Pesto Pizza

What to expect?

This tasty pesto pizza has six fresh and flavorful ingredients as a base and can be easily customized to make your own. We start with my crunchy and soft homemade pizza dough and then top it with fragrant green pesto and two types of fresh tomatoes. It is a family-friendly meal that even the kids will love!

While this pizza traditionally uses basil pesto, it is just as delicious with sun-dried tomato pesto and spinach pesto. There are also endless ways to dress up this pizza to make it your own. See the Variations section below for inspiration.

Ingredients

This simple pesto pizza recipe requires only six ingredients, all of which you can find in your local grocery store:

• Pizza dough – You can use store-bought dough, but nothing beats homemade. Try our easy Neapolitan pizza dough recipe or our best-ever gluten-free pizza crust.
• Green pesto – You can use either store-bought or our homemade basil pesto sauce.
• Sun-dried tomatoes
• Cherry tomatoes
• Mozzarella – You can use any cheese that melts as an alternative.
• Semolina flour – You will use this to dust the dough. You don’t need to buy a special brand. A simple one would do.

🛒 You can find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Instructions

Making pesto pizza

1. If you use our homemade pizza dough recipe, make the dough and proof it according to the instructions there. Then continue from here.
2. Place the dough on a flat, lightly floured surface and lightly dust it with semolina or cornmeal. Sprinkle the top with flour, if needed (or turn the dough upside-down).
3. Use your fingertips to gently depress the dough ball while stretching and pulling to create a 10-inch circle (approximate). If you prefer a bubbly outer crust, do not depress the edges.

3. Preheat the oven to 390 Fahrenheit (ca. 200 °C).
4. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and transfer the pizza crust dough to the tray by hand. Gently arrange it back to a circle shape.
5. Spread the green pesto across the dough evenly. Spread the sliced cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, and cheese on top of the pesto.

6. Place it on the oven rack and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the outer crust turns golden brown. Can you see the airy, fluffy crust?

Cooking tips

• Use a pizza stone! – We recommend using a pizza stone in the highest position of the oven since you will have the best pizza if you can manage to bake it on the highest heat possible. The pizza stone is already hot when you place the pizza dough on top resulting in a perfect crispy bottom crust. Read our pizza dough recipe for more details on how to bake a pizza with a pizza stone.
• If you prefer not to have a bubbly outer crust, poke small holes in the crust with a fork before putting it in the oven.
• Once baked, move it to a wire rack or wooden board to cool down while preserving the crust’s crispiness.

Variations

Pesto pizza is very versatile, meaning you can dress it up with other ingredients to make it the perfect pizza for your tastes! Try your pizza with one of these many delicious toppings and variations:

• Different pesto – Swap out the traditional green basil pesto for sun-dried tomato pesto or spinach pesto.
• With protein – Add sausage, meatballs, or chicken to the top for protein and additional flavor.
• With veggies – Load it with fresh and flavorful veggies such as green peppers, black olives, corn kernels, red onions, mushrooms, roasted eggplant, zucchini, broccoli, butternut squash, spinach leaves, or artichoke hearts. 
• With nuts – Top it with chopped walnuts or almonds for a nutty flavor.
• With fresh herbs: For extra flavor, sprinkle on fresh herbs such as fresh basil leaves, oregano, roasted garlic, or arugula after baking.
• With spice: Add some heat to your pizza by sprinkling on black pepper, cayenne, red pepper flakes, or sliced jalapenos.

Serving ideas

• Before serving, drizzle the pizza with extra virgin olive oil or balsamic vinegar.
• Brush the crust with melted garlic butter while it is hot.
• Serve it alongside a leafy green side salad, breadsticks, or a light soup, such as our refreshing cold roasted red pepper soup.

Equipment

• Iron pizza stone – A pizza stone will give your pizza a crispy, crunchy bottom.
• Pizza oven – If you do not have a pizza oven, you can use a regular oven like we do in this recipe. While Ooni pizza ovens are quite popular, we have a cheaper brand. And it gives us delicious pizzas effortlessly.
• Baker’s peel – Using a pizza peel makes transporting the pizza to the pizza stone easier.

Storing tips

Pesto pizza is always best when served fresh and hot out of the oven. However, in the case that you have leftovers, it is easy to store and enjoy them at a later time. For food safety, you should not attempt to keep any pizza left at room temperature for more than two hours.

In the refrigerator – Wrap leftovers in tin foil or store in an airtight container and place in the fridge for up to three days.

In the freezer – I do not recommend freezing pizza that has already been baked, as the crust can become soggy if the dough or the toppings release moisture.

Reheating cold pizza – For the best quality, reheat cold pizza in a regular oven or toaster oven to maintain a crispy crust. Avoid reheating it in the microwave, as the crust becomes soggy.

FAQs

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