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    Home > Vegan Entrees

    Pesto Pizza

    By Nandor Barta on 08/23/2023 - May contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure.

    Jump to Recipe Print Pin

    This easy pesto pizza recipe puts a light and zesty twist on the traditional pizza night! It only requires six simple ingredients and 30 minutes of your time, making it a perfect way to enjoy one of your favorite dishes at home in no time.

    Sliced pizza on a white pizza plate topped with green pesto, melted cheese, sun-dried tomato pieces, and halved cherry tomatoes. More pesto and fresh ingredients next to the plate.

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    Pesto is a delicious way to kick up the flavor of your favorite dishes. You can serve it on top of pasta, mixed with vegetables, or even on the side as a dip! For more delicious pesto recipes, try our easy vegan pesto pasta, red pesto tofu pasta, and pesto vegetables.

    Jump to:
    • What to expect?
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Cooking tips
    • Variations
    • Serving ideas
    • Equipment
    • Storing tips
    • FAQs
    • More pizza recipes
    • 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.

    Pizza on a white pizza plate topped with green pesto, melted cheese, sun-dried tomato pieces, and halved cherry tomatoes.
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    Ingredients

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

    The ingredients of pesto pizza in small containers like pizza dough, cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, arugula, pesto, and mozzarella
    • 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.
    Two hands are shaping the pizza dough on a lightly floured wooden pizza peel.
    1. Preheat the oven to 390 Fahrenheit (ca. 200 °C).
    2. 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.
    3. Spread the green pesto across the dough evenly. Spread the sliced cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, and cheese on top of the pesto.
    Pizza on a wooden baker's peel topped with green pesto, shredded cheese, sun-dried tomato pieces, and halved cherry tomatoes.
    1. 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?
    Slice of pizza with pesto sauce and tomato from the side to 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.
    Pizza on a white pizza plate topped with green pesto, melted cheese, sun-dried tomato pieces, and halved cherry tomatoes. More pesto and fresh ingredients next to the plate.

    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.
    Sliced pizza on a white pizza plate topped with green pesto, melted cheese, sun-dried tomato pieces, and halved cherry tomatoes. A hand is holding one slice.

    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.
    Sliced pizza on a white pizza plate topped with green pesto, melted cheese, sun-dried tomato pieces, and halved cherry tomatoes. A hand is holding one slice.

    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.

    Sliced pizza on a white pizza plate topped with green pesto, melted cheese, sun-dried tomato pieces, and halved cherry tomatoes. More pesto and fresh ingredients next to the plate.

    FAQs

    What is the best pesto to use for pesto pizza?

    Basil pesto is the most traditional pesto used for pesto pizza, and you can easily find it premade in your local grocery store or online. However, you can also make your own pesto at home. There are so many variations. All of which take 5 minutes to make.

    Can I make pesto pizza in advance?

    You can make the dough and pesto a day before and store them in the refrigerator. To avoid the crust turning soggy, do not assemble until you are ready to place it in the oven.

    Is pesto pizza gluten-free?

    Pesto is naturally gluten-free. However, it is always best to check the ingredients of the packaging to ensure it is a 100% gluten-free product. For the dough, I recommend our gluten-free pizza crust.

    More pizza recipes

    Check out these delicious pizza recipes:

    • Sliced pizza topped with tomato sauce, melted cheese and fresh arugula on a white pizza plate. Fresh ingredients are around it.
      The Best Vegan Pizza
    • A pizza on a white pizza plate topped with white sauce, zucchini, broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, and fresh arugula. More white sauce and fresh ingredients are scattered around the plate.
      Vegan White Sauce Pizza
    • Pizza on a wooden baker's peel topped with tomato sauce, melted cheese and pepperoni slices. Fresh arugula, tomatoes and basil leaves are around it.
      Vegan Pepperoni Pizza
    • Cheeseless pizza on a white pizza plate topped with tomato sauce, bell pepper strips, zucchini, mushrooms, asparagus, red onion, and basil. More fresh ingredients are next to it.
      Cheeseless Pizza
    • Pizza with fluffy crispy crust topped with tomato sauce, melted cheese and fresh arugula on a wooden board. Pizza cutter and more fresh herbs ingredients are around it.
      The Best Gluten-free Pizza Crust
    • Two hands are shaping the pizza dough on a lightly floured wooden pizza peel.
      Vegan Pizza Dough (Neapolitan)
    • Pizza on a wooden baker's peel topped with light brown hummus, cherry tomatoes, green and black olives, red onion slices, and fresh basil leaves. More hummus and other fresh ingredients are scattered around it.
      Mediterranean Hummus Pizza

    THANK YOU so much for visiting our website. Please comment below if you have tried this recipe. We LOVE hearing from you! If you loved the recipe, please don’t forget to give us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ RATING. We appreciate all of our readers.  

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    Pizza on a white pizza plate topped with green pesto, melted cheese, sun-dried tomato pieces, and halved cherry tomatoes. More pesto and fresh ingredients next to the plate.

    Pesto Pizza

    Nandor Barta
    This easy pesto pizza recipe puts a light and zesty twist on the traditional pizza night! It only requires six simple ingredients and 30 minutes of your time, making it a perfect way to enjoy one of your favorite dishes at home in no time.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    Total Time 30 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 469kcal

    Equipment

    Pizza stone
    Pizza peel
    Pizza oven
    Visit our Amazon Shop for all pizza essentials

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 1 Pizza dough homemade classic or gluten-free
    • ½ cup Green pesto homemade spinach pesto or red pesto
    • 2 oz Sun-dried tomatoes
    • 3 oz Cherry tomatoes
    • 3 oz Mozzarella or any vegan cheese that melts
    • Semolina flour for dusting
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Important NotesAlways use a scale to measure ingredients. When developing this recipe, I measured everything both in cups and with a scale to be 100% sure. I also verify my cup to gram conversions with King Arthur’s Ingredient Chart!

    Instructions
     

    • Slice cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, and mozzarella.
    • If you use our homemade pizza dough recipe, make the dough and proof it according to the instructions there. Then continue from here.
    • Transfer one ball of dough to a flat surface dusted with semolina or cornmeal. Sprinkle the top with flour if needed (or simply just turn the dough upside-down). Use your fingertips to gently depress the round, stretching and pulling the dough gently into a circle. For a bubbly outer crust, don’t depress the outer circumference.
    • Preheat the oven to 390 Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius).
    • Add parchment paper to a baking tray, and transfer the pizza crust with your hand to the tray. Gently arrange the crust back to a circle shape.
    • Spread green pesto evenly on the crust. Spread cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, and mozzarella on top of the pesto.
    • Bake it for 10-15 minutes or until the outer crust gets some color.
    Tried this recipe? Can we see it?Please share a picture with us by uploading an image to Pinterest below ours.

    Notes

    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.
    Do you have a convection oven?A convection oven distributes heat throughout its cavity using a fan and exhaust system, resulting in faster and more even cooking than traditional ovens. Read here how to use a convection oven.

    Video

    [adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”KgdO5GDg” upload-date=”2023-08-03T13:37:04.000Z” name=”Pesto Pizza.mov” description=”This easy pesto pizza recipe puts a light and zesty twist on the traditional pizza night! It only requires six simple ingredients and 30 minutes of your time, making it a perfect way to enjoy one of your favorite dishes at home in no time.” player-type=”default” override-embed=”default”]

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Pesto Pizza
    Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
    Calories 469 Calories from Fat 171
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 19g29%
    Saturated Fat 4g25%
    Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
    Monounsaturated Fat 0.1g
    Cholesterol 2mg1%
    Sodium 1227mg53%
    Potassium 533mg15%
    Carbohydrates 63g21%
    Fiber 5g21%
    Sugar 13g14%
    Protein 12g24%
    Vitamin A 853IU17%
    Vitamin C 10mg12%
    Calcium 83mg8%
    Iron 5mg28%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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