This is one of our base recipes. Warm bread, gooey cheese, and flavorful toppings – what’s not to love about pizza? It is easy to pick up the phone and order from your favorite pizza joint, but have you ever thought about making your own homemade pizza? Not only is it fun, but it’s extra delicious too! Use our pizza base recipe as a guide, then have fun adding toppings to your taste!
Three Must-Know Cooking Skills
For recipe success, learn how to:
Culinary Tips for the Best Homemade Pizza Base Recipe
Try your hand at making homemade pizza dough! If you don’t have the time or desire to make your own, see if you can buy raw dough from your favorite pizza shop or a local grocery store. Look for a true dough ball, and not the kind in a tube.
Stretch your pizza dough on a piece of parchment paper for easy transfer to the oven and quick clean-up. You can also use cornmeal underneath the dough to help it not stick to the pan or stone. Use a generous amount of cornmeal if using this method.
Don’t use too many toppings, otherwise you will weigh down the pizza and the crust might not be as crispy as you like.
Vegetable toppings don’t soften much in the oven due to the short cook time. If you want more tender vegetables, roast or sauté them before assembling the pizza.
A pizza stone is truly the best way to go make a crispy crust pizza. If you are a pizza lover and enjoy making your own, it is definitely worth the investment!
This is a great pizza recipe for kids to help make! Let them help spread the sauce and add their own toppings. Make two, mini 6” pizzas by dividing the dough in half. Make pizza night a family cooking night!
Ingredient Substitutions
- Pizza Dough: substitute a cauliflower crust, gluten-free crust, pre-made crust, etc. Prepare according to manufacturer’s instructions. You can also make a pizza flatbread by substituting naan, pita, or a pre-made flatbread.
- Marinara Sauce: substitute crushed tomatoes seasoned with salt, pepper, and fresh or dried basil. You can also experiment with different sauces or spreads including extra virgin olive oil, pesto, white sauce, or barbecue sauce.
- Fresh Mozzarella Cheese: substitute shredded mozzarella. Other cheeses that work well on pizza include burrata, provolone, Monterrey jack, gruyere, goat cheese, and asadero – basically any cheese that melts well. Use smaller amounts of strongly flavored cheese like goat cheese. You can also use a combination of cheeses.
Pizza Topping Ideas
Vegetables
- Artichoke
- Fresh basil
- Bell pepper, roasted or fresh
- Eggplant
- Kale
- Mushrooms, fresh or sautéed
- Olives
- Diced onion, yellow or red
- Spinach
- Fresh tomatoes, cherry or regular
- Zucchini
Fruits
- Peaches
- Pears
- Pineapple
- Plums
- Figs
Protein
- Anchovies
- Chicken
- Goat Cheese
- Nitrate-free Italian turkey or chicken sausage
- Parmesan
- Prosciutto
- Ricotta
Drizzles
- Balsamic reduction
- Honey, regular or chili-infused
- High quality or infused extra virgin olive oil
- Pesto
- Sriracha or other hot sauce
Garnishes
- Arugula
- Fresh Basil
- Nuts
Pizza Base Recipe Variations
Remember that this is a base recipe, so the goal is for you to customize it to your taste! You can change up the sauce, cheese, and toppings to whatever sounds good to you. Consider different cuisines for more unique variations: Barbecue, Greek, Mexican, Indian, Thai, and more!
Want some pizza recipe inspiration?
Try out these tasty variations, or add ingredients to adjust to your taste!
Equipment Recommendations
Use these kitchen tools for recipe success!
Is Pizza Healthy?
Pizza gets a bad rap for being unhealthy, but homemade pizza is nothing like the kind that is delivered. By building your own, you get to control the ingredients and can create a pizza that is much lower in saturated fat and sodium than popular fast food pizza chains. You can build a healthy homemade pizza by topping your dough with healthy vegetables or by serving it as part of an overall well-balanced meal.
The tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and vegetables (if you choose to add them, and we hope you do!) add flavor and nutrition to pizza.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, a phytochemical that helps protect against heart disease and prostate cancer. (1, 2) Canned and/or cooked tomatoes are higher in lycopene than their fresh counterparts. (3)
Mozzarella Cheese
Cheese is a good source of calcium and protein which are important for building and maintaining strong bones and teeth. Cheese is high in saturated fat, and while research is currently challenging the belief that full-fat dairy products are harmful, we still suggest trying to limit them until we know more. (4) With that said, try to stick to the suggested amount in the recipe.
Vegetables
All vegetables provide fiber, vitamins, minerals, and disease fighting phytochemicals. Aim to eat a variety of colors – each color provides a different benefit for our bodies. The more colors on your pizza, the healthier it will be!
A Note on Pizza Dough
We make our own homemade Italian pizza dough with 00 wheat flour. Not sure what to think about gluten? Learn all about it in this article!
Serving Suggestions for a Healthy Homemade Pizza Meal
Start your meal with a large side salad, and then serve a side of roasted vegetables with the pizza.
How to Store Homemade Pizza
Store leftover pizza on the counter in a box – just kidding!
If you actually have any leftovers, cool completely, then store in an airtight container or bag in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. Leftover pizza can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
To reheat, place your pizza on a pan and place in an oven while it is preheating to 350° F. Once it hits 350° F, your pizza should be ready!
Looking for a Marinara Sauce or Pizza Dough Recipe?
Look no further! Try out these tried and true recipes!
Homemade Pizza Base Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pizza dough round (~8-10 ounces)
- ¼ – ½ cup marinara sauce
- 4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese ball, sliced thin
- Toppings of Choice (see recipe notes)
Instructions
Pizza Stone Instructions
- Place pizza stone on bottom rack of oven. Preheat oven to 500° F. Heat one hour before cooking for the crispiest crust.
- Assemble pizza. Stretch pizza dough into a 12” circle on a piece of parchment paper. Spread marinara sauce onto the crust leaving a 1” border around the rim. Cover sauce with mozzarella cheese slices. Add other toppings of your choice!
- Using a pizza peel, slide pizza with parchment paper onto stone. If you don’t have a pizza peel, a baking sheet without a rim or an upside down baking sheet also work. Cook for 6-7 minutes until cheese is bubbly and crust begins to turn golden brown.
- Remove from oven and cool slightly before slicing. Enjoy!
If you don't have a pizza stone:
- Preheat oven to 500ºF.
- Assemble pizza. Stretch pizza dough into a 12” circle on a piece of parchment paper.* Spread marinara sauce onto the crust leaving a 1” border around the rim. Cover sauce with mozzarella cheese slices. Add other toppings of your choice!
- Place pizza and parchment paper onto your pan. Cook for 10-12 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and crust begins to turn golden brown.
- Remove from oven and cool slightly before slicing. Enjoy!
Notes
- Artichoke
- Fresh basil
- Bell pepper, roasted or fresh
- Eggplant
- Kale
- Mushrooms, fresh or sautéed
- Olives
- Diced onion, yellow or red
- Spinach
- Fresh tomatoes, cherry or regular
- Zucchini
- Peaches
- Pears
- Pineapple
- Plums
- Figs
- Anchovies
- Chicken
- Goat Cheese
- Nitrate-free Italian turkey or chicken sausage
- Parmesan
- Prosciutto
- Ricotta
- Balsamic reduction
- Honey, regular or chili-infused
- High quality or infused extra virgin olive oil
- Pesto
- Sriracha or other hot sauce
- Arugula
- Fresh Basil
- Nuts
