Have you ever ordered broccolini on a pizza? (No.) Is that a ridiculous question? (Probably.) Broccolini is a hybrid of standard broccoli and Chinese broccoli, with smaller florets and long, thin stalks. Like all members of the brassica family, it’s awesome once roasted. Hence, pizza potential.
I’m always on the hunt for interesting veggie pizzas, so I’ve sampled no less than three broccolini pizzas at brick-oven pizzerias. The first two pizzas were not great, but the third was so good that I had to create my own rendition.
Pizza #1: I paid an extra three dollars beyond their margherita pizza asking price for the “broccolini” variety. My pizza came out with three broccoli florets scattered on top. It looked like a salad bar hiccuped on my pizza. I still want my three dollars back.
Pizza #2: Broccolini was one of several veggies included. While the tips of it were tasty, the stems were way too tough and I couldn’t eat them without the rest of my slice falling apart.
Pizza #3: Again, one of several veggies, but broccolini totally stole the show. They had evidently blanched the broccoli before using it as a pizza topping, which softened the stems and let broccolini’s full pizza potential shine. Finally!
Here’s a delicious pizza featuring broccolini, with some toasty almonds for a savory crunch. You can leave them off if that seems too weird, but—I’m into it. I also included some feta just to keep things interesting. I kept the sauce super simple by just using hand-crushed canned tomatoes, but next time I’ll use my Easy Pizza Sauce. Up to you!
More Meatless Pizzas to Enjoy
- Ultimate Veggie Pizza
- Greek Pizza
- Brussels Sprouts Pizza with Balsamic Red Onions
- Arugula-Almond Pesto Pizza
View even more pizza recipes here. Please let me know how your broccolini pizza turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Broccolini Almond Pizza
- Author:
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Homemade broccolini pizza with almonds (optional), mozzarella and red sauce! The trick to making awesome broccolini pizza is to blanch the broccolini first. I added sliced almonds for a savory little crunch. Recipe yields two 11-inch pizzas or about 4 to 6 servings.
Ingredients
- 1 batch easy whole wheat pizza dough or 1 pound store-bought pizza dough
- ⅔ cup pizza sauce or marinara sauce or one 32-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained and crushed by hand
- 2 cups shredded low-moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup (2 to 3 ounces) crumbled feta
- ½ pound (8 ounces) broccolini
- 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
- Optional garnishes: red pepper flakes and a few fresh basil leaves, torn into little pieces (I forgot)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit with a rack in the upper third of the oven. If you’re using a baking stone or baking steel, place it in the oven on the top rack. Prepare dough through step 5.
- Spread marinara sauce evenly over the two pizzas, or top with drained, crushed tomatoes (crush the tomatoes over the sink to release excess liquid). Divide the mozzarella, feta and almonds evenly over the pizzas.
- To prepare the broccolini, fill a large saucepan with a few inches of water and bring the mixture to a boil. Trim off the tough ends of the broccolini. Cut any stems greater than about ¼″ in diameter in half. Once the water is boiling, toss in the broccolini, bring back to a boil, and cook for 1 minute. Drain the broccolini and pat dry on a lint-free tea towel. Then, toss the broccolini with about 1 teaspoon olive oil, until lightly coated.
- Arrange the broccolini over the pizzas and sprinkle the almonds on top. Bake pizzas individually on the top rack until the crust is golden and the cheese is golden and bubbly, about 12 minutes (or significantly less, if you’re using a baking stone/steel—keep an eye on it). Transfer pizza to a cutting board and sprinkle with with red pepper flakes and fresh basil, if using. Slice and serve!
Notes
Make it nut free: Skip the almonds!
▸ Nutrition Information
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Sonia
I love Broccolini on pizza! We usually get broccolini and garlic on our pizza at one of our favorite pizza places and it is delicious!
Sonia
So, basically, I can’t wait to try this recipe!
Kate
Garlic sounds great with this, Sonia! Thanks.
Bob Vieraitis
30+ years ago there used to be an amazing pizza place in Cambridge, MA called Bel Canto. One of the pioneers of “adventurous” pizza, its most famous pie was called “In Peppo’s Honor” which consisted of broccoli, walnuts, spicy red sauce and mixed cheeses on whole wheat crust. Looking forward to trying this recipe and seeing if it brings back memories!
Kate
Oh, I so hope it does, Bob! Let me know how it turns out.
Sarah
So excited to try this! I’m officially on a determined quest to find broccolini at my local grocery store…fingers crossed!
DiB
Trader Joe s always carries it.
Kate
Good luck!
Rosa
What pizza dough recipe did you use? I make artisan bread from scratch (Which is amazing!) and just haven’t mastered a whole wheat pizza dough. It’s always too heavy and stiff, even though I use soft white wheat.
★★★★
Kate
This is my go-to recipe for pizza dough, Rosa: https://cookieandkate.com/2013/easy-whole-wheat-pizza-dough/. Let me know how it goes!
Jannell
This looks delicious! I love veggie pizzas!
Kate
I hope you try it!
Sue
Wondering if you have a recipe for gluten pizza dough. I’ve tried Bob’s Red Mills and it was too potato-y. Trader Joe’s makes a fairly decent frozen GF crust, but it turns into more of a cracker. Would love to know if you have any favorites or could recommend a homemade recipe? LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your site btw. I recommend it to all my friends (novice and home chefs alike). Can’t wait for the cookbook!
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Sue
oops – should read gluten free above.
Kate
Hey, Sue! Good question. I haven’t yet done my own recipe for GF pizza dough, but I do have my own recipe for whole wheat pizza dough: https://cookieandkate.com/2013/easy-whole-wheat-pizza-dough/. You could certainly try to swap out the wheat flour with Bob Red Mill’s GF blend, though I don’t have experience with doing that. I love anything the Bob’s Red Mill comes out with, so you could try their version of a GF Pizza Dough mix, too. Let me know if any of that works!
AlisonsAllspice
I have never had broccolini on pizza, but I love to have nuts on pizza, yum! I can’t wait to try your recipe!
Kate
I hope you do!
Maja Harder
Omg this sounds really good! Love veggie pizzas that experience with some particular engridients so will definitely try this !
Kate
Awesome!
Kris
Recently had broccolini for the first time, steamed, then chilled, with a dressing, and it was quite tasty! Will definitely try this recipe! Thanks!
Kate
Thanks, Kris! Hope you love the pizza. I’ve been loving broccolini lately.
Stephanie
Yum! I am going to use Kite Hill’s almond ricotta instead of feta and Miyoko’s Kitchen VeganMozz to make it vegan. I am excited about this beautiful recipe!
Kate
Let me know how it goes, Stephanie!
Becky
Yes – I use broccolini on my pizza! Brussels sprouts, roasted butternut squash, zucchini, etc. You name it! All yummy!
Kate
Love it! The world of pizza is so vast and full of veggie possibilities. :)
Sara @ Last Night's Feast
This is a really cool combination of flavors for pizza! I’ve never thought of pairing broccolini with almonds
Kate
I love it– so crunchy and fresh!
John
Going to throw some broccoli on my next pizza, if I put nuts on it though, my dog will want a bigger share of it.
Kate
I hope you try it, John!
Allyson (Considering The Radish)
I commend you for how you kept trying broccolini pizza even after so many disappointments. This sounds fantastic- I’m absolutely trying this for my next pizza night.
Kate
Persistence pays off, friend! I hope you enjoy it– let me know how it goes!
Debbie
Pizza and broccolini, 2 of my favourite foods. Cavolo nero/Tuscan kale is also delicious on pizza and you can roast it but I prefer to saute the kale in olive oil, garlic and chilli flakes then scatter on the pizza when it comes out of the oven, I recommend it.
Kate
Yum! I’ll have to try that. :)
chef henry osapati
Thanks for sharing with us your recipes.I made it yesterday evening and came out perfectly.keep it up. we love your blog.
Kate
Thank you so much!
Mirjam Therese
Oh wow! This looks so amazing! And I love your step by step photos :)
Kate
Thank you, Mirjam!
Maria
Blanching is the trick!! I had asparagus on a pizza that had the same issue – tough stalks! Not my jam. I want tender veggies, not tree trunks;) I don’t think the almonds are weird. They look like a fun add-on. Great idea and recipe as usual:)
Kate
Right? No one wants to chomp on a tree trunk! I love the almonds, too, even if they are a bit unconventional. :)
vivian
I was nervous about making this because I have had some traumatic experiences with yeast (think loaf of bread like hockey puck) and also with pizza dough (you know the kind that keeps shrinking back into a ball?), but it all worked out beautifully. Love the idea of nuts on pizza. Thanks so much for another recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m so glad this wasn’t a disaster, Vivian! I hope this changed your mind about homemade pizza dough. ;)
Christine Crane
This pizza was SO delicious !!! Putting it on my favorite list next to your cauliflower and lentil tacos!
★★★★★
Kate
Great! So glad you loved the pizza, Christine.
Jacqueline
We call it tenderstem broccoli here in the UK. it is rather good and that pizza looks amazing. Pinning this for later.
★★★★★
Kate
“Tenderstem” is the sweetest name for a vegetable I have ever heard! I hope you like the pizza. :)
Megan Davis
The pizza looks great and I think I’m going to give this a try. Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
I hope you do, Megan! Let me know how it turns out.
Kara
I made this pizza the other night and it was oh so delicious! I’ve never purchased broccolini before. It works so much better than regular broccoli. I like the smaller pieces for topping a pizza with. The almonds added a nice crunch as well! Simple and super tasty.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m so glad to hear this, Kara! I hope this changed up your pizza game for the better. :)
Joe
Made this tonight, and it was fantastic! I added sliced black olives, shiitake mushrooms and artichoke hearts and it was so good. We hardly have any leftovers!
★★★★★
Kate
Yum! Sounds salty and toothy.
Hannah Turner
Are you able to link to the pizza crust recipe from your recipe plugin? I found it, but thought it might be easier to click inside the recipe. I’m making this now…can’t wait until dinner. :-)
Hannah Turner
This is a new favorite veggie pizza. I used a little less marinara sauce and chopped up whole almonds for the topping instead of using sliced. Delicious!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, for another great review Hannah :) Happy you are enjoying so many of my recipes!
Kirsten
Absolutely delicious! My family made this for me for Mother’s Day last night. I highly recommend it!
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great! Thank you, Kristen for sharing. I appreciate the review.
Deborah
I’ve never had broccolini and almonds on my pizza. But, I tried this recipe and OMG!!!! it was delicious! My husband enjoyed it as well! This will be a go to pizza treat for us!
Thanks Kate for sharing your recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
It’s so good! Thank you for your review, Deborah.