27 Pizza Recipes to Perfect
Use fresh, high-quality ingredients and our foolproof dough recipes for homemade pizza that beats dining out or ordering delivery any day of the week.
If you haven't taken the leap and made pizza at home yet, consider this your road map. We have step-by-step instructions for classics like Margherita, Grandma Pie, and plain cheese pizza that delivers "perfection on a plate." Cacio e pepe pizza is a fun riff on the signature Roman pasta, while breakfast pizza proves that you can absolutely eat pizza for every single meal. (And since dessert pizza exists too, why wouldn't you?) Once you're a pizza-making pro, put these go-to pizza recipes in rotation.
Related: The 7 Best Pizza Ovens for Restaurant-Quality Pizza at Home
Classic Cheese Pizza
Sometimes all you want at the end of the day is a simple cheese pizza. This recipe turns simple into sublime with the addition of an exceptional pizza dough, low-moisture mozzarella cheese, and an easy to make tomato sauce that hits all of the right sweet and savory notes to marry all of the flavors in this pie. Add a simple garnish of fresh herbs, and you've got perfection on a plate.
Soppressata Pizza with Calabrian Chilies and Hot Honey
Take a little soppressata, some chopped calabrian chiles, and a drizzle of hot honey, and you'll end up with the pizza of the moment. Calabrian chiles, fiery chiles from Italy, add heat and a distinctly fruity flavor to this pie. The hot honey mirrors the flavors of the chiles, and adds a touch of sweetness.
Grandma Pie Pizza
Unlike a thin-crust Neapolitan-style pie, the thick, deliciously chewy crust of a classic grandma pie is easy to pull off at home. All you need is a sturdy, standard "half-sheet" rimmed baking sheet. Don't stint on the oil for the pan — it helps create a gloriously crispy, golden crust.
Margherita Pizza
This classic pizza is easy to pull off at home with fresh ingredients. Miriam Weiskind's flavorful dough comes together through careful kneading before slowly rising in the refrigerator for one — and up to five — days, making it the perfect, make-ahead pizza base. Paired with creamy mozzarella, the freshly snipped basil and uncooked sauce deliver big flavor.
Wild Mushroom Pizza with Homemade Ranch
It's important not to weigh your pizza down with too many toppings, which can make for a soggy pie, so this pizza only requires a small amount of wild mushrooms. Choose whatever looks best at the market. We love this pizza with a drizzle of Fancy Ranch dressing (which almost makes it a salad, right?)
Tavern-Style Sausage and Giardiniera Pizza
Kelsey Hansen / Food Styling by Annie Probst / Prop Styling by Gabe Greco
This square-cut, cracker-thin pie is the Chicago style that originated when tavern owners and bartenders would leave out free pizza for customers to entice them to stay for another round of beers. The small pieces can fit on a bar napkin and shouldn't spoil one's dinner.
Potato Pizza with Crème Fra?che and Bacon
This pizza starts with the flavors of the classic Alsatian pizza, made with crème fra?che, caramelized onion, and bacon, and adds soft confit garlic cloves and thin slices of potatoes. Add a little greenery from kale and chives, and you've got an exceptional pizza to both look at and eat.
Smoky Breakfast Pizzas
Chef Justin Bazdarich makes his Kind Brother pizza at Speedy Romeo in Brooklyn extra decadent with a combination of béchamel and smoked mozzarella. This easy version also gets a kick from smoked mozzarella, plus a drizzle of fresh basil oil for a pop of freshness.
Jerk Chicken Pizza
Whether you choose to make your own dough or buy it from the store, this pizza, called "Kiss Mi Converse!" at Last Dragon, is destined for greatness. A homemade jerk marinade inspired by Russell's Jamaican family takes center stage, giving rich flavor to the chicken topping, while the black olives, yellow peppers, and crossed scallion greens aren't just delicious — they're a salute to the Jamaican flag.
Hawaiian Pizza with Pineapple and Salami
Pork and pineapple are a dream combination in this homemade salty-sweet pizza. Pizza pro Miriam Weiskind's twist on pineapple-topped pie uses Genoa salami in place of ham — paired with creamy mozzarella and an oregano-scented uncooked tomato sauce, it is sure to convert any pineapple pizza skeptics.
Sausage and Ricotta Pizza with Castelvetrano Olives
The combination of the meaty, briny, vegetal flavors in this pizza hits so many satisfying notes that it is sure to be a hit at your table. The olives, peppers, sausage, and ricotta combine to bring sweet, savory, salty, and creamy notes to this pretty pizza.
Grilled Pizza with Prosciutto
Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Thom Driver
Turn out pizza oven-quality pizzas with this technique from Johanne Killeen and George Germon, who pioneered grilled pizzas at Al Forno in Providence, Rhode Island.
Spring Onion and Salami Sheet-Pan Pizza
When making sheet-pan pizza, bring the dough to room temperature before shaping. This ensures the gluten is relaxed and the dough doesn't shrink from the pan edges.
Choucroute Pizzas
Dijon mustard and tangy fermented sauerkraut cut through the creamy richness of melted Fontina and mozzarella, while salty pistachios add a pleasant crunch to this Alsatian choucroute garnie–inspired pizza.
Roman Pizza
This rectangular pie uses focaccia as the base for a simple topping of tomato sauce, melty stracciatella cheese, and basil leaves. It's unusually crisp, because it's drizzled with olive oil before baking.
Cacio e Pepe Pizza
At Sbanco restaurant in Rome, chef Stefano Callegari takes his time making this perfect pizza dough, topping it with the flavors of cacio e pepe pasta. He's also devised a clever trick: putting a bit of crushed ice on the dough as it goes into the hot oven to keep the center moist and tender while the bottom and edge become crisp and crackling.
Summer Squash Pizza with Goat Cheese and Walnuts
Zucchini and yellow squash can both be mild in flavor, but nothing about this tangy, herby pizza is bland. The summer squash is sliced into slender coins, then roasted in a hot oven until it's lightly caramelized, bringing out its sweetness.
Breakfast Pizza
Pizza is always a solid choice at breakfast time, and this particular pie, topped with sausage, eggs, and cheddar cheese, is always a hit. If you wish, you could add or substitute leftover cooked greens or roasted vegetables, sliced ham, or crisp bacon.
Grilled Asparagus Pizzas with Gremolata
The heat of the grill can wilt the freshest toppings, so chef Daniele Uditi spoons something bright — a blend of fresh herbs, crushed red pepper, and garlic — over the pizza once it comes off the grate.
Vegan Wild Mushroom Pizza
"The garlic crema balances the mushrooms' earthy flavor, while thinly sliced brussels sprouts add an awesome crunch," says chef Mary Dumont who shared this recipe from PlantPub in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Fennel and Sweet Onion Pizza with Green Olives
Miami chef Michael Schwartz makes this pizza with Pernod-braised fennel, caramelized onions, and Trugole, a semisoft Italian cheese that melts beautifully.
Mushroom and Goat Cheese Béchamel Pizzas
To give these individual pizzas an extra-luxe topping, chef Andres Barrera makes a velvety béchamel sauce with goat cheese and freshly grated nutmeg, then adds dollops of sautéed mushrooms.
Nancy Silverton's Tomato-Oregano Pizza
Chef Nancy Silverton's outstanding Neapolitan-style pizza is topped with only tomato sauce and oregano. The recipe yields nine eight-inch pizzas.
Portobello Mushroom and Red Pepper Pizza
This substantial pizza features meaty portobello mushrooms and bright red bell peppers, simply paired with fresh salted mozzarella, grated Parmesan, and fresh basil. If you don't have fresh basil, stir some pesto into the peppers and mushrooms before putting them on the pizza.
Scallop and Bacon Pizza
A quick, garlicky béchamel stands in for crème fra?che and cheese in this luxurious white pizza.
Roasted Chicken and Leek Pizza
Store-bought rotisserie chicken, with its juicy meat, makes a great topping for fast homemade pizza. Here, former Food & Wine editor Grace Parisi adds it to pizza with leeks, Fontina cheese, and spicy oil-cured olives. The finished pizza pairs perfectly with a crisp California Sauvignon Blanc.
Pizza with Charred Cherry Tomatoes and Pesto
Chef Shea Gallante tops these crisp-crusted individual pies with sweet tomatoes, aged Gouda, and a little pesto. The cherry tomato topping can be made one day in advance and refrigerated overnight — just bring it to room temperature before using.
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