• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Pass the Plants logo

  • Recipes
  • How-to
  • About Me
    • Contact
  • Videos
    • YouTube
    • TV Appearances
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

Vegan Calzones

July 29, 2015 | 37 Comments

Jump to Recipe | Print Recipe

Vegan Calzones | https://passtheplants.com/

The time has come! I’ve been hinting at these vegan calzones for a while now, and I have finally brought them to you. This recipe has been tested more than any other that I have shared. And my husband has not complained one little bit. I think he would be thrilled if I put them into a weekly rotation. Although, the other night, I offered to make them, and he was all, “nah, I’m calzoned out.” After I picked my jaw up off the floor, I set off to make…pizza. With all the same ingredients I normally put in a calzone. He ate it with gusto. Go figure.

Not only have I tested this recipe a bazillion times, I have also tested it while talking my mom through the process step-by-step. My little man (three months old now!) was born via emergency c-section, and for the first two weeks I wasn’t able to do much at all, including cook. I have a very sweet memory of my mom coming over to make calzones, and me in a rocking chair in the kitchen feeding Josh and telling my mom what to do. She’d walk over and give me little taste tests along the way, and I would tell her to add more salt, or garlic, or whatever. And she did a fantastic job! Go Mom!

So, yes, a calzone is basically a folded pizza. But for some reason, it seems like a totally different thing. And a great one, at that. Ready to dive in?

Vegan Calzones | https://passtheplants.com/

Ok, so the dough. I’ve tried several different doughs for this recipe, and believe me when I tell you that while it might be (slightly) cheaper to make your own, please make things easier on yourself and use a storebought dough. Most grocery stores have them ready to go. My favorite is the whole wheat dough from Trader Joe’s – it’s a dream to work with and is very affordable. You can even ask to buy dough from your favorite pizzeria! One day, I might perfect the whole wheat calzone dough at home, but for now, I’m a fan of convenience. Did I mention I have a toddler and a baby?

Whatever dough you use, just bring it to room temp on the counter while you’re preparing the filling. Easy peasy. This is also a good time to start warming up your favorite tomato sauce on the stove. And preheat your oven to 425 F. I know, I know, I’m posting this in the summer. But THESE ARE WORTH THE HEAT. Trust me.

Next we have, the cheese! Being me, of course I found a way to get some veggies in it. This spinach ricotta is vegan, but you would NEVER KNOW IT. It’s crazypants delicious. And, it’s oil-free! Let’s get to it.

First, pulse one cup of raw cashews along with garlic, salt, white/light miso, and nutritional yeast until it is a very fine meal, but isn’t starting to break down into cashew butter. Like this.

Vegan Calzones | https://passtheplants.com/

Next, add two cups of fresh spinach (or 1 cup of frozen spinach) along with some extra-firm tofu and basil and pulse that bad boy up until it looks, well, like spinach ricotta.

Vegan Calzones | https://passtheplants.com/

Vegan Calzones | https://passtheplants.com/

See what I mean, yo?

One last thing about the ricotta before I forget. I have been using these great little frozen cubes of garlic and basil by Dorot lately. I found them in the freezer section at Trader Joe’s and they are so wonderful! When cooking from scratch it’s really great to be able to cut the prep time down, even if just for a couple of ingredients. Just had to share.

Vegan Calzones | https://passtheplants.com/

Ok, that’s done. Now we need the rest of the filling, which is baker’s choice. I typically go with more veggies, but I often throw in some Italian Field Roast sausage. But there are always, always mushrooms in our calzones. This time around I went with mushrooms and olives. Watch out for the olive bandit! She’s a sneaky little thing.

Vegan Calzones | https://passtheplants.com/

Sauté your veggies and toss them with a few tablespoons of your sauce of choice. This brings a little extra flavor to the party and also helps the filling and the cheese stay together in the dough.

Ok, now you have a decision to make. Do you want 8 small calzones or 4 big ones? Once you’ve made up your mind, cut your dough ball into equal pieces. As you can see, I went with 8. They are easier to hold and eat, and I have a lot of experience to back up this claim.

Vegan Calzones | https://passtheplants.com/

Assembly time!

Roll out a piece of dough into a circle-ish shape (it doesn’t have to be perfect), as thin as you can get it without it breaking. I like to use a little bit of olive oil on the rolling pin to make the rolling process easier and prevent sticking, but that’s optional. Top the dough with about 1/4 cup of the spinach ricotta, and another 1/4 cup of the filling.

Vegan Calzones | https://passtheplants.com/

Fold one half of the dough over the top, and pinch all of the open seams closed by folding small sections of the bottom piece of dough onto the top piece. This is strangely therapeutic and fun.

Vegan Calzones | https://passtheplants.com/

Ta-dah!!!! You are a calzone master! Big time high-fives to you, my friend. Now, we bake. Poke a few holes into the top of each calzone with a fork to let steam escape, and then bake those suckers up for 15-18 minutes at 425F, until they are golden brown and have that “come hither” look about them.

Vegan Calzones | https://passtheplants.com/

Now, dish up some of the sauce, plate these babies up and nosh your little heart out. And when you do, take a picture and share it on Instagram with the tag #eatwithinyourmeans. I can’t wait to see your calzone skills!

Vegan Calzones | https://passtheplants.com/

Vegan Calzones

Beth Hornback
These hearty, savory vegan calzones are simple to make and oh so delicious!
5 from 11 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 45 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Total Time 1 hr
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American Vegan
Servings 4 -8 calzones
Calories 284 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound pizza dough of your choice (I like the wheat dough from Trader Joe's)
  • 1 jar of your favorite tomato sauce
  • 1 cup raw cashews
  • 6 ounces extra-firm tofu (drained, half a package)
  • 2 cups fresh baby spinach (or 1 cup frozen spinach)
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves*
  • 2 cloves of garlic**
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon light miso (white (yellow, or chickpea))
  • 2 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
  • 4 cups veggies of choice for filling (ideas: mushrooms (olives, broccoli, red bell pepper, sundried tomatoes, artichokes))

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 425 F.
  • In a small/medium saucepan, warm the tomato sauce over low heat.
  • Place pizza dough on the counter to come to room temperature while you are preparing the filling.

For the Spinach Ricotta

  • Pulse the cashews, salt, miso, garlic, and nutritional yeast in a food processor until finely ground, but not turning into cashew butter.
  • Add the spinach, tofu, and basil, and pulse until fully combined, scraping down the sides of the food processor as needed.

For the filling

  • In a medium/large skillet, sauté your veggies of choice over medium/high heat until just cooked, 3-5 minutes. Stir in a few tablespoons of the sauce to coat the veggies.

Assembly

  • Section the dough into 4 or 8 equal pieces, depending on how big you want each calzone to be.
  • Roll a piece of dough into circle as thin as possible without breaking the dough.
  • Place 1/4 cup of the spinach ricotta in the center of the dough, and top with 1/4 cup of filling.
  • Fold the dough over the filling, and seal by folding small pieces of the bottom dough over the top piece, pinching the dough together as you go.
  • Continue rolling, filling, and sealing until all the calzones are assembled.
  • Place the calzones on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mat, and poke a few holes in each one with the tines of a fork.
  • Bake at 425 F for 15-18 minutes, until golden brown.

Notes

* Or two cubes of Dorot frozen basil
** Or two cubes of Dorot frozen garlic
Tip: The spinach ricotta freezes well, so you might wish to double the recipe and stash the second half in the freezer for future calzones. If you do this, make the ricotta in two batches, otherwise it will be too much for the food processor to handle all at once.
Nutrition facts will vary based on ingredients and dough used.

Nutrition

Serving: 1calzoneCalories: 284kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 13gFat: 11.5gSodium: 708mgSugar: 6.4gVitamin A: 200IUVitamin C: 9.9mg
Keyword calzones, dairy-free calzones, vegan calzones
Hungry For More?

Hungry For More?

Get recipes sent to your inbox + a FREE blender muffin e-book!

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Home » Dinner » Vegan Calzones

435 shares

Dinner, Main Dish

About Beth

Beth is a food photographer and recipe developer based in the Pacific Northwest. She never tires of snuggling with her two beautiful kids and owes piles of chocolate chip cookies to her husband, aka the most wonderful person she knows. Keep in touch with Beth on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Trish says

    July 29, 2015 at 2:58 pm

    Beth, I LUUUUUUV that TJ’s pizza dough! I always keep some frozen in my freezer. Ssssshhh… don’t tell any of my blog readers who think I make EVERYTHING from scratch. 🙂

    Reply
    • Beth says

      August 4, 2015 at 9:11 pm

      Your secret is safe with me. 😉

  2. Kim Bradbury says

    July 29, 2015 at 7:33 pm

    5 stars
    I also have a great memory of making these fabulous calzones for Beth and her family. I can attest to their scrumptiousness! The “come hither” look that Beth spoke of is also known as “GET IN MY BELLY!”. We used the Italian Fieldroast sausage in the batch I made, but I’m sure they would have been great with just the veggies. I don’t cook very much these days, so it was a treat to have something homemade with a great instructor guiding me. Give these a try. You won’t be disappointed.

    Reply
    • Beth says

      August 4, 2015 at 9:10 pm

      Love you, Mom. 🙂

  3. Erin says

    July 29, 2015 at 10:30 pm

    5 stars
    I made these tonight and they were a bit hit! Used the simple tomato sauce from this blog and my son ate it with a spoon thinking it was tomato soup. I used kalamata olives, mushrooms, white onion and green pepper. Yum. And I made sure to double the spinach ricotta so I have some extra in the fridge for whatever (spoon to mouth right out of the container anyone?). Thanks for a great recipe!

    Reply
    • Beth says

      August 4, 2015 at 9:10 pm

      I think it’s so cool (and flattering) that you made this on the same day I posted it. I’m so glad you all liked it!

  4. Hannah Elizabeth says

    July 30, 2015 at 5:17 pm

    YAY! Oh, yum. Just. No. Words. I want one, right now!! The recipe looks just as delicious as your photos. I so, so am making this happen!! I don’t even think I can wait till the hot weather goes for good. Your ricotta sounds out-of-this-world…and so genius! I tend not to be a fan of chunks of olives, but I like your “baker’s choice” suggestion of mixing up the veggies. But mushrooms always!!

    Thanks for the veteran-TJ’s-shopper tips!! I’d never heard of any of those (though regular shopping at TJ’s is a relatively new thing for me), and I will definitely have to check those out!!

    Reply
    • Beth says

      August 4, 2015 at 9:09 pm

      I seriously wish there was a Trader Joe’s on my side of town. Wait…that could be bad. 🙂 The ricotta is truly wonderful. In fact, a certain young man named Alex recently said that he “would like a hat made of bread that was full of this pesto spread”. Talk about making my day. 🙂

  5. Abbie says

    July 31, 2015 at 8:34 am

    Lol, that back and forth with Michael! Made me laugh so hard because I could just see it.

    These look so good! I’m so happy Hannah said she was going to make them, because I was going to say that I really wanted to try them. Miss you guys! <3

    Reply
    • Beth says

      August 4, 2015 at 9:07 pm

      Right? It totally was just like that. Of course, Michael said I “dissed” him. Nay! I told the truth. 🙂 We miss you all too!

  6. Nichole Kraft, Food Writing Copyeditor says

    July 31, 2015 at 3:05 pm

    Wow, these look delish! And I absolutely love that tip about coating your rolling pin in a bit of olive oil! I get so frustrated when my pin sticks and tears dough. Never even thought about applying a little oil. See? You keep making my life easier, Beth!

    Reply
    • Beth says

      August 4, 2015 at 9:06 pm

      I really think that my litmus test for a successful post should be whether or not I made your life easier. 🙂

    • Nichole Kraft, Food Writing Copyeditor says

      August 5, 2015 at 8:09 am

      Ha ha! I would love to be the standard by which your posts are judged. 😛

      Seriously, though, I’ll take all the life-easing tips I can get. The busier I get, the more I appreciate all these little shortcuts. 😉

  7. Jessica Gavin says

    August 23, 2015 at 10:15 pm

    Beth, these looks great! I too love TJ’s dough, affordable and tasty, a mom’s dream! I’ve been doing a lot of grilled pizzas with them. I would LOVE to try this recipe, the pesto looks so yummy, thank you for sharing!

    Reply
    • Beth says

      September 3, 2015 at 2:11 pm

      Thanks, Jessica! Ohhhh, that pesto on a grilled pizza…I’m drooling just thinking about it. Let me know if you try it out, I’d love to hear what you think. 🙂

  8. Jessica DeMarra says

    September 3, 2015 at 8:25 am

    I haven’t had a calzone in years and these ones look awesome! Love the green colour of the spinach ricotta. So fresh and wonderful 🙂

    Reply
    • Beth says

      September 3, 2015 at 2:10 pm

      Thanks, Jessica! I hope you give them a try sometime and let me know how you like them. 🙂

  9. shaheen says

    September 3, 2015 at 11:57 pm

    Lovely to make your acquaintance through veganmofo. I have not had Calzone since my Uni days and that was over 10 years ago, I am bookmarking your recipe to make in the future. Its one that would be perfect come the winter too.

    Reply
  10. Julie is Hostess At Heart says

    September 17, 2015 at 8:28 am

    What a wonderful memory of you and your mother in the kitchen with your beautiful little guy. This recipe looks delicious!

    Reply
  11. Cassie says

    June 29, 2016 at 8:38 am

    I know you’re probably getting sick of all my substitution questions, but do you think I could use walnuts instead of cashews? Or some other kind of nut?? Thanks!

    Reply
  12. Jennifer says

    July 24, 2016 at 10:38 am

    5 stars
    OMG thank you for this post!! I have the calzones in the oven as I type and cannot wait to eat them. I tried to make 8 but overstuffed them so they don’t look very good but when I made a bigger version they actually look like a calzone, ha! I have leftover ricotta but it’s so delicious it wont last long and I am excited to see what else I can use it with. So happy to find your blog.

    Reply
    • Beth says

      September 23, 2016 at 1:28 am

      Hi Jennifer! So sorry for the delayed response, I took a bit of a break this summer and am playing catch-up now. I am THRILLED that you made the calzones! It’s worth it for the ricotta alone, isn’t it? I’m suddenly hungry. 🙂 I have a recipe for lasagna that uses that ricotta and it’s coming very soon! Get excited! 🙂

  13. Sangeetha says

    October 5, 2016 at 1:41 pm

    Looks delicious! Do you think there is a way to skip the nuts? Can’t send nuts to school… I’m vegetarian, not vegan, if that makes a difference. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Beth says

      October 7, 2016 at 8:59 am

      Hi Sangeetha! Yes, absolutely. I’ve had really good luck subbing in raw pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds) for the cashews. Or, you could simply use more tofu or dairy ricotta cheese. Hope that helps!

  14. Kyle says

    September 2, 2017 at 1:06 pm

    I only had pepitas so used those instead of cashews, and I could tell no difference. They were AMAZING!!!

    Reply
  15. Shannon says

    October 28, 2017 at 3:13 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Beth! I have just recently found this recipe and I love it. I made a slight change and used steamed broccoli for the spinach (what I had on hand). I used a whole wheat pizza crust recipe that I have previously made for my room mate’s portion and I used a white pizza crust for me. Let me just say, I am not a vegan and I meant to use some cheese in this recipe and it totally doesn’t need it at all! Thanks for sharing this recipe with us.

    Reply
  16. Bjørny says

    November 19, 2018 at 2:14 pm

    Delicioso! Yum yum ???????? 5 Stars ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

    Reply
  17. Kristen Irven says

    March 20, 2020 at 6:39 pm

    5 stars
    I made these calzones tonight and WOW! So delicious. My husband and I agreed they were the best calzones we’ve had. And they’re vegan!!!
    I used walnuts instead of cashews and it worked perfectly. I bet the filling would also work great in lasagne!

    Reply
  18. Esha says

    May 8, 2020 at 11:24 am

    i only have brown rice miso – do you think i can use this as a substitute?

    Reply
    • Beth says

      May 12, 2020 at 8:53 pm

      Hi Esha! I think that should be fine! 🙂

  19. Heather says

    May 16, 2020 at 11:28 am

    Do you have any recommendations on how to prep these and freeze for later?

    Reply
  20. Rachel says

    February 22, 2021 at 7:13 pm

    5 stars
    I just made these tonight they were DELICIOUS, they didn’t look as pretty as yours though. So glad to find your site. We made your twice baked potatoes last week they were also fantastic. So nice to eat plant based without eating just salad 🙂

    Reply
    • Beth says

      March 1, 2021 at 12:41 pm

      Oh yay!!! So glad to hear that Rachel! Mine never look very pretty really, it’s hard to make bread stuffed with anything look good, but they sure are tasty! And omg, I forgot about the twice baked potatoes! I need to make those again! My husband will be thrilled. 🙂

  21. M C says

    June 3, 2021 at 6:41 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious! My meat-eating husband said they were great and so did I 🙂 I also used Walnuts but otherwise as per recipe. Thanks!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

I share plant-based recipes that anyone will eat. Stick around, won't you? I'm so glad you're here.
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Hungry For More?

Get recipes sent to your inbox + a FREE blender muffin e-book!

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Copyright © 2023 Pass the Plants
Terms of Service | Privacy

435 shares