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These vegan calzones feature golden-brown homemade pizza dough that wraps around a rich filling of gooey dairy-free mozzarella, plant-based pepperoni, and Italian-seasoned peppers and onions. Each bite brings together a rich blend of savory, Italian-inspired flavors that both vegans and non-vegans will love!
Emily’s Recipe Notes:
- Flavor: Savory, herby, salty, and tangy from the pizza sauce.
- Texture: Soft and chewy pizza dough with a gooey, hearty center.
- Customizability: Fill the pizza dough with all of your favorite toppings from vegetables to vegan meats!
- Time: Once the pizza dough is prepped, everything comes together in about 30 minutes.
Why We Love These Vegan Calzones: Growing up in an Italian-American family, pizza and pasta night were always special (although this is probably true of most families). Calzones are like folded pizzas. They have dough filled with cheese, meats, vegetables—then sealed and baked until golden brown. Making these reminds me of busy family kitchens and the comfort of familiar flavors. If you love pizza (and who doesn’t?), give these calzones a try. They might just become your new favorite!
Ingredients:
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Pizza Dough: This recipe uses my easy vegan pizza dough, but to make prep even faster you can use pre-made pizza dough (Trader Joe’s makes a good one).
- Vegan Cheese: You can use store-bought dairy free cheese like vegan parmesan or mozzarella (I prefer Violife). Feel free to also use nutritional yeast, homemade vegan mozzarella or even tofu ricotta (I have a recipe in my e-book!).
- Vegan Pepperoni: I used store-bought vegan pepperoni by Field Roast. But you can use other vegan meats like Italian vegan sausage, this homemade vegan salami or homemade vegan ground beef. If you’d prefer a more plant-based substitute, feel free to use mushrooms. I recommend slicing them and cooking with the onions and peppers.
- Green Pepper: Sub in red or yellow bell peppers, zucchinis, or yellow squash.
- Pizza Sauce: I used my favorite tomato basil marinara sauce from Trader Joes (that’s on the thicker side) but you can use your favorite pizza sauce or a basil flavored tomato sauce.
Helpful Equipment
Here are a few tools that will make creating this recipe extra easy:
- Baking Sheet or Pizza Stone: For baking the calzones
- Large Skillet: For making the peppers and onions
- Rolling Pin (optional): For shaping the pizza dough
- Digital Scale: For dividing the dough into equal pieces
Step-by-Step Instructions
🍕 *Ingredient Quantities are in the Recipe Card Below!*
STEP 1: Prepare the pizza dough according to this recipe.
STEP 2: Divide the pizza dough into 4 equal sized balls.
STEP 3: Use your hands to spread the dough ball into a rough circle about 7-8” in diameter. It doesn’t have to be perfect! A rustic calzone will taste just as good as a perfect semi-circle. Try not to make the center too thin.
STEP 4: Cook the onion and pepper filling. Then spread 2-3 tbsp of pizza sauce onto the center of the dough, leaving a 2” border around the edges.
STEP 5: Add a spoonful of the cooked onion and pepper mixture, 4-5 slices of vegan pepperoni, and about ¼ cup of vegan mozzarella on to half of the dough leaving a 2″ border.
STEP 6: Fold the dough in half over the filling to create a half-moon shape. Use your fingers to seal the edges of the dough by twisting it toward the center.
STEP 7: Place on the prepared baking sheet and drizzle olive oil on top of the calzones. Bake for 17-20 minutes until golden brown.
Serving & Storage
When ready to serve, I definitely recommend chopping fresh basil and sprinkling it on top of the calzones. You can also season them with a dash of red pepper flakes to taste.
Straight out of the oven, the filling will be quite melted. But once the vegan calzones cool for a few minutes, the vegan cheese will firm up again and become gooey and stretchy.
To make these into a complete meal, you can serve them with a small side salad or one of the following recipes:
How to Store:
- FRIDGE: If you have leftovers, place them in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for 4-5 days.
- REHEATING: When ready to reheat, microwave them for about 20 seconds or place them back in a hot oven for a few minutes.
- FREEZING: These can also be frozen. Place them in a freezer bag and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Helpful Tips For Amazing Vegan Calzones
- Activate the Yeast in Warm Water: To make sure your yeast is fresh, activate it in warm water with agave nectar. This will make sure your homemade pizza dough rises!
- Shape the Dough on a Lightly Floured Surface: To prevent sticking, sprinkle flour on a clean work surface before shaping the dough. You can shape the ball of dough by hand or use a rolling pin.
- Leave a Large Border Around the Filling: To help make shaping the calzones easier, I recommend leaving at least a 2″ border around the filling. I also recommend placing the filling on half of the circle instead of the directly in the center.
- Divide the Dough into 4-8 Balls: For smaller calzones, divide the pizza dough into 8 equal sized pieces. Remember to use less filling or it will leak out the edges!
these create the best flavor & texture!
More Italian Inspired Vegan Recipes:
- Mediterranean Roasted Eggplant and Tomatoes
- Vegan Italian Pastina Soup
- Meatless Baked Ziti
- Pesto Rice with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
- Pan-fried Balsamic Tofu
- Creamy Vegan Polenta
Vegan Calzones
Rate this RecipeIngredients
- 1 recipe Thank You Berry Much’s vegan pizza dough
- ¾ cup yellow onion, diced
- 3 large cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup green bell pepper, diced
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp dried fennel seeds, optional
- ½-¾ cup high quality pizza sauce , or tomato basil marinara sauce
- 1 cup store-bought vegan pepperoni, Like Field Roast or homemade vegan ground beef
- 1 cup vegan mozzarella cheese, homemade or store bought
- 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
- Red pepper flakes, to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the pizza dough according to this recipe.1 recipe Thank You Berry Much’s vegan pizza dough
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Heat a large non-stick skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cook the onion, garlic, green bell pepper, oregano, and fennel for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until slightly tender.¾ cup yellow onion, 3 large cloves garlic, ½ cup green bell pepper, 1 tsp dried oregano, ½ tsp dried fennel seeds
- Divide the pizza dough into 4 equal sized balls. Use your hands to spread the dough ball into a circle about 8” in diameter.
- Spread 2-3 tbsp of pizza sauce into the center of the dough, leaving a 2” border around the edges.½-¾ cup high quality pizza sauce
- Add a spoonful of the cooked onion and pepper mixture, 4-5 slices of vegan pepperoni, and about ¼ cup of vegan mozzarella on top.1 cup store-bought vegan pepperoni, 1 cup vegan mozzarella cheese
- Fold the dough in half over the filling to create a half-moon shape. Use your fingers to seal the edges of the dough by twisting it toward the center.
- Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Drizzle olive oil on top of the calzones and bake for 17-20 minutes until golden brown.2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Top with fresh chopped basil and red pepper flakes when ready to serve.¼ cup fresh basil, Red pepper flakes
Recipe notes
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