoon. The crust didn’t achieve the texture described either, which I assumed would happen given the dough was quite different from your description. The yeast does give it a nice flavor, though. The recipe is pretty simple to follow, so I’m not sure where I went wrong. Any ideas?
Nicole Hunn says
It sounds like either a problem in ingredient selection (either in making a substitution, or using a flour blend that is not one of my recommended ones—that is an extremely common problem, despite my best efforts), or in measurement. You must use the right flour blend, and measure by weight to get results. Best of luck, Jill!
Colleen King says
I made this yesterday and it will be my go to pizza crust. It held up well to the toppings and made a great breakfast this morning. Thank you for your research and testing of recipes. Makes my life easier.
Nicole Hunn says
You’re very welcome, Colleen. So glad you enjoyed it. It’s a keeper for sure!
Holly says
Hi Nicole! I’ve been wanting to make this pizza since it appeared in my inbox. I always look forward to seeing what you’re up to with your creations.
I’m not familiar with instant yeast, is it different than active dry yeast? I’m hoping it can be substituted but wondering if it will it make a difference in the final outcome. Any thoughts you have on how to sub are greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Holly, thank you for the kind words! For a discussion of the difference between instant yeast and active dry yeast, as well as an explanation of how to replace instant yeast with active dry yeast, please see the recipe for gluten free artisan bread. Just scroll to the bottom to the “Ingredients and substitutions” section, and look for the yeast discussion. It’s all there!
Lisa says
Hi Nicole,
Your recipes have changed my life, honestly. I have everyone of your cookbooks and downloadable, I see that someone asked if you bake the pizza on the parchment paper and you indicated yes. My question is that I can not exceed 400 degrees F with the parchment paper that I use. Can I use a silicon mat instead ? What do you recommend?
Nicole Hunn says
Thank you so much for such kind words, Lisa. That means so, so much to me. ? Sure, you can use a silicone mat, but I’ve never had a problem with any sort of parchment paper in the oven at any temperature, especially for such a short period of time. But of course whatever makes you most comfortable!