Margherita Pizza
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Savor the classic flavors (and colors) of Italy with a crispy thin-crust Margherita pizza that rivals your favorite pizzeria!
Margherita pizza, a classic thin-crust Italian pizza from Naples, owes its name to Queen Margherita of Savoy. Legend has it that during her visit to Naples in 1889, she was served a pizza that was made with the colors of the Italian flag: red (tomatoes), white (mozzarella cheese), and green (basil leaves). This marked the creation of the now universally loved Margherita pizza.
Though this pizza is traditionally baked in a wood-fired oven, you can easily recreate it at home without one. I use a rich homemade pizza dough (store-bought works too), a blazing hot oven, and a sheet pan to produce a crisp yet chewy pizza crust. The no-cook Neapolitan pizza sauce is made made from canned San Marzano crushed tomatoes and can be whipped up in just 5 minutes! Pro tip: when making Margherita pizza, it’s essential to use high-quality ingredients and not overload the pizza with too many toppings. Less is more here—too much sauce and cheese will make the crust soggy.
Table of Contents
“Made the sauce, dough, and pizza. It’s the best pizza I’ve had or made and I’ve tried many.”
What You’ll Need To Make Margherita Pizza
- Pizza dough: Homemade pizza dough is ideal, but store-bought may be substituted (these dough balls weigh about 1 pound each).
- San Marzano crushed tomatoes: A variety of plum tomatoes that originate from the town of San Marzano sul Sarno near Naples, Italy, these tomatoes have a sweeter, less acidic, and more concentrated flavor than typical roma tomatoes. Many supermarkets carry them but don’t worry if you can’t find them; regular crushed tomatoes will work.
- Fresh Mozzarella: Look for a fresh mozzarella ball that is not packed in water. (Or, if the cheese is packed in water, be sure to dry it well.)
- Parmigiano Reggiano: Use authentic Parmigiano Reggiano, which you can identify by looking at the rind, which is embossed with the name over and over. If the cheese is already grated, it should be labeled “Parmigiano Reggiano,” not “Parmesan.”
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Make the sauce by combining the crushed tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and sugar in a small bowl.
Mix to combine. Alternatively, if you prefer a smoother sauce, you can blend the ingredients in a food processor or blender. (Note: This recipe makes enough sauce for four pizzas. You can refrigerate extra sauce for up to one week, or freeze for up to three months.)
On a lightly floured surface, using your hands, stretch and press one ball of dough into an 12-inch round.
Transfer the dough to a cornmeal-dusted baking sheet, and gently stretch it out again so that it maintains its shape.
Spread 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons of the sauce over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edges.
Slide the baking sheet into the oven and bake for 7 minutes, until the crust is partially cooked.
Remove from the oven, and scatter half of the mozzarella cubes over the sauce, followed by half of the Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Slide the pan back into the oven and cook until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 4 minutes more.
Remove the pizza from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Sprinkle with the basil and slice. Repeat with the remaining pizza dough and ingredients. (If you’d like to bake the two pizzas at the same time, you can fire up two ovens. Or, if you don’t mind the crust a little thicker, you can form the two dough balls into 8×12-inch rectangles and place them side by side on the baking sheet.)
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Margherita Pizza
Savor the classic flavors (and colors) of Italy with a crispy thin-crust Margherita pizza that rivals your favorite pizzeria!
Ingredients
- 1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
- 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Flour, for stretching the dough
- 2 (1-lb) homemade pizza doughs
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella, not packed in water, cubed
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- ½ cup roughly chopped fresh basil, lightly packed
- 1 tablespoon cornmeal, for baking
Instructions
- Make the Sauce: In a medium bowl, stir together the tomatoes, garlic, salt, sugar, pepper, and oil. (Alternatively, for a completely smooth sauce, you can blend the ingredients in a small food processor or blender.)
- Preheat the oven to 500°F and set an oven rack in the bottom position. Dust a 13x18-inch baking sheet with half of the cornmeal.
- On a lightly floured surface, using your hands, stretch and press one ball of dough into an 12-inch round. Transfer the dough to the cornmeal-dusted baking sheet, and gently stretch it out again so that it maintains its shape.
- Spread about ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons of the sauce over the dough, leaving a ½-inch border around the edges. Slide the baking sheet into the oven and bake for 7 minutes, until the crust is partially cooked. Remove from the oven, and scatter half of the mozzarella cubes over the sauce, followed by half of the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Slide the pan back into the oven and cook until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 4 minutes more. Remove the pizza from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Sprinkle with the basil and slice. Repeat with the remaining pizza dough and ingredients. (If you'd like to bake the two pizzas at the same time, you can fire up two ovens. Or, if you don't mind the crust a little thicker, you can form the two dough balls into 8x12-inch rectangles and place them side by side on the baking sheet.)
- Note: This recipe makes enough sauce for 4 (12-inch) pizzas. Refrigerate extra sauce for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Serving size: 3 slices
- Calories: 734
- Fat: 32 g
- Saturated fat: 13 g
- Carbohydrates: 80 g
- Sugar: 3 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 31 g
- Sodium: 710 mg
- Cholesterol: 57 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Comments
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We have made this pizza several times now. The sauce is rich and flavorful as well as easy to make. I use a baking stone in the oven and the crust comes out perfect. Crispy on the bottom and the inside tender but a little chewy. The other ingredients you recommend make this the perfect combination. This is the perfect pizza for us. Thanks so much.
I have made this pizza many times as it is delicious and easy. I stretch the dough a lot bigger for a thinner crust.
It’s a great base and I add more veggies like sautéed onions and mushrooms or fresh spinach 😋
When I told my husband I was making a Margarita pizza, he was really confused because I don’t drink tequila lol! So I explained what it was and he said, “no meat?” I did add thin sliced onions because we love them. By the second bite, he was a fan. I really enjoyed it too! I used the dough recipe linked and found it easy to make.
LOL — glad you both enjoyed it!
I made the pizza this weekend, what a wonderful treat. I used your recipe for pizza dough too which was so easy and delicious. Your recipes continue to be my favorite source.
I keep raving about your latest recipes to my friends; they are quickly joining your fan club. Thanks for another winner Jenn.
Glad it was a hit! ❤️
Can I cheat and use some leftover marinara sauce?
It will taste a little different, but sure, that will work. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Hi Jen, if I wanted to double the dough recipe, would I run into any issues? I would be using a KitchenAid Epicurian mixer. I am making it tonight but thought from the other reviews , that I will be making it again and thought it would be easier to make extra dough!
My family LOVES all of your recipies and you!:)
Hi Debbie, I think it’ll be fine to double the dough recipe. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Hi,
Made the sauce, dough and pizza. It’s the best pizza I’ve had or made and I’ve tried many times. My dough never turned out like this. It’s was exactly how you described it, crunchy outside and chewy on the inside and so tasty. The sauce was yummy too and so easy. My hubby and I ate the whole thing! If I had made the second one that would have been gone too! Again, another fabulous recipe.
The dough was perfect, the pizza sauce, cheese, fresh basil was perfect. Crunchy crust, melty cheese. Jen it was perfect. I’ve not been able to make a pizza dough like this. Margherita pizza is my favorite and I’ve Found it. 🙏
Jenn, this recipe is awesome!!!
Did not change anything, it’s flavorful and very very easy to make.
My family loved it!
Thank you so much for yet another great recipe.
Great pizza! Basil is hard to find in stores right now so I did without. For my vegetarian daughter I topped it with sautéed Crimini mushroom slices. The carnivores had the mushrooms and cooked sweet Italian turkey sausage. I did cheat and used jarred Rao’s pizza sauce because I had used it before and knew it was good. I made the dough yesterday and left it in the fridge until this evening. The dough was very easy to make and to work with.