Name: Mushroom Pizza with Fresh Herbs
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 7 min
Total time: 1 h 7 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 ball Best Pizza Dough (or Food Processor Dough or Thin Crust Dough); 1 1/2 cups sliced mixed mushrooms (such as baby bella aka cremini, button, shiitake, and oyster); 1 tablespoon each finely chopped fresh thyme and oregano, plus more sprigs for topping; 1/4 teaspoon plus 1 pinch kosher salt, divided; 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling; 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice; 1 to 2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled; 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese; 1 to 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives; Semolina flour or cornmeal, for dusting the pizza peel

This mushroom pizza is a white pizza that’s covered with mozzarella cheese, goat cheese, and fresh herbs. It’s perfection!

Please tell us you are a mushroom lover? When Alex and I went to Big Sur, California last year, we had one incredible mushroom pizza with a breathtaking mountain view. And it tasted so good, we knew we needed to recreate a version for our blog! Our rendition of this pizza is pretty different from the original, but it tastes fantastic: and looks just like the one we had there! It’s a white pizza — meaning no tomato sauce — and of course we couldn’t resisting adding tangy goat cheese dollops. Keep reading for the recipe and all our secrets to the best mushroom pizza!

Want a side with that? Try one of our 10 Best Sides to Go with Pizza.

How to become a mushroom lover (gradually!)

Let’s start by talking about mushrooms. I used to be a passionate mushroom hater. Yep, I didn’t give them a chance until I was well into my 20’s. But I decided to give giant meaty portobellos a chance. After that, I gradually snowballed into eating all the mushroom recipes. I’ve since learned these fungi are key in bringing a savory, meaty umami flavor to recipes. Now I’m officially a passionate mushroom fan! (Oh, and also a huge fan of truffles! Try this Truffle Pizza to have your mind blown. Or Truffle Fries…)

What kind of mushrooms on pizza?

Now, what kind of mushrooms go on pizza? Literally any kind of fresh mushroom will work here, but not canned. Here’s a few notes on the right ones to add:

Use fresh mushrooms, mixed varieties if you’d like. This recipe uses a mix of fresh mushrooms for texture contrasts. We typically use whatever our local grocery has in stock, or stock up at our farmers market. This mushroom pizza has a mix of baby bella (aka cremini) and shiitake mushrooms, but feel free to try oyster, strips of portobello, or white button.
Don’t use canned! What kind of mushroom should not go on pizza? Canned. Those slimy ‘shrooms in a can are what caused my 20 plus years of irrational dislike. They’re absolutely not recommended on pizza!
Don’t use raw! Can you use raw mushrooms on pizza? Definitely not. When put into a hot oven, they dry out and become shriveled in the high heat. To eat mushrooms on pizza, saute them first. This recipe calls for sauteing them with fresh herbs and adding a spritz of lemon juice at the end. It’s pretty heavenly!

Tips for making mushroom pizza

This mushroom pizza is a white pizza, meaning there is no tomato sauce! Of course, you could use tomato sauce if you’d like: because who’s going to argue with that! Our Easy Pizza Sauce is our tried and true method for an Italian-style pizza sauce that will literally blow your mind. (Promise!) But if you’re into the white pizza idea, it’s even easier! Here are a few tips on this mushroom pizza:

Do you need a white sauce for white pizza? Not necessarily. Traditionally, an Italian white pizza is truly anything without tomato sauce: so we start ours by brushing the crust with olive oil. Then just add the cheese and toppings!
Always always cook mushrooms before topping a pizza! This makes sure they’re perfectly juicy and don’t get dried out. These mushrooms are sliced and sauteed with some chopped fresh herbs, and then sprinkled with a little lemon juice.
Add goat cheese for creaminess. Top that dough with mozzarella cheese and mushrooms, dollops of tangy goat cheese (a must), and some more fresh herbs, and you’ve got an incredibly tasty pizza that will wow your friends and family.

Related: Easy Calzone Recipe

How to grow fresh herbs

This mushroom pizza recipe uses a handful of fresh herbs: and it’s so much more fun to grow them yourself! We grow herbs all summer long, and it’s one of the most satisfying things to run out to the garden and harvest a few herbs. You don’t even need garden space: you can just grow herbs in pots as long as you have a sunny ledge! And adding herbs to your cooking is a healthy flavor addition, without adding calories.

For this recipe, we used a mixture of thyme, oregano, and chives: but you could use any that you like. Of course basil would be a natural option: even a small amount of chopped rosemary! Just be sure to use rosemary in moderation: it has a very strong flavor! For all of our tips on fresh herbs, see this post on How to Grow Herbs.

And that’s it: all about mushroom pizza!

Would you try it? Let us know in the comments below if you do: we’d love to hear!