Vegan Calzone Recipe (Gluten-Free Pizza Pockets) - Elavegan (2024)

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5 from 7 votes

Best vegan Calzone recipe! These delicious pizza pockets are a great alternative to regular pizza or Stromboli. The Calzones are stuffed with mushrooms, peppers, and vegan cheese. The recipe is not only dairy-free and egg-free, but also gluten-free, and easy to make!

Vegan Calzone Recipe (Gluten-Free Pizza Pockets) - Elavegan (1)

Cheesy Vegan Calzone

Did you ever eat an Italian Calzone in a restaurant? I did (a couple of times) and absolutely loved it! Baked to perfection in a stone oven, stuffed with lots of cheese, and mushrooms! It’s probably my favorite pizza ever! I wasn’t vegan back then (only vegetarian), so the cheese wasn’t vegan (I was a cheese addict before going vegan)!

My boyfriend actually introduced me to this Italian dish after he ate Calzones multiple times in Italy, where they often serve a huge Calzone over two plates! Yes, two plates, haha! Of course, I wanted to create a homemade vegan Calzone recipe and here it is! Why should you give it a try? Because it’s:

  1. Cheesy (yep, it’s vegan!)
  2. Crispy
  3. Gluten-free
  4. Stuffed with mushrooms and veggies
  5. Damn delicious!

Vegan Calzone Recipe (Gluten-Free Pizza Pockets) - Elavegan (2)

Simple Ingredients For Vegan Calzone

This recipe contains only a couple of ingredients which are easily available. I used mushrooms, peppers, onion, and garlic for the filling because I simply love the combo! Peppers add a very nice flavor, same goes for onion and garlic. Mushrooms are a must, in my opinion (I just love them) but if you don’t like mushrooms, simply use something different. Some examples would be zucchini, tomatoes, eggplant, olives or whatever you prefer.

The great thing about Calzones is, that you can make them with your family or friends and everyone can choose their own favorite filling. Of course, I also had to add vegan cheese, because… well….cheese!

You can decide if you want to make a regular dough with e.g. wheat flour or spelt flour. If you are gluten-free, then try out my Gluten-Free Pizza Dough, which is also linked in the recipe. Please handle the dough carefully, because any gluten-free dough without eggs is much more brittle than gluten-based dough and tends to burst easily (don’t ask me how I found out, haha). They also don’t brown very well, so please keep that in mind. 🙂

Vegan Calzone Recipe (Gluten-Free Pizza Pockets) - Elavegan (3)Vegan Calzone Recipe (Gluten-Free Pizza Pockets) - Elavegan (4)

How To Make A Vegan Calzone?

It’s pretty easy to make this vegan calzone recipe. At first, you have to prepare the dough and let it rise. Meanwhile, you can start making the filling. Then you split the dough into 4 pieces and roll out each piece. Put some of the fillings on one half of the dough and carefully fold the dough over the topping so that it looks like a half-moon.

I brushed the tops with a mixture of soy sauce, water, a few drops of oil, and a pinch of smoked paprika, and turmeric! Repeat with all calzones and bake in the oven until crispy! Check out the step-by-step photos below and the complete recipe instructions in the recipe card.

Vegan Calzone Recipe (Gluten-Free Pizza Pockets) - Elavegan (5)Vegan Calzone Recipe (Gluten-Free Pizza Pockets) - Elavegan (6)

Air Fryer Calzone

Spray the air fryer basket with oil and place the calzones in the air fryer basket (I can fit two at a time with space in between). Air fry for 9-12 minutes (6-8 minutes for mini calzone) at 375 F/190 C, flipping halfway, until golden brown and crispy.

Can You Freeze Calzones?

Absolutely! Once the calzones are baked (and cooled), wrap them individually in ziplock bags. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let them thaw in the fridge before baking.

Vegan Calzone Recipe (Gluten-Free Pizza Pockets) - Elavegan (7)

These Vegan Pizza Pockets Are:

  • Gluten-free
  • Dairy-free
  • Egg-free
  • Stuffed with mushrooms, peppers, and vegan cheese
  • Relatively easy to make with simple ingredients
  • Hearty
  • Crispy
  • Tasty

Vegan Calzone Recipe (Gluten-Free Pizza Pockets) - Elavegan (8)

Useful Tips For This Vegan Calzone Recipe

  1. Prepare the veggie mixture ahead of time and store it in the fridge for up to 2 days.
  2. Double the batch and make additional calzones to freeze for later use.
  3. Try using buckwheat flour or quinoa flour for a grain-free calzone (please note that I haven’t tried it out yet!)

Vegan Calzone Recipe (Gluten-Free Pizza Pockets) - Elavegan (9)

Should you recreate these easy to make pizza pockets, please leave a comment below and don’t forget to tag me in your Instagram or Facebook post with @elavegan and #elavegan because I love to see your remakes!

Vegan Calzone Recipe (Gluten-Free Pizza Pockets) - Elavegan (10)

Vegan Calzone Recipe (Gluten-Free Pizza Pockets) - Elavegan (12)

Vegan Calzone

Best vegan Calzone recipe! These delicious pizza pockets are a great alternative to regular pizza or Stromboli. The Calzones are stuffed with mushrooms, peppers, and vegan cheese. The recipe is not only dairy-free and egg-free, but also gluten-free, and easy to make!

5 from 7 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Resting time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Main Course, Snack

Cuisine Italian

Servings 4

Calories 458 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 batch gluten-free pizza dough or your favorite pizza dough
  • 10 oz (280 g) mushrooms
  • 2 bell peppers colors of choice, chopped
  • 1 medium-sized onion chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1 cup tomato sauce (e.g. marinara sauce) (see notes)
  • 7-8 oz (200 g) vegan cheese or one batch of vegan cheese sauce
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp ground oregano
  • Sea salt and black pepper to taste
  • ½ tbsp olive oil

Instructions

  • First, prepare the gluten-free pizza dough, as described in this recipe or make your own favorite pizza dough (for example, with wheat flour, if not gluten-free).

  • Heat oil in a pan/skillet over medium heat and add the onion. Fry for about 3-4 minutes, then add garlic, mushrooms, and peppers. Fry for a further 6-10 minutes until the water from the veggies has evaporated.

  • Add onion powder, ground oregano, salt and pepper to taste and turn off the heat. Set aside until ready to use.

  • Preheat oven to 480 °F (250 °C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide the pizza dough into 4 equally sized pieces.

  • Roll out one piece of dough on a floured surface into a 6-7" (15-18 cm) circle, about 1/4" (0.6 cm) thick.

  • Spoon a little of the tomato sauce on one half of the dough, add the mushroom/veggie mixture, and vegan cheese of choice or this vegan cheese sauce. Make sure to leave at least 1/2" (1.25 cm) of space around the edge of the dough.

  • Carefully fold the other half of the dough over, and pinch the edges of the pocket with your fingers to seal (check pictures in the blog post above). Please note that gluten-free doughs can be quite brittle and tend to burst easily. So make sure to handle it carefully.

  • Repeat this step with the remaining dough. Use a spatula to transfer the pizza pockets to the prepared baking sheet. Optional: Brush tops with a mixture of 1/2 tbsp soy sauce, 1/2 tbsp water, a few drops of oil, and a pinch of smoked paprika and turmeric.

  • Bake the calzones for about 14-18 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then serve with the remaining pizza sauce on the side. Please don't burn your mouth as the filling is very hot. Enjoy!

Notes

  • You can use store-bought tomato sauce or make your own by simply mixing passata or tomato purée with salt, pepper, ground oregano, garlic powder, and onion powder to taste!
  • You can also check out my Mexican Pizza Recipe With Refried Beans.
  • Recipe serves 4. Nutrition facts are for one serving.
  • Check the blog post for theair fryer method.

Nutrition Facts

Vegan Calzone

Serving Size

1 calzone

Amount per Serving

Calories

458

% Daily Value*

Fat

12.9

g

20

%

Carbohydrates

70

g

23

%

Fiber

7

g

28

%

Sugar

11

g

12

%

Protein

11.5

g

23

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically

Vegan Calzone Recipe (Gluten-Free Pizza Pockets) - Elavegan (13) Simple and Delicious Vegan Cookbook by ElaVeganCLICK HERE to order!

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Vegan Calzone Recipe (Gluten-Free Pizza Pockets) - Elavegan (14)

Vegan Calzone Recipe (Gluten-Free Pizza Pockets) - Elavegan (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between a calzone and a pizza pocket? ›

Did you know that calzones and pizza pockets are essentially the same thing, they just have different shapes? This was news to me. Calzones are a half moon shape and pizza pockets are rectangular in shape. Whichever you prefer, you'll love these.

Is there a difference between pizza dough and calzone dough? ›

Both are prepared with flour, water, salt, and yeast; that's the solution. In contrast, the eggs and olive oil used in most calzone dough give it a deeper flavor and a softer texture. Eggs and oil are not common ingredients in pizza dough, contributing to its crispiness and durability.

What is the difference between a calzone and stromboli and a panzerotti? ›

A calzone is rolled and baked, while a panzerotti is deep-fried. Typically, stromboli does not contain tomato sauce and is made by rolling out a dough similar to pizza dough. After rolling it out, the toppings are placed on it. Then, it is baked.

What is cheese calzone made of? ›

Cheese calzone are yet another way to use pizza dough and we love them! This recipe includes a blend of mozzarella, ricotta, and Pecorino Romano all encased in a golden, leopard-spotted dough that is chewy and delicious and our process provides a few options to achieve New York pizzeria-quality calzone at home.

Is calzone more unhealthy than pizza? ›

Did you know that a standard calzone has over 1000 calories? On the other hand, a slice of pizza is around 300 calories. So just because they're technically the same in terms of ingredients and taste, they're not! A calzone can equal 3 slices of pizza so choose wisely!

Is a calzone just a folded pizza crust? ›

A calzone is an Italian dish that features a circular piece of pizza or yeasted bread dough that's folded in half over a filling that includes ricotta, and often mozzarella and Parmesan, too, cured meats, vegetables and herbs, then sealed shut using a crimping technique.

Which is healthier, stromboli or calzone? ›

A calzone is healthier because it has less cheese. While a stromboli contains cheese and pepperoni, a calzone has leaner meat and whole-wheat dough. The whole-wheat dough is lower in calories and contains more fiber. You should also avoid processed meats.

Is there sauce inside a calzone? ›

Calzones never have tomato sauce inside the dough. They're always dipped. While stromboli is also dip-able, it's totally cool to put some sauce inside stromboli, pre-roll. Whether you're team stromboli or team calzone, these distinctions shouldn't inspire hate.

How do you seal calzones? ›

Fold the side of the calzone with nothing on it over the side with all the ingredients so that the sides touch creating a half moon shape. press down on the edges and push in any veggies that try to escape. Next start from one end and roll up the edges creating the seal.

What is a Roma calzone? ›

Calzone is a folded pizza that is great for a grab-and-go meal.

What is the English version of a calzone? ›

Calzone, a traditional Italian stuffed bread, was originally shaped into a long, narrow tube, akin to stromboli; in fact, the translation of calzone is "pant leg" These days, most calzone makers simply roll dough out like a pizza and fold it over like a turnover.

What is a Sicilian calzone called? ›

In Sicilian cuisine, a variation of calzone is called scaccia (the plural is scacce or scacciata panzerotto).

Why is there no sauce in a calzone? ›

Sauce: Usually pizza sauce is used either as a dip or even inside the filling in Calzone. There is a scare of the calzone becoming soggy if you add more sauce to the filling. So our recommendation would be to serve it with hot pizza sauce on the side.

What is a good substitute for ricotta cheese in calzone? ›

CREAM CHEESE IS THE PERFECT SUBSTITUTE FOR RICOTTA CHEESE.

What is veg calzone made of? ›

These vegetarian calzones are filled with fresh veggies like kale, onions, mushrooms and bell peppers plus ooey gooey cheese. Don't forget the tasty pizza sauce for dipping!

What is a pizza pocket? ›

pizza pocket (plural pizza pockets) A type of small calzone that may be baked or deep fried; a pizza dough bun stuffed with pizza toppings, in a central cavity, that is usually round, rectangular, or half-moon-shaped.

What is another name for pizza pocket? ›

Since the mid-1960s, panzerotti have been a popular fast food item in Canada. Commercialized frozen versions are called "Pizza Pockets" or "Pizza Pops".

Is a hot pocket a sandwich or calzone? ›

Hot Pockets were developed by Paul Merage and his brother David through their company Chef America Inc. Chef America invented a packaging sleeve and dough formula to keep its calzone-like sandwiches crispy when cooked in a microwave.

What is an Italian pizza pocket? ›

Trapizzino: the iconic Italian pizza pocket

It is a white triangle-shaped pizza pocket closed on the sides and made with the same dough of soft wheat flour and yeast, stuffed with condiments of the Roman gastronomy and other cuisines, also international.

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