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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Comments
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Hi! I LOVE your pizza crust recipe and make it often! I am wondering about whether the recipe would need to change if all I have on hand is active dry yeast? Or would the rising time just be longer? I haven’t been able to find instant yeast for several weeks. Thank you!
You can use active dry yeast here; use the same amount but dissolve it with the lukewarm water and salt first, then add the flour. And the rising time will be about 1/3 longer, but keep in mind that’s just a general guideline. Hope that helps and that you enjoy!
Jenn! I absolutely loved this pizza!
I think I’ve written you a review before (Elle,18) but I HAD to write another. This pizza is soooo so good. My dad is not a pizza person at all (or any junk foods really) and he thought this was delicious. I decided to switch it up the second time I made it. I used pizza sauce, and topped with mozzarella, jalapeños, mushrooms, peppers, and olives. The other pizza was your pesto recipe. It was STILL delicious. I hate pizza crust and I devoured yours. Second time around I didn’t put the tomato sauce until the actual toppings because I found it overcooks a bit. I also put less Parmegiano than dictated bc it was a bit much for me. The pizzas were perfection. I’d give you 100 stars if I could!
Cheers,
Elle
So glad you enjoyed this! (And good for you for being so active in the kitchen at 18!!) 🙂
Oh my god, what a delicious recipe! Truly awesome, my family loves this and we have tweaked a bit you can use whole wheat flour too or add half an half. The doughs more pizza-like if you add 1/4 whole wheat and 3/4 all-purpose but being the healthy me I tried out with only whole wheat and it still tasted amazing. Although the texture isn’t pizzalike, it still tastes great, an easy healthy way to tweak the recipe. Once again awesome recipe. use it everytime!
This was absolutely delicious and so easy. Lunch for a family of five–excellent. Thanks, Jenn!
Great dough. Very tasty. Can reduce salt in the dough!
I tried it today and it made a perfect Sunday lunch! Your presentation is a feast for the eyes too!
Thanks very much!
Usha Venkat
India
Hi Jen I love all your recipes but I’m having some trouble with this pizza dough. Every time I make it it gets tough and has creases. It’s not sticky and pliable and looks nothing like your beautiful dough 😊
Can you offer some advice? I’m following direction and measurements to a T.
Thank you!
Lindsey
Sorry you’re having a problem with the dough, Lindsey! What brand of flour are you using? That can actually have a significant impact on the dough.
Hi Jen I’m using all purpose enriched bleach flour from Costco
Hi Lindsey, If you’re following the recipe instructions and have done careful measuring, I suspect it’s the flour. I consistently have good luck with King Arthur’s all-purpose flour. Hope that helps!
Hey Lindsey,
I found when I use all purpose enriched flour it turns out a bit crease-y and I always have to add water. Are you using ROGERS brand?
Hi Elle,
I’m using Costco’s all purpose enriched and bleached flour. Maybe that’s it!
Jenn, my family is loving your recipes! Today I made the pizza dough from this recipe. It was delicious and very crispy. Thank you! (I cut the salt down to 1 tsp because my husband is on a lower sodium diet)
Jenn,
I have made your pizza dough twice. Both times it has taken at least 2 hours for the dough to rise. I follow the directions exactly and have a great place for dough to rise so that isn’t the problem. I have noticed that you do not add sugar to your pizza dough. Should I add sugar for a quicker rise? Do you have any suggestions? Otherwise the dough is perfect for pizza! Thanks.
Jeana
Hi Jeana, Are you using instant/quick-rising yeast? And, you could add 1 tablespoon of sugar but it won’t make a huge difference. The yeast is really what has an impact on the rise.
Hi Jenn,
Yes, I used quick rise yeast. Should I switch to traditional yeast. The pizza dough was delicious. It just took an additional hour to rise. All of your recipes are truly fool proof. Your cookbook is so good, it is my go to cookbook every time! Thanks.
I’d just stick to the recipe — there definitely can be some variation in rise-times. (And so glad you enjoy the recipes and the cookbook ❤️.)
Hello, I have made a pizza twice now with pesto sauce, and both times my fire alarm went off because of all the smoke. The oil from the pesto drips to the bottom of the oven and smokes like crazy. How do I stop this from happening? Is it because the pesto sauce has too much oil in it?
I used homemade pesto bought from a deli.
Hi Sharon, Are you using a rimmed sheet pan?