25 Pizza Recipes For Any Kind of Pizza Night

Hot and fresh—not delivery.

By
Mimi Young
Mimi Young
Mimi Young
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Mimi Young is an editor and chef.
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Updated August 16, 2024
Charred pizza with 'nduja on wooden surface

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Sometimes it's easier to pick up your phone and order delivery pizza—you might even pick it up yourself on occasion. Sometimes you're tempted to grab a few boxes of the frozen variety to have on hand as a backup, especially when cruising down the frozen food aisle at Costco. Oh, I've been there. But here's the thing: Making pizza at home isn't as daunting or time-consuming as you might think. All you need are a few solid recipes in your arsenal for great homemade pizza to become an everyday reality.

Our favorite recipes cover almost every style of pizza you could possibly crave—from Neapolitan and New York to retro classics like French bread pizza and pizza bagel poppers. We also give you a range of cooking options to work with depending on what setup you have, whether it's a conventional stove, grill, or high-heat tabletop pizza oven. There's even a recipe for a versatile fool-proof pizza baked in a cast iron skillet. So, put down that phone, step away from the frozen pizza case, and get your dough on with these 25 pizza recipes.

  • Foolproof Pan Pizza

    Golden fool-proof cast iron pan pizza on wooden surface

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    There's is practically nothing you can't do in a cast iron skillet. Its excellent heat retention and distribution make it the ideal tool for making foolproof pan pizza. With a hearty no-knead, no-stretch pizza dough, the process couldn't be easier—giving you free rein to go as wild as you want with toppings.

  • Sicilian Pizza With Pepperoni and Spicy Tomato Sauce

    Two square slices of Sicilian pepperoni pizza on a cream colored stoneware plate.

    Serious Eats / Julia Estrada

    If you can't fly to New York to satisfy your craving for a slice of Spicy Spring from Prince Street Pizza—arguably one the best slices on the East Coast—then this recipe is about as close as you're gonna get to the spicy, cheesy, crispy pepperoni-topped Sicilian masterpiece. A generous coating of olive oil ensures the crunchy, golden-brown crust won't stick to the pan. Like the original, cheese is layered under the sauce to prevent the pizza from getting soggy.

  • Detroit-Style Pan Pizza

    A square of Detroit-style pepperoni pan pizza pulled away at the corner

    Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt

    Lovers of Detroit-style pizza will appreciate the months of testing and research that went into perfecting this recipe. From the high-fat aged Brick cheese from Wisconsin with its uniquely tangy, salty, buttery flavor to the special nonstick pizza pan that allows it to crisp along the bottom of the crust, we went the extra mile to replicate the quintessential Detroit slice.

  • New England Greek Style Pizza

    A slice of New England Greek-Style pizza on a speckled ceramic plate. There is a cutting board holding more pizza on the left hand side of the image

    Serious Eats / Qi Ai

    Our version of this regional classic starts with an oregano-forward sauce that's slowly simmered to yield a concentrated flavor. We reserve a portion of crushed tomatoes to stir in at the end to keep the reduced sauce tasting bright and fresh. We stretch the olive oil-enriched dough out in well-greased pans, then top it with the sauce and plenty of cheese—a 50/50 blend of mozzarella and white cheddar for a nice tang.

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  • The Best French Bread Pizza

    French bread pizza cut up and displayed on two ceramic plates and on a wooden cutting board.

    Serious Eats / Mateja Zvirotic Andrijanic

    No shade to Stouffer's, but this French bread pizza blows it—and all other versions—out of the water. We updated this retro classic with a heavy dose of garlicky butter, two cheeses, and fresh herbs. Flattening the bread—the squishy supermarket variety, not a baguette—under a baking sheet before toasting prevents the bread from curling. We also melt some of the cheese onto the bread before adding sauce to protect it against sogginess.

  • Extra-Crispy Bar-Style Tortilla Pizza

    Extra Crispy Tortilla Pizza cut into wedges on a wooden board

    Serious Eats / Liz Clayman

    Want pizza in a flash? There's no better option than this bar-style version that uses a tortilla as the crust, which bakes up extra crispy in a cast-iron skillet. We top the pizza with tomato sauce, grated mozzarella and parmesan, basil, and olive oil. For a heartier, sturdier version with more toppings, try Kenji's quesadilla pizza—same principle, just double the tortilla and cheese.

  • Pizza With Hot Soppressata, Mozzarella, Chiles, and Honey

    Neapolitan pizza with hot soppressata, mozzarella, chiles, and honey on wooden cutting board

    Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt

    These days, who doesn't like Neapolitan pizza with hipster vibes? Inspired by the one at Paulie Gee's, our version gets its spicy kick from hot soppressata and chiles. Honey keeps the heat in check and adds a touch of sweetness to balance out the deeply savory cured meat.

  • Pizza With Cherry Tomatoes, Garlic, Basil, and Mozzarella

    Charred pizza with cherry tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella on wooden board

    Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt

    A beautifully charred Neapolitan pizza is the perfect canvas to showcase the best of summer cherry tomatoes. Quick high-heat cooking softens them, intensifying their flavor and sweetness, as mozzarella melts over an airy crust moistened with a thin layer of un-cooked San Marzano tomatoes. The aroma of singed basil fills the air with every bite.

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  • Sausage and Radicchio Pizza

    Sausage and radicchio pizza on wooden board

    Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt

    Radicchio can be quite bitter in its raw state, but it turns sweet as it caramelizes in the oven. Its charred sweet-bitter notes complement the rich, fennel-scented porkiness of Italian sausage—tossed on raw, its fat renders out and seeps into the pores of the leaves and the cracks in the cheese.

  • Pizza With Mushrooms, Mozzarella, and Truffle

    Charred pizza with mushrooms and truffle on wooden board

    Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt

    Here, we've doubled down on mushroom flavor by layering fresh sliced mushrooms and fresh mozzarella on top of brandy-spiked mushroom duxelles. It's finished off with a drizzle of truffle oil at the table. Need we say more? Chef's kiss!

  • Pizza With Zucchini, Feta, Lemon, and Garlic

    Pizza with zucchini, feta, lemon, and garlic on wooden surface cut into wedges

    Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt

    The high water content of zucchini makes it a challenging pizza topping—no one wants to eat pale, soggy zucchini. The solution is to salt the zucchini and squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Then it's ready to be paired with mozzarella, feta, and thin slices of garlic and lemon.

  • New York-Style Pizza with Kimchi, Soppressata, and Maitake Mushrooms

    New York-style pizza with kimchi, soppressata, and maitake mushrooms on wooden board

    Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt

    Kimchi is everywhere these days—in grilled cheese sandwiches, fried chicken, and pasta—so it's not that unusual to see it on a New York-style pizza. Here, the funkiness of kimchi is paired with creamy mozzarella, hot soppressata, and maitake mushrooms works. Just remember to squeeze out the excess kimchi juice to prevent sogginess, which would be a crime against pizza.

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  • New York-Style Pizza with Bacon-Cherry Pepper Relish and Coppa

    Whole New York-style pizza with Bacon-Cherry Pepper Relish and Coppa on pizza peel and wooden cutting board

    Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt

    A good ol' New York-style pizza will always hold a special place in the hearts and stomachs of pizza aficionados. But if you want to switch things up, try this version with coppa and bacon-cherry relish made with pickled cherry peppers, bacon, and sugar.

  • The Best Meatball Pizza

    Hand pulling out a slice of meatball pizza

    Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt

    This marriage of meatball sub and New York-style pizza is quite possibly the greatest Italian-American mashup ever. Keeping the meatballs small ensures even distribution, and sautéing part of the meatball mixture to flavor the sauce gives it a simmered-all-day flavor.

  • Pizza with Pesto, Ricotta, and Mozzarella

    Pesto pizza with ricotta and mozzarella cut into wedges on wooden board

    Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt

    Dollops of molten pesto, ricotta, and fresh mozzarella dot the surface of this pizza, creating a landscape of contrasting flavors. Blanching the basil before making the pesto is the secret to preserving its vibrant green color.

  • Outdoor Pizza Oven 'Nduja Pizza

    Nduja pizza cooked in outdoor pizza oven on a piece of parchment set on a pizza pan

    Serious Eats / Andrew Janjigian

    High-temperature tabletop pizza ovens are all the rage, but getting the right combination of ingredients and dough to bake perfectly in them takes a bit of tweaking. For this recipe, Andrew starts with a pizza dough specifically formulated for these types of pizza ovens, then layers fresh basil under the sauce and cheese to prevent it from burning. Dollops of 'nduja hold their shape under the intense heat and give the classic margherita a spicy twist.

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  • Outdoor Pizza Oven Charred Broccoli Rabe and Anchovy Pizza

    Slicing a pizza with charred broccoli rabe

    Serious Eats / Andrew Janjigian

    This pie's all about the savory punch from smoky, bitter charred rabe, paired with a blend of Parmesan and Pecorino Romano, a healthy dose of anchovies, and a simple tomato sauce. No creamy mozzarella is needed. Par-blanching the rabe helps to keep it from drying out while it quickly chars in a skillet, all of which can be done right in the outdoor pizza oven as it heats up for baking the pies. 

  • "Armenian" Pizza With Spiced Lamb Sausage, Armenian String Cheese, and Sumac

    Armenian pizza being cut with a pizza cutter

    Serious Eats / Andrew Janjigian

    This Armenian-Italian mashup features lahmajun-spiced lamb sausage and nigella-laced string cheese standing in for low-moisture mozzarella. It's finished with a sprinkling of ground sumac and parsley.

  • Grilled Pizza With Grilled Shiitake, Sopressata, and Parmesan

    Grilled Pizza With Grilled Shiitake, Sopressata, and Parmesan cut up on wooden board

    Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt

    If you don't have access to a stone or high-heat tabletop pizza oven, grilling is your best method for producing crisp-on-the-outside, soft-and-airy-on-the-inside pizza. And while you're at it, grill up shiitake mushrooms and soppressata before layering them onto fresh mozzarella-topped grilled pizza crust. Throw on a fistful of shaved Parmesan and grill again until nicely charred.

  • Grilled Pizza With Grilled Broccolini, Chiles, and Garlic

    Grilled Pizza With Grilled Broccolini, Chiles, and Garlic cut up on wooden board

    Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt

    Grilled pizza is an ideal vehicle for a variety of vegetable toppings. For this spin on the classic Italian combo of broccolini, garlic, and chiles, we toss the broccolini in garlic oil then char it on the grill for a couple of minutes until tender. Whole pieces of broccolini, slices of fresh mozzarella, and a scattering of fresh hot chiles are layered onto a pre-grilled pizza crust and then returned to the grill to melt the cheese.

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  • Pizza With Fresh Clams, Garlic, Mozzarella, Romano, and Basil

    Charred pizza topped with cheese, basil, and whole clams in shell

    Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt

    Even the most popular joints in pizza-crazed New Haven use pre-shucked clams, which is why this pizza is a standout. Kenji's method of placing whole unshucked clams, hinge side down, on the pie just before baking the pizza on a preheated stone under the broiler ensures they come out perfectly plump and tender without losing a single precious drop of juice.

  • The Best Pumpkin Pizza

    Hand lifting slice of pumpkin pizza away from the pie

    Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt

    Come fall, this is a great recipe to have in your back pocket. Puréed slow-roasted pumpkin replaces tomato sauce, while shredded Gruyère adds a nutty richness that pairs nicely with sautéed pumpkin and apple. Torn sage leaves complete the autumnal picture.

  • Classic Tarte Flambée (Alsatian Pizza With Fresh Cheese, Onions, and Bacon)

    Charred Alsatian Pizza on wooden board

    Serious Eats / Daniel Gritzer

    Daniel's version of the Alsatian classic tarte flambée swaps out thinly rolled pizza dough for the traditional flatbread, which is then topped with fromage blanc (a fresh, tart, spreadable cheese), thinly sliced raw onions, and bacon. Cooking it on a baking steel under the blazing hot heat of the broiler results in a gorgeously charred, thin crisp crust. You'll be too busy devouring the whole thing to question whether it's actually a pizza.

  • Homemade Bagel Bites

    Baked mini bagel bites on a tray

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    Stella Parks created this recipe for hardcore fans of bite-size pizza poppers. It delivers the chewy, cheesy, salty, and crisp they longed for, only better. We start with a base bagel recipe that produces bagels that stay fresh for days. Toasting the split mini bagels prevents them from absorbing too much of the sauce and getting soggy. Diced pepperoni ensures even distribution and replicates the look of Bagel Bites. And, thanks to the longevity of the bagels, you can make them ahead of time and assemble the pizza poppers at your leisure.

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  • Trapizzini (Homemade Roman-Style Pizza Pockets)

    Triangles of parchment-wrapped assorted trapizzini displayed on iron rack

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik.

    These fluffy, crusty Roman-style pizza pockets make for the ultimate party food or sport-viewing snack—self-contained vehicles for all kinds of fillings, from meatballs and braised lamb shoulder to broccoli rabe and sausage. Once you've baked the cold-fermented, no-knead dough to a puffy golden crisp, all you have to do is cut them into triangles, cut a slit down the middle, nestle the pockets in their parchment wrappers, and pile them up with fillings of your choice. Ah, the glorious union of pizza and sandwich!

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