25 Pizza Recipes to Perfect

Soppressata Pizza with Calabrian Chile Honey
Photo: Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis

If you haven't taken the leap and made pizza at home yet, consider this your road map. We have step-by-step instructions for classics like Margherita, as well as a cheese pizza that delivers "perfection on a plate." Cacio e pepe pizza is a fun riff on the signature Roman pasta, while breakfast pizza proves that you can absolutely eat pizza for every single meal. (And since dessert pizza exists too, why wouldn't you?) Once you get the hang of these, you'll be a pizza-making pro.

01 of 25

Cacio e Pepe Pizza

Cacio e Pepe Pizza
© Con Poulos

At Sbanco restaurant in Rome, chef Stefano Callegari takes his time making this perfect pizza dough, topping it with the flavors of cacio e pepe pasta. He's also devised a clever trick: putting a bit of crushed ice on the dough as it goes into the hot oven to keep the center moist and tender while the bottom and edge become crisp and crackling. It's worth noting that this recipe is largely about the dough — the topping, while delicious, is relatively scant.

02 of 25

Nancy Silverton's Tomato-Oregano Pizza

Nancy Silverton's Tomato-Oregano Pizza
© Lauren Volo

Chef Nancy Silverton's outstanding Neapolitan-style pizza is topped with only tomato sauce and oregano. The recipe yields nine eight-inch pizzas.

03 of 25

Summer Squash Pizza with Goat Cheese and Walnuts

Summer Squash Pizza with Goat Cheese and Walnuts
CREDIT: © JAMES BAIGRIE

Zucchini and yellow squash can both be mild in flavor, but nothing about this tangy, herby pizza is bland. The summer squash is sliced into slender coins, then roasted in a hot oven until it's lightly caramelized, bringing out its sweetness.

04 of 25

Roasted Chicken and Leek Pizza

Roasted Chicken and Leek Pizza
CREDIT: © DANA GALLAGHER

Store-bought rotisserie chicken, with its juicy meat, makes a great topping for fast homemade pizza. Here, former Food & Wine editor Grace Parisi adds it to pizza with leeks, Fontina cheese, and spicy oil-cured olives. The finished pizza pairs perfectly with a crisp California Sauvignon Blanc.

05 of 25

Pizza with Charred Cherry Tomatoes and Pesto

Pizza with Charred Cherry Tomatoes and Pesto
© Marcus Nilsson

Chef Shea Gallante tops these crisp-crusted individual pies with sweet tomatoes, aged Gouda, and a little pesto. The cherry tomato topping can be made one day in advance and refrigerated overnight — just bring it to room temperature before using.

06 of 25

Portobello Mushroom and Red Pepper Pizza

Portobello-Mushroom and Red-Pepper Pizza
CREDIT: © SARA FORTE

This substantial pizza features meaty portobello mushrooms and bright red bell peppers, simply paired with fresh salted mozzarella, grated Parmesan, and fresh basil. If you don't have fresh basil, stir some pesto into the peppers and mushrooms before putting them on the pizza.

07 of 25

Eggplant, Pesto, and Goat Cheese Pizza

Eggplant, Pesto, and Goat-Cheese Pizza

Tangy goat cheese, sharp Parmesan, tender sautéed eggplant, and bold pesto cover a mouth-watering pizza. This recipe makes a hearty 14-inch pie — if you'd like to pair it with wine, go for a Sauvignon Blanc.

08 of 25

Fennel and Sweet Onion Pizza with Green Olives

Fennel-and-Sweet-Onion Pizza with Green Olives
© JOHN KERNICK

Miami chef Michael Schwartz makes this pizza with Pernod-braised fennel, caramelized onions, and Trugole, a semisoft Italian cheese that melts beautifully.

09 of 25

Spring Onion and Salami Sheet-Pan Pizza

Spring Onion and Salami Sheet Pan Pizza
Greg DuPree

When making sheet-pan pizza, bring the dough to room temperature before shaping. This ensures the gluten is relaxed and the dough doesn't shrink from the pan edges.

10 of 25

Mushroom and Goat Cheese Béchamel Pizzas

Mushroom–and–Goat Cheese Béchamel Pizzas
CREDIT: © CEDRIC ANGELES

To give these individual pizzas an extra-luxe topping, chef Andres Barrera makes a velvety béchamel sauce with goat cheese and freshly grated nutmeg, then adds dollops of sautéed mushrooms.

11 of 25

Scallop and Bacon Pizza

Scallop-and-Bacon Pizza (40 minutes)
CREDIT: © CON POULOS

A quick, garlicky béchamel stands in for crème fraîche and cheese in this luxurious white pizza.

12 of 25

Roman Pizza

Roman Pizza
Peter Frank Edwards

This rectangular pie uses focaccia as the base for a simple topping of tomato sauce, melty stracciatella cheese, and basil leaves. It's unusually crisp, because it's drizzled with olive oil before baking.

13 of 25

Breakfast Pizza

Breakfast Pizza
Abby Hocking

Pizza is always a solid choice at breakfast time, and this particular pie, topped with sausage, eggs, and cheddar cheese, is always a hit. If you wish, you could add or substitute leftover cooked greens or roasted vegetables, sliced ham, or crisp bacon.

14 of 25

Grilled Asparagus Pizzas with Gremolata

Grilled Asparagus Pizzas with Gremolata
© Ingalls Photography

The heat of the grill can wilt the freshest toppings, so chef Daniele Uditi spoons something bright — a blend of fresh herbs, crushed red pepper, and garlic — over the pizza once it comes off the grate.

15 of 25

Soppressata Pizza with Calabrian Chilies and Hot Honey

Soppressata Pizza with Calabrian Chile Honey
Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis

Take a little soppressata, some chopped calabrian chiles, and a drizzle of hot honey, and you'll end up with the pizza of the moment. Calabrian chiles, fiery chiles from Italy, add heat and a distinctly fruity flavor to this pie. The hot honey mirrors the flavors of the chiles, and adds a touch of sweetness.

16 of 25

Wild Mushroom Pizza with Homemade Ranch

Wild Mushroom Pizza with Homemade Ranch
Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis

It's important not to weigh your pizza down with too many toppings, which can make for a soggy pie, so this pizza only requires a small amount of wild mushrooms. Choose whatever looks best at the market. We love this pizza with a drizzle of Fancy Ranch dressing (which almost makes it a salad, right?)

17 of 25

Sausage and Ricotta Pizza with Castelvetrano Olives

Sausage and Ricotta Pizza with Castelvetrano Olives
CREDIT: PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER TESTANI / FOOD STYLING BY TORIE COX / PROP STYLING BY AUDREY DAVIS

The combination of the meaty, briny, vegetal flavors in this pizza hits so many satisfying notes that it is sure to be a hit at your table. The olives, peppers, sausage, and ricotta combine to bring sweet, savory, salty, and creamy notes to this pretty pizza.

18 of 25

Potato Pizza with Crème Fraîche and Bacon

Potato Pizza with Creme Fraiche and Bacon
Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis

This pizza starts with the flavors of the classic Alsatian pizza, made with crème fraîche, caramelized onion, and bacon, and adds soft confit garlic cloves and thin slices of potatoes. Add a little greenery from kale and chives, and you've got an exceptional pizza to both look at and eat.

19 of 25

Classic Cheese Pizza

Classic Cheese Pizza
Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis

Sometimes all you want at the end of the day is a simple cheese pizza. This recipe turns simple into sublime with the addition of an exceptional pizza dough, low-moisture mozzarella cheese, and an easy to make tomato sauce that hits all of the right sweet and savory notes to marry all of the flavors in this pie. Add a simple garnish of fresh herbs, and you've got perfection on a plate.

20 of 25

Choucroute Pizzas

Choucroute Pizza
Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell

Dijon mustard and tangy fermented sauerkraut cut through the creamy richness of melted Fontina and mozzarella, while salty pistachios add a pleasant crunch to this Alsatian choucroute garnie–inspired pizza.

21 of 25

Hawaiian Pizza with Pineapple and Salami

Hawaiian New York Pizza
Bella Graves

Pork and pineapple are a dream combination in this homemade salty-sweet pizza. Pizza pro Miriam Weiskind's twist on pineapple-topped pie uses Genoa salami in place of ham — paired with creamy mozzarella and an oregano-scented uncooked tomato sauce, it is sure to convert any pineapple pizza skeptics.

22 of 25

Margherita Pizza

Margherita Pizza with Arugula
Bella Graves

This classic pizza is easy to pull off at home with fresh ingredients. Miriam Weiskind's flavorful dough comes together through careful kneading before slowly rising in the refrigerator for one — and up to five — days, making it the perfect, make-ahead pizza base. Paired with creamy mozzarella, the freshly snipped basil and uncooked sauce deliver big flavor.

23 of 25

Smoky Breakfast Pizzas

Smoky Breakfast Pizzas
Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christine Keely

Chef Justin Bazdarich makes his Kind Brother pizza at Speedy Romeo in Brooklyn extra decadent with a combination of béchamel and smoked mozzarella. This easy version also gets a kick from smoked mozzarella, plus a drizzle of fresh basil oil for a pop of freshness.

24 of 25

Jerk Chicken Pizza

Jerk Chicken Pizza
Yekaterina Boytsova

Whether you choose to make your own dough (which Nicole Russell, founder of Last Dragon Pizza in Far Rockaway, Queens, highly recommends) or buy it from the store, this pizza, called "Kiss Mi Converse!" at Last Dragon, is destined for greatness. A homemade jerk marinade inspired by Russell's Jamaican family takes center stage, giving rich flavor to the chicken topping, while the black olives, yellow peppers, and crossed scallion greens aren't just delicious—they're a salute to the Jamaican flag. You'll have some extra jerk marinade left over from this recipe—it's terrific for smoked or grilled chicken.

25 of 25

Grandma Pie Pizza

Grandma Pie Recipe
Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland

Unlike a thin-crust Neapolitan-style pie, the thick, deliciously chewy crust of a classic grandma pie is easy to pull off at home. All you need is a sturdy, standard "half-sheet" rimmed baking sheet. Don't stint on the oil for the pan — it helps create a gloriously crispy, golden crust.

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