This pesto pizza recipe requires just a handful of ingredients and is a breeze to make if you already have pizza dough in the freezer.
We love making pizza at home. It’s one of the few meals that I think is worth the extra effort. We’ve spent a lot of time discovering our favorite style, and then nailing down how to reliably reproduce it. We prefer pizzas thin, but not too crisp, and definitely not too greasy! This easy pesto pizza recipe ticks all the boxes, and then some. It requires just a handful of ingredients, and is a breeze to make if you already have pizza dough in the freezer.
Related: Homemade Pizza for Beginners | Homemade Pizza Recipes | Pizza Topping Ideas
Video: How to make pesto pizza
Because it’s easiest to learn how to make pizza by watching, here’s a step-by-step video! In the video above, we’ll show you exactly how to make pesto pizza, from dough to baking.
How to make pesto pizza
Our love of homemade pizza is also one of the few excuses I have for kitchen uni-taskers (sorry, Alton!). We’ve found that if you’re going to make pizza often, a pizza stone is a must. Pizza stones absorb moisture as the pizza bakes, which makes for a crunchier crust. If using a pizza stone, you’ll need to pop it in the oven while it’s pre-heating. A word of warning though: pizza stones have a tendency to break in half, so make sure to follow our care instructions!
When making this pesto pizza recipe, we’d encourage you to keep things simple and not add on additional toppings. The homemade pesto really shines here, and the tomatoes add just the right pop of freshness. However, if you’re dying to add on more toppings like onions or peppers, sauté them until they’re slightly tender before adding them to your pizza. This will ensure that your toppings get fully cooked in the oven, and will remove some of the moisture from the veggies (which is essential for maintaining that perfectly crisp crust!).
Serve this homemade pesto pizza recipe with a side salad or some roasted vegetables. It’s best eaten right away, but you can easily reheat this pizza in a skillet on the stove or in the oven. Avoid microwaving leftovers, as your pizza may become a little rubbery while being reheated.
Related: How to make artisan pizza | Easy Calzone Recipe
Looking for more homemade pizza recipes?
Alex and I have made a lot of pizza over the years. A few of our favorite recipes are:
- Caramelized Onion & Brussels Sprouts Pizza
- Best Margherita Pizza
- Veggie Supreme Pizza
- Best Ever Taco Pizza
- Easy Pita Pizzas
- Artichoke & Cherry Tomato Pizza
- Roasted Poblano and Corn Pizzas
- Veggie Pizza with Avocado
- Italian Pizza with Pesto
- Best Anchovy Pizza
- Egg Pizza with Scallions
- Veggie Pizza with Avocado
- Best Mexican Pizza
- Kale & Pistachio Pizza
- Our Best Vegan Pizza
- KitchenAid Pizza Dough Recipe
- How to Clean a Pizza Stone
- Homemade Pizza Sauce
- Breakfast Pizza with Scrambled Egg
This recipe is…
This pesto pizza recipe is vegetarian.
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Pesto Pizza Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 7 minutes
- Total Time: 17 minutes
- Yield: 1 pizza 1x
Description
This pesto pizza recipe requires just a handful of ingredients and is a breeze to make if you already have pizza dough in the freezer.
Ingredients
- 1 ball Best Pizza Dough (or Food Processor Dough or Thin Crust Dough)
- ½ cup Best Basil Pesto (or Walnut Pesto, Cashew Pesto, Vegan Pesto, or purchased pesto)
- 1 handful shredded mozzarella or pizza blend
- 2 Roma tomatoes
- Parmesan cheese (grated)
Instructions
- Follow the Best Pizza Dough recipe to prepare the dough. (This takes about 15 minutes to make and 45 minutes to rest.)
- Place your pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500°F. Slice the tomato.
- When the oven is ready, dust a pizza peel with cornmeal or semolina flour. (If you don’t have a pizza peel, you can use a rimless baking sheet or the back of a rimmed baking sheet. But a pizza peel is well worth the investment!) Stretch the dough into a circle; see How to Stretch Pizza Dough for instructions. Then gently place the dough onto the pizza peel.
- Quickly assemble the pizza. Spread the pesto over the dough, sprinkle on as much cheese as you like, add the tomato slices, and top with some fresh grated Parmesan and a pinch of salt.
- Use the pizza peel to carefully transfer the pizza onto the preheated pizza stone.
- Bake the pizza until the cheese and crust are nicely browned, about 5 to 7 minutes in the oven (or 1 minute in a pizza oven). Try to let the pizza cool before you eat it, so you don’t burn off all your taste buds – this is always the hardest part!
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: pesto pizza recipe, pesto, pizza, easy, best, simple, italian, recipe, tomatoes
I made a variation of your stuffed poblano peppers last night, looks like tonight I am making pesto pizza! Thanks for all the great recipes!
I love pizza , and this one looks delicious !
My husband and I make a lot of homemade pizzas, but surprisingly have never made one so simple, or with pesto. Holding onto this recipe to give it a shot! Thanks :)
I love anything and everything with pesto, especially pizza! Yours look so delicious, thanks for sharing!
Oh dear…I’d never known about pizza stones till I read this post. Putting this on my list to try, together with Jim Lahey’s no knead bread and pizza dough! I love how we’re taking these once unattainable-at-home foods and bringing them right home. Nothing beats eating fresh.
No knead bread is great! Good luck with a pizza, the stones make all the difference!
I make Pesto pizza, but when I slice the romas (I use three), I sprinkle with a little salt and let sit for about 10 minutes. Then I take paper towels and dab to take a lot of the moisture out. And have you tried this pizza using fresh mozzarell cheese (buffalo)? It’s really a fab tasting pizza, been making it for a few years now.
I love pesto pizza! I usually add chicken or buffalo mozz. cheese. Looks amazing- Beautiful photos!
Have an abundance of basil and found this recipe–we invited our neighbors on this maiden voyage and all of us loved the result. I use Campari (Mexican, green house raised) tomatoes (because they are outstanding-year round) and it was a perfect match. The Bourbon Barrel aged Cab rounded out the meal.
So glad you enjoyed!