How about having pizza for dinner? It’s difficult to surpass the timeless pesto pizza. This straightforward vegetarian pizza recipe is sure to please a crowd. It brings together an enticing mix of fresh, vibrant flavors from the basil pesto and tomatoes, lots of cheesy mozzarella, and a crust that bubbles with a satisfying chew.
This hassle-free pesto pizza recipe comes together swiftly with the assistance of your food processor. You can mix the dough and pesto in around 15 minutes—just clean the processor in between the two parts. If you’re in search of a really effortless weeknight dinner that’s superior to takeaway, consider using pre-made dough and pesto!
Pesto Pizza Ingredients & Topping Suggestions
Here’s what you’ll require to prepare this pizza:
Pizza dough
As always, I began with my go-to Whole Wheat Pizza Dough Recipe, which is simple to whip up. I suggest using white whole wheat flour, now known as Golden Whole Wheat by King Arthur, so the flavor of the whole wheat doesn’t overpower the vibrant pesto. The recipe is also compatible with all-purpose flour.
Switch it up: Use your preferred pizza dough recipe that yields approximately one pound of dough. Store-bought pizza dough is fine, too—just adhere to the package’s directions for allowing it to rise at room temperature, if required.
Pesto
This recipe provides steps for creating basil pesto from scratch. It requires fresh basil, pine nuts, Parmesan, lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil.
Switch it up: You can replace the pine nuts with another type of nut like almonds, walnuts, pecans, or pepitas. Alternatively, arugula can be used in place of basil, which is often more cost-effective and readily available throughout the year.
Mozzarella cheese
Mozzarella is ideal for pesto pizza. I loved the results with mini fresh mozzarella balls, known as ciliegene, which are perfectly sized for dotting your pizzas. You can also use larger mozzarella balls, torn into one-inch chunks. The secret to making excellent pizzas with fresh, water-laden mozzarella balls is to gently pat the cheese dry before topping your pizza to prevent excess moisture.
Switch it up: You can also opt for grated part-skim mozzarella for delightful results. I slightly favored the texture of the fresh mozzarella and loved how the green color of the pesto came through.
Toppings
Tomatoes are the traditional option. I recommend cherry tomatoes, which are less watery and generally more flavorful throughout the year. They bake best on pizzas when halved lengthwise, which facilitates even distribution across the pizzas and provides ample surface area for roasting off any excess juice.
Switch it up: You can completely exclude the tomatoes, or swap them for other thinly sliced vegetables like bell pepper, marinated artichoke, olives, mushrooms, or zucchini or yellow squash (cut as suggested). Well-drained, oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes would add extra flavor.
What to Serve with Pesto Pizza
If you’re planning your meal around pesto pizza as the main dish, you can’t go wrong. Pesto pizza pairs wonderfully with many other fresh, herb-forward dishes. Here are my top recommendations categorized by type.
More Recipes Featuring Pesto
Pesto is one of my go-to sauces! Here are a few more standout recipes with pesto on Cookie and Kate:
Please share how your pesto pizza turns out in the comments. I enjoy hearing from you.
Pesto Pizza
This traditional pesto pizza recipe showcases basil pesto, mozzarella, and tomato! It’s simple to prepare from scratch. Store-bought ingredients work well, too. Recipe makes two medium pizzas.
Dough and toppings
Pesto (or swap for 1 cup store-bought)
Preheat the oven to 500°F with a rack in the upper third of the oven. (Or, if you’re using a pizza stone, ensure it’s in the oven on the right rack. Check the manufacturer’s instructions.) Prepare the pizza dough as instructed, rolling it out as thinly as possible, but don’t brush the edges with oil (you don’t need it for this recipe due to the oil content of the pesto). Clean the food processor bowl thoroughly and return it to the machine.
To create the pesto: In the food processor, blend the basil (set aside a small handful of the most beautiful smaller leaves for garnish), nuts, Parmesan, lemon juice, garlic, and salt. With the machine in operation, drizzle in the olive oil. Keep processing until the mixture is well combined, stopping to scrape down the sides when necessary.
To top the pizzas: Spread each pizza with half of the pesto, leaving about 1 inch of bare dough around the edges. If you’re using fresh mozzarella, drain it thoroughly and gently pat it dry on a clean tea towel or paper towels (for larger mozzarella balls, tear them into 1-inch pieces). Evenly distribute half of the mozzarella and sliced tomatoes over each pizza.
Transfer one pizza (including the parchment paper) onto a baking sheet and into