Homemade Pizza

Kelsey Crist

5 from 6 votes
4 Comments

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Homemade Pizza gets the whole family involved while making dinner. Make your favorites like cheese, pepperoni, or Hawaiian, or make something completely unique!

Close up of sliced Homemade pizza with homemade pizza dough.
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Featured with this recipe
  1. Fun for the Whole Family
  2. Ingredients in Homemade Pizza
  3. Topping Ideas for Homemade Pizza
  4. Tips for Cooking Homemade Pizza
  5. Frequently Asked Questions about Homemade Pizza
  6. Other Pizza Recipes You’ll Love
  7. How to Make Homemade Pizza
  8. Homemade Pizza Recipe

Fun for the Whole Family

Homemade Pizza is a fun and delicious dinner. Your kids will love to make it and eat it! Even the pickiest eaters will find a pizza topping combo they love. You can make big pizzas for the whole family, or everyone can make their own personal pizza. Set out different sauces, cheeses, and toppings, and see what your family creates! It might be a little messy, but if it gets everyone in the kitchen cooking together, it is worth it.

This homemade pizza recipe gets the whole family involved while making dinner. Start with our homemade pizza dough recipe then make your favorites like cheese, pepperoni, combination, or Hawaiian! Or make your own personal mix of toppings that you like best.

We love recipes that we can make with our kids. Browse our whole list of kid-friendly recipes, and find something that will get your kids excited about being in the kitchen! Start with something super simple like 5-Minute DIY Slushies or Microwave Rice Krispie Treats. 

Four uncooked pizzas topped with different toppings


Ingredients in Homemade Pizza

For the Dough:

  • Warm water
  • Sugar
  • Active dry yeast
  • All-purpose flour
  • Kosher salt
  • Extra virgin olive oil

For the Pizza:

  • Pizza sauce
  • Shredded mozzarella
  • Toppings of your choice

For Homemade Pizza Sauce:

  • Tomato Sauce
  • Tomato Paste
  • Garlic (garlic powder or minced garlic)
  • Basil
  • Oregano
Baked whole Pepperoni Pizza with Homemade dough. Toppings on the side.

Topping Ideas for Homemade Pizza

My family is pretty adventurous when it comes to pizza toppings, so we have tried everything from pineapple to prosciutto to pears! Here is a list of topping ideas for your Homemade Pizza that flavor ranges from classic to totally unique!

Sauce

  • Marinara
  • Alfredo
  • Pesto
  • Olive Oil & Garlic
  • BBQ Sauce
  • Ranch
  • Blue Cheese

Cheese

  • Mozzarella
  • Parmesan
  • Ricotta
  • Gorgonzola
  • Fontina
  • Fresh Mozzarella
  • Feta

Meat

  • Pepperoni
  • Sausage
  • Canadian Bacon
  • Chicken
  • Bacon
  • Prosciutto
  • Pancetta
  • Meatballs
  • Buffalo Chicken
  • Ham

Vegetables

  • Peppers
  • Black olives
  • Onions
  • Mushrooms
  • Tomatoes
  • Spinach
  • Artichoke Hearts
  • Fresh Basil
  • Broccoli
  • Butternut Squash
  • Corn
  • Zucchini
  • Roasted Garlic

Fruits

  • Pineapple
  • Pears
  • Lemons
  • Blackberries
  • Pomegranate Seeds

Top it Off

  • Arugula
  • Pine Nuts
  • Balsamic Glaze
  • BBQ Sauce

Do you have any favorite pizza toppings or combinations? Let us know in the comments!

Whole baked Pizza with Homemade dough on a pizza dish.

Tips for Cooking Homemade Pizza

When we make Homemade Pizza, I typically cook the pizzas in the oven on my pizza stone. A pizza stone is a thick baking sheet made of stone. I put it in the oven while it preheats. Then, when the oven and the stone are hot, I place the pizza directly on the stone using a spatula or pizza peel. This isn’t a necessary step, but it does change the texture of the crust. Essentially, preheating the stone gives the pizza a crispier crust. However, if you don’t have a pizza stone, you can preheat a regular metal baking sheet instead. Whatever you bake your pizza on, make sure to dust the surface with flour or cornmeal so it doesn’t stick!

Frequently Asked Questions about Homemade Pizza

What temperature do you bake homemade pizza?

We bake ours at 450 for 10-15 minutes. This is perfect to make the crust perfectly crispy, the cheese nice and bubbly, and the toppings browned, hot, and sizzling. Keep an eye on your oven! You don’t want your pizza to burn in there!

How to freeze homemade pizza dough?

The best way to freeze homemade pizza dough that will last in your freezer for up to three months is to lightly coat the entire ball of dough in olive oil and place it in a freezer storage bag. Zip up the bag, making sure to get ALL the air out of it. Place in your freezer and enjoy at a later date.

Are homemade pizzas healthier?

Homemade pizzas can be healthier than the typical greasy/oily variety found in fast food and other types of restaurants. Because YOU can control the amount of cheese and pick your own, fresh toppings, homemade pizzas are generally a ‘healthier’ option than the other greasy pizzas you can find.

Read more: 35+ Easy Dinner Ideas

Other Pizza Recipes You’ll Love

Looking for more pizza recipes? Try some of our favorites:

How to Make Homemade Pizza

Hand holding a slice of homemade Pizza.

Homemade Pizza

5 from 6 votes
Homemade Pizza gets the whole family involved while making dinner. Make your favorites like cheese, pepperoni, or Hawaiian, or make something completely unique!
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Rising Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 25 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine Italian
Servings 16 slices

Ingredients

For the Dough

  • 1 1/2 cups warm water
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast one ¼ ounce packet
  • 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

For the Pizza

  • 1 1/2 cups pizza sauce
  • 7 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
  • toppings of your choice

Instructions

For the Dough

  • Combine water, sugar and yeast in small bowl. Let sit 5 minutes. Add oil to yeast mixture. 
    Yeast and water in a glass measuring cup
  • Mix flour and salt together in the bowl of a heavy duty mixer fitted with dough hook.
    Flour in a mixing bowl
  • Pour yeast mixture into flour mixture and knead on low speed for 10 minutes. (If mixing by hand, knead dough for same amount of time.) Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
    A ball of pizza dough in a glass bowl
  • Punch dough down and divide in half. Shape into 2 or 4 balls, depending on how big you want your pizzas. Lightly brush dough balls with olive oil and cover completely with plastic wrap. Let rise another 45 minutes.
    Two balls of homemade pizza dough wrapped in plastic wrap

For the Pizza

  • Preheat oven to 450. Place baking sheet or pizza stone in oven while it preheats. Remove dough from plastic wrap and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll each dough ball out into a circle using a rolling pin.
    Pizza dough rolled into a circle
  • Top with sauce, cheese, and your favorite toppings. Lightly dust pizza stone or baking sheet with cornmeal or flour. Transfer pizza to pizza stone or baking sheet.
    Four uncooked pizzas topped with different toppings
  • Bake 10-15 minutes until edges are golden brown. Serve immediately.
    Whole baked Pizza with Homemade dough on a pizza dish.

Notes

Recipe Tips:

Try dusting the surface of whatever you are baking your pizza on (whether it be a pizza stone or a metal pizza pan) with flour or cornmeal so that the pizza doesn’t get stuck. 
*Nutrition information is for 1 slice of pizza if you made 2 pizzas with this recipe. Sauce and cheese only, no toppings. 

Topping Ideas:

  • Pepperoni
  • Italian Sausage
  • Canadian Bacon
  • Chicken
  • Bacon
  • Prosciutto
  • Pancetta
  • Meatballs
  • Buffalo Chicken
  • Ham
  • Peppers
  • Black olives
  • Onions
  • Mushrooms
  • Tomatoes
  • Spinach
  • Artichoke Hearts
  • Fresh Basil
  • Broccoli
  • Butternut Squash
  • Corn
  • Zucchini
  • Roasted Garlic

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 184kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 7gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 637mgPotassium: 133mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 183IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 71mgIron: 2mg

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About the author

Kelsey Crist

Kelsey lives in Washington with her husband, Alex, and two cats, Diana and Nova. Her happy place is in the kitchen listening to an audiobook and trying new recipes. When she's not in the kitchen you can find her hiking, shopping at Trader Joe's, or playing Animal Crossing. Her favorite food is pasta and Alex loves when she makes Homemade Oreos.

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Comments

  2. 5 stars
    So many great ideas I’ve never even thought of! Our newest obsession is hot honey! Wow, so fun to drizzle on pizza! I love your suggestion of balsamic glaze. I haven’t used that in a while!

    Reply