Pesto Pizza
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Loaded with basil pesto, fresh tomatoes and mozzarella, pesto pizza is the ultimate summer pizza.
For me, a good pesto pizza should have bold, front-and-center pesto flavor—I don’t want just a subtle hint of basil, garlic, Parmesan, and olive oil. I want those flavors to really stand out. The trick is to spread a generous layer of pesto before baking and top it with even more when the pizza comes out of the oven. This pesto pizza not only packed with flavor, but also looks gorgeous and feels a bit more special than your typical pizza pie.
I’ve included a recipe for homemade pizza dough, but don’t feel pressured—store-bought works just as well for a weeknight dinner. Same goes for the pesto sauce: homemade is great, but if you’re short on time, store-bought pesto (I love Mama’s pesto from Whole Foods) works perfectly too.
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need To Make Pesto Pizza
For The Pizza Dough
For the Toppings
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make the Dough
In a mixer fitted with the dough hook (or a large bowl if you’d like to make it by hand), combine the flour, yeast, salt, olive oil, and water.
Mix until the dough comes together.
Increase the speed and knead for about 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Flour your hands if necessary, and transfer the dough to a lightly oiled large bowl.
Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 1-1/2 hours.
When the dough has risen, punch it down.
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface.
Cut it in half and roll each part into a ball.
Cover the dough balls with a damp kitchen towel and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes — the dough will rise a bit.
Lightly dust a work surface with flour, and then pat and stretch the rested dough into two 12×8-inch rectangles. If the dough is sticky, dust it lightly with flour.
Place the two pizza doughs side-by-side on the prepared baking sheet. Then press the dough out again so that it almost touches the edges of the pan.
Step 2: Assemble and Bake the Pizzas
Cut the tomatoes crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices and place on a paper towel-lined plate or cutting board to drain the juices.
Spread 1/3 cup of the pesto evenly over the pizzas, leaving a 1-inch border.
Bake the pizzas on the bottom rack for 4 minutes. (I do this so the crust has time to crisp up; if you add the cheese from the get-go, it gets too brown before the crust is fully cooked.)
Remove the pan from the oven; and then top the pizzas with the mozzarella cheese, followed by the tomato slices, Parmigiano-Reggiano, salt and pepper.
Place the pizzas back in the oven and bake until the crust is crisp and golden, 6 to 8 minutes more.
Transfer the pizzas to a cutting board and drizzle with the with remaining pesto.
Sprinkle with fresh basil, then cut into slices and serve. Enjoy!
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Pesto Pizza with Fresh Tomatoes & Mozzarella
Loaded with basil pesto, fresh tomatoes and mozzarella, pesto pizza is the ultimate summer pizza.
Ingredients
For the Pizza Dough
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2¼ teaspoons (1 packet) instant/rapid-rise yeast (see note)
- 1¾ teaspoons salt
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 teaspoons cornmeal, for dusting the pan
For the Topping
- ½ cup good quality store-bought or homemade pesto, divided
- 8 ounces whole milk mozzarella cheese (not Buffalo mozzarella), thinly sliced or grated
- 2 vine-ripened tomatoes
- ¼ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup gently packed fresh basil leaves, torn
Instructions
- Combine the flour, olive oil, yeast, salt and water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix on low speed until the dough comes together. Increase the speed to medium-low and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled large bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and let it rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- When the dough has risen, punch it down and place it on a lightly floured surface. Cut in half and roll each part into a ball. Cover the dough balls with a damp kitchen towel and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes (the dough will rise a bit).
- Meanwhile, set an oven rack in the bottom position and preheat the oven to 500°F. Sprinkle the cornmeal on an 18x13-inch baking sheet; set aside. Cut the tomatoes crosswise into ⅛-inch-thick slices and place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain the juices.
- Lightly dust a work surface with flour, and then press and stretch the rested dough into two 12x8-inch rectangles. If the dough is sticky, dust it lightly with flour. Place the two pizza doughs side-by-side on the cornmeal-dusted baking sheet. Press the dough out again so that it almost touches the edges of the pan.
- Spread ⅓ cup of the pesto evenly over the pizzas (2½ tablespoons each), leaving a 1-inch border. Bake on the bottom rack for 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven; and then top the pizzas with the mozzarella cheese, followed by the tomato slices and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Season each pizza with an ⅛-teaspoon salt and a few grinds fresh black pepper. Place the pizzas back in the oven and bake until the crust is crisp and golden, 6 to 8 minutes more. Transfer the pizzas to a cutting board. Drizzle the remaining pesto over the pizzas and sprinkle with the fresh basil. Cut into slices and serve immediately.
- Note: Active dry yeast may be used instead of instant/rapid-rise yeast, however, the dough will take longer to rise. To give active dry yeast a boost, you can dissolve it in the warm water and let it sit until frothy, about 10 minutes. After that, add it to the flour, olive oil, and salt, and proceed with the recipe.
- Make Ahead Instructions: Once the dough has completed it's initial rise, and you've cut it in half to form two balls, lightly coat each dough ball with olive oil. Place the dough ball(s) into a freezer bag and seal shut, squeezing out all the air. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 days. When ready to use, let the dough sit out on the countertop for 30 minutes to warm up before stretching.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. When ready to use, defrost in the refrigerator overnight (or for at least 12 hours), and then let it warm up on the countertop for about 30 minutes before stretching.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Calories: 950
- Fat: 57g
- Saturated fat: 10g
- Carbohydrates: 80g
- Sugar: 3g
- Fiber: 6g
- Protein: 32g
- Sodium: 1663mg
- Cholesterol: 60mg
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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Jen, can you par bake the crust and top then freeze? If so at what temp and how long? I am making about 30 personal size pizza and need to make ahead ready to bake.
Sure, Robyn. I would follow the instructions here. Hope that helps!
Yum
I am not a great cook, but your recipes have me feeling like a pro. I plan to try this recipe next. Have you ever added chicken?
Hi Ana, I’m so happy you’re having success with the recipes! I haven’t tried adding chicken but I think it’d definitely work – LMK how it turns out if you try it. 🙂
I am a huge fan of this pizza recipe. I’ve made it several times already and it is the the first pizza recipe I’ve ever tried. The first time I made it, I used jarred pesto, but the second time I used homemade walnut pesto (from this site!) and it tasted amazing and completely different (I put a thick layer of pesto so the flavor comes through). I was also surprised at how easily the dough stretched out; it is very versatile! I like to add some pepper and lots of black olives on top. Overall a great, reliable recipe 🙂
All of your recipes have been fantastic, so I’m looking forward to trying this. We are a small family, so I’m considering freezing half of the dough. Do you think that would work? Would it be better to freeze it before the second rising? Any advice for thawing/raising/cooking the dough after freezing it? Thanks for your help!
Hi Cindy, Yes that would definitely work. See the very end of the recipe for freezing/thawing instructions. Hope that helps!
I’ve only recently discovered your site, and can’t be more pleased with this pesto pizza recipe! I’ve made it 3 times in the last 3 weeks! I do make the dough ahead a day or two, I also sub whole wheat flour for one of the cups of flour. In a pinch ( like the 2 hour trip to the grocery cause I live so rurally and there is NO way to get fresh tomatoes …) I have used well drained canned tomatoes. This pizza is my new favorite!
I am someone whose immediately intimidated by any recipe that involved bread or dough making but given that your recipes always work perfectly with me, I tried this last night for dinner. Very easy and turned out superb. The crust was really good although baking it for 8 minutes did cause it’s bottom to burn a little (checked it at min 6 and was under). Next time I will keep a very close eye at it after min 6.
Thanks Jenn for another fantastic recipe !
Malak
Hi Jenn, Can I use non- fast rising yeast to make this recipe? Thank you ! Can’t wait to give this a try!
Yes, Malak, that should work – enjoy!
One of my favorite homemade pizzas yet. Thanks Jenn! Made it for a church group and they loved it, though I used my usual go-to bread machine pizza dough recipe. 😀
This is a great, easy pizza dough. I also used the dough as a base to copy one of my favorite flatbreads at a restaurant and served it along side this exact recipe. Both were a hit.
Thanks!