This Vegan BBQ Caramelized Onion Pizza is a super satisfying and flavorful pizza that makes the perfect treat for even weeknights. Topped with delicious caramelized onions, vegan cheese, garlicky spinach and tangy barbecue sauce, it makes a perfect pair with Kay’s Naturals Pass the Peas Smoky BBQ protein chips.
This blog post is sponsored by Kay’s Naturals.
Are you ready for the excitement of pizza night? It’s always something we look forward to in our house, and it’s even more fun when it’s homemade! One of my favorite toppings is caramelized onions, and they are taken to the next level with this homemade barbecue sauce that’s SO simple to make. It’s like a savory-sweet symphony of flavor (a bit dramatic, but it’s warranted here, ha!).
The perfect accompaniment to this Vegan BBQ Caramelized Onion Pizza is Kay’s Naturals Pass the Peas Smoky BBQ vegan protein chips. They’re just the right level of crunchy and smoky, and I love that they’re protein-packed too. Each serving contains 6g of plant-based protein, plus the Pass the Peas flavors are all vegan, non-GMO, and gluten free!
Our family loves barbecue flavors, so these Smoky BBQ chips are such a treat. The Pass the Peas line also includes Maple Bacon and Dill Pickle flavors, and the Original Pretzels are vegan as well! These protein-packed and tasty options make a delicious addition to your healthy meals. Who doesn’t love a super savory and crunchy snack that’s also nutritious? Such a win!
I’m excited to share that you can use the code “janet30” for 30% off the products on Kay’s Naturals products! They have such a great variety of delicious, gluten free products to check out on their website.
How This Recipe Comes Together
You’ll start by slicing the onions. I used 2 large yellow onions, but white would work as well (you may just need to cook the white onions for slightly less time). Once they’re sliced, transfer them to a large pan along with a bit of oil along with seasonings. If oil-free, you can use vegetable broth instead as the cooking liquid.
Cook them on medium heat for around 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes. At that point, you can cover them and continue cooking on medium-low heat for another 5 to 10 minutes, if you’d like them to be more tender. You can add a bit of water or vegetable broth during cooking to prevent burning, if needed. But, you do want some color to get that yummy caramelized flavor.
While the onions are cooking, this is the time to whisk up the homemade BBQ sauce. You can do this in a cereal/soup bowl, or directly in a small saucepan. Then gently heat the sauce over medium heat, and gently simmer for a few minutes.
Then saute the baby spinach in a touch of oil in a skillet, seasoned generously with garlic powder, salt and pepper. The baby spinach doesn’t take long to cook, so be sure not to leave it unattended for too long! It will start wilting in a few minutes’ time, and you can lightly toss it during that time to encourage the wilting. Cook it until just wilted (no longer than that, or it will become mushy).
Now it’s time to assemble! Preheat your oven to 400 degrees while you assemble. On a large flatbread, homemade or storebought pizza crust, or even your favorite tortillas, spread out most of the vegan cheese (leaving some outer edge plain to have as a crust).
Take your cooked onions and add some of the barbecue sauce to them, to your preference on how much to add. Spread the onions evenly across the cheese and top off with a bit more cheese. Bake until the crust is to your desired crispness and the cheese has started to melt. I baked mine on a large sheet pan.
Then remove from the oven and top evenly with the spinach. Drizzle with some of your remaining BBQ sauce and reserve some sauce for dipping. I also topped mine with fresh parsley, which added great flavor.
Serve with Kay’s Naturals Pass the Peas Smoky BBQ protein chips, and thoroughly enjoy!
Tips for This Recipe
You can use your preference on the type of cheese to use. I used a mix of dairy-free cheddar and mozzarella, which tastes great with the other flavors of this pizza. There are so many options that would go so well with these pizza toppings.
For the onions, I love the texture of the sliced onions but feel free to chop them instead. This is down to preference.
Get creative! You can add other toppings you may have in the fridge, and/or other herb options like chopped cilantro, fresh basil, thyme or chives.
Other Tasty Meal Ideas
Creamy Lemon and Paprika Pasta
Roasted Tomato, White Bean and Spinach Stew
Vegan BBQ Caramelized Onion Pizza
Ingredients
- 2 large yellow or white onions
- 2 tsp. oil
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 to 2 flatbreads can sub tortillas or pizza crust
- 2 cups baby spinach touch of oil, garlic powder, salt, pepper to cook
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups dairy-free cheese used cheddar mozzarella mix
BBQ Sauce
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 2 tsp. vegan worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
- 1/8 tsp. cayenne
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. soy sauce
- 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp. brown sugar
For Serving:
- 1 to 2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley optional
- Kay’s Naturals Pass the Peas Smoky BBQ protein chips
Instructions
- Slice onions and add to a large skillet along with the 2 tsp. oil, black pepper and kosher salt. Cook on medium heat, stirring every few minutes, until lightly browned and translucent (around 15 min). Then if desired, cook on low, covered, for more tender onions (around 5 to 10 min).
- Meanwhile, whisk together all BBQ Sauce ingredients, and cook on medium heat at a gentle simmer for approx 5 minutes.
- In a skillet, add the baby spinach, along with the touch of oil, salt, garlic powder and pepper. Cook 2 to 3 min, stirring periodically, until spinach is just wilted and remove from heat.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. When onions are done, remove them from heat and add some of the BBQ sauce (to taste).
- Assemble the pizza(s) by spreading most of the cheese over the flatbread/crust/tortilla, leaving a bit of outer edge plain.
- Spread the onions over the cheese, then top with a bit more cheese.
- Place pizza in oven (on a sheet pan) until crust reaches desired doneness. Remove from oven and top with cooked spinach and drizzle with BBQ sauce to taste.
- Top with fresh herbs (optional) and serve with Kay's Naturals Pass the Peas Smoky BBQ protein chips.