Those who are living a vegan-friendly or vegetarian lifestyle can sometimes find it more challenging to meet their daily protein requirements with the absence of meat and animal products from their diet. In addition to having an awareness of what types of vegan-friendly  and vegetarian ingredients are available, protein supplementation can be an easy way to boost the protein content of vegan and vegetarian meals.

Now, who doesn’t love a good pizza? Pizza is one of those crowd-favourite meals, however, it’s can be lower in protein, particularly the vegan and vegetarian options. Adding sources of protein to your pizzas will help with satiation post-meal as well as assist in meeting your daily protein requirements. 

Here are my top tips for increasing the protein content of a vegan or vegetarian pizza.

FOR THE BASE

This one is simple—add Happy Way’s Flavourless Vegan Protein Powder to your pizza dough to increase the protein content of the base. Each 30 g serve of Happy Way’s Flavourless Protein Powder contains 25 g of protein. This makes it a super easy way to increase the protein content without altering the taste of your base too much. To do this, substitute some of the flour for protein powder. Or, follow the recipe provided below. 

FOR THE TOPPINGS

Choosing the right toppings can help to further increase the protein content of your meal. This is often easier when incorporating meat products because of their higher protein content however, there are some vegan and vegetarian ingredients that can be used as an alternative. See our suggestions below.

CHEESE

If following a vegetarian diet, cheese can be a great way to boost the protein content of your pizza. Cheeses such as parmesan, cheddar and hard goats cheese are all great higher protein choices. Vegan cheeses are a good option for those following a vegan diet, and whilst  they’ll often be lower in protein, some are fortified with added protein such as nutritional yeast.

FIRM TOFU

Tofu is an extremely versatile ingredient and a delicious addition to just about any dish. Tofu can be seasoned with Italian herbs and added to your pizza for a high-protein topping. See how I include tofu in the bbq tofu pizza recipe below.

LENTILS 

While lentils as a pizza topping may seem odd, they can be added to a pre-made or homemade pizza sauce and blended through—trust me, you would never notice the difference! This trick doesn’t just apply to lentils—for this pizza sauce hack, add any high-protein legume such as beans or chickpeas, or even a scoop of Happy Way’s Flavourless Protein Powder!

NUTS

Nuts are often included as a topping on pizzas and are a great ingredient for another protein hit. Slivered almonds or pine nuts add a great crunch to your pizza while being a good source of protein and healthy fats. 

VEGGIES

Whilst most vegetables are not going to be your highest protein ingredients, packing any meal full of veggies is only going to be beneficial. Not only will it increase the nutrient density of your meal, but it will also increase the protein levels as well. The great thing about pizza is that any veggie tastes good on top. 

PIZZA RECIPE

The opportunities are endless when it comes to pumping your meals full of nutrients and protein, and these are just some of my favourite ways to boost the protein content in a pizza. Below is a recipe for a bbq tofu pizza that contains 33 g of protein per serve—and it tastes amazing!!

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE BASE:

• 1 cup warm water
• 2.5 tsp dry active yeast
• 1.25 cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup Happy Way Flavourless Vegan Protein Powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil 

*Makes 4 bases

METHOD

1. To activate the yeast, add to the warm water and allow it to sit for 5 minutes, or until small bubbles start to form on top of the water. 
2. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt and protein powder. Add the yeast water and olive oil and combine until a dough forms
3. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead on a well-floured surface for 5 minutes. Cover and set aside to rise for approximately 1 hour.
4. Remove the dough from the bowl and divide it into desired portions. Roll out each piece into pizza bases to the desired thickness. 

FOR THE SAUCE:

• ½ cup red lentils
• 1 ¾  cup passata of choice (I like the Italian herbs)
• ½ cup fresh basil 
• 1 tbsp tomato paste

METHOD

1. Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until a smooth sauce forms.

FOR THE TOPPINGS:

• 2 cups spinach
• 1 red onion
• ½ cup olives
• ¼ cup bbq sauce
• 450 g firm tofu
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp oregano 
• 1 tsp salt 
• 1 tsp pepper
• 4 tbsp nutritional yeast/parmesan cheese for a non-vegan option

METHOD

1. Prepare the tofu. Dice into 1-2cm cubes and toss in olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper. Place on a lined baking tray and bake in the oven for 15 mins at 180˚C until lightly golden
2. Spread lentil sauce over the bases.
3. Top with spinach, red onion and cooked tofu, and drizzle the bbq sauce over the pizzas. Sprinkle nutritional yeast/cheese over the pizzas and cook in the oven for 10-15 mins at 200˚C, or until the base is lightly golden and the cheese is melted. 
4. Slice and enjoy. 

*Macros 
Per pizza (serves 4)

• Calories:  529
• Protein: 33 g
• Carbohydrates: 57.75 g
• Fat: 19.75 g